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Showing posts from April, 2018

Tax planning: Steps and strategies

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Tax planning is widely known to be the manner of forecasting one’s tax liability and creating ways and methods to reduce it. This involves analyzing one’s financial situation from a tax perspective, with the goal of tax efficiency. Here are some steps for businesses to perform this crucial exercise in financial planning.  Image source: Pinterest.com        Start early : The tendency for most people is to do taxes in March or April when the deadline for settling tax returns is already looming near. Start earlier to have more time to estimate one’s investment gains and losses, as well as income.  C alculate tax liability : Know these liabilities and work toward them. This need not be a difficult thing to do if one has a relatively fixed income and salaried employees. Engage the services of a tax expert if you find yourself in the dark when it comes to computations.  Profile risk level : Here, find a good level of investment risk that one’s current financial sta

The right way to set up a self-directed IRA

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When it comes to IRA assets, investors must make sure that they are investing their money profitably and legally. To prevent prohibited transactions, especially with self-directed IRAs, those who are saving up for their retirement years must be on the lookout for fraudulent offers. Those who are aiming for a self-directed IRA should act accordingly:  Image source: Military.com 1. Avoid investing in prohibited investments. An IRA cannot be invested in collectibles (art, antiques, gems, etc.), precious metals, and life insurance. When a broker approaches a potential investor to direct their IRA through these means, it is a fraudulent deal.  2. Ask questions and check the broker's credentials. Setting up a self-directed IRA can be tricky for those who will be doing it for the first time. Before investing in assets, there should be a lot of questions. Factors such as valuation, liquidation, and distribution might determine if it's worthwhile to invest.