By Mark Sipos, LFG Tax Director While the holiday season may seem far away, the final quarter of the year is the most important time to prepare for taxes. Once the calendar turns, your options for reducing tax liability and maximizing savings narrow significantly. Taking action now allows for flexibility and better results. One of the first steps is reviewing income, deductions, and potential tax strategies while there is still time to implement them. For some, it may make sense to defer income to the new year or accelerate expenses into the current year. Charitable contributions and pre-paying certain taxes are additional ways that have the potential to strengthen your tax position before December 31. The new “Senior Bonus”, an additional $6,000 per person for those age 65 and over, can be a great opportunity to create tax savings, increase ROTH conversions, and help offset taxes on Social Security income. There are income thresholds that can impact the amount you can deduct, so careful planning is important. Investors should also consider tax-loss harvesting, a strategy that offsets gains with underperforming investments. Starting this process early can help maximize tax benefits and prepare portfolios for the year ahead. Retirement contributions are another key area. Individuals still have time to maximize 401(k), 403(b), 457, Health Savings Accounts, and Flexible Spending Plans. Business owners can take advantage of SEPs, SIMPLEs, or even cash b
Our team employs external financial research from many different economists, analysts and research firms. This research provides valuable input into how we actively monitor and manage your portfolio. Periodically, we share this research with you in addition to our own analysis and market commentary. Linked below is a piece by J.P. Morgan that examines the investment implications of the government shutdown. The federal shutdown, which started Oct. 1, poses three broad problems for the economy, namely, the drag from the shutdown itself, the confusion it is causing on the state of the economy and the fact that it has occurred when the economy was likely already entering a soft patch. Enjoy the analysis from J.P. Morgan, and thanks for your confidence in our team at Lineweaver! Please click here to