Tax Carnival Ecstasy – November 19, 2013

Welcome to the November 19, 2013 edition of Tax Carnival Ecstasy. We start this carnival with an article from Bill Smith on filing back taxes. We also have a really good story on filing your taxes after the October 15th deadline has passed for the year. And finally, Intuit is helping those looking for advice on completing their Affordable Care applications. Hope you bookmark, share, tweet, and like on Facebook the Tax Carnival Ecstasy.

filing

Bill Smith presents How To File Back Taxes posted at 2011 Tax, saying, “All people with income need to file taxes yearly. If you have missed one or more years in the past ten, now is the time to file back taxes.”

Death & Taxes (film)
Death & Taxes (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bill Smith presents IRS Payment Plans Are Ideal For Paying Your Taxes On Time posted at 2012 Taxes – Free Tax Filing Options, saying, “Just don’t use one to pay your taxes when they come due as the IRS has a number of payment plans that won’t stress out your budget and incrementally trap you in a negative cycle.”

retirement

Ward Carson cfp presents Women and Retirement – The Happy 401k posted at The Happy 401k, saying, “Ward Carson is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. He is the owner of The Happy401k.com and the Managing Partner of Cambridge Financial & Insurance Group. Cambridge provides counsel to corporate clients in the areas of qualified retirement plans and executive/employee benefits. Through TheHappy401k.com, Ward shares valuable insight for sponsors and participants of corporate retirement plans”

John Schmoll presents Can You Earn Too Much to Be Good With Money? posted at Frugal Rules, saying, “A common myth is that the higher your income is the better you are with money. This problem with this myth is that it overlooks the fact that if you spend a lot while making a good salary you’ll have nothing to show for it. The path to growing wealth, however, is made up of being frugal with your spending and having your money work for you as opposed to being a slave to it.”

tax law

Bill Smith presents Filing Taxes In 2013 After October 15 posted at 2013 Taxes, saying, “If you were unable to pay your taxes earlier in the year, you might have been dreading the October 15th deadline for your deadline extension.”

tips

Lee Hadnum presents Where are the tax havens? posted at UK Tax Planning Blog.

Bill Smith presents Intuit Offering Personalized Answers To Questions About The Affordable Care Act posted at 2012 Tax – Free Tax Filing Options, saying, “To provide assistance to the estimated 50,000,000 uninsured US citizens facing crucial healthcare decisions, Intuit Inc recently launched their TurboTax 2012 AnswerXchange.”

Bill Smith presents Pink Slip Loans Worse Than Payday Loans posted at 2012 Taxes – Free Tax Filing Options, saying, “Pink slip loans are available online. However, looking for a pink slip loan online requires due diligence.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of tax carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Lifetime Annuity- How it has been Helping People

Lifetime annuity has been helping people in different ways. Investment products are deigned strategically so as to provide consumers with greater income in the future. Lifetime annuities are smart investment plans where the annuitant is entitled to receive a certain amount till he outlives. With rates of life expectancy reaching peaks, needs for lifetime annuities have been increasing. While term annuities mean that you will receive a specific amount for a specified time, lifetime annuities make sure you remain financially stable till the time you live.

Of all financial investments lifetime annuity that is fixed in nature, are considered a fruitful investment vehicle. Moreover, they are safe options for retired individuals who crave for a stable economic flow. Fixed lifetime annuities safeguard you from the risk prone fluctuating market. These investment plans promise the holder of benefits, where he is entitled to receive a steady flow of income regardless of any turmoil prevailing in the market.

While most of these investment products offer income for your life, others draw a line when it comes to offering you money. Lifetime annuities entitle you of receiving a certain sum of money either on a monthly, basis or on yearly basis depending upon your needs. Such kinds of income last for around 20 years or more. The annuitant has the right to receive the amount in lump sum. In that case he will have to inform the annuity company from beforehand.

Lifetime annuity helps avert market risks and in majority of instances the annuity provider has to bear market risks. Even if the economic conditions are poor the annuitant won’t be affected. This is why most people opt for lifetime annuity over other investment plans.

It is time you compare lifetime annuities

If you are unable to settle for the perfect investment plan you need to converse with an annuity expert. You need to seek help from a financial planner who has been in business for quite long. The expert having profound knowledge would readily offer you guidance on the same.  The expert after comparing different financial products would even go on to the extent of highlighting the merits and demerits of each product. Whether or not you will like to invest on a particular lifetime annuity investment would largely depend on his word of mouth. He is likely to show you the differences in return by using the annuity calculator and make it easier for you to select a plan.

When is Borrowing from Your 401k a Good Idea?

While many financial experts claim you should avoid borrowing from your 401k as much as possible, it may be your only financial life line in certain situations.  Because so many people often don’t have enough or anything at all saved toward retirement, financial experts claim you could be setting yourself up for financial disaster when you are ready to retire.  On the other hand, depending on your situation, it may make sense to borrow.

If you have considered other financial options such as borrowing from friends, family or home equity line of credit, a loan against your 401k may be your last option.  An emergency that may be okay to borrow includes the need of living essentials such as food, grocery items and keeping utilities from being disconnected.  If you have other obligations or are being harassed by debt collectors for items such as medical bills or credit card bills, negotiate a payment plan that will give you time to make payments before considering using 401k funds to pay them off.

It you have a secure job it may be safe to borrow because it helps in repaying the loan amount.  You may have to consider payment amounts that would be applied to what you borrowed if they are automatically deducted from your paycheck.  Also keep in mind; you may be required to pay it back during a set time period. If you leave your job before the loan is repaid, you’ll have 60 days to pay what is due.  At this point, the money taken out may be subject to a 10 percent tax penalty.

You plan to use what you borrow for a smart investment.  This includes using the money to purchase a home, start a business or further your education.  For homebuyers, the repayment period is extended.  Make sure business decisions are thoroughly researched and educational credentials will have additional value for the workplace.

If you are unable to obtain a loan at an affordable rate, borrowing from your 401k may be a low-cost loan option.  People who have filed bankruptcy in the past, for example, may not qualify for a loan at a lower rate. Remember, you may still have to pay penalties for touching your 401k before your retirement age.  You may save interest in choosing to borrow against your 401k but it may not make up for taking the funds out in the beginning.

Andrew writes frequently about personal finance as well as issues effecting both consumers and small businesses, covering everything from credit cards to mortgages to tax reduction.

New Tax Benefits for the Unemployed

New Tax Benefits for the Unemployed

If you were unemployed last year and are working on completing your tax return for 2009, there are a number of new tax benefits that can reduce the amount of tax you owe. The first place to look is at unemployment insurance which is normally taxable income. But during 2009, the first $2,400 of unemployment insurance is not taxable. So do not include this amount in your benefit when you complete your taxes.

There are a couple new wrinkles to IRA and 401K laws. You can avoid paying the 10% penalty on retirement … Read more at 2009 Taxes

New Tax Benefits for the Unemployed

If you were unemployed last year and are working on completing your tax return for 2009, there are a number of new tax benefits that can reduce the amount of tax you owe. The first place to look is at unemployment insurance which is normally taxable income. But during 2009, the first $2,400 of unemployment insurance is not taxable. So do not include this amount in your benefit when you complete your taxes.

There are a couple new wrinkles to IRA and 401K laws. You can avoid paying the 10% penalty on retirement plan withdrawals if you used the money for medical reasons or for any reason if you are over the age of 55.

Taxpayers that itemize can deduct their job hunting expenses on Schedule A. The floor for such deductions is 2% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), but any amounts over the first 2 percent can be itemized and deducted. Consider travel, marketing, and communication costs when totaling your yearly expense.

And finally, taxpayers that moved for a new job can deduct moving expenses as long as their new job is an additional 50 miles from their prior residence. You are allowed to deduct reasonable expense amounts for moving your household items, travelling yourself, 30 days of storage, utility connection and disconnection costs, lodging, and shipping for a pet.

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