Atlanta Financial is Proud to Now be a Part of Mercer Advisors!
Did you know that Georgia offers businesses a tax break for investing in your employees? If you are a business owner, under the Georgia Retraining Tax Credit program, your business can receive a tax credit of 50 percent of your direct training expenses, with up to $500 credit per full-time employee, per training program, with an annual maximum of $1,250 per employee.
Most of us have either filed or are wrapping up our 2019 tax filing by this point. A common question we receive is what will happen to taxes after the election? Government spending has increased (especially in response to COVID-19 packages) and an increase in revenues will be needed. Of course, finding consensus on where to increase taxes will not be likely. At Atlanta Financial Associates, we pay much attention to proposed changes and right now that is all they are, possibilities. Often, leaders float ideas to see what gains traction. A couple of the proposals being ‘floated’ right now include…
Each year the IRS releases a Top 12 or “Dirty Dozen” tax frauds and scams they are seeing in an effort to warn taxpayers of things to be on the lookout for. I read this each year and the list includes several of the usual suspects but also has some new additions. You can read the entire IRS list here (IRS Dirty Dozen 2020), but I wanted to highlight a couple of items that I believe are most relevant to our readers…
Looking for ways to reduce your taxable income while contributing to a cause that hits close to home? State tax credit programs that benefit rural hospitals could be just the outlet you need. These state-run programs allow taxpayers to direct a certain amount of their tax dollars to rural hospitals in need. Since we reside in Atlanta, we are most familiar with the Georgia HEART program outlined below, but others states offer similar programs. Check with your state revenue department to learn if such options are available to you.
The tax law changes that went into effect in 2018, changed many things but tax planning moves are still available that can be implemented before the end of the year that can reduce your taxes in 2019. Whether you are self-employed or a W-2 employee, there are strategies available now that can reduce your tax bill if you act before the end of the year.
This year marks our second year living with the sweeping tax law changes passed at the end of 2017, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. How did you fare under the new tax law, or do you know?
Many tax payers had pleasant surprises when they filed their 2018 returns, with smaller tax bills and/or larger refunds than usual. But some tax payers felt like they didn’t benefit from the tax cuts at all. As we met with clients in 2019, we found that for some of those clients the total tax paid was in fact higher, but due to higher income levels (from a strong economy and stock market), while tax rates actually did decline from pre-2018 levels. Unfortunately, for a significant minority of our clients, both rates and taxes paid were higher due to limitations on mortgage interest deductions, the elimination of personal exemptions and the cap on state and local tax deductions (the so called “SALT” deductions).
Regardless of which camp you found yourself in after filing your 2018 taxes, there is still time to minimize what you will owe for 2019 with smart planning. We have listed 9 tips to consider between now and year-end.
Atlanta Financial Associates, LLC (“Atlanta Financial”) is a registered investment adviser offering advisory services in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas and in other jurisdictions where exempted. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. The presence of this website on the Internet shall not be directly or indirectly interpreted as a solicitation of investment advisory services to persons of another jurisdiction unless otherwise permitted by statute. Follow-up or individualized responses to consumers in a particular state by Atlanta Financial in the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation shall not be made without our first complying with jurisdiction requirements or pursuant an applicable state exemption.
All written content on this site is for information purposes only. Opinions expressed herein are solely those of Atlanta Financial, unless otherwise specifically cited. Material presented is believed to be from reliable sources and no representations are made by our firm as to another parties’ informational accuracy or completeness. All information or ideas provided should be discussed in detail with an advisor, accountant or legal counsel prior to implementation. All investing involves risk, including the potential for loss of principal. There is no guarantee that any investment plan or strategy will be successful.
Copyright 2021 | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Customer Relationship Summary
