Ken Berry, Esq., is a nationally-known writer and editor specializing in tax and financial planning matters. During a career of more than 35 years, he has served as managing editor of a publisher of content-based marketing tools and vice president of an online continuing education company in the financial services industry. As a freelance writer, Ken has authored thousands of articles for a wide variety of newsletters, magazines and other periodicals, emphasizing a sense of wit and clarity.
August 20, 2018
Generally, employees can satisfy their annual tax obligations by having enough tax withheld from their paychecks during the course of the year. However, if you fail to pay enough tax, including both withholding and any quarterly installments, the IRS ...
July 20, 2018
The provision in the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) limiting itemized deductions for state and local taxes – known by the acronym of SALT – remains a sticky issue months after enactment of the law. Now four states along the eastern seaboard ...
June 25, 2018
In a new case harkening back to the days of F.D.R., the U.S. Supreme Court decided by a narrow 5-4 vote that stock options paid to employees who were “working on the railroad” do not constitute taxable compensation (Wisconsin Central Ltd, v. U.S. ...
June 20, 2018
The new tax law enacted late last year – the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) – includes a couple of key changes for real estate investors who are planning to renovate their properties. For one thing, the TCJA completely eliminates the rehabilitation ...
June 12, 2018
Now the TCJA is opening up Section 529 plans to pre-college schooling. Beginning in 2018, the definition of qualified expenses is broadened to include tuition for enrollment at an elementary or secondary public, private or religious school.
May 15, 2018
Lawmakers have attempted to address the issue several times. However, the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act, which was reintroduced into legislation last year, has failed to gain enough traction in Congress.
March 19, 2018
IRAs have been around for more than half a century and an entire cottage industry has sprung up concerning the rules for contributions and distributions.
January 29, 2018
The shutdown of the federal government on January 20 only lasted two days. But another deadline is looming: Uncle Sam will close up shop again on February 8 if Congress doesn’t take further action.
January 24, 2018
If nominated and approved, Rettig faces an uphill battle in turning around the IRS, which has suffered in recent years from a dwindling budget and several black eyes, including the “Tea Party scandal” that unfolded under Koskinen’s watch.
January 16, 2018
In addition, as part of the report, the NTA has released “The Purple Book” presenting 50 legislative recommendations. Many of these proposals have been detailed in prior NTA, but others are presented in this inaugural publication for the first time.
January 8, 2018
The new law carves out a brand-new tax deduction for owners of pass-through entities, including partners in partnerships, shareholders in S corporations, members of limited liability companies (LLCs) and sole proprietors.
January 5, 2018
The IRS has announced that it will officially begin accepting returns for the 2017 tax year on January 29, 2018 (IR-2018-01, 1/4/18). This is a little later than usual to give the nation’s tax collection agency enough time to ensure security and ...
