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.
October 7, 2014
What are the tax and financial issues of the Supreme Court's decision not to overturn gay marriage rulings in several new states? Although certain aspects are still being sorted out, here’s a brief summary of the lay of the land in several key areas.
October 3, 2014
Normally, a taxpayer may deduct travel expenses, including the cost of lodging, only when he or she is “away from home” on business. For this purpose, home means your tax home, usually the area surrounding your principal place of business ...
October 1, 2014
[This is the last in a series of articles on maximizingdeductions for travel and entertainment (T&E) expenses.] In the not-so-distant past, the IRS often suspected that deductions for travel and entertainment (T&E) were being inflated or, even worse, being claimed when no legitimate expenses existed. Eventually, it carved out a strict set of recordkeeping requirements for...…
September 24, 2014
The IRS has decided it won’t appeal a recent court ruling handed down in favor of Ryan, a global tax preparation services firm, that invalidates and permanently enjoins the IRS from prohibiting such arrangements for refund claims and amended returns.
September 23, 2014
The IRS has just announced new federal per diem travel rates for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY 2015), which spans October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015. Unlike many other previous years, when per diem rates were typically bumped up just a dollar or two or not
September 21, 2014
There’s nothing new about taxpayers mixing business with pleasure. For instance, a business executive might paint the town red after he or she signs a six-figure contract with a client or customer. Is the cost of entertaining the client or customer ...
September 18, 2014
Suppose one of your clients receives a postcard or email heralding a business convention at a lush tropical paradise this winter. It’s hard to pass up and your client may jump at the opportunity. After the early presentations and round-table discussions,
September 14, 2014
[This is part of a series of articles on maximizing deductions for travel and entertainment (T&E) expenses.] Normally, you can’t deduct the cost of traveling between your home and your job, even though the travel is, in reality, business-related. The IRS considers “commuting” to be a nondeductible personal expense. However, if you qualify under the IRS’...…
September 11, 2014
First, a federal appeals court invalidated most of the regulations imposing continuing education and other regulatory requirements imposed by the IRS on tax return preparers (Loving, et al v. IRS, Civil Action 12-385 (JEB), U.S. Dist. Ct. DC, 1/18/13). .
September 9, 2014
There’s a better chance of Democrats and Republicans agreeing to the winner in “America’s Got Talent,” than there is of ever reaching a consensus on the IRS’ handling of the applications for tax-exempt status made by right-leaning political groups.
September 1, 2014
What often sets business taxpayers apart from individuals is the potential for deducting expenses relating to business driving. For virtually everyone else, the cost associated with operating a car or other vehicle is a nondeductible personal expense. However, if you use your own vehicle for business trips, you’re usually entitled to deductions on your federal…
August 26, 2014
As with domestic travel (i.e., travel within the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia), you can deduct all of your travel expenses if the trip is entirely for business purposes. Otherwise, you’re entitled to travel deductions only if the primary purpose of the trip is business-related. Again, the days spent on business versus…
