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.
May 4, 2014
Suppose one of your clients has his or her sights set on obtaining an MBA or another advanced degree. Usually, it takes significant time and effort to achieve this goal, especially if the degree candidate is currently working on a full-time or part-time basis. But earning the degree could be well worth the “blood, sweat…
May 4, 2014
Due to recent advances in technology, you can now talk face to face with someone halfway across the country without even budging from your desk. Yet it’s still important at times for business people to “press the flesh” or meet in person with an associate to conduct meetings or consummate a deal. At least, a…
April 14, 2014
Before student athletes begin celebrating the recent decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that college football players should be classified as university employees, they might consider this extra point: Players could be hit with an unexpected tax bill on their scholarships.
April 11, 2014
The White House now says without equivocation that 7.1 million individuals signed up for Obamacare by March 31, the deadline for open enrollment in 2014. But how many of those people actually paid for health insurance coverage acquired through the marketplace? That’s where the “counting” gets a little trickier.
April 7, 2014
What will happen to the “tax extenders” that have been virtually ignored by Congress the last few months? At long last, there seems to be some movement on several fronts concerning these tax law provisions that are traditionally extended for just one or two years.
April 6, 2014
The IRS has been struggling in its efforts to close an estimated $385 billion “tax gap” between the amount that taxpayers owe and the amount they’ve actually paid. Now, to add another crushing weight, it has to ramp up Obamacare activities despite recent budget cutbacks.
April 4, 2014
Despite reports of a formal extension circulating in the media, March 31 was the last day that individuals could sign up for health insurance coverage for 2014 under the Obamacare mandate without risking a hefty financial penalty. Or was it?
April 2, 2014
It’s even more difficult than before for most taxpayers to qualify for medical expense deductions now that the “floor” has been raised to 10 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI) from 7.5 percent of AGI.
March 28, 2014
With about two weeks to go in tax filing season, the procrastinators are finally starting to contact your office. Usually, they’ve postponed the inevitable because they fear they’ll be entitled to only a miniscule refund or they will have to ante up to Uncle Sam.
March 28, 2014
One could say that the automatic tax filing extension is the taxpayer’s best friend – besides being a bosom buddy to tax return preparers – as the tax filing season rushes to a close. And this BFF may be able to do more for you than you think. However, just like most good friends, it’s…
March 28, 2014
Despite recent claims that the deadline for signing up for Obamacare would not be postponed beyond the initial March 31 deadline – the day before April Fool’s Day – the White House has finally caved into the pressure. According to a report in the Washington Post on March 25, the Obama administration is extending the…
March 26, 2014
The government seems to have worked out most of the kinks in www.healthcare.gov, the online site used to sign up for Obamacare. But it has yet to address another glitch that surfaced almost two years ago: Language in the law that prevents married taxpayers who file separate tax returns from qualifying for special tax subsidies.
