Category Archives: Year-End Tax Planning

As Congress and the White House debate tax plans, there have been much discussed changes to the traditional 401(k) plan. The proposed plan to adjust the maximum limit for contributions has been tabled but we still have a long way to go before we have a tax plan in place.

That does lead to the questions—What are the limits for various retirement plans and what are some options for a small business owner to save for retirement?

Depending on your immediate and long term goals there are plenty of options. There are defined benefit plans, Defined contribution plans and other retirement savings plans such as SEPS, SIMPLES and IRAs to name a few. All of these plans allow a deduction from current income if a contribution is made according the respective plan terms. The differences between them include the amount of contribution and the costs of administering each plan

Benefits are paid from these plans in most cases at retirement, death, disability, or separation from service. Distributions from plans that do not fall into one of the allowed categories are also subject to penalty ranging from 10 percent to 25 percent.

Under a defined benefit plan, an employer makes annual contributions to the plan to provide each participant with a set benefit at retirement. Contributions to the plan are actuarially determined, and the plan can be integrated with social security. An integrated plan reduces the contribution for the lowest-paid employees and still allows for a significant contribution on behalf of the owner and key executives. Benefits under the plan are fixed using a definite formula. Typically, the formula expresses the benefits in one of the following ways:

By Maureen Werther

Between now and the end of the year, financial planners, advisors and CPAs will be busy working with clients to ensure their future financial security and minimize their tax liabilities for the coming year.

However, this year is fraught with more uncertainty than any other time in recent memory, some advisors say.

With tax reform still being negotiated in Washington, D.C., financial professionals will be waiting to see what the coming months will mean for the year ahead.

According to global financial giant, Wolters-Kluwer, year-end strategies will become clearer as the legislation moves forward. For the time being, they advise flexibility and preparedness. In other words, an accountant should be ready to adjust to whatever changes are brought about and they should be ready to execute effective strategies for clients as late as December.

For larger, well-established companies or high-wealth individuals, their team has already been planning for several different scenarios. For smaller and younger companies, there are also basic strategies they can employ to ensure them from unnecessary vulnerability.

Stephanie Mumford, CPA and partner at Teal, Becker and Chiaramonte, said that on some level everyone can benefit from financial and tax planning.