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It’s that time of year again: tax time. And while many of your money-saving options might be limited after Dec. 31, there’s still a lot you can do to help lower your taxes, save money and avoid penalties. Here’s a quick snapshot. Contribute to Your Retirement Accounts Yes, doing this will help lower your tax bill. So, if you haven’t already maxed out your contribution for 2022, you can still do so up until April 18 for a traditional IRA (deductible or not), and a Roth IRA. If you have a Keogh or Simplified Employment Pension Plan (SEP), you can apply for a tax filingRead More →

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Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics and biotechnology, greatly transform society and reshape the global economy. However, these technologies also come with a significant challenge regarding ethical and social implications. Global collaboration by governments, regulators and industry leaders can help ensure that emerging technologies are developed and deployed responsibly. Challenges of Regulating Emerging Technologies Emerging technologies have led to complex situations that traditional governments might find difficult to manage. For instance, today’s advanced technologies also come with new forms of crime. This requires law enforcement and public safety organizations to keep up with new and innovative crimes. Today’s governments face challengesRead More →

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COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 (S 619) – This bill would authorize the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to declassify all information relating to the origin of COVID-19 and any correlation with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The ODNI would be required to redact the report as necessary to protect sources and methods, and then submit it to Congress. The bill was introduced on March 1 by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). It passed the Senate on the same day and the House on March 10. It is currently awaiting signature by the president. Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia CouncilRead More →

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The U.S. housing market has been extremely volatile over the past year. Year-over-year growth rates were at highs of 20.1 percent in April 2022, then declined to only 8.6 percent in November – the biggest drop in over 20 years. As a result, many homeowners who sold their homes in 2022 or plan to in 2023 may have either gains or losses depending on their location and timing. Below, we tackle the issues you need to know to properly account for the taxation of your home sale. Only Some Gains Are Taxable Not all gains on home sales are taxable, with the initial $250,000 orRead More →

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The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement 2.0 Act of 2022, otherwise known as SECURE 2.0, is a piece of legislation that focuses on how employers and their employees are able to save for retirement and how it impacts their bottom lines. Businesses with as many as 50 employees can receive a tax credit when they offer a defined contribution plan to employees. The start-up tax credit permits up to 100 percent of start-up costs ($5,000 annually) to offset administrative expenses to implement a start-up plan. However, for businesses with 51 to 100 employees, the first SECURE Act’s tax credit equal to 50 percentRead More →

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The College Savings 529 plan offers a way for modest-income families to save and invest for college expenses for their children as early as birth up to college age. When invested 529 funds are used to pay for the beneficiary’s qualifying education costs, earnings are distributed tax-free. However, a lesser-known advantage for wealthier families is that the 529 plan can be used as an effective tax-advantaged tool for funding college expenses for family members over multiple generations. Basically, the 529 enables the investment to continue growing tax-free for years and even decades after the death of the original owner and beneficiary. Assets from a 529Read More →

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The idea of starting your own business is inherently romantic, if not exhilarating: You get to run the show, flesh out your ideas and live your dream. But where do you begin? Here are seven smart steps to get you started – and help improve your chances of success. Come Up With a Concept What’s your idea? Is it profitable and something you’re passionate about? Would others consider you an expert in this area and seek your advice? What kind of funding do you have? Will you partner with someone or go solo? When you can determine all of these things, then you’ll be offRead More →

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Customer loyalty is critical to any successful business strategy in today’s digital age. With emerging technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), companies are now leveraging a new approach called the internet of behavior (IoB) to gain deeper insights into their customers’ behavior and preferences. What is IoB? The internet of behavior exists because of the internet of things. IoT is the interconnection of physical digital objects that gather and exchange information over the internet. On the other hand, IoB makes sense of the collected data from various sources, including wearable devices, digital household devices, human online activity and social media. The acronym internetRead More →

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Investing in Main Street Act of 2023 (HR 400) – Introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) on Jan.20, this bill would permit certain financial institutions to increase investments in small business investment companies (SBICs). The current cap is 5 percent; if passed, the amount would rise to up to 15 percent of their capital and surplus. The bill passed in the House on Jan.25 and is now under consideration in the Senate. To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers and for other purposes (HR 185) – This billRead More →

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Every year, typically right after the new year starts, the IRS formally announces key dates and deadlines for the current tax season. Recently, the IRS made the announcements for the current 2023 tax season. To make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible, it’s best if you are aware of this tax season’s deadlines and key dates so you don’t miss a beat in working with your CPA. Tax Season in Perspective More than 168 million individual tax returns are expected to be submitted to the IRS in 2023, covering the 2022 tax year. The last three years saw delays and snafus, largely impactedRead More →