What is the 5-Year Roth Rule?
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You can’t touch the earnings on your contributions until you’ve had an account open for 5 years and you’re either over age 59 ½ or you meet special exceptions.

How to Deduct U.S. Debt Obligations on State Tax Returns
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Dividends and interest received from U.S debt obligations can be deducted on many state tax returns.

RMD Mistake: Failing to Take Your RMD
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The key to getting the waiver though is showing that “you are taking reasonable steps to remedy the shortfall.”

Radio: Why Corporate Tax Rates Should Be Lowered
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David John Marotta was interviewed on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing corporate tax rates, and why they should be lowered.

Can I Continue Retirement Saving Past Age 70 1/2?
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The rules for post-70 ½ IRA contributions depend upon whether the account is a traditional IRA, Roth IRA or SEP IRA.

Fixing 401(k) Rollover Mistakes
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The IRS has a rule that if you are doing a rollover for a 401(k), you have 60 days to complete that process. But what if you experience a tragedy and can’t finish on time?

How Much Can I Contribute to My Retirement Accounts?
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With many types of retirement accounts available, it can be difficult to keep track of how much you can put away where, especially if you are eligible to contribute to multiple accounts.

Do Children Need To File A Tax Return To Fund Their Roth IRA?
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The IRS does not require dependents whose gross income is only earned income to file a tax return if the amount is less than a certain amount.

Understanding Virginia’s Tax Withholding Rules
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We know how federal rules require you to either have tax withheld or make estimated payments of tax that will be due, but it is easy to forget that states have their own revenue departments and their own rules.

Understanding the Estate Tax Return
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The estate tax return is definitely complex, but that’s because it has to account for the multitude of special rules that only apply to a few households.

Understanding the Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax
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The fact that we have an 80% “generous grandparent” tax is ridiculous.

Can I Contribute to Both a SEP and a 401(k)?
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SEP plans offer a powerful way to provide for your own retirement in the same way that 401ks do.

Mailbag: The Practical Limits of 1031 Exchanges
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Using a 1031 exchange to turn investment property into residential property is possible, but it takes careful planning from the outset.

Is Margin Loan Interest Tax Deductible?
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Here are the four criteria which must be met in order for margin loan interest to be tax deductible.

Government Requires 2.5 Hours of Daily Work
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Without the burden of federal, state, and local taxes, you could leave your job at 2:27pm every day and earn the same salary.

Radio Interview: The Burden of Government Taxation
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David John Marotta was recently interviewed on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show, discussing taxation and the burden of government.

Mailbag: How Is Capital Gains Tax Calculated?
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The IRS does not do a good job of helping people understand capital gains taxes. They provide a worksheet to help you calculate it, but it has so many steps that it’s nearly impossible to figure out what’s going on.

Tax Loss Harvesting and Wash Sales
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Wash sale rules need to be followed when realizing capital losses for taxes but can be burdensome to track and monitor.

Can I Contribute to my Roth IRA?
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There are some cases that are not as straightforward and if you fall into these categories, you might not know whether or not you are allowed to contribute to a Roth IRA.

Ted Cruz’s Tax Plan
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More than many other candidates, Ted Cruz’s tax plan aims to fundamentally change our tax system.

Four Things You Can Do with Your Roth Before April 15
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If you have not yet funded your Roth account for 2015, it is not too late!

How Roth Conversions Are Reported to the IRS
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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is notorious for misunderstanding the recharacterizations of Roth conversions.

What Counts as Wages for the Social Security Earnings Test?
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Contrary to the normal way of things, this time what Uncle Sam gives with the IRS, he takes away with the SSA.

What Counts as “Boot” in a 1031 Exchange?
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1031 exchanges can include “boot,” which is an unofficial term for other property received in the exchange.

Radio Interview: Wills, Estates, and Beneficiaries
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David and host Rob Schilling discuss what estate planning is, why you want to do it, and explain some of the jargon.

Mailbag: Unexpected Income and Estimated Taxes
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How do you handle unexpected income that happens late in the year?

After-Tax IRA Contributions Must Be Reported On IRS Form 8606
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The backdoor Roth strategy involves contributing after-tax funds to a traditional IRA.

What is the Kiddie Tax?
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The kiddie tax was first added to the tax code in 1986 for children under age 14. Now, it can burden them until they are 23.

Trust Protections from Creditors and Spendthrift Beneficiaries
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The beauty of trusts is that they are very flexible, and an estate lawyer can help you craft a document that will follow your wishes and give you peace of mind.

Mailbag: Where Does Cost Basis Go in a Partial 1031 Exchange?
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In a 1031 exchange, the cost basis of the property you give up is rolled into the new property you receive.

When Are Taxes Due On A Roth Conversion?
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Any tax which is ultimately going to be owed is owed by April 15th. Otherwise it may be subject to interest and penalties.

Mailbag: When Can I Move Into a 1031 Property?
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Because 1031 exchanges are a great way to defer paying large amounts of capital gains tax, the IRS tends to be suspicious of them.

Jeb Bush’s Tax Plan
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Bush’s tax plan is in good company with Trump, Rubio, and Lee. It hits many common Republican talking points but doesn’t seem to take its own reasoning very seriously.

Can I Contribute To A Roth IRA If I Don’t Have A Job?
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You can only contribute to your Roth IRA if you have what the IRS calls “earned” income. This makes it all the more important to contribute to your Roth IRA every year you can.

Donald Trump’s Tax Plan
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Tax season under Trump’s plan would likely be just as complicated but slightly less painful.

How Much Can I Contribute To A Roth IRA If I Earn Too Much?
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I’m on the borderline for being able to contribute to a Roth IRA. How do I determine how much I can contribute?

How To Correct Excess Roth IRA Contributions
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Regardless of the reason, if you have put too much money in your Roth IRA, the solution is the same.

Can I Contribute To My Wife’s Roth IRA?
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I have earned income but my wife does not. Can I contribute to my wife’s Roth IRA?

Mailbag: Marco Rubio and Mike Lee’s Tax Plan
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Is each dollar value the average for that category or is it really the average for a family with $88,871 in annual income?

How Much Can I Contribute To My SEP IRA?
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The calculations for this are a little strange. Here is the formula and two examples of how it works to help you.

How Can I Contribute to Two Roths?
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The terminology is a little confusing, but you are allowed to have and contribute to both individual retirement accounts and employment-related retirement accounts.

Rand Paul’s Tax Plan
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2016 Presidential hopeful Rand Paul has released a sketch of an intriguing tax plan.

What Should I Do With a 401(k) From a Previous Employer?
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You have 3 basic options, but whichever option you choose, do not lose track of the accounts you own.

Can I Fund My Roth With Book Publishing Royalties?
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Roth IRAs can only be funded with earned income and therein lies the confusion.

A Guide to Your W-4
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All new employees have to fill out form W-4, but despite its ubiquity, most people don’t understand it.

Can I Contribute to a Roth IRA?
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How do you know if you can contribute to a Roth IRA? See this flowchart for answers.

Why Liberals Should Hate Real Estate Taxes
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Taxes hurt ordinary folks before the extraordinary ones, and it can hurt them badly.

Tax by Fiat: Legacy of Alexander Hamilton
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Hamilton, like our current president, sees people as temporary holders of wealth until such time as the government decides to expand.

Tax by Fiat: Legacy of James Wilson
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The arguments for greater government power have always been the same.

How Much Does the Government Cost?
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Is it fair for the government to confiscate a full quarter of the average person’s earnings every year? Where does it all go?

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