Newsletter from
Steve Richardson & Company, Certified Public Accountants

October 21, 2019

To Our Clients and Friends:

Stubborn-Super-Steve!

Much to my physician’s consternation, I’m not an “outstanding patient”. I’m well now, but I’ve been sick for ten hard days. My Physician told me that if I didn’t rest, I would “relapse”. Frankly, I didn’t believe him. What should have been a five-day illness turned into a ten-day illness because I failed to follow good professional advice.

I thought that the “rest” part of recovery doesn’t apply to Mr. Stubborn Super-Steve. Boy-Howdy was I wrong! Good professional advice is important. I will try to be a better patient but Mr. Stubborn Super-Steve will very likely show-up again as it has so many times in the past.

It is important to follow good professional advice!

We have a few CPA Firm clients a bit like Mr. Stubborn Super-Steve. Thankfully, not too many. Most of our clients are “outstanding”! That phrase, “outstanding clients” may need to be defined; an “outstanding client” is one who acts upon our advice and pays their bills on time. When our clients follow our advice, it does pay off!

We do more than tax returns. We look at retirement planning, cash flow issues, investment management, employee and personnel, and other issues as they present themselves.

Right now, we (our clients and their CPA Firm) need to do a bit of year-end tax planning.

2019 and 2020 Tax Planning

With year-end approaching, now’s the time to take steps to cut your 2019 tax bill. Here are some relatively foolproof year-end tax planning strategies to consider, assuming next year’s general election doesn’t result in retroactive tax changes that could affect your 2020 tax year.

Year-end Planning Moves for Individuals

Here are some strategies that may lower your individual income tax bill for 2019.

• Game Generous Standard Deduction Allowances. For 2019, the standard deduction amounts are $12,200 for singles and those who use married filing separate status, $24,400 for married joint filing couples, and $18,350 for heads of household. If your total annual itemizable deductions for 2019 will be close to your standard deduction amount, consider making additional expenditures before year-end to exceed your standard deduction. That will lower this year’s tax bill. Next year, you can claim the standard deduction, which will be increased a bit to account for inflation.
  • Charitable Deductions. Deferring and doubling up on charitable donations, in alternating tax years, is actually easy to do with minimal planning. There are venerable well established organizations set up to assist donors. One of my favorites is the National Christian Foundation.
• Carefully Manage Investment Gains and Losses in Taxable Accounts. If you hold investments in taxable brokerage firm accounts, consider the tax advantage of selling appreciated securities that have been held for over 12 months. The maximum federal income tax rate on long-term capital gains recognized in 2019 is only 15% for most folks, although it can reach a maximum of 20% at higher income levels. The 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) also can apply at higher income levels.
  • With the instability of the looming 2020 elections, I recommend accelerating your capital gains into 2019 while we have tax law clarity and favorable tax rates.
• Take Advantage of 0% Tax Rate on Investment Income. For 2019, singles can take advantage of the 0% income tax rate on long-term capital gains and qualified dividends from securities held in taxable brokerage firm accounts if their taxable income is $39,375 or less. For heads of household and joint filers, that limit is increased to $52,750 and $78,750, respectively. While your income may be too high to benefit from the 0% rate, you may have children, grandchildren, or other loved ones who will be in the 0% bracket. If so, consider giving them appreciated stock or mutual fund shares that they can sell and pay 0% tax on the resulting long-term gains. However, if you give securities to someone who is under age 24, the Kiddie Tax rules could potentially cause some of the resulting capital gains and dividends to be taxed at the higher rates that apply to trusts and estates.
• Give away Winner Shares or Sell Loser Shares and Give away the Resulting Cash. Don’t give away loser shares (currently worth less than what you paid for them) to relatives. Instead, you should sell the shares and book the resulting tax-saving capital loss. Then, you can give the sales proceeds to your relative. On the other hand, you should give away winner shares to relatives. These principles also apply to donations to IRS-approved charities.
  • If you gift stock, never gift a stock that is worth less than you paid for it!
  • Gifting stock that has an appreciated in value to charity or to a relative can be a very good tax planning strategy.
• Convert Traditional IRAs into Roth Accounts. The best profile for the Roth conversion strategy is when you expect to be in the same or higher tax bracket during your retirement years. The current tax hit from a conversion done this year may turn out to be a relatively small price to pay for completely avoiding potentially higher future tax rates on the account’s earnings.
  • This is one of my favorite ways to take full advantage of the lower Trump Tax Rates. I have assisted clients in moving a bunch of IRAs into ROTH accounts at minimal tax costs.
• Take Advantage of Principal Residence Gain Exclusion Break. Home prices are on the upswing in many areas. More good news: Gains of up to $500,000 on the sale of a principal residence are completely federal-income-tax-free for qualifying married couples who file joint returns ($250,000 for qualifying unmarried individuals and married individuals who file separate returns). To qualify for the gain exclusion break, you normally must have owned and used the home as your principal residence for a total of at least two years during the five-year period ending on the sale date.
• Don’t Overlook Estate Planning. Thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the unified federal estate and gift tax exemption for 2019 is a historically huge $11.4 million, or effectively $22.8 million for married couples. Even though these big exemptions may mean you’re not currently exposed to the federal estate tax, your estate plan may need updating to reflect the current tax rules.
  • I should write an article on estate planning. Way too many people believe that with the estate and gift tax exemptions being $11.4 million (or $22.8 million) for married couples that estate planning is no longer necessary. Not-True!
  • Good estate planning has never been about cutting the estate taxes.
  • Good estate planning has always been about smoothing the transition of even modest wealth and assets over subsequent generations and to insure the survivability of “legacy businesses”.
  • Good estate planning is being a blessing to your children and to your children’s children.
  • People with modest wealth can accomplish a lot with simple estate planning!

Year-end Planning Moves for Small Businesses

If you own a business, consider the following strategies to minimize your tax bill for 2019.

• Establish a Tax-favored Retirement Plan. If your business doesn’t already have a retirement plan, now might be the time to take the plunge. Current retirement plan rules allow for significant deductible contributions. Contact us for more information on small business retirement plan alternatives, and be aware that if your business has employees, you may have to cover them too.
• Take Advantage of Generous Depreciation Tax Breaks. 100% first-year bonus depreciation is available for qualified new and used property that is acquired and placed in service in calendar year 2019. That means your business might be able to write off the entire cost of some or all of your 2019 asset additions on this year’s return. So, consider making additional acquisitions between now and year-end.
• Cash in on Generous Section 179 Deduction Rules. For qualifying property placed in service in tax years beginning in 2019, the maximum Section 179 deduction is $1.02 million. The Section 179 deduction phase-out threshold amount is $2.55 million.
• Time Business Income and Deductions for Tax Savings. If your business is conducted via a pass-through entity, the traditional strategy of deferring income into next year while accelerating deductible expenditures into this year makes sense if you expect to be in the same or lower tax bracket next year. On the other hand, if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket in 2020, take the opposite approach. Accelerate income into this year (if possible) and postpone deductible expenditures until 2020.
• Maximize the Deduction for Pass-through Business Income. For 2019, the deduction for Qualified Business Income (QBI) can be up to 20% of a pass-through entity owner’s QBI, subject to restrictions that can apply at higher income levels and another restriction based on the owner’s taxable income. Because of the various limitations on the QBI deduction, tax planning moves (or non-moves) can have the side effect of increasing or decreasing your allowable QBI deduction.
• Watch out for Business Interest Expense Limit. Thanks to an unfavorable TCJA change, a taxpayer’s deduction for business interest expense for the year is limited to the sum of (1) business interest income, (2) 30% of adjusted taxable income, and (3) floor plan financing interest paid by certain vehicle dealers. Fortunately, many businesses are exempt from this limit. We can help you determine if an exemption applies.
• Claim 100% Gain Exclusion for Qualified Small Business Stock. There is a 100% federal income tax gain exclusion privilege for eligible sales of Qualified Small Business Corporation (QSBC) stock that was acquired after 9/27/10. QSBC shares must be held for more than five years to be eligible for the gain exclusion break. Contact us if you think you own stock that could qualify.

This letter only covers some of the year-end tax planning moves that could potentially benefit you, your loved ones, and your business. Please contact us if you have questions, want more information, or would like us to help in designing a year-end planning package that delivers the best tax results for your particular circumstances.

Best regards,

Steve Richardson, CPA