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Beginners guide to Financial Planning
Introduction
It is the process of managing your own and your household personal finances, or it is the most valuable point you will have to understand about the data that advice how a single manage his/her personal finance. It Include Financial planning which one person makes over time. That means you establish goals and benchmarks and track your progress. With that said, now let's pretty much get into the basics of how to kick-start your financial journey.
1. What is Financial Planning?
The purpose of financial planning is to assess your financial status, identify the goals you would like to achieve, and come up with a way in which these goals can be possible. This includes budgeting, saving, investing, and managing debt/loans to maintain financial security and well-being as well as planning for life events.
2. Setting Financial Goals
Set clear, achievable goals:
Short-term (rough guideline: build a 3-6 month emergency fund or pay off > 7% interest debt
– Medium Term: Save for a down payment or large expenditure
Long-term — for retirement or your child's education.
3. Understanding Your Finances
Understand your finances by:
Net worth (Assets – Liabilities)- Tracking income and expenses
- Evaluating debt.
4. Creating a Budget
A budget is how you spend your income on expenses, saving, and investments.
- List income sources.
So, the things you got to do are: — Expense characterization (fixed and variable)
- Set spending limits.
- Regularly review and adjust.
5. Building an Emergency Fund
Have three to six months living expenses set aside in a liquid account for medical problems or loss of job.
6. Managing Debt
Reduce debt by:
Focusing on high interest debt
- Consolidating debt.
- Creating a repayment plan.
7. Investing for the Future
Invest to grow wealth:
Stocks- high returns, risk also higher.
– Bonds: Consistent income, lower risk.
Diversified portfolio — mutual funds
Real estate: rental income and appreciation
8. Retirement Planning
Redefining goal retirement savings with retire Expense
401(k) — Employer-sponsored plans
– IRA (Individual Retirement Accounts)
Pension plans:
Steady income after retirement.
9. Insurance and Risk Management
Protect assets with:
— Health/Life/Disability/Property Insurance
10. Reviewing Your Financial Plan
Be sure to revise and fine-tune your plan over time to reflect the goals you are working towards.
Conclusion
Financial planning gives you clear control over your financial future. Establish goals, financial plan, manage debt and invest in interest of stability and wealth creation. Persevere and be able to adapt.
#economy#investing#entrepreneur#investment#startup#insurance#retirement#retireearly#finance#personal finance#debt#debt recovery#debt relief#debt consolidation#income
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Earnings: Unlocking the Path to Financial Freedom
When was the last time you stopped to think about what "earnings" truly mean to you? Whether it's your paycheck, profits from a side hustle, or investment returns, earnings are more than just numbers—they’re the fuel that powers your financial dreams. Let's dive deep into the world of earnings and explore how they impact your life, how you can grow them, and how they shape your financial journey.
1. What Are Earnings?
Earnings are essentially the money you make in exchange for your time, skills, or capital. It could be wages from a job, profits from a business, or returns from investments. Think of earnings as the "scorecard" of your financial efforts—it shows how much value you bring to the table.
2. Why Earnings Matter
Why do we care so much about earnings? They give us the power to live the life we want. Whether it's paying bills, saving for a dream vacation, or investing in your future, earnings are at the heart of it all. Without them, financial independence is just a pipe dream.
3. Types of Earnings
a. Active Earnings
This is money earned from actively working—like your salary or freelance income.
b. Passive Earnings
Money you earn with minimal effort, such as royalties, rental income, or dividends.
c. Portfolio Earnings
Returns from investments like stocks, bonds, or mutual funds.
4. Earnings vs. Income: What's the Difference?
Many people use these terms interchangeably, but there’s a subtle difference. Earnings typically refer to the money you generate (e.g., salary, business profit), while income is your earnings minus expenses. If earnings are the gross amount, income is the net takeaway.
5. How to Maximize Your Earnings
Maximizing earnings isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter. Here’s how:
Negotiate Your Salary: Don’t settle; always ask for what you’re worth.
Upskill Yourself: Learn in-demand skills to stay competitive.
Diversify Income Streams: Don’t rely on one source; explore side hustles or investments.
6. The Role of Education in Earnings
Education can be a game-changer for your earning potential. Studies consistently show that higher education correlates with higher earnings. But it's not just about degrees—certifications and skills-based learning can also boost your paycheck.
7. Earnings and Investments
Investments are the bridge between earning and wealth creation. When you reinvest your earnings, they start working for you. From stocks to real estate, there are countless ways to grow your money over time.
8. Earnings from Side Hustles
The gig economy has made it easier than ever to earn extra cash. Whether it’s freelancing, driving for a rideshare service, or selling handmade goods, side hustles can significantly boost your earnings. Bonus? They often turn into full-fledged businesses.
9. Passive Earnings: Earning While You Sleep
Wouldn’t it be great to make money while binge-watching your favorite series? That’s the magic of passive earnings. Popular options include:
Real Estate: Rental income is a tried-and-true method.
Dividend Stocks: Let your investments pay you back.
Content Creation: Write a book, design an online course, or start a YouTube channel.
10. Taxes and Your Earnings
Taxes are an unavoidable part of earnings, but smart planning can help reduce your tax liability. Consider strategies like:
Tax-Advantaged Accounts: Use 401(k)s or IRAs to save for retirement and reduce taxable income.
Deductions: Take advantage of tax breaks for education, healthcare, and business expenses.
11. Tracking and Managing Your Earnings
Without a system to track your earnings, it’s easy to lose sight of your financial goals. Use apps or spreadsheets to monitor your income streams and expenses. This habit is the cornerstone of financial stability.
12. Earnings Trends in the Digital Age
From influencers to e-commerce entrepreneurs, the digital age has redefined earnings. Today, you can earn money from YouTube ads, online courses, or even virtual real estate in the metaverse. The opportunities are endless!
13. The Psychology of Earnings
Earnings are not just about dollars—they’re deeply tied to our sense of worth and happiness. Studies show that while more money doesn’t always mean more happiness, financial security does play a huge role in overall well-being.
14. Common Mistakes That Shrink Your Earnings
Are you sabotaging your earning potential without realizing it? Common pitfalls include:
Not Asking for a Raise: Many people leave money on the table by avoiding this conversation.
Poor Time Management: Your time is your most valuable asset—use it wisely.
Ignoring Financial Education: Without knowledge, you’re likely to make costly mistakes.
15. Conclusion: Your Earnings Journey
Earnings are more than just numbers—they’re the building blocks of your financial story. Whether you’re at the start of your career or looking to diversify income streams, there’s always room to grow. The key is to take charge, stay informed, and keep pushing forward.
FAQs
1. What are the best ways to increase my earnings? Upskilling, diversifying income streams, and smart investments are the top strategies.
2. How can I manage taxes on my earnings? Use tax-advantaged accounts, take deductions, and consult a tax professional for personalized advice.
3. What are some common side hustles for extra earnings? Freelancing, e-commerce, content creation, and gig economy jobs are great options.
4. Are passive earnings truly "effortless"? While they require initial setup (e.g., buying a rental property or creating a course), passive earnings involve minimal ongoing effort.
5. How does education impact earnings? Higher education and certifications typically lead to higher earning potential by opening doors to better-paying opportunities.
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A guide to retirement planning for freelancers
A guide to retirement planning for freelancers
Retirement planning is crucial for freelancers, as they often do not have the traditional employee benefits and safety nets that come with working for a salaried position. As a freelancer, it is essential to proactively plan for retirement to ensure a secure financial future. This document provides insights into the importance of retirement planning for freelancers and the steps they can take to build a solid foundation for their future. Why Retirement Planning Is Important for Freelancers As a freelancer, your income may be variable and unpredictable, making retirement planning more challenging. However, it is still essential to prioritize retirement planning for the following reasons: 1. Financial Security: Retirement planning ensures that you have a stable income during your retirement years, allowing you to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. 2. Estate Planning: Proper retirement planning helps you manage your assets, minimize taxes, and ensure that your wealth is distributed according to your wishes. 3. Health and Well-being: Retirement planning takes into account healthcare costs and long-term care expenses, ensuring that you have the financial means to pursue a healthy lifestyle. 4. Financial Independence: By saving for retirement, you can have the freedom to choose if and when you want to stop working, allowing you to pursue other interests and hobbies.
Photo by Julia Taubitz Steps for Retirement Planning for Freelancers Retirement planning as a freelancer requires a different set of strategies and considerations compared to employees. Consider the following steps: 1. Identify Your Retirement Goals: Determine what you want your retirement to look like and how much money you will need to fund it. 2. Calculate Your Retirement Savings: Calculate the amount you will need to save for retirement based on your age, expected retirement age, and desired lifestyle. 3. Set a Retirement Savings Target: Determine how much you can save annually and adjust your budget to accommodate this savings goal. 4. Invest Wisely: Explore different investment options, such as mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and real estate, to maximize your retirement savings. 5. Maximize Retirement Accounts: Take advantage of tax-advantaged retirement accounts, such as IRAs and 401(k)s, to compound your retirement savings. 6. Consider Diversifying Income Streams: In addition to your main freelance work, explore other passive income opportunities, such as rental properties, annuities, or royalties. 7. Plan for Healthcare Expenses: Consider health insurance options, long-term care insurance, and strategies to manage healthcare costs during retirement. 8. Stay Updated: Stay informed about changes in tax laws, social security benefits, and retirement regulations to maximize your retirement income.
Conclusion Retirement planning is crucial for freelancers, as it enables them to build a secure financial future. By proactively planning and taking the necessary steps, freelancers can ensure that they have the financial means to enjoy a comfortable and enriching retirement. It is important for freelancers to prioritize retirement planning and take the necessary steps to secure their future. Read the full article
#Aguidetoretirementplanningforfreelancers#bestdiybusinessideas#businessgrowth#businesssuccess#digitalbusiness#digitalentrepreneur#digitalgrowth#digitalmarketing#digitalmarketingtips#digitalstrategy#digitalsuccess#digitalsuccessstrategy#diybusinesscardideas#diybusinessforsale#diybusinessfromhome#diybusinessideas#diybusinessideasforstudents#diybusinessnews#diylifehack#diylifestyleblog#EmpowerYourCreativity:DIYDelightsUnleashedOnline!#entrepreneurlifestyle#entrepreneurmindset#entrepreneurmotivation#entrepreneurship#howtostartadiybusiness#odiyi#onlinediyideas#onlinedoityourselfideas#OnlineDoItYourselfIdeasBlog
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Investment Finance: Key Tips for First-Time Investors
The world of investment finance can be daunting for newcomers. With an array of investment vehicles, market terminologies, and fluctuating economic conditions, taking that first step might seem overwhelming. However, armed with knowledge and a strategic approach, first-time investors can navigate this landscape effectively. Let's explore the essentials of investment finance and share some crucial tips tailored for novice investors.
1. Introduction to Investment Finance
Investment finance involves the allocation of capital to assets or ventures, expecting a future return. Whether it's stocks, bonds, real estate, or startups, investments aim to grow wealth over time, leveraging the power of compound returns.
2. Setting Clear Investment Goals
Every investment journey should begin with a clear objective. Are you saving for retirement, buying a house, or building an emergency fund? Setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals can provide direction and purpose.
3. Understanding Risk and Return
In finance, risk and return are two sides of the same coin. Generally, higher potential returns come with higher risks. As a first-time investor:
Assess Your Risk Tolerance: Understand your comfort level with market fluctuations. Tools and questionnaires can help gauge your risk appetite.
Diversify: Spreading investments across various assets can mitigate risk.
4. Building a Solid Financial Foundation
Before venturing into investments:
Clear High-Interest Debts: The interest on some loans might exceed potential investment returns.
Establish an Emergency Fund: Having 3-6 months' worth of expenses can provide a safety net, ensuring you don't liquidate investments during emergencies.
5. Exploring Investment Avenues
There's a plethora of investment options available:
a. Stocks: Equities represent ownership in companies. They offer potential high returns but come with higher risk.
b. Bonds: Loans given to entities (like governments or corporations) that pay periodic interest.
c. Mutual Funds: Pooled investments managed by professionals, spreading risk across a portfolio of assets.
d. Real Estate: Investing in property can offer rental income and appreciation.
e. ETFs: Similar to mutual funds but traded on stock exchanges.
f. Retirement Accounts: Tax-advantaged accounts like 401(k)s or IRAs to save for retirement.
6. The Importance of Research
Stay Informed: Keeping abreast of economic news and market trends is essential.
Analyze Companies: If considering stocks, study the company's financial health, competitive position, and industry trends.
7. Cost Considerations
Commissions and Fees: Understand the charges associated with buying or selling assets.
Tax Implications: Some investments come with tax benefits, while others might incur hefty taxes on profits.
8. Avoiding Common Pitfalls
a. Emotional Investing: Avoid making decisions based on fear or greed. Stay rational and stick to your strategy.
b. Chasing Past Performance: Just because an asset performed well in the past doesn't guarantee future success.
c. Overcomplicating: Especially for beginners, it's wise to keep your investment strategy straightforward.
9. The Role of Financial Advisors
For those unsure about crafting an investment strategy, financial advisors can provide valuable guidance:
Expertise: Advisors can recommend suitable assets based on your goals and risk tolerance.
Planning: They can help design a holistic financial plan, considering various life stages and needs.
10. Continuous Learning and Adapting
The financial landscape evolves constantly:
Stay Updated: Regularly review and update your knowledge.
Review Portfolio: Periodically assess your portfolio's performance and rebalance if necessary.
11. Embracing Technology
a. Robo-Advisors: Automated platforms that offer investment advice based on algorithms.
b. Investment Apps: Mobile apps can make trading and tracking investments easier and more accessible.
12. The Long-Term Perspective
Investment is more of a marathon than a sprint. Short-term market fluctuations are inevitable:
Stay Patient: Historically, markets have trended upwards over longer periods.
Compounding Magic: Even small investments can grow significantly over time due to compound returns.
Conclusion
Starting an investment journey can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. The key lies in education, patience, and a strategic approach. While uncertainties are part of the investment world, understanding the basics and making informed decisions can pave the way for a prosperous financial future. Remember, every seasoned investor started as a beginner. With commitment and diligence, first-time investors can harness the dynamic world of investment finance to achieve their financial aspirations.
#finance news#finance guide#finance management#finance#finance stock#finance assignment help#finance & law
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The absolute best 5 Key Benefits of Purchasing and Owning Investment Realty
So... You may ask yourself, why should you buy or invest in real estate property in the First Place? Because it's the IDEAL investment! Let's take a moment to handle the reasons why people should have investment real estate in the first place. The easiest alternative is a well-known acronym that addresses the key benefits for all those investment real estate. Put simply, Investment Real Estate is an IDEAL financial commitment. The IDEAL stands for: • I - Income • H - Depreciation • E - Expenses • The - Appreciation • L - Leverage Real estate will be IDEAL investment compared to all others. I'll explain each help in depth. The "I" in IDEAL stands for Income. (a. k. a. positive cash flow) Does it even earn money? Your investment property should be generating income from rental prices received each month. Of course, there will be months where you may feel a vacancy, but for the most part your investment could be producing an income. Be careful because many times beginning investors exaggerate their assumptions and don't take into account all potential costs. The particular investor should know going into the purchase that the property will surely cost money each month (otherwise known as negative cash flow). The scenario, although not ideal, may be OK, only in precise instances that we will discuss later. It boils to the risk tolerance and ability for the owner to fund plus pay for a negative producing asset. In the boom years regarding real estate, prices were sky high and the rents couldn't increase proportionately with many residential real estate investment properties. A large number of naïve investors purchased properties with the assumption that the understanding in prices would more than compensate for the fact that your high balance mortgage would be a significant negative impact on a funds each month. Be aware of this and do your best towards forecast a positive cash flow scenario, so that you can actually realize all the INCOME part of the IDEAL equation. Often times, it may require a more significant down payment (therefore lesser amount being mortgaged) so that your cash is acceptable each month. Ideally, you eventually pay off the actual mortgage so there is no question that cash flow will be coming in each month, and substantially so. This ought to be a vital aspect of one's retirement plan. Do this a few times and you won't really need to worry about money later on down the road, which is the main goal as well as reward for taking the risk in purchasing investment property from the start. The "D" in IDEAL Stands for Depreciation. With commitment real estate, you are able to utilize its depreciation for your own tax advantages. What is depreciation anyway? It's a non-cost accounting method to take into account the overall financial burden incurred through real estate investment. Look at this a second way, when you buy a brand new car, the minute you travel off the lot, that car has depreciated in appeal. When it comes to your investment real estate property, the IRS allows you to deduct this amount yearly against your taxes. Please note: Now i'm not a tax professional, so this is not meant to be a tutorial in taxation policy or to be construed as place a burden on advice. With that said, the depreciation of a real estate investment property depends on the overall value of the structure of the property and the period of time (recovery period based on the property type-either residential or commercial). If you have ever gotten a property tax bill, they usually break your property's assessed value into two categories: one for the importance of the land, and the other for the value of the arrangement. Both of these values added up equals your total "basis" for property taxation. When it comes to depreciation, you can deduct in opposition to your taxes on the original base value of the building only; the IRS doesn't allow you to depreciate land worth (because land is typically only APPRECIATING). Just like your new van driving off the lot, it's the structure on the property that may be getting less and less valuable every year as the nation's effective age gets older and older. And you can use this with your tax advantage. The best example of the benefit regarding this unique concept is through depreciation, you can actually turn a property who creates a positive cash flow into one that shows a damage (on paper) when dealing with taxes and the IRS. As well as by doing so, that (paper) loss is deductible against your wages for tax purposes. Therefore , it's a great benefit for those that are specifically looking for a "tax-shelter" of sorts for their properties investments. For example , and without getting too technical, suppose that you are able to depreciate $15, 000 a year from a $500, 000 residential investment property that you own. Let's say you're cash-flowing $1, 000 a month (meaning that after all prices, you are net-positive $1000 each month), so you have $12, 000 total annual income for the year from this property's rental income. Although you took in $12, 000, you can show through your accountancy with the depreciation of your investment real estate that you actually lost $3, 000 on paper, which is used against any income taxes that you may owe. Out of your standpoint of IRS, this property realized a loss in $3, 000 after the "expense" of the $15, 000 accounting allowance amount was taken into account. Not only are there no taxes expected on that rental income, you can utilize the paper decrease in $3, 000 against your other regular taxable cash from your day-job. Investment property at higher price details will have proportionally higher tax-shelter qualities. Investors use this in their benefit in being able to deduct as much against their taxable amount owed each year through the benefit of depreciation with their underlying investor. Although this is a vastly important benefit to owning funding real estate, the subject is not well understood. Because depreciation is actually a somewhat complicated tax subject, the above explanation was intended to be cursory in nature. When it comes to issues involving taxation's and depreciation, make sure you have a tax professional that can give you advice appropriately so you know where you stand. The "E" in RECOMMENDED is for Expenses - Generally, all expenses incurred with regards to the property are deductible when it comes to your investment property. The retail price for utilities, the cost for insurance, the mortgage, as well as interest and property taxes you pay. If you use home manager or if you're repairing or improving the property its own matters, all of this is deductible. Real estate investment comes with a lot of expenses, chores, and responsibilities to ensure the investment property itself performs in order to its highest capability. Because of this, contemporary tax law mostly allows that all of these related expenses are deductible towards the benefit of the investment real estate landowner. If you were to make sure you ever take a loss, or purposefully took a burning on a business investment or investment property, that decline (expense) can carry over for multiple years to protect against your income taxes. For some people, this is an aggressive and technological strategy. Yet it's another potential benefit of investment realty. The "A" in IDEAL is for Appreciation - Understanding means the growth of value of the underlying expenditure of money. It's one of the main reasons that we invest in the first place, and it's really a powerful way to grow your net worth. Many properties in the city of San Francisco are several million cash in today's market, but back in the 1960s, the same property was initially worth about the cost of the car you are currently operating (probably even less! ). Throughout the years, the area has become more popular and the demand that ensued caused the real residence prices in the city to grow exponentially compared to where they were a few decades ago. People that were lucky enough to recognize the, or who were just in the right place at the ideal time and continued to live in their home have recognized an investment return in the 1000's of percent. At this time that's what appreciation is all about. What other investment can make you will this kind of return without drastically increased risk? The best piece about investment real estate is that someone is forking over you to live in your property, paying off your mortgage, and making an income (positive cash flow) to you each month along the way through your course of ownership. The "L" in IDEAL would mean Leverage - A lot of people refer to this as "OPM" (other people's money). This is when you are using a small amount of your money to overpower a much more expensive asset. You are essentially leveraging your sign up and gaining control of an asset that you would ordinarily not be able to purchase without the loan itself. Leverage is substantially more acceptable in the real estate world and inherently much less risky than leverage in the stock world (where it is done through means of options or buying "on Margin"). Leverage is common in real estate. Otherwise, people may only buy property when they had 100% of the hard cash to do so. Over a third of all purchase transactions are all-cash transactions as our recovery continues. Still, about 2/3 of all purchases are done with some level of financing, to be sure the majority of buyers in the market enjoy the power that leverage generally offer when it comes to investment real estate. For example , if a real estate investor was basically to buy a house that costs $100, 000 with 10% down payment, they are leveraging the remaining 90% through the use of the attached mortgage. Let's say the local market improves by 20% covering the next year, and therefore the actual property is now worth $120, 000. When it comes to leverage, from the standpoint of this property, the value increased by 20%. But compared to the investor's precise down payment (the "skin in the game") of $10, 000- this increase in property value of 20% genuinely means the investor doubled their return on the investment decision actually made-also known as the "cash on cash" gain. In this case, that is 200%-because the $10, 000 is now reliable and entitled to a $20, 000 increase in all round value and the overall potential profit. Although leverage is viewed a benefit, like everything else, there can always be too much of an excellent. In 2007, when the real estate market took a turn for that worst, many investors were over-leveraged and fared any worst. They could not weather the storm of a lengthening economy. Exercising caution with every investment made will help to ensure that you can purchase, retain, pay-off debt, and grow your own wealth from the investment decisions made as opposed to being at the particular mercy and whim of the overall market fluctuations. For certain there will be future booms and busts as the past would certainly dictate as we continue to move forward. More planning and setting up while building net worth will help prevent getting bruised and battered by the side effects of whatever market we all find ourselves in. Many people think that investment real estate is barely about cash flow and appreciation, but it's so much more compared with that. As mentioned above, you can realize several benefits through each one real estate investment property you purchase. The challenge is to maximize the benefits by means of every investment. Furthermore, the IDEAL acronym is not just a reminder of the benefits of investment real estate; it's also here to deliver as a guide for every investment property you will consider selecting in the future. Any property you purchase should conform to all of the notes that represent the IDEAL acronym. The underlying property ought to have a good reason for not fitting all the guidelines. And on almost every case, if there is an investment you are considering that doesn't click all the guidelines, by most accounts you should probably Give it! Take for example a story of my own, regarding a home that I purchased early on in my real estate career. To this day, oahu is the biggest investment mistake that I've made, and it's really because I didn't follow the IDEAL guidelines that you are checking and learning about now. I was naïve and the experience was not yet fully developed. The property I paid for was a vacant lot in a gated community production. The property already had an HOA (a monthly care fee) because of the nice amenity facilities that were built for this, and in anticipation of would-be-built homes. There were big expectations for the future appreciation potential-but then the market turned for those worse as we headed into the great recession that lasted from 2007-2012. Can you see what parts of the IDEAL specifications I missed on completely? Let's start with "I". Typically the vacant lot made no income! Sometimes this can be ideal, if the deal is something that cannot be missed. But for one of the most part this deal was nothing special. In all honesty, I had considered selling the trees that are currently on the vacant lot to the local wood mill for some actual source of income, or putting up a camping spot ad on the localized Craigslist; but unfortunately the lumber isn't worth ample and there are better spots to camp! My expected values and desire for price appreciation blocked the rational as well as logical questions that needed to be asked. So , when the software came to the income aspect of the IDEAL guidelines for a investment, I paid no attention to it. And I paid out the price for my hubris. Furthermore, this investment did not realize the benefit of depreciation as you cannot depreciate land! So , we are zero for two so far, with the IDEAL guideline for you to real estate investing. All I can do is hope typically the land appreciates to a point where it can be sold sooner or later. Let's call it an expensive learning lesson. You at the same time will have these "learning lessons"; just try to have because few of them as possible and you will be better off.
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passive investing in commercial real estate
#passive investing in commercial real estate#passive real estate investing#multifamily investing#apartment investing#cost segregation#apartment investment group#syndicated deal analyzer#free multifamily deal analyzer#chatgpt real estate investing#k-1 net rental real estate income#deal analyzer#k1 rental income#chatgpt commercial real estate#multifamily investment group
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Vacation Home Conversion, Debt Discharge, And Partnership Issues All In One Tax Court Case
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Vacation Home Conversion, Debt Discharge, And Partnership Issues All In One Tax Court Case
Big Brother style camera over the entrance to the United States Tax Court
Nothing like packing several issues into one decision. That’s what we have in the Duffy case. Since the Tax Court will not be issuing any opinions until after Christmas I decided to look at the court’s top hits for 2020. I reached out to #TaxTwitter for suggestions and the first nomination was an interesting one.
If you are still reading at this point you probably know that Title 26 US Code is the Internal Revenue Code, but that is not something that everybody knows. It is the sort of thing that tax nerds will use to distinguish themselves like saying Subchapter K when they are talking about partnerships. Using that as your twitter handle is above and beyond when it comes to being a tax nerd.
Several Issues
The Duffy case had a lot going on, which may have been why I passed over it. Mx. Code is right that it covers some issues that are likely to be prevalent in returns covering this plague year 2020 and likely 2021. The stakes were pretty high $662,458 in tax and $131,314 in penalties for the years 2009 through 2014.
Freeman Law in The Tax Court in Brief has a tight summary of the eight issues involved in the decision:
(1) ordinary loss from their sale in 2011 of residential property in Oregon;
(2) 2011 COD income due to discharge of debt that the property secured;
(3) losses reported from their rental of the Oregon property;
(4) 2013 COD income from the discharge of a home equity line
(5) losses allocated to Mr. Duffy by a business partnership;
(6) unreimbursed partnership expenses reported on Schedules E for their 2012 through 2014 tax years;
(7) self-employment tax on Mr. Duffy’s guaranteed payments received from partnership
(8) accuracy-related penalties.
There was also a problem that I had never thought about that might have required algebra to solve, but ended up getting passed over. I often remark that you learn all the math you need for tax work by the fourth grade. This could have been one of the rare exceptions.
The Residence
The residence referred to as the “Gearhart property” is the source of most of the complications. The Duffys purchased the property in 2006 for $2 million of which they paid $430,500 but were unable to pay the balance when it came due in July 2008. They borrowed $1.4 million from JP Morgan Chase JPM in 2008 identifying the property as a second residence.
Mrs. Duffy testified that they started renting the Gearhart property to friends and acquaintances in 2009. Previously it had been a vacation property. In 2009 they reported a loss of $135,959 on the Gearhart property ($9,500 rental income and $145,450 of expenses – mortgage interest, tax, and depreciation). In 2010 the loss was $65,490 with $3,200 in rental income.
In both years the losses were suspended under Code Section 469 (passive activities). Adjusted gross income was over the threshold that would have allowed $25,000 of the losses to be deducted.
In 2011 they reported the sale of the Gearhart property on Form 4797 claiming an ordinary loss of $971,988. They also reported $624,046 as income from the discharge of indebtedness from the JPMorgan Chase loan on the Gearhart property but excluded the income due to insolvency. The disposition released the passive losses which combined with the 2011 activity made a Schedule E loss of $199,875.
That gave them a net operating loss of $274,002 which they carried back to 2009 and 2010. Here is where the algebra or perhaps an iterative computation might have come into play. The reduced adjusted gross income allowed $25,000 of passive losses to be deducted in 2009 and $13,792 in 2010.
It seems like that should have reduced the 469 carryover into 2011 which would have reduced the net operating loss carryback. But then the 2010 adjusted gross income would change. Whoever prepared the carryback claim did not trouble themselves about the apparent double-dipping. And it ended up not mattering.
Recourse Versus Nonrecourse
When you borrow money secured by property whether the debt is recourse or nonrecourse can have tremendous tax significance. From an economic viewpoint, you want the debt to be nonrecourse.
The idea is that if you can’t pay, you hand the bank the keys and you are done. Sometimes though you can get that deal with recourse debt. It is called a “short sale”, which has a different meaning in real estate than it does on Wall Street.
Was it better for the Duffys for the debt to be recourse or nonrecourse? That turns on how they did with the issue of whether the Gearhart property was business property or personal-use property. That determination was the biggest issue in the case.
If the property is personal use there is no 1231 loss on its sale and no accumulation of rental losses suspended by Code Section 469. In that case, it is clearly better for the debt to have been nonrecourse since including it in proceeds just reduces a nondeductible loss.
If the Duffys won on the business use issue having the debt be recourse with a short sale, which is what they argued, is preferable if they can establish that they are insolvent.
Judge Halpern’s resolution on the business/personal issue is a little disappointing. On the 1231 loss, he notes that the basis for purposes of determining loss is the lesser of adjusted basis or fair market value at the time of conversion to business use less subsequent depreciation.
There was no evidence introduced as to what FMV at the time of conversion was, so there was no loss on the sale. As far as whether the rental losses were good, the issue was not raised in the briefs submitted by Mrs. Duffy so it was deemed that the issue had been conceded.
Judge Halpern then, in effect, cuts the Duffys a break. He does not need to address the issue of whether the Duffys were insolvent in 2011, because the debt was nonrecourse. This was actually a pretty tricky determination, It turned on how the foreclosure was handled under Oregon law.
“Because the documents which the parties stipulated regarding petitioners’ sale of the Gearhart property do not include any judicial filings by JPMorgan Chase and we find no reference to any judicial proceedings in the documents that were stipulated, we infer that the sale was part of an administrative rather than a judicial foreclosure. Therefore, Oregon’s antideficiency statute prevented JPMorgan Chase from seeking satisfaction from petitioners’ other assets of that part of its loan in excess of the proceeds it received from the sale of the Gearhart property.”
Lew Taishoff told me that the answer would be different in New York:
The kicker is the OR anti-deficiency statute, which makes the lender’s election to foreclose without trial (which we can’t do in NY; there is no administrative foreclosure here) an election to waive any recourse against the mortgagor. Our deficiency statute is different (see NYRPAPL§1371).
Planners will need to hone in on this issue as it seems likely we will be having more than our fair share of foreclosures in the coming year. It is a little troubling that whether a debt is or is not recourse may turn, in some states, on how the debt holder chooses to enforce it.
Another Debt Discharge
In 2013 Wells Fargo WFC forgave $391,532 on the home equity line on the Duffy residence in Portland. There is a pretty lengthy discussion of their solvency. Judge Halpern ends up excluding some but not all of the discharge.
Partnership Issues
Mr. Duffy started a business in 2011 – Impact Medical. The company itself is an interesting story as you can see from this article in the Portland Business Journal by Elizabeth Hayes, but we will stick with the tax issues.
IM was an LLC owned solely by Mr. Duffy, but in 2012 a friend who had loaned money converted the loan to a membership interest thereby making IM a partnership for income tax purposes.
This part of the case makes me think that the Duffys must have caught the agent from hell (AFH). AFH is not technically strong, but they are dogged. The IRS was trying to deny losses due to basis, but Judge Halpern wasn’t having it.
On brief, respondent acknowledges that Mr. Duffy made capital contributions to Impact Medical of $50,000 and $450,000. He does not explain why, even leaving aside Mr. Duffy’s share of the partnership’s liabilities, those contributions did not provide Mr. Duffy sufficient outside basis to deduct at least some of the ordinary losses the partnership allocated to him.
There were other problems. The partnership had amended its return allocating all losses away from Mr. Duffy for 2012, but the Duffys did not take that into account. On the other hand, Judge Halpern found plenty of basis to support the 2013 loss.
In 2014 there was no taxable income, so the only relevance of the basis question was for self-employment tax. Judge Halpern determined that there was plenty enough basis to offset a $25,082 guaranteed payment.
There were also deductions for “unreimbursed partnership expenses” (UPE). Whether you can deduct UPE hinges on the partnership agreement. Judge Halpern didn’t need to go there, though, since the expenses were unsubstantiated.
Reilly’s Sixteenth Law of Tax Planning – Being right without substantiation can be as bad as being wrong.
Better Lucky Than Good
The Duffys caught a break on the penalties. Assessment of the accuracy requires supervisory approval. The IRS thought they had it, but it was not good enough for the judge.
We need not decide whether petitioners’ reasonably relied on their return preparers because we conclude that respondent failed to meet the burden of production imposed on him by section 7491(c). In particular, respondent has not established compliance with the supervisory approval requirement of section 6751(b)(1). The civil penalty approval form included in the record establishes that
Ms. Crespi approved the penalties for some of the years in issue, but respondent has not established that Ms. Crespi is “the immediate supervisor of the individual” who made the determination to assess penalties.
I’m thinking of adding a new law of tax planning – Better to be lucky than good.
Overall
I don’t think this case will win the big prize. On the other hand, I think it is highly instructive in some areas that are going to be very important in the next few tax seasons. At this point, I have only one other nomination, but I am sure there will be more. Stay tuned.
Other Coverage
As noted Freeman Law has a good summary in The Tax Court in Brief.
Theresa Schliep has Tax Court Says IRS Didn’t Show Approval For $131K Penalty on Law 360.
Ed Zollars used the case to do a thorough discussion of “short sales” in Current Federal Tax Developments.
Lew Taishoff has Short Sale – Part Deux. Mr. Taishoff focused on the real estate, debt discharge and penalty leaving the partnership issues to the rest of the tax blogoshpere.
More from Taxes in Perfectirishgifts
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In Search Of FIRE: Financial Samurai Retirement Portfolio Review
Art by KongSavage.com
It hit me the other day that I’ve got to get my act together if I plan to retire a second time soon.
The first attempt at retirement lasted for just under a year until I started feeling too sheepish telling anyone I was retired at 34. Although my retirement portfolio was generating about $80,000 a year in passive income at the time, I started itching for more.
Seven years later, I’m running out of steam. I’ve already conducted multiple calls with boutique investment banks, private equity shops, and larger media companies on the potential sale of Financial Samurai after its 10-year anniversary mark in July 2019.
I’ve also tentatively convinced my wife to go back to work once our son turns two years and five months old this Fall. Spending 29 months as a stay at home parent should be long enough to feel like a parent did the best he or she could without feeling too guilty chasing money. But we shall see when the time comes.
The final thing I need to do is make sure our after-tax retirement portfolios are generating enough income to cover our desired lifestyle just in case Financial Samurai is sold and my wife can’t get a reasonable job in a field of interest.
I feel blessed to be able to do all the things I love since leaving full-time work in 2012 – coaching high school tennis for the past three years, writing almost daily on Financial Samurai, traveling around the world, and spending time being a stay at home dad since early 2017.
But all good things come to an end. We must frequently adjust in order to keep the good times going for longer.
How To Build A Healthy Retirement Portfolio
Before discussing FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) and my retirement portfolio’s latest income figures, I’d like to share five tips for everyone to follow to build their own healthy retirement portfolio.
1) Save until it hurts each month. Most people think that saving for retirement in their 401(k) or IRA is enough, but it is not. In order to have the optionality of retiring early or ensuring a healthy retirement at a more traditional retirement age, it’s important to max out your 401(k) while also contributing at least 20% of your after-401(k), after-tax income to an after-tax investment portfolio.
The after-tax retirement portfolio really is the key to early retirement since most people can’t access their pre-tax retirement accounts without a 10% penalty before age 59.5.
2) Focus on income producing assets. After you’ve had your fill of high octane growth stocks as a young person to build your capital, it’s time to focus on income producing assets as you get closer to retirement. Dividend generating stocks, certificates of deposit, municipal bonds, government treasury bonds, corporate bonds, and real estate should all be considered in your retirement portfolio.
When I was younger, my favorite type of semi-passive income was rental property income because it was a tangible asset that provided reliable income. As I grew older, my interest in rental property waned because I no longer had the patience and time to deal with maintenance issues and tenants. Instead, my interest in REITs and real estate crowdfunding grew since the income generated is 100% passive.
3) Start as soon as possible. Building a large enough early retirement portfolio takes a tremendously long time largely due to declining interest rates since the late 1980s. Gone are the days of making a 5%+ return on a short-term CD or savings account. You need to save early and often to make compounding work most for you.
I knew I didn’t want to work 70 hours a week in finance forever. As a result, I started saving every other paycheck and 100% of my bonus starting my first year out of college in 1999. By the time 2012 rolled around, I was earning enough passive income to negotiate a severance and retire early.
4) Calculate how much retirement income you need. It’s important to have a retirement income goal. Otherwise, it’s too easy to lose motivation and focus. A good goal is to try and generate retirement income to cover all basic living expenses such as food, shelter, transportation, and clothing. Once you hit that goal, focus on covering your wants.
If your annual expense number is $50,000, divide that figure by your expected rate of return or comfortable withdrawal rate to see how much capital you will need to save. If you expect to earn a 4% rate of return, then you would need at least a $2,000,000 after-tax retirement portfolio, and closer to $2,200,000 – $2,500,000 due to taxes.
5) Make sure you are properly diversified. The first rule of financial independence is to never lose money. We saw a lost decade for tech stocks between 2000 – 2010 after the first dotcom bust. For NASDAQ investors, it took 13 years to get back to even. Then we experienced a housing bust of epic proportions between 2007 – 2010.
You always want to be moving forward on your journey to early retirement. The closer you are to retiring, the more conservative your investments should be. Please do not confuse brains with a bull market.
Financial Samurai Retirement Portfolio Review
Since retiring the first time around in 2012, I have yet to stress test my after-tax retirement portfolios because I received a severance that paid out enough money to live for five years.
While I was living off my severance income, my wife worked until she negotiated her own severance at the end of 2014. She is three years younger than me. Having her work and provide healthcare was very comforting and allowed me to reinvest 100% of our after-tax retirement portfolio income.
Then once both of us weren’t working full-time jobs in 2015, Financial Samurai started generating a livable income stream as well. This positive sequence of events is why planning is so important. It’s frankly why quitting your job to retire early is a suboptimal move.
Ideally, we want to live on between $15,000 – $18,000 a month in after-tax income to live our best lives while raising one or two children in expensive San Francisco or Honolulu. Using a 28% effective tax rate, we’re talking a target $250,000 – $300,000 a year in annual gross retirement income.
Here’s our latest source of income streams to fund our second retirement.
As you can see from the chart, we generate about $16,300 a month in after-tax retirement income if we use a 20% effective tax rate. The effective tax rate for investment income is lower than W2 wage income. Something to think about when forecasting your own retirement income needs from investments.
$16,300 a month or $195,600 a year in after-tax retirement income should be more than enough to provide for our current family of three as our all-in housing cost is less than $6,000 a month. Once all our housing cost is covered, our costs for food, transportation, and everything else aren’t too bad.
$16,300 a month will also allow us to continue saving at least 30% a month for a rainy day (~$5,000). Because we’ve been in the habit of saving at least 50% of our after-tax income since graduating from college in 1999 and 2001, respectively, it would feel foreign to not continue saving in retirement.
The main anticipated increase in cost is preschool tuition starting this Fall at $1,800 a month. The other potential increase in cost is if we are blessed with another child.
If we stay in San Francisco long term, our goal is to send our boy to public school after preschool if he can win the SF public school lottery system. If our son does not get into a reputable public school near by, then we’ll be forced to spend about $3,000 a month for elementary school and likely $5,000 a month for high school when the time comes.
These potential grade school tuition costs are the main reason why I’m striving towards $18,000 a month in after-tax retirement income, or ~$2,000 a month higher than current levels. I’ve got three years left to make this goal a reality.
Below is an analysis of the major retirement income categories.
Risk-Free Savings: $1,045/month (5% of total)
I love risk-free savings, especially after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates multiple times since the end of 2015.
To be able to earn ~2.45% risk-free after making massive gains in the stock market and real estate market since 2009 sparks joy! Gone are the days of pitiful 0.1% savings interest rates.
My target is to always have between 5% – 10% of my retirement income and net worth in risk-free investments. You just never know what might happen in the future.
Stocks & Bonds: $7,560/month (37%)
After a tremendous rebound in the stock market in 2019, I decided to asset allocate more towards 3-month treasuries in my main House Fund portfolio.
As of now, my House Fund portfolio is roughly 20%/80% stocks/bonds because my plan is to buy another property within the next 6-12 months.
The House Fund portfolio had a nauseating $400,000 swing (-13%, then +23% so far) and I want to ensure that I protect the principal going forward. My other main public investment portfolio is closer to 60% stocks / 40% bonds. I plan to gradually shift the weighting closer to 50%/50%.
Below is my public stock and bond portfolio performance +9.2% vs. the S&P 500 +15.9% year-to-date according to Personal Capital’s performance tracker. With the income from my existing bond holdings, I should have relatively no problem closing out a 10-11% total return for the year.
As I edge closer towards retirement, my main goal is to minimize volatility and try and achieve a 5% – 7% total return equal to 2-3X the 10-year bond yield. 2018 was a positive year, +2% vs. -6.4% for the S&P 500. But I was up closer to 11%. Such volatility is unwelcome.
Real Estate: $6,550/month (32%)
Real estate used to dominate my retirement portfolio income (~60%) until I sold a significant SF rental house in 2017 for 30X annual gross rent.
I ended up reinvesting $600,000 of the proceeds in mostly dividend-paying stocks, $600,000 of the proceeds in mostly municipal bonds, and then $550,000 of the proceeds in real estate crowdfunding ($810,000 total) in order to not lose too much real estate exposure.
I did get a surprise $45,598.04 distribution on 4/16/2019 from the RS DME fund where I have a total of $800,000 invested. The fund has 17 investments, across 12 states, and 6 property types. My Class A Austin Multifamily property was sold for a 24.6% return over two years.
So far the fund is returning a 10% cash-on-cash return net of fees. I’m hoping the end IRR is much higher after the equity investments are sold within the next 2-3 years.
For retirement portfolio calculation purposes, although I received $45,598.04 in distribution, I’m only inputting the profits as passive income to stay conservative. Perhaps there will be another significant distribution later in the year.
Once about half my RS DME fund distributions are returned, I will look to reinvest about $300,000 in a couple Fundrise eREITs and around $100,000 in individual RealtyMogul sponsored commercial real estate investments to further diversify my holdings.
So far I like the simplicity of investing in a real estate fund versus spending time trying to pick the best deals. But if I’m going to retire again, I’ll have more free time to do research on individual investments.
My goal is to always have at least 30% of my net worth exposed to real estate as it is my favorite asset class to build long term wealth.
I haven’t raised the rent on my SF 2/2 condo in almost three years. At $4,200 a month, the property is now under market value by $400 – $500 a month. But I plan to just keep the rent the same because they’ve been good tenants. I’ll wait until one or both decides to move out before raising the rent.
Our Lake Tahoe property is coming back to life! We’ve had a fantastic winter in 2018/2019, which has resulted in a roughly doubling of net rental income over last year.
As the storms have subsided, we plan to finally take our boy up to the mountains. Spending time with my own family has been a dream of mine since I first bought the property in 2007.
Alternative Income: $5,220/month
Online books sales for How To Engineer Your Layoff has steadily increased each year since the first edition was published in 2012. I wrote a new foreword for 2019 and updated some data.
My wife has spent the past four months updating the book for a 3rd edition launch in 2H2019. The 3rd edition will have even more case studies and strategies to guide people to better negotiate a severance. We will likely raise the book’s price by 15% as well.
The amount of positive feedback we get from readers who’ve successfully negotiated their severance has been tremendous. If you plan to retire early, it behooves you to try and negotiate a severance. You have nothing to lose.
To generate $50,400 a year in almost passive online income from a book would require amassing a $1,008,000 portfolio generating a 5% return. Not needing to have startup capital is one reason why I’m so bullish on building online real estate. There is almost no risk except for putting your education and creativity to use.
As for my venture debt investments, I’m still waiting to get paid in full for my first venture debt fund from five years ago. The second venture debt fund just did a 25% capital call for a total of 92% of the capital committed. Depending on the final investment in the first fund, the IRR is going to be anywhere from 5% – 16%.
Finally, I invested in my first venture capital fund. This is a 10-year, $600 million fund by Kleiner Perkins where I don’t expect to see any income until perhaps year five. The main partner has a good track record and is a friend of a friend.
Enough To FIRE
Based on this deep-dive analysis, my wife and I should have enough to live a comfortable retirement lifestyle in San Francisco or Honolulu.
Keeping lifestyle inflation at bay while steadily growing our various incomes streams has been key to building our retirement portfolio. I’ve been wanting to buy a fancier house for the past couple of years now and have chosen to stay low key.
What I find most interesting is that even though mathematically I shouldn’t have a problem retiring, I still have trepidation about selling Financial Samurai and retiring again.
Change is always hard, especially after you’ve spent a decade doing one thing. Giving up a steady income stream is also scary when you’ve been through the 2000 dotcom bubble and the 2009 financial crisis and now have a family to support.
Eventually, we’ll need to start spending our retirement portfolio income. But as of now, we plan to continue reinvesting 100% of our investment income and saving 80% of our active income until a retirement decision is made.
Related: Ranking The Best Passive Income Investments For Retirement
Readers, any of you planning to retire soon? If so, what type of deep dive retirement portfolio analysis have you done to ensure that financially everything will be OK once you retire? Do you see any holes in our retirement portfolio we need to work on shoring up? Featured art by Colleen Kong-Savage.
The post In Search Of FIRE: Financial Samurai Retirement Portfolio Review appeared first on Financial Samurai.
from Finance https://www.financialsamurai.com/in-search-of-fire-financial-samurai-retirement-portfolio-review/ via http://www.rssmix.com/
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In Search Of FIRE: Financial Samurai Retirement Portfolio Review
It hit me the other day that I’ve got to get my act together if I plan to retire a second time soon.
The first attempt at retirement lasted for just under a year until I started feeling too sheepish telling anyone I was retired at 34. Although my retirement portfolio was generating about $80,000 a year in passive income at the time, I started itching for more.
Seven years later, I’m running out of steam. I’ve already conducted multiple calls with boutique investment banks, private equity shops, and larger media companies on the potential sale of Financial Samurai after its 10-year anniversary mark in July 2019.
I’ve also tentatively convinced my wife to go back to work once our son turns two years and five months old this Fall. Spending 29 months as a stay at home parent should be long enough to feel like a parent did the best he or she could without feeling too guilty for going back to work. But we shall see when the time comes.
The final thing I need to do is make sure our after-tax retirement portfolios are generating enough income to cover our desired living expenses just in case Financial Samurai is sold and my wife can’t get a reasonable job in a field of interest.
I feel blessed to be able to do all the things I love since leaving full-time work in 2012 – coaching high school tennis for the past three years, writing almost daily on Financial Samurai, traveling around the world, and spending time being a stay at home dad since early 2017.
But all good things come to an end. We must frequently adjust in order to keep the good times going for longer.
How To Build A Healthy Retirement Portfolio
Before discussing my retirement portfolio’s latest income figures, I’d like to share five tips for everyone to follow to build their own healthy retirement portfolio.
1) Save until it hurts each month. Most people think that saving for retirement in their 401(k) or IRA is enough, but it is not. In order to have the optionality of retiring early or ensuring a healthy retirement at a more traditional retirement age, it’s important to max out your 401(k) while also contributing at least 20% of your after-401(k), after-tax income to an after-tax investment portfolio.
The after-tax retirement portfolio really is the key to early retirement since most people can’t access their pre-tax retirement accounts without a 10% penalty before age 59.5.
2) Focus on income producing assets. After you’ve had your fill of high octane growth stocks as a young person, it’s time to focus on income producing assets as you get closer to retirement. Dividend generating stocks, certificates of deposit, municipal bonds, government treasury bonds, corporate bonds, and real estate should all be considered in your retirement portfolio.
When I was younger, my favorite type of semi-passive income was rental property income because it was a tangible asset that provided reliable income. As I grew older, my interest in rental property waned because I no longer had the patience and time to deal with maintenance issues and tenants. Instead, my interest in REITs and real estate crowdfunding grew since the income generated is 100% passive.
3) Start as soon as possible. Building a large enough early retirement portfolio takes a tremendously long time largely due to declining interest rates since the late 1980s. Gone are the days of making a 5%+ return on a short-term CD or savings account. You need to save early and often to make compounding work most for you.
I knew I didn’t want to work 70 hours a week in finance forever. As a result, I started saving every other paycheck and 100% of my bonus starting my first year out of college in 1999. By the time 2012 rolled around, I was earning enough passive income to negotiate a severance and retire early.
4) Calculate how much retirement income you need. It’s important to have a retirement income goal. Otherwise, it’s too easy to lose motivation and focus. A good goal is to try and generate retirement income to cover all basic living expenses such as food, shelter, transportation, and clothing. Once you hit that goal, focus on covering your wants.
If your annual expense number is $50,000, divide that figure by your expected rate of return or comfortable withdrawal rate to see how much capital you will need to save. If you expect to earn a 4% rate of return, then you would need at least a $2,000,000 after-tax retirement portfolio, and closer to $2,200,000 – $2,500,000 due to taxes.
5) Make sure you are properly diversified. The first rule of financial independence is to never lose money. We saw a lost decade for tech stocks between 2000 – 2010 after the first dotcom bust. For NASDAQ investors, it took 13 years to get back to even.
You always want to be moving forward on your journey to early retirement. Please do not confuse brains with a bull market.
Financial Samurai Retirement Portfolio Review
Since retiring the first time around in 2012, I have yet to stress test my after-tax retirement portfolios because I received a severance that paid out enough money to survive for five years.
While I was living off my severance income, my wife worked until she negotiated her own severance at the end of 2014. She is three years younger than me. Having her work and provide healthcare was very comforting and allowed me to reinvest 100% of our after-tax retirement portfolio income.
Then once both of us weren’t working full-time jobs in 2015, Financial Samurai started generating a livable income as well. This positive sequence of events is why planning is so important. It’s frankly why quitting your job to retire early is a suboptimal move.
Ideally, we want to live on between $15,000 – $18,000 a month in after-tax income to live our best lives while raising one or two children in expensive San Francisco or Honolulu. Using a 28% effective tax rate, we’re talking a target $250,000 – $300,000 a year in annual gross retirement income.
Here’s our latest source of income streams to fund our second retirement.
As you can see from the chart, we generate about $16,300 a month in after-tax retirement income if we use a 20% effective tax rate. The effective tax rate for investment income is lower than W2 wage income. This is something to think about when forecasting your own retirement income needs from investments.
$16,300 a month or $195,600 a year in after-tax retirement income should be more than enough to provide for our current family of three as our all-in housing cost is less than $6,000 a month. Once all our housing cost is covered, our costs for food, transportation, and everything else aren’t too bad.
$16,300 a month will also allow us to continue saving at least 30% a month for a rainy day (~$5,000). Because we’ve been in the habit of saving at least 50% of our after-tax income since graduating from college in 1999 and 2001, it would feel foreign to not continue saving in retirement.
The main anticipated increase in cost is preschool tuition starting this Fall at $1,800 a month. The other potential increase in cost is if we are blessed with another child. Ideally, we’d love to have two, but once you hit your late 30s or early 40s, the chances of a natural birth are only about 5%. Hence, we will consider fostering or adopting as well.
If we stay in San Francisco long term, our goal is to send our boy to public school after preschool if he can win the SF public school lottery system. If our son does not get into a reputable public school close by, then we’ll be forced to spend about $3,000 a month for elementary school and likely $5,000 a month for high school when the time comes.
These potential grade school tuition costs are the main reason why I’m striving towards $18,000 a month in after-tax retirement income, or ~$2,000 a month higher than current levels. I’ve got three years to make this goal a reality.
Below is an analysis of the major retirement income categories.
Risk-Free Savings: $1,045/month (5% of total)
I love risk-free savings, especially after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates multiple times since the end of 2015.
To be able to earn ~2.45% risk-free after making massive gains in the stock market and real estate market since 2009 sparks joy! Gone are the days of pitiful 0.1% savings interest rates.
My target is to always have between 5% – 10% of my retirement income and net worth in risk-free investments. You just never know what might happen in the future.
Stocks & Bonds: $7,560/month (37%)
After a tremendous rebound in the stock market in 2019, I decided to asset allocate more towards 3-month treasuries in my main House Fund portfolio.
As of now, my House Fund portfolio is roughly 20%/80% stocks/bonds because my plan is to buy another property within the next 6-12 months.
The House Fund portfolio had a $400,000 swing (-13%, then +23%) and I want to ensure that I protect the principal going forward. My other main public investment portfolio is closer to 60% stocks / 40% bonds. I plan to gradually shift the weighting closer to 50%/50%.
Below is my public stock and bond portfolio performance +9.2% vs. the S&P 500 +15.9% year-to-date according to Personal Capital’s performance tracker. With the income from my existing bond holdings, I should have relatively no problem closing out a 10-11% total return for the year.
As I edge closer towards retirement, my main goal is to minimize volatility and try and achieve a 5% – 7% total return equal to 2X-3X the 10-year bond yield.
The rise in short-term interest rates has really been a boon to my bond portfolio income stream. I plan to continue actively investing in 3-month treasury bonds and saving about 80% of my monthly cash flow.
Real Estate: $6,550/month (32%)
Real estate used to dominate my retirement portfolio income (~60%) until I sold a significant SF rental house in 2017 for 30X annual gross rent.
I ended up reinvesting $600,000 of the proceeds in mostly dividend-paying stocks, $600,000 of the proceeds in mostly municipal bonds, and then $550,000 of the proceeds in real estate crowdfunding ($810,000 total) in order to not lose too much real estate exposure.
I did get a surprise $45,598.04 distribution on 4/16/2019 from the RS DME fund where I have a total of $800,000 invested. The fund has 17 investments, across 12 states, and 6 property types. My Class A Austin Multifamily property was sold for a 24.6% return over two years.
So far the fund is returning a 10% cash-on-cash return net of fees. I’m hoping the end IRR is much higher after the equity investments are sold within the next 2-3 years.
For retirement portfolio calculation purposes, although I received $45,598.04 in distribution, I’m only inputting the profits as passive income to stay conservative. Perhaps there will be another significant distribution later in the year.
Once about half my RS DME fund distributions are returned, I will look to reinvest about $300,000 in a couple Fundrise eREITs and around $100,000 in individual RealtyMogul sponsored commercial real estate investments. I already have a decent sized position in OHI and O, two publicly traded REITs.
So far I like the simplicity of investing in a real estate fund versus spending time trying to pick the best deals. But if I’m going to retire again, I’ll have more free time to do due diligence.
My goal is to always have at least 30% of my net worth exposed to real estate as it is my favorite asset class to build long term wealth.
I haven’t raised the rent on my SF 2/2 condo in almost three years. At $4,200 a month, the property is now under market value by $300 – $400 a month. But I plan to just keep the rent below market rate because they’ve been good tenants. I’ll wait until one or both decides to move out before raising the rent.
Our Lake Tahoe property is coming back to life! We’ve had a fantastic winter in 2018/2019, which has resulted in a roughly doubling of net rental income over last year.
As the storms have subsided, we plan to finally take our boy up to the mountains. Spending time with my own family has been a dream of mine since I first bought the property in 2007.
Alternative Income: $5,220/month
Online books sales for How To Engineer Your Layoff has steadily increased each year since the first edition was published in 2012. I wrote a new foreword for 2019 and updated some data.
My wife has spent the past four months updating the book for a 3rd edition launch in 2H2019. The 3rd edition will have even more case studies and strategies to guide people to better negotiate a severance. We will likely raise the book’s price by 15% as well.
The amount of positive feedback we continually get from readers who’ve successfully negotiated their severance has been tremendous. If you plan to retire early, it behooves you to try and negotiate a severance. You have nothing to lose.
To generate $50,400 a year in almost passive online income from a book would require amassing a $1,008,000 portfolio generating 5%. Not needing to have capital is why I’m so bullish on building online real estate as well. There is almost no risk except for putting your education and creativity to use.
There’s not too much to report on my venture debt fund investments. I’m still waiting to get paid in full for my first venture debt fund from five years ago. The second venture debt fund just did a 25% capital call for a total of 92% of the capital committed.
Finally, I invested in my first venture capital fund. I did so because I believe in the main general partner who has a good investing track record. This is a 10-year fund by Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield, & Byers, where I don’t expect to see any income until perhaps year five.
Enough To FIRE
Based on this deep-dive analysis, my wife and I should have enough to live a comfortable retirement lifestyle in San Francisco or Honolulu.
Keeping lifestyle inflation at bay while steadily growing our investment income has been key to building our retirement portfolio. For example, we have the ability to buy a house 3X the cost of our existing house which we purchased in 2014 but have chosen not to do so, despite the addition to our family.
What I find most interesting is that even though it’s clear that mathematically I shouldn’t have a problem retiring, I still have trepidation about selling Financial Samurai and retiring from my second career.
Change is always hard, especially after you’ve spent a decade doing one thing. Giving up a steady income stream is also scary when you’ve been through the 2000 dotcom bubble and the 2009 financial crisis and now have a family to support.
Eventually, we’ll need to start spending our retirement portfolio income. But as of now, we plan to continue reinvesting 100% of the investment proceeds and saving 80% of our active income until a retirement decision is made.
Related: Ranking The Best Passive Income Investments For Retirement
Readers, any of you planning to retire within the next 12 months? If so, what type of deep dive retirement portfolio analysis have you done to ensure that financially everything will be OK once you retire? Do you see any holes in our retirement portfolio we need to work on shoring up? Featured art by Colleen Kong-Savage.
The post In Search Of FIRE: Financial Samurai Retirement Portfolio Review appeared first on Financial Samurai.
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Dave Ramsey Net Worth http://bit.ly/2oIlyFp
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Dave Ramsey Net Worth
Net Worth: $55 Million Age: 56 Born: September 3, 1960 Source of Wealth: Radio Host, Author, Businessman Know For: Founding the Dave Ramsey Show, Last Updated: 2017
Introduction
David L. “Dave” Ramsey III is a businessman, financial author, radio host, and motivational speaker. He has written numerous financial books including five New York Times bestsellers.
Ramsey’s syndicated radio program, The Dave Ramsey Show, is heard on more than 500 radio stations throughout North America. In 2015 Ramsey was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Ramsey has been married to his wife, Sharon, for over 30 years. They have three children: Denise, Rachel, and Daniel.
Early Life
Dave Ramsey was born and raised in Antioch, Tennessee. In 1982 he graduated from the College of Business Administration at University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in Finance and Real Estate.
At the age of 26, Ramsey built a rental real estate portfolio worth more than $4 million and brought home a quarter of a million dollars a year. Two years later he was forced to declare bankruptcy as the bank demanded him to pay back the debts. The young Ramsey gained millionaire status and quickly lost everything in his 20’s taught him a lasting lesson about debt management. To this day, Ramsey runs his business completely debt-free.
Later on, Ramsey would go on to develop personal finance lessons based on his experience to teach people nationwide. In 1992, he started his first financial book, Financial Peace. Ramsey set his mission in life to educate people about personal finance and to give hope to everyone in every walk of life.
Career
Dave Ramsey created the Dave Ramsey Show with a combined listenership of over 12 million weekly. The financial talk show is available on more than 575 radio stations and it’s the third largest talk radio show in the United States. Every year he earns millions of dollar from his lucrative show.
Ramsey is also the creator of Financial Peace University, a biblically based training series for adults that integrates video teaching, class discussions, and small group activities. Some topics covered in the series are cash flow planning, investing, saving, credit, retirement, and giving. The membership and class fees give Dave a very nice income while helping people dealing with financial issues.
Ramsey supports the debt snowball method, where debtors pay off their lowest balance debt first instead of paying off their highest interest rate debt first. A 2016 study by Harvard Business School found people who used the snowball method to pay off their smallest account first paid down more of their debt than those who used other methods. Dave’s method really works. He always preaches: “Debt is dumb. Cash is king!” Today millions of people follow Dave Ramsey’s teaching to guide them along the path to financial peace and security.
Personal Finance Quotes from Dave Ramsey
“The thing I have discovered about working with personal finance is that the good news is that it is not rocket science. Personal finance is about 80 percent behavior. It is only about 20 percent head knowledge.”
“I believe that through knowledge and discipline, financial peace is possible for all of us.”
“Your decisions from today forward will affect not only your life, but your entire legacy.”
“You never cash out a 401(k) or IRA to pay off debt, unless it’s to avoid a foreclosure or bankruptcy.”
“We’ve really got to stop looking to Washington to fix our problems. It obviously doesn’t have the ability to do that. People who are successful are not successful because of the president.”
Dave Ramsey Personal Finance Video
youtube
This is a great, quick, overview of what Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps are all about. Easy info to understand and hard to apply but it works!
The 7 Baby Steps
Step 1: Save $1,000 to start an emergency fund
Step 2: Pay off all debt but the house
Step 3: Build 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
Step 4: Invest 15% of household income into retirement
Step 5: College funding for children
Step 6: Pay off home early
Step 7: Build wealth and give
Summary
Since filing for personal bankruptcy in his 20’s, Dave Ramsey has come a long way. Ramsey made his first million, lost it and rebuilt an even larger fortune. With a net worth of $55 million, he’s living proof that anyone can turn a bad financial situation around.
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What’s the Qualified Business Income Deduction and Can You Claim It?
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in December of 2017. It drastically cut the corporate tax rate, but it also introduced the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction.
The QBI deduction offers a way to lower the effective tax rate on the profits of owners of pass-through entities — trade or business where the income “passes through” to the owner’s individual tax return. These include the sole proprietorship (including independent contractors), partnerships, limited liability companies, and S corporations. Some trusts and estates may also be eligible to take the deduction. Income earned through a C corporation or services provided as an employee are not eligible, however.
The qualified business income (QBI) deduction can prove to be a significant tax reduction for those business owners who qualify. But because it remains a deduction and not a tax rate reduction, its effectiveness depends on an owner’s tax bracket. It represents a temporary measure in the tax law, which sunsets after 2025 unless Congress acts. It can also prove very, very complicated.
Here is a summary of what the deduction entails:
The QBI deduction is a personal write-off for owners of domestic pass-through businesses where owners pay business taxes on their personal tax return.
The deduction can be up to 20% of QBI minus the net capital gains.
Business owners can take the deduction in addition to the ordinarily allowable business expense deductions.
Deductions for higher-income individuals may be limited or ineligible.
This deduction is in place for tax years 2018 through 2025.
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about the QBI deduction that may help you understand whether you qualify and, if so, how to gain the most benefit possible.
What is a Qualified Business Income Deduction?
A qualified business income(QBI) deduction allows domestic small business owners and self-employed individuals to deduct up to 20% of their QBI plus 20% of qualified real estate investment trust (REIT) dividends and qualified publicly traded partnership (PTP) income on their taxes, or 20% of a taxpayer’s taxable income minus net capital gains.
Qualified REIT dividends include most of the real estate investment trust dividends that people earn. Also, to qualify, you must hold the real estate investment trust for longer than 45 days. The payment must be for you, and it cannot be a capital gains dividend or regular qualified dividend. Qualified income from a PTP includes your share of income, gains, deductions, and losses from a PTP.
To qualify for the deduction, the 2019 taxable income must be under $321,400 for couples who are married filing jointly, $160,725 for married filing separately, or $160,700 for all other taxpayers. In 2020, those figures increase to $326,000 for couples married filing jointly and $163,300 for everyone else.
Anything higher and the IRS invokes a series of complicated rules that place limits on whether the trade or business income qualifies for a full or partial deduction. Deduction limitations include such factors as the trade or business type, taxable income, and the amount of W-2 wages paid by the company.
Some refer to the qualified business income (QBI) deduction as the Section 199A deduction. It does not really fit the description of a business deduction, however, even though it’s based on income. And it doesn’t reduce gross income like other business-related deductions. Take, for example, the self-employed health insurance deduction and one-half of self-employment tax. It doesn’t impact self-employment tax at all.
What the QBI deduction does offer is a personal tax deduction based on trade or income. You claim it on your individual income tax return (1040) as the owner whether you use the standard deduction or itemize personal deductions.
You get to take the deduction if you qualify for it. However claiming the deduction doesn’t require any purchase or outlay of cash, as with other types of deductions.
What is Qualified Business Income?
According to the IRS, qualified business income represents the net amount of qualified income, gain, deduction, and loss from any qualified trade or business. (Simply put, that means your share of the business’s net profit.) The trade or business must also be located in the U.S.
The IRS only counts items included in taxable income, such as:
Payments to an S corporation owner
Investments gains or losses
Interest income on outstanding receivables.
Certain items are excluded from QBI deductions when figuring qualified income, including:
Capital gains and losses
Certain dividends and interest income
Wage income paid to the S corporation owner
Income earned outside the U.S.
Commodities, transactions or foreign currency gains or losses
Annuities, unless received in connection with the trade or business
Amounts paid to a taxpayer acting outside of his or her capacity as a partner for services
Reasonable compensation received by S corporation owner-employees
Guaranteed payments received by partners.
The IRS also states, solely for section 199A, a safe harbor is available to individuals and owners of pass-through entities who seek to claim the deduction under section 199A for a rental real estate enterprise. It treats a rental real estate enterprise as a trade or business for purposes of the QBI deduction if specific criteria are met.
You must also reduce qualified business income by personal deductions connected to having that income. These include:
Gain from transactions reported on Form 4797, including gain from the sale of business property
Deduction for one-half of self-employment tax
Deduction for self-employed SEP, SIMPLE, or other retirement plans
Unreimbursed partnership expenses claimed by a partner on his or her personal return
A self-employed health insurance deduction.
Special rules for the treatment of multiple businesses and the impact of losses apply. Also, in some cases, patrons of horticultural or agricultural cooperatives are required to reduce their deduction under section 199A of the tax code.
Do You Qualify for the QBI Deduction?
To qualify for the qualified business income (QBI) deduction, you must be an owner of a pass-through entity within the U.S., have qualified business income, and not be barred from taking the deduction due to having substantial income and operating in a particular type of business. This will be explained in detail later.
Sole proprietorships, partnerships, S corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) are the pass -through entities eligible.
You do not qualify if your business is a C corporation or if you are simply an employee who does not own an interest in a pass-through entity.
It does not matter whether you are active in the day-to-day activities of the trade of business or merely a silent investor. Any eligible taxpayer with income from a trade or business may be entitled to the QBI deduction assuming they satisfy the requirements of section 199A. This is regardless of their level of involvement.
You also do not qualify if your taxable income exceeds the specified threshold amount in a given tax year, and you are in a specified service trade or business (SSTB).
The SSTB exception does not apply to the taxpayer’s taxable income below the threshold amount. In other words, SSTBs below the limit get the deduction just like any other business owner. Also, the deduction is phased in for taxpayers with taxable income above the threshold amount.
S corporations and partnerships qualify because they are typically not taxable and cannot take the deduction themselves. Instead, all S corporations and partnerships report each shareholder’s or partner’s share of qualified business income, W-2 wages paid, UBIA of qualified property, qualified real estate investment trust dividends, and qualified PTP income items on a Schedule K-1, which allow the shareholders or partners to determine their deduction amount.
Take the following steps to decide whether you qualify for the QBI deduction:
Determine if your trade or business is a pass-through entity.
Figure out the amount of net income from that business for the year. (Some income isn’t included.)
Estimate your total taxable income. Keep in mind that the deduction amount may be reduced or eliminated if your income is over the limit.
How is the Qualified Business Income Deduction Calculated?
Calculating your QBI deduction is no easy task by anyone’s estimation. Fortunately, your tax return preparer or online tax return software can take care of that for you. To better understand the process, however, follow these steps:
Start by gathering documents that list your eligible income. It’s helpful to have a copy of Schedule K-1, with the necessary information included.
Calculate your taxable income. This is your gross income after subtracting your deductions and personal exemptions.
Make a final determination. Decide whether the income is related to a qualified trade or business in which you have a business interest.
Then it’s time to run the numbers. Calculate the qualified business income for each trade or business for the tax year and your net taxable income — the net amount of the business’s qualified items of income, gain, deduction, and loss.
Calculate your QBI limitations. Once you have calculated your qualified business income for each business, move on to calculating your limitation. This will help you decide whether aggregating your businesses works for or against you when getting the highest deduction.
It is necessary to calculate your limits if you have an ownership interest in a trade or business, and your taxable income for tax year 2019 is more than $321,400 as a couple married filing jointly, more than $160,725 if married and filing separately, or $160,700 otherwise. If your taxable income is under these amounts, there is no need to calculate the limitation. You can take the straight 20% deduction.
Here is how to calculate the limitation.
Know the amount of W-2 wages paid and the amount of qualified property owned. Qualified property is personal or real property that is subject to depreciation. Land does not count as qualified property. Items like furniture, equipment, and machinery do.
This is where it can get complicated.
Your qualified business income is limited to either 20% of your QBI or one of these options:
50% of the company’s W-2 wages
The sum of 25% of the W-2 wages plus 2.5% of the unadjusted basis of all qualified property.
Choose whichever of the two wage options above gives you a higher deduction.
6. That’s it! Once you make that determination, you have successfully calculated your deduction amount.
To claim the QBI deduction for 2019, complete Form 8995, Qualified Business Income Deduction Simplified Computation, or Form 8995-A, Qualified Business Income Deduction. Both forms take you through the process of adding up your qualified business income, real estate investment trust dividends, and PTP income to determine the amount of your deduction.
Use Form 8995 if your taxable income is less than the income threshold and Form 8995-A if your taxable income is more than the specified threshold. Attach the form to your tax return. That’s Form 1040 for most business owners.
QBI Deduction Examples
These two examples illustrate how the process works for a business owner who qualifies for the QBI deduction without limitations and one who qualifies but with limitations:
Jill owns a retail business that generates $100,000 in qualified business income. She is married and does married filing jointly.
Her taxable income is less than $321,400 for couples married filing jointly. Her business paid $30,000 in wages and has $50,000 in qualified property.
Because Jill’s taxable income is less than the threshold, she can claim the full 20%, which in her case is $20,000.
Jack owns a warehouse storage company. He is also married, but rather than filing jointly chooses to file separately, so his threshold to qualify is $160,700 for the tax year 2019.
His qualified business income is $125,000. He paid $50,000 in wages and has $150,000 in qualified property. His taxable income, however, is $415,000, which is over the threshold. That means he cannot automatically claim the 20% deduction and has to calculate his limitation.
Jack performs both wage tests to find the highest deduction.
Test 1 is 50% of the company’s W-2 wages or 50% x $50,000 for a total of $25,000
Test 2 is 25% of the W-2 wages plus 2.5% of the unadjusted basis of all qualified property, which comes to $16,250.
Jack chooses the higher deduction, so his total QBI deduction amount is $25,000.
There’s one more item to note: Whatever the amount of your QBI deduction, it can’t exceed more than 20% of your total taxable income without the QBI deduction. So, calculate the numbers to determine if the qualified business income deduction is within IRS guidelines.
Other QBI Deduction Factors
Here are some other factors to take into consideration when calculating QBI deductions.
If the net amount of your combined qualified business income during the tax year is a loss, you carry it forward into the next tax year.
You can deduct 20% of qualified real estate investment trust dividends, cooperative dividends, and PTP income, but don’t include these items when calculating your QBI.
You can combine multiple sources of income to calculate your total QBI.
If you have two or more qualified businesses (i.e., pass-through business), the IRS allows you to combine the qualified business incomes, W-2 wages, and basis of qualified property for each, and then apply the W-2 wage and qualified property limitations. You are not required to combine (or aggregate) your businesses, although it is allowed and may increase the QBI deduction amount and lower your tax bill.
If you have a loss on one trade or business and profit on another (including aggregated trades and businesses), you must net their qualified business income, including losses. The negative QBI from one business will offset positive QBI from other trades or businesses in proportion to the net income of the trades or businesses with positive QBI. If the total QBI from all of your businesses is less than zero, then you have a negative amount that you must carry forward to the next year.
Is Qualified Business Income an Itemized Deduction?
The qualified business income deduction is a personal write-off that you can claim whether or not you itemize your tax return using Schedule A or take the standard deduction. That is different from other deductions, which require you to itemize.
Importance of Taxable Income
Taxable income governs eligibility for the credit. Business owners with taxable income that does not exceed a set amount can take a 20% deduction of qualified business income plus 20% of qualified real estate investment trust dividends and qualified publicly traded partnership income. This is without regard to the QBI deduction and it depends on their filing status.
The taxable income amounts are adjusted annually for inflation. This straightforward deduction applies regardless of the type of business you’re in. For those with taxable income over their applicable limit, things are not so straightforward.
Qualified Business Income Deduction Formula
If taxable income exceeds the taxable amount for your filing status, then use the following formula to figure the qualified business income deduction. This is all subject to additional limits for a specified service trade or business, explained below.
The deduction is the greater of: (1) 50% of W-2 wages (wages paid by the business, including amounts to S corporation owner-employees), or (2) 25% of W-2 wages, plus 2.5% of the unadjusted basis (usually cost without regard to any depreciation) of property that hasn’t reached the end of its recovery period set by law.
How to Maximize Your QBI Deduction
If you find that you are above the qualified business income threshold, there are certain planning strategies you can employ to maximize QBI deductions, whether yours is an SSTB or not. Consider using some of the following procedures:
Keep your income under the threshold. Below the threshold, the deduction is less restrictive.
Consider filing your tax return separately if you are married. If you file jointly, your trade or business is a specified service subject to the phase-out.
Create a separate entity that provides business and administrative support to a disqualified business. Forming a new LLC to offer such services is best.
To get a larger deduction, decrease the compensation you as the owner receives as long as the amount is still reasonable.
Increase the amount of wages paid to employees, if possible, or purchase assets.
Take a second job to increase taxable income.
Aggregate multiple businesses to optimize the three components and limitations (QBI, Wages, UBIA). Complicated rules govern the ability to aggregate businesses, however, so take all factors into account. Also, SSTBs do not qualify for aggregation.
If you have a high-deductible health insurance plan, make a pre-tax contribution to a Health Savings Account for up to $3,550 for an individual plan or $7,100 for a family plan in 2020.
Make a retirement plan contribution to lower the taxable amount in the current year.
Lump several years worth of future expected charitable giving contributions into the current year. It may put you over the standard deduction limit and let you reap the tax benefits of itemizing a large charitable gift.
If you can control the timing of your business income, delay future projects until the following year to keep income levels below the threshold. You could also accelerate the payment of some expenses to the current year to reduce income levels.
This list is not an exhaustive list of options, so speak with your CPA or tax preparer for advice on how to qualify for a full or partial QBI deduction.
Specified Service Trade or Business (SSTBs)
A Specified Service Trade or Business (SSTB) refers to a business providing services in the fields of health, law, accounting, actuarial science, performing arts, consulting, athletics, financial services, brokerage services, investment and investment management, trading, or securities.
This also includes any business where the principal asset is the reputation or skill of one or more owner or employee. Of course, every business depends on the reputation and skill of these individuals. Fortunately, regulations say that an business is an SSTB only if the person receives fees or compensation for endorsing a product or service, licensing his or her image, likeness, or voice, or receiving payment for appearing at an event or in the media.
The SSTB line can be a bit fuzzy as to what professions are subject to the guidelines. For example, under IRS regulations, consultants — those who provide professional advice — are considered SSTBs, but salespeople who offer sales training courses are not. Similarly, physicians fall under the “health” definition and qualify as an SSTB, but fitness instructors do not.
To complicate matters further, some businesses can be a combination of SSTB and non-SSTB. In those cases, the de minimus rule applies. If income from the SSTB side is below a certain threshold, the business can be fully eligible for the QBI deduction.
Regardless, if you are in a specified service trade or business and your taxable income exceeds your applicable limit, the items taken into account in figuring the qualified business income deduction — QBI, W-2 wages, the unadjusted basis of certain property — are phased out. Once the taxable amount reaches a specific limit, no QBI deduction can be claimed by an owner of an SSTB.
For the tax year 2019, those figures are as follows:
If your taxable income is between $321,400 and $421,400 for those married filing jointly, between $160,725 and $210,725 for those married filing separately, or between $160,700 and $210,700 for single filers, your deduction is subject to additional limitations. If it is higher, then you are fully phased out and not eligible for the QBI deduction.
Conclusion
If you’re confused about the qualified business income deduction, you’re not alone. It’s a very complex write-off that many businesses fail to claim. It is a deduction you should be concerned with, however, if your trade or business is a pass-through entity because it provides a generous tax break for qualifying businesses.
One thing is sure: Determining who can claim the QBI deduction and calculating it is no easy task. The good news is that your tax return preparer or tax software can figure the deduction for you. To learn more about the QBI deduction, check out IRS FAQs as well as instructions to Form 8995 and Form 8995-A.
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What’s the Qualified Business Income Deduction and Can You Claim It?
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in December of 2017. It drastically cut the corporate tax rate, but it also introduced the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction.
The QBI deduction offers a way to lower the effective tax rate on the profits of owners of pass-through entities — trade or business where the income “passes through” to the owner’s individual tax return. These include the sole proprietorship (including independent contractors), partnerships, limited liability companies, and S corporations. Some trusts and estates may also be eligible to take the deduction. Income earned through a C corporation or services provided as an employee are not eligible, however.
The qualified business income (QBI) deduction can prove to be a significant tax reduction for those business owners who qualify. But because it remains a deduction and not a tax rate reduction, its effectiveness depends on an owner’s tax bracket. It represents a temporary measure in the tax law, which sunsets after 2025 unless Congress acts. It can also prove very, very complicated.
Here is a summary of what the deduction entails:
The QBI deduction is a personal write-off for owners of domestic pass-through businesses where owners pay business taxes on their personal tax return.
The deduction can be up to 20% of QBI minus the net capital gains.
Business owners can take the deduction in addition to the ordinarily allowable business expense deductions.
Deductions for higher-income individuals may be limited or ineligible.
This deduction is in place for tax years 2018 through 2025.
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about the QBI deduction that may help you understand whether you qualify and, if so, how to gain the most benefit possible.
What is a Qualified Business Income Deduction?
A qualified business income(QBI) deduction allows domestic small business owners and self-employed individuals to deduct up to 20% of their QBI plus 20% of qualified real estate investment trust (REIT) dividends and qualified publicly traded partnership (PTP) income on their taxes, or 20% of a taxpayer’s taxable income minus net capital gains.
Qualified REIT dividends include most of the real estate investment trust dividends that people earn. Also, to qualify, you must hold the real estate investment trust for longer than 45 days. The payment must be for you, and it cannot be a capital gains dividend or regular qualified dividend. Qualified income from a PTP includes your share of income, gains, deductions, and losses from a PTP.
To qualify for the deduction, the 2019 taxable income must be under $321,400 for couples who are married filing jointly, $160,725 for married filing separately, or $160,700 for all other taxpayers. In 2020, those figures increase to $326,000 for couples married filing jointly and $163,300 for everyone else.
Anything higher and the IRS invokes a series of complicated rules that place limits on whether the trade or business income qualifies for a full or partial deduction. Deduction limitations include such factors as the trade or business type, taxable income, and the amount of W-2 wages paid by the company.
Some refer to the qualified business income (QBI) deduction as the Section 199A deduction. It does not really fit the description of a business deduction, however, even though it’s based on income. And it doesn’t reduce gross income like other business-related deductions. Take, for example, the self-employed health insurance deduction and one-half of self-employment tax. It doesn’t impact self-employment tax at all.
What the QBI deduction does offer is a personal tax deduction based on trade or income. You claim it on your individual income tax return (1040) as the owner whether you use the standard deduction or itemize personal deductions.
You get to take the deduction if you qualify for it. However claiming the deduction doesn’t require any purchase or outlay of cash, as with other types of deductions.
What is Qualified Business Income?
According to the IRS, qualified business income represents the net amount of qualified income, gain, deduction, and loss from any qualified trade or business. (Simply put, that means your share of the business’s net profit.) The trade or business must also be located in the U.S.
The IRS only counts items included in taxable income, such as:
Payments to an S corporation owner
Investments gains or losses
Interest income on outstanding receivables.
Certain items are excluded from QBI deductions when figuring qualified income, including:
Capital gains and losses
Certain dividends and interest income
Wage income paid to the S corporation owner
Income earned outside the U.S.
Commodities, transactions or foreign currency gains or losses
Annuities, unless received in connection with the trade or business
Amounts paid to a taxpayer acting outside of his or her capacity as a partner for services
Reasonable compensation received by S corporation owner-employees
Guaranteed payments received by partners.
The IRS also states, solely for section 199A, a safe harbor is available to individuals and owners of pass-through entities who seek to claim the deduction under section 199A for a rental real estate enterprise. It treats a rental real estate enterprise as a trade or business for purposes of the QBI deduction if specific criteria are met.
You must also reduce qualified business income by personal deductions connected to having that income. These include:
Gain from transactions reported on Form 4797, including gain from the sale of business property
Deduction for one-half of self-employment tax
Deduction for self-employed SEP, SIMPLE, or other retirement plans
Unreimbursed partnership expenses claimed by a partner on his or her personal return
A self-employed health insurance deduction.
Special rules for the treatment of multiple businesses and the impact of losses apply. Also, in some cases, patrons of horticultural or agricultural cooperatives are required to reduce their deduction under section 199A of the tax code.
Do You Qualify for the QBI Deduction?
To qualify for the qualified business income (QBI) deduction, you must be an owner of a pass-through entity within the U.S., have qualified business income, and not be barred from taking the deduction due to having substantial income and operating in a particular type of business. This will be explained in detail later.
Sole proprietorships, partnerships, S corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) are the pass -through entities eligible.
You do not qualify if your business is a C corporation or if you are simply an employee who does not own an interest in a pass-through entity.
It does not matter whether you are active in the day-to-day activities of the trade of business or merely a silent investor. Any eligible taxpayer with income from a trade or business may be entitled to the QBI deduction assuming they satisfy the requirements of section 199A. This is regardless of their level of involvement.
You also do not qualify if your taxable income exceeds the specified threshold amount in a given tax year, and you are in a specified service trade or business (SSTB).
The SSTB exception does not apply to the taxpayer’s taxable income below the threshold amount. In other words, SSTBs below the limit get the deduction just like any other business owner. Also, the deduction is phased in for taxpayers with taxable income above the threshold amount.
S corporations and partnerships qualify because they are typically not taxable and cannot take the deduction themselves. Instead, all S corporations and partnerships report each shareholder’s or partner’s share of qualified business income, W-2 wages paid, UBIA of qualified property, qualified real estate investment trust dividends, and qualified PTP income items on a Schedule K-1, which allow the shareholders or partners to determine their deduction amount.
Take the following steps to decide whether you qualify for the QBI deduction:
Determine if your trade or business is a pass-through entity.
Figure out the amount of net income from that business for the year. (Some income isn’t included.)
Estimate your total taxable income. Keep in mind that the deduction amount may be reduced or eliminated if your income is over the limit.
How is the Qualified Business Income Deduction Calculated?
Calculating your QBI deduction is no easy task by anyone’s estimation. Fortunately, your tax return preparer or online tax return software can take care of that for you. To better understand the process, however, follow these steps:
Start by gathering documents that list your eligible income. It’s helpful to have a copy of Schedule K-1, with the necessary information included.
Calculate your taxable income. This is your gross income after subtracting your deductions and personal exemptions.
Make a final determination. Decide whether the income is related to a qualified trade or business in which you have a business interest.
Then it’s time to run the numbers. Calculate the qualified business income for each trade or business for the tax year and your net taxable income — the net amount of the business’s qualified items of income, gain, deduction, and loss.
Calculate your QBI limitations. Once you have calculated your qualified business income for each business, move on to calculating your limitation. This will help you decide whether aggregating your businesses works for or against you when getting the highest deduction.
It is necessary to calculate your limits if you have an ownership interest in a trade or business, and your taxable income for tax year 2019 is more than $321,400 as a couple married filing jointly, more than $160,725 if married and filing separately, or $160,700 otherwise. If your taxable income is under these amounts, there is no need to calculate the limitation. You can take the straight 20% deduction.
Here is how to calculate the limitation.
Know the amount of W-2 wages paid and the amount of qualified property owned. Qualified property is personal or real property that is subject to depreciation. Land does not count as qualified property. Items like furniture, equipment, and machinery do.
This is where it can get complicated.
Your qualified business income is limited to either 20% of your QBI or one of these options:
50% of the company’s W-2 wages
The sum of 25% of the W-2 wages plus 2.5% of the unadjusted basis of all qualified property.
Choose whichever of the two wage options above gives you a higher deduction.
6. That’s it! Once you make that determination, you have successfully calculated your deduction amount.
To claim the QBI deduction for 2019, complete Form 8995, Qualified Business Income Deduction Simplified Computation, or Form 8995-A, Qualified Business Income Deduction. Both forms take you through the process of adding up your qualified business income, real estate investment trust dividends, and PTP income to determine the amount of your deduction.
Use Form 8995 if your taxable income is less than the income threshold and Form 8995-A if your taxable income is more than the specified threshold. Attach the form to your tax return. That’s Form 1040 for most business owners.
QBI Deduction Examples
These two examples illustrate how the process works for a business owner who qualifies for the QBI deduction without limitations and one who qualifies but with limitations:
Jill owns a retail business that generates $100,000 in qualified business income. She is married and does married filing jointly.
Her taxable income is less than $321,400 for couples married filing jointly. Her business paid $30,000 in wages and has $50,000 in qualified property.
Because Jill’s taxable income is less than the threshold, she can claim the full 20%, which in her case is $20,000.
Jack owns a warehouse storage company. He is also married, but rather than filing jointly chooses to file separately, so his threshold to qualify is $160,700 for the tax year 2019.
His qualified business income is $125,000. He paid $50,000 in wages and has $150,000 in qualified property. His taxable income, however, is $415,000, which is over the threshold. That means he cannot automatically claim the 20% deduction and has to calculate his limitation.
Jack performs both wage tests to find the highest deduction.
Test 1 is 50% of the company’s W-2 wages or 50% x $50,000 for a total of $25,000
Test 2 is 25% of the W-2 wages plus 2.5% of the unadjusted basis of all qualified property, which comes to $16,250.
Jack chooses the higher deduction, so his total QBI deduction amount is $25,000.
There’s one more item to note: Whatever the amount of your QBI deduction, it can’t exceed more than 20% of your total taxable income without the QBI deduction. So, calculate the numbers to determine if the qualified business income deduction is within IRS guidelines.
Other QBI Deduction Factors
Here are some other factors to take into consideration when calculating QBI deductions.
If the net amount of your combined qualified business income during the tax year is a loss, you carry it forward into the next tax year.
You can deduct 20% of qualified real estate investment trust dividends, cooperative dividends, and PTP income, but don’t include these items when calculating your QBI.
You can combine multiple sources of income to calculate your total QBI.
If you have two or more qualified businesses (i.e., pass-through business), the IRS allows you to combine the qualified business incomes, W-2 wages, and basis of qualified property for each, and then apply the W-2 wage and qualified property limitations. You are not required to combine (or aggregate) your businesses, although it is allowed and may increase the QBI deduction amount and lower your tax bill.
If you have a loss on one trade or business and profit on another (including aggregated trades and businesses), you must net their qualified business income, including losses. The negative QBI from one business will offset positive QBI from other trades or businesses in proportion to the net income of the trades or businesses with positive QBI. If the total QBI from all of your businesses is less than zero, then you have a negative amount that you must carry forward to the next year.
Is Qualified Business Income an Itemized Deduction?
The qualified business income deduction is a personal write-off that you can claim whether or not you itemize your tax return using Schedule A or take the standard deduction. That is different from other deductions, which require you to itemize.
Importance of Taxable Income
Taxable income governs eligibility for the credit. Business owners with taxable income that does not exceed a set amount can take a 20% deduction of qualified business income plus 20% of qualified real estate investment trust dividends and qualified publicly traded partnership income. This is without regard to the QBI deduction and it depends on their filing status.
The taxable income amounts are adjusted annually for inflation. This straightforward deduction applies regardless of the type of business you’re in. For those with taxable income over their applicable limit, things are not so straightforward.
Qualified Business Income Deduction Formula
If taxable income exceeds the taxable amount for your filing status, then use the following formula to figure the qualified business income deduction. This is all subject to additional limits for a specified service trade or business, explained below.
The deduction is the greater of: (1) 50% of W-2 wages (wages paid by the business, including amounts to S corporation owner-employees), or (2) 25% of W-2 wages, plus 2.5% of the unadjusted basis (usually cost without regard to any depreciation) of property that hasn’t reached the end of its recovery period set by law.
How to Maximize Your QBI Deduction
If you find that you are above the qualified business income threshold, there are certain planning strategies you can employ to maximize QBI deductions, whether yours is an SSTB or not. Consider using some of the following procedures:
Keep your income under the threshold. Below the threshold, the deduction is less restrictive.
Consider filing your tax return separately if you are married. If you file jointly, your trade or business is a specified service subject to the phase-out.
Create a separate entity that provides business and administrative support to a disqualified business. Forming a new LLC to offer such services is best.
To get a larger deduction, decrease the compensation you as the owner receives as long as the amount is still reasonable.
Increase the amount of wages paid to employees, if possible, or purchase assets.
Take a second job to increase taxable income.
Aggregate multiple businesses to optimize the three components and limitations (QBI, Wages, UBIA). Complicated rules govern the ability to aggregate businesses, however, so take all factors into account. Also, SSTBs do not qualify for aggregation.
If you have a high-deductible health insurance plan, make a pre-tax contribution to a Health Savings Account for up to $3,550 for an individual plan or $7,100 for a family plan in 2020.
Make a retirement plan contribution to lower the taxable amount in the current year.
Lump several years worth of future expected charitable giving contributions into the current year. It may put you over the standard deduction limit and let you reap the tax benefits of itemizing a large charitable gift.
If you can control the timing of your business income, delay future projects until the following year to keep income levels below the threshold. You could also accelerate the payment of some expenses to the current year to reduce income levels.
This list is not an exhaustive list of options, so speak with your CPA or tax preparer for advice on how to qualify for a full or partial QBI deduction.
Specified Service Trade or Business (SSTBs)
A Specified Service Trade or Business (SSTB) refers to a business providing services in the fields of health, law, accounting, actuarial science, performing arts, consulting, athletics, financial services, brokerage services, investment and investment management, trading, or securities.
This also includes any business where the principal asset is the reputation or skill of one or more owner or employee. Of course, every business depends on the reputation and skill of these individuals. Fortunately, regulations say that an business is an SSTB only if the person receives fees or compensation for endorsing a product or service, licensing his or her image, likeness, or voice, or receiving payment for appearing at an event or in the media.
The SSTB line can be a bit fuzzy as to what professions are subject to the guidelines. For example, under IRS regulations, consultants — those who provide professional advice — are considered SSTBs, but salespeople who offer sales training courses are not. Similarly, physicians fall under the “health” definition and qualify as an SSTB, but fitness instructors do not.
To complicate matters further, some businesses can be a combination of SSTB and non-SSTB. In those cases, the de minimus rule applies. If income from the SSTB side is below a certain threshold, the business can be fully eligible for the QBI deduction.
Regardless, if you are in a specified service trade or business and your taxable income exceeds your applicable limit, the items taken into account in figuring the qualified business income deduction — QBI, W-2 wages, the unadjusted basis of certain property — are phased out. Once the taxable amount reaches a specific limit, no QBI deduction can be claimed by an owner of an SSTB.
For the tax year 2019, those figures are as follows:
If your taxable income is between $321,400 and $421,400 for those married filing jointly, between $160,725 and $210,725 for those married filing separately, or between $160,700 and $210,700 for single filers, your deduction is subject to additional limitations. If it is higher, then you are fully phased out and not eligible for the QBI deduction.
Conclusion
If you’re confused about the qualified business income deduction, you’re not alone. It’s a very complex write-off that many businesses fail to claim. It is a deduction you should be concerned with, however, if your trade or business is a pass-through entity because it provides a generous tax break for qualifying businesses.
One thing is sure: Determining who can claim the QBI deduction and calculating it is no easy task. The good news is that your tax return preparer or tax software can figure the deduction for you. To learn more about the QBI deduction, check out IRS FAQs as well as instructions to Form 8995 and Form 8995-A.
Image: Depositphotos.com
This article, “What’s the Qualified Business Income Deduction and Can You Claim It?” was first published on Small Business Trends
source https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/08/qualified-business-income-deduction.html
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What Documents Are Needed For A Mortgage?
Getting a mortgage today requires a lot more documentation than it did in the past. It went from only needing proof of employment and a personal ID, to a whole list of documentation and paperwork to prove your financial stability.
The list gets consistently changed and updated as lenders try to protect themselves as much as they can, preventing having a similar experience to the devastating Great Recession. The list you will see in this article covers what is currently required by most lenders, however, make sure to consult your lender for the complete set of documents you will be required to present.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR ALL TRANSACTIONS
As we just mentioned, there are some papers that you will be asked for by almost every lender you go to, which mainly revolves around your identity, employment, and family status, the three basic factors lenders look at when approving mortgage:
Documents to verify identity:
Photo ID – All lenders have this as a requirement to confirm the identity of the borrower/applicant. It can be a government-issued ID, a driver’s license, or a passport.
Documents to verify employment:
Job Letter / Letter of Employment – Lenders want to see your employment status and if you have a regular employment contract that will ensure your ability to repay the mortgage regularly in the future.
T4 (T4A for commissioned employees) – The T4 is a document your employer provides containing information about the income you’ve earned through their employment over 1 year. It’s mostly used for tax returns, but lenders also require this document to assess your creditworthiness.
Documents to verify income:
Pay Stubs, W-2s or other proof of income – Although your tax assessment gives lenders a clear understanding of you financial stability, your pay stubs allow them to get a better idea on your gross and net incomes. This means that if you have income from other sources besides your salary, you would need to provide your lenders with documentation on that as well.
Bank Statements and other assets – Lenders require your bank statements to check the status of your accounts and if you have numerous months worth of mortgage payments within the bank. You will be asked to provide bank statements from a few months back to confirm that the money you have in your account didn’t just appear out of nowhere in the past week, but that you earned it on your own. If you have some investments, individual retirement accounts, 401(k)s, or life insurance, lenders will need to check that as well.
Notice of Assessment (NOA) – When your tax returns have been completed and filed, your federal government will issue a Notice of Assessment which shows a breakdown of the income in the last year. This is a valuable document for your lenders because it has been checked and approved by government officials and financial experts, so they can fully rely on the information stated in it.
T1 General / Tax Return –Usually, lenders look at the last years regarding tax returns, so make sure that what you reported as your earnings are consistent with your annual income through pay stubs and that your income doesn’t fluctuate too much from year to year. To confirm tax returns, you will most likely be required to sign a Form 4506-T, a document allowing lenders to request a copy of your tax returns from the IRS.
Those who are self-employed or business owners will be required to provide the following documents:
Financial Statements – for business owners, these are the basic financial documents providing an overview of the company’s assets and other financial data lenders need to decide on the mortgage question.
Master Business License – again, business owners will be required to provide proof that the business they claim they own is legally theirs, officially registered and fully operational.
Business Cheque – required from the self-employed borrowers, the business check is associated with the businesses’ bank account.
Other potential documents:
Divorce/Separation Agreement – The Divorce/Separation Agreement allows lenders to view the conditions of the divorce/separation and usually includes any financial paperwork required for payments.
Child Support Order/Agreement – The child support agreement will give the lenders an overview of the terms or conditions of any child support you may be paying, including any required payments.
SPECIFIC DOCUMENTATION FOR A HOME PURCHASE
If you’re looking to buy a home through a mortgage, there are some additional documents you would need to provide:
Agreement of Purchase and Sale – One of the key documents when applying for a mortgage to buy a home is the actual agreement. It has to be complete with all the details required by your country and signed by both parties – the buyer and the seller.
MLS Listing – Although it may sound illogical that lenders would like to see the MLS listing number of the property you’re intended on buying, this is a way for them to confirm that the transaction is, in fact, real and not just a way for you and the “selling party” to get the mortgage without making a real transaction. In addition to this, the MLS listing shows the home that is to be purchased and all its features, allowing lenders to assess its value.
Proof of Down payment – Similar to the previous point, the proof of down payment will provide reliable proof for lenders that you are serious about buying the home.
Other potential documents:
Rental Letter (if applicable) – if the property will be occupied by a tenant, the rental letter confirms that the prospective tenant is a responsible, reliable, and a financially stable individual.
Real estate salesperson Information (name, contact info and brokerage) – It’s not rare that lenders contact the real estate agents or salesperson to consult them about the property and ask them questions about it.
DOCUMENTATION FOR A REFINANCE, SWITCH, OR EQUITY TAKE-OUT
You may be applying to refinance your mortgage, switch the lender of the mortgage or take equity out of your property. In that case, you will be required to provide:
Current mortgage statement – if you already have a mortgage and looking to refinance it or switch the lender, you need to show your new lender the current financial standing of the mortgage through this statement. The information in this document will give lenders an insight on the mortgage balance, the interest rate, time remaining and other valuable information.
Transfer/Deed – this is one of the basic documents relating to a property that shows the current and previous owners of the home.
Tax Bill / Property tax statement – this document provided by the municipal tax authority and shows that all taxes related to the property are regularly paid.
Property insurance policy – Most lenders will require property insurance to cover risks like fire, vandalism, flooding and other situations that may cause damage to the property.
Other potential documents:
Mortgage repayment history – if you’re refinancing your mortgage or switching the lender, you may need to prove that you’ve made regular mortgage repayments in the past, usually the last year or two.
OTHER DOCUMENTATION
Gift Letter – If your family, friends or relatives are helping you with the house purchase by giving you money, you will need to provide a written proof stating that the money was given as a gift, not a loan.
Property Assessment – The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation can provide you with this document that contains information on the property value determined by the MPAC.
Condominium Status Certificate (Formerly called the Estoppel Certificate) – required only if the property you’re purchasing is a condo. This document confirms that the condominium corporation stands in good order and includes information on the maintenance fee and other expenses for the condo.
Certificate of Independent Legal Advice (ILA) – This document is written and provided by your lawyer (as the buyer) to ensure the lender that they’ve sat down with you and explained how every step of the mortgage process works.
Proof of Insurance – Before you sit down and discuss everything with your lawyer regarding the closure of the mortgage, your property needs to have a home and fire insurance policy.
To Summarize
The ultimate goal of your lender is to assess your financial stability as a borrower and your ability to repay the mortgage regularly. For them, mortgages are high and risky investments, which is why they require you to provide documents that will help them paint an accurate picture of your finances and creditworthiness.
This brings us to the conclusion of today’s article – providing the accurate, trustworthy and reliable documents will not only shorten the time required you to get approved for the mortgage, but it will also help your lenders give you the right amount of mortgage, which is beneficial for you in the end as well. It means that your monthly mortgage repayments will be easily bearable for your budget, ultimately protecting your finances and credit score.
What Documents Are Needed For A Mortgage? first appeared on: GTA Real Estate Pros 154 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, M5V 2R3 647-362-2000 https://goo.gl/Yj7G5g
source https://www.gtarealestatepros.ca/what-documents-are-needed-for-a-mortgage/
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Family and Passive Income — Sitting Poolside with JJ from A Journey to FI
The Sitting Poolside interview series
When people think of retirement, scenes of beachfront homes, rounds of golf, or reading by the pool come to mind. Sitting Poolside is a series of interviews that challenges that notion and other financial misperceptions. The series name pokes fun at the stereotypes, but it’s also an opportunity to discuss people’s real stories and unique insights. So grab a piña colada and pull up your lounge chair!
JJ from A Journey to FI
Hi, I’m JJ. I’m originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela. A husband, and father of two wonderful boys. I’m also an engineer who became fascinated with Personal Financial and the concept of Financial Independence. This led to the decision of starting a blog to document our thoughts and share our journey. My blog is A Journey to FI.
Growing up in Venezuela
Mr. SR (MSR): On your blog, you share that you and your wife are Venezuelan, and now living in the States. How did your early years in Venezuela give you a different perspective about money compared to what you see as a typical American mindset?
JJ: My parents came from low-income families. In South America, this meant a dual-income was a need, not want. They exchanged their time (away from us) for money. My father understood the importance of using money as a tool. He was, and still is, a big believer in living below your means and avoiding lifestyle inflation.
As a teenager, I remember my dad telling me that in times of abundance, my savings rate should be at its highest levels. The reason for this was simple, always prepare yourself for when things go south. He wasn’t thinking about a catastrophe, but as a full-time employee himself, he knew he wasn’t indispensable. These lessons stuck with me and I credit them for my starting to save at such a young age.
My perspective about money was certainly influenced by the reality of living in a developing country; however, it was my parents who instilled key concepts around money management: specifically the importance of saving for the future.
MSR: What was your concept of wealth when you were growing up?
JJ: This might sound silly to you but, as a little boy, the concept of wealth meant having a lot of US dollars and traveling to the United States for vacation. On a more serious note, it was defined as a deliverable of a plan that required the following:
Go to college, and more specifically engineering (high income),
Get a job in the Oil & Gas industry (high-paying jobs),
Get married,
Buy a house,
Have kids and,
Work until you can’t anymore.
Career and wealth
MSR: What is your concept of wealth or financial success now? What were the major influences that changed your view?
JJ: Today, we see Financial Independence as the true definition of success. As a result, we live a more intentional life driven by specific goals. Save, invest, and create sources of passive income to cover our monthly expenses. Simple and straightforward but requires teamwork and alignment.
Our view around money was influenced by many sources of information: books, podcasts, and blogs; however, it was curiosity and a desire to take control of our finances what led to a major inflection point in our lives. If you keep reading you’ll get more context around this answer.
MSR: What is your current career status? How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?
JJ: I’m married with kids, and I have a full-time job as a petroleum engineer. Outside of work, it’s all about family time. We love sports and traveling so we try to do both as much as possible.
MSR: Describe your financial journey.
As a couple, we felt our relationship with money was in a good place. Working, saving, and investing in a 401(k) seemed like the perfect plan for retirement. In 2013, we became homeowners for the first time and this felt like the perfect seal to common expectations society had from us.
That same year we were blessed with the arrival of Tomas who came right around Christmas time. By far, the best present ever and an event that triggered seeing life from a different perspective. All of a sudden our attitude towards money started to change.
My 401(k) was in good shape but the majority of our savings were sitting in a low-interest savings account. Starting an HSA was simple but we weren’t intentional about how to manage it in order to maximize its value. Everything about Personal Finance (PF) started to appeal to both of us (me more than my wife) but at the same time, we felt overwhelmed by the perceived complexity of the subject.
We moved to Colorado in 2015. During my commute, I started listening to podcasts about money in an effort to see if there was a way somebody could democratize these concepts for me. Little did we know this would cause a major inflection point in our lives. Going down the rabbit hole is probably an understatement. One podcast led to blogs, books, other podcasts and, best of all, the discovery of a community pursuing this crazy idea about being Financially Independent (FI). Early retirement sounded fascinating and super exciting.
Fast forward to 2019 and we now are a family of four! Tomas (5 years old) and Matias (1.5 years old) have brought nothing but joy to our lives.
Our relationship with money has turned 180° and it feels like we are now on the same page. We are big fans of low-cost-passively managed index funds (VTSAX and FSKAX) and of keeping fees down to the bare minimum. We’ve become DIYers so our costs are essentially the fees funds charge.
For the past five years, we’ve paid ourselves first maximizing annual contributions of all tax-deferred vehicles including one 401(k), one HSA, and two IRAs (via backdoor Roth) all while investing in a taxable account and having a savings rate of approximately 40% based on one household income.
Last year, we also did a mega backdoor Roth conversion which allowed us to stash up to the maximum defined contribution limit in 2018 ($55,000). This has been possible thanks to after-tax 401(k) contributions available at work. In 2019, it’s game on!
Real estate is also part of our portfolio. We currently own 5 rental properties (2 SFH and 3 condos) that have done pretty well for us. This is one strategy we would like to continue to explore based on the potential of generating passive income.
We believe net-worth is a great key performance indicator (KPI); however, cash flow is also important as it could enable us to cover our monthly expenses, especially when thinking about retiring early.
MSR: On your site, you mention that you’re not FI just yet. How far along are you? How do you plan for your life to change once you do reach FI?
JJ: We’ve been asked this question in the past. The short answer is that we don’t have a set timeline or dollar amount. Personally, I’d love to get to FI before I turn 50 but time will tell. In terms of the dollar amount (per the 4% rule) you could say we are halfway there; however, our goal is to generate enough passive income (via rental properties & businesses) to minimize the need for liquidating paper assets.
I’m not really sure what will happen once we reach FI. If anything, it will be about having options to do the things we love and to live our lives on our own terms. I love my job and I’m very well compensated, but to have the option of walking away (if I choose to do so) would be pretty sweet.
Real estate passive income strategy
MSR: You mention passive income as part of your strategy to reach FI. Can you tell us more about your philosophy? I know you mentioned rental property at what point — can you share more about your experience with that?
JJ: As far as passive income, we decided to explore of real estate investing. I did quite a bit of research using resources such as biggerpockets.com, coachcarson.com, affordanything.com, listenmoneymatters.com, as well as, talking to one of my very good friends who’s also a REI. I strongly believe one should only invest in something you understand so It was important to me to learn as much as I could (still learning) before making any decisions.
I also wanted to navigate all the hype in this space making sure I became aware of the good and the bad about the potential scenario of being a landlord. After a lot of analysis, my wife and I came to the realization that a good way to get started was through turnkey REI and for it to be our of state. I believe there are opportunities out there but Colorado is pushing the limit on this one.
Once settled on the idea of using a turnkey company, we did due diligence and decided to partner with a very well know company in the Memphis area. We’ve bought two houses and are pretty happy with their service. If I were to summarize my experience: 1) completely hands-off, 2) customer service is second to none, 3) and the return on cash has met our expectations at ~ 12%.
I know you’ll hear others in the REI domain talking about numbers higher than 12% but when you go turnkey, numbers will be lower. If you can’t stomach that then this option might not be good for you. For us, it works.
In addition to these 2 properties, we also own 3 condos in Florida. We decided to buy them via a partnership and on our own. My partner lives in Florida so I could say we have boots on the ground; however, these properties were pretty much turnkey. We bought them from previous REIs who were trying to adjust their portfolio. In my opinion, we got them at a fair price. We also had 0 vacancies because some of them came with good tenants. Returns have been good so far (lower than 12% because they were cash purchases).
As far as long term goals, we want to get ~10 more homes (forecasted monthly cash flow should cover our expenses). Hopefully, we get 2 in 2020 via turnkey. We haven’t been timing the market but is nice to see that interest rates have come down. The turnkey company in Memphis is waiting for a green light so they can start sending me houses. I’m very picky (location, floorplan, rehab, price) so we will see what happens. Between now and early/mid 2020 I hope to have enough funds to cover the downpayment of 1-2 houses. We’ll see what happens.
MSR: What do you consider to be your biggest failure or regret?
JJ: Not failures but missed opportunities.
I started at my current job in 2009 but became more intentional about investing (outside of my 401(k)) in 2015. Time and compounding interest are your best friends so missing out on those 6 years hurts.
We lived in Colorado from 2010-2012 and rented that entire time. Today, we watch the Denver market and know we could have bought 1-3 properties that would have appreciated more than 50% if not more.
MSR: What’s the most helpful book you’ve read recently?
JJ: At work, we are constantly reading books to debate and improve ourselves as a leadership team. The last one we read was The Checklist Manifesto.
Even though the narrative is centered around healthcare it was pretty easy to see analogies in our industry but also personal finance. I highly recommend this book. You can’t underestimate the power of creating a checklist and, more importantly, following through.
MSR: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
JJ: Have fun and enjoy the journey.
I recently attended CampFI Rocky Mountains and met wonderful individuals. One evening, I was chatting with one of the attendees and shared 1) my obsession around looking for ways to optimize our finances (I actually wrote a post about this) and 2) its ramifications on our well-being as a family. He patiently listened to my story and after sharing details about our plan and some of the frustration I had about things I could/should be doing he said the following:
Dude, you guys are doing great! You have to learn to relax and to take care of your family, especially your wife. Talk to her, make sure she always feels like part of the team and above all enjoy the ride.
His comments were reassuring but a reminder that my “Why of FI” is my family.
MSR: I love the advice that you gave — have fun and enjoy the journey.
I am tempted too, at times, to focus on optimizing our savings so much that we aren’t able to enjoy the journey. What are some things you’ve done in the last few years to enjoy each step along the way?
JJ: My answer is pretty simple … traveling. I’ve written a couple of posts of recent trips on the blog. The intent is to 1) share cool destinations we’ve been fortunate to visit, 2) share tips on travel hacking and 3) as an outlet for not talking about financial stuff 24/7.
MSR: JJ, thank you for sharing your family’s story! I appreciate your time, and I’m excited to see how your family and the blog continue to progress.
The post Family and Passive Income — Sitting Poolside with JJ from A Journey to FI appeared first on Semi-Retire Plan.
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A Doctor’s Primer On Real Estate Professional Status
A Doctor’s Primer On Real Estate Professional Status
It seems like real estate investing has become the “hot” investment among doctors and other high-income professionals these days. Why? Many are becoming gun-shy of the volatile stock market and want diversification.
Others are sick of paying Uncle Sam half of their check each month and are looking for tax advantages.
How about you? Do you fall into either of these categories? I don’t know too many people that want to continue receiving a HUGE tax bill each year. Myself included.
One of the top questions I get asked from members of the Passive Investors Circle is:
“Will investing in passive real estate syndications lower my practice income?”
The only income that investing in syndications lowers would be the passive income it produces and NOT your practice’s income.
The depreciation from an apartment syndication offsets the monthly/quarterly distributions. This is great as these distributions are received and zero tax have to be paid!
Related article: How Is Passive Income Taxed
But there’s also something out there that could help doctors significantly reduce their tax burden called Real Estate Professional Status (REPS).
Have you ever heard of this? Most haven’t. But if you’re already a real estate investor like myself, then using this designation could potentially save you a huge amount of dinero when it comes to paying taxes.
Interested? Let’s begin…..but first a disclaimer.
[Disclaimer: I’m not an accountant, lawyer or financial advisor. This article is informational only. Please consult your own team of professionals about the topics covered here today.]
Going, Going, Gone…
Dentists and physicians alike have very few tax advantages.
Unfortunately, many of the tax deductions that most people get are in the lower income brackets keeping us from benefiting from them.
As an example, most deductions begin to phase out the higher the income made. You may have encountered this when attempting to deduct student loan interest.
Here’s how I felt when I tried this: “Sorry, we’re going to punish you because you trained and sacrificed and had to take on student loan debt in order to do so but wait, you now earn too much so no deductions will be allowed.”
As a side note, when we reached debt-free status, most of our practice’s deductions were phased out leaving us with a HUGE tax bill. So much for enjoying being debt-free!
Passive Real Estate Investing
The majority of the Passive Investor Circle members are too busy to become an active real estate investor and for that reason, focus on investing in passive real estate.
The definition of a passive investor is someone that does NOT “materially participate” in the buying, selling, or management of properties.
A popular type of passive investment (that we invest in) are called real estate syndications.
These allow the passive investor to pool their money with others (plus the sponsor who handles the day-to-day property) to purchase an asset (i.e. apartment building) that they couldn’t normally do so on their own.
Other examples of passive investments are:
Real estate funds
Real Estate Investment Trusts or REITs
As stated earlier, these types of investors are subject to passive activity loss rules. This means if your real estate investments generate losses, you’re NOT able to deduct those against your practice’s income.
Passive investment example
Most syndication deals are for accredited investors only which allows the majority of doctors to qualify for due to a high income.
The minimum investment for most of the deals that we’re currently in is $50K. If you invest in a deal then you can expect to receive a K-1 tax form annually.
If a particular deal that you’re in generates a $20,000 loss from depreciation, you can’t offset that $20,000 against your W-2 or practice income.
However, you can offset that loss against any passive gains you have in the current tax year. Most of these will be used against your monthly/quarterly distributions your investment spins off.
Active Real Estate Investing
When I first made it a point to begin the process of acquiring streams of passive income, real estate investing was one of my first choices.
At that time, I thought that in order to get into real estate, I had to become a landlord. As you can imagine, I wasn’t too thrilled with the thought of getting a second job. For me, practicing full-time along with being a husband and dad puts plenty on my plate.
But back then I was clueless about other options available. I thought that I wanted to buy a handful of single family homes and eventually pay them off to reap the benefits of the cash flow rolling in.
As an active investor, you’re responsible for:
finding investment properties
acquiring financing
managing yourself or hiring a firm
marketing vacancies
repairing holes in walls 🙁
As you can tell from the list above, being an active investor acquires much more hands-on attention vs passive investing.
Active investor
The IRS states that an active investor are those who materially participate in the management of the real estate business. In this situation, they’re substantially involved in the business’s operations.
Unlike passive investors, active investors can offset losses from real estate investing against their ordinary income.
Good news, right?
If you’re a doctor or other high-income earner, think again.
If you’re an active investor and married making over $150,000 a year, no deduction is allowed. Again, it seems as if we’re being punished for being successful, right?
For those who earn less than $100,000 (single) or $150,000 (married), they can deduct up to $25,000 of losses against their ordinary income from W-2s or 1099s.
But wait, there maybe something you can do about it….
What Is Real Estate Professional Status?
If you’re able to claim real estate professional status (REPS) on your taxes then you can be exempt from both the passive loss rules and the active investor’s income limitations.
This is great news!
In order to qualify for REPS, the good ‘ole IRS states you must meet a few conditions:
(1) must spend the majority of his or her time (more than 50%) in real property businesses in which you materially participate.
(2) the taxpayer must spend 750 hours or more in the real property business and rentals in which he or she materially participates (roughly 15 hours per week).
In layman’s terms: You have to work on real estate more than you do any other job. So being a real estate professional is your primary profession which means you spend more hours in real estate than you do treating patients.
You also must work at least 750 hours on real estate activities with most of this coming from the day-to-day management of your rentals.
Literally anyone can qualify if the criteria above is met. No special license or degree is needed.
How can a doctor qualify?
If you’re a doctor or other high-income professional that typically works more than 40 hours a week, it may not be that easy to cut back in order to claim this status based on your work situation.
But wait…there is another option. Have I ever told you that I love options? 🙂
If your spouse currently doesn’t work, works part-time or is looking for a career change then this could be the key to success.
Basically only one spouse needs to qualify (not both). So if you’re a full-time dentist, then you can continue treating patients (if you want!) and your spouse can fulfill the real estate professional status requirement.
This way, BOTH spouses can benefit from the deductions and possibly HUGE tax savings while not sacrificing any income.
Does This ONLY Work For Real Estate Losses?
The short answer is “yes.” In order to obtain a tax benefit, you have to show losses on any real estate activity you’re in.
If you know anything about psychology then you’re probably familiar with how the brain works when it comes to loss vs gain.
We’re wired to AVOID losses more than we are to try to GAIN something.
For instance, if we have been searching for a particular pair of basketball shoes and Zappos claims that there’s ONLY one pair left….then we’re MORE motivated to buy ’em from FEAR of loss.
Just last night, I told my youngest son that if he doesn’t come to the kitchen and eat then his mom was going to put all of the food away.
He was there in less than 20 seconds :). He didn’t want to lose out!
So now when I tell you that the ONLY way to benefit from using the real estate professional status as a type of tax shelter is to actually show a loss on your real estate then you may initially have a negative reaction.
I get it. NOBODY like to lose. But when it comes to real estate, I’m giving you permission that it’s OK to lose (just this one time)!
That’s what makes real estate investing so great.
Taxes and real estate
One of the key reasons most doctors SHOULD look into real estate investing has to do with the multiple different ways to EXTREMELY lower their taxes.
The MORE you make, the MORE taxes you’ll pay. So you can continue working your tail off putting in longer hours just to make a little more or work SMARTER.
If you play your cards right, you can work less yet make MUCH more.
Interested?
It all starts with how taxes are calculated when it comes to real estate.
The NOI, or net operating income, is what’s left over after all expenses have been paid. This is what you pay taxes on.
But one of the cool things is something called “phantom expenses” which are expenses you don’t actually pay for. That’s right, you read that correctly.
Not only do you NOT have to pay for them but the IRS will actually allow you to claim them on your taxes.
Sound too good to be true?
Let me introduce you to one of the most powerful phantom expenses around.
Depreciation
Let’s briefly define what depreciation is. In accounting terms, depreciation is nothing more than the reduction in value of an item over time.
An example of this is the value of the computer I’m currently typing on. What I paid for it a few years ago and what it’s worth now (not much) is much lower. In other words, it’s depreciated in value.
One of the BEST financial gifts we could ever receive (ironically it’s from the IRS) is having the ability to depreciate an appreciating asset.
Phantom?
By doing this, it creates a phantom or paper loss that can be used to offset actual gains which saves you in taxes.
Remember, this isn’t a true expense. You don’t have to worry about taking money out of your pocket to pay for this….
If you claim real estate professional status, losses from depreciation allow you to offset your W2 clinical income and reduce your tax liability.
Is REPS Right For You?mi
I get it. Being a real estate professional is not for everyone. But if you can swing it, it could be extremely beneficial to your family.
Remember, if you’re married and both of you work, then you’ll first need to figure out who’s going to become the real estate professional.
Your two choices are:
scale back treating patients or…
commit to working more hours in real estate than your practice with the minimum number of hours being 750 hours
Consider keeping a detailed log of the hours you’ve spent, but also what exactly you’ve been doing during that time.
Examples include:
meetings
searching for new properties
renovations
marketing to fill vacancies
responding to tenants, etc.)
If you have further questions, consider hiring a CPA that’s knowledgeable about qualifying for the real estate professional status.
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