February, 2021 | Live a Life By Design

Tax Relief For Recent Disaster Victims

Posted on February 26, 2021February 26, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a branch of the U.S. Treasury Department in which we are all familiar, issued a news bulletin today that described the tax relief provided Oklahomans whose lives were significantly disrupted by recent snow and winter storms. President Biden declared the State of Oklahoma a disaster area availing the leaders of our state, counties and municipalities to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance for housing and other human needs. Taxpayers are entitled to relief, too!

To avail yourself to the relief granted by the IRS, you must live or have a business in the affected disaster area. All of Oklahoma’s seventy-seven counties were declared disaster areas allowing all citizens that need tax relief may receive it. The declaration permits the IRS to postpone certain tax-filing and tax-payment deadlines. For example, any business or individual tax returns, and related payments, required between February 8, 2021, and April 15, 2021, will now be due on June 15, 2021.

This relief will generally apply to most types of tax returns and payments. For example, if you are an individual or joint filer, your return would typically be due on April 15, 2021. Considering the relief granted by the IRS, your return is now due on June 15, 2021, without the filing of an extension of time to file or the payment of any tax owed. For those individuals subject to estimated tax payments, primarily self-employed or those with non-wage income, you will not be required to remit your first quarter tax payment until June 15, 2021.

One word of caution. Quarterly tax payments are due on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 for calendar-year filers such as individuals. This would mean that your estimated tax payment due on April 15 and the second quarter tax payment due on June 15, 2021, are both due on the same day. Therefore, you are liable penalties should both payments fail to be remitted timely.

Some good news is found in the emergency relief declaration! For individuals who wish to contribute to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or Roth Individual Retirement Account (Roth IRA) they have until June 15, 2021, to make their contribution for a possible 2020 income tax deduction. This is the time to take advantage of the two-month period for reducing your taxes and contributing to your future for qualified individuals!

For those taxpayers who suffered a casualty loss caused by the disaster, the option to claim the loss on the return in the year the casualty occurred or claim on the preceding year (2020) is available. This election, which must be claimed on a timely filed return, and may help relieve the tax burden some taxpayers would otherwise have been required to pay on June 15, 2021.

Should you receive a notice of penalty for late payment of your 2020 income taxes or estimated tax payments for those filed on June 15, 2021, the IRS will provide abatement of the penalties by calling the telephone number provided on the notice. It is wise to consult with your CPA or tax preparer to determine what steps should be taken to achieve the relief sought from this declaration.

Other types of taxpayers are allowed additional time to file returns, too. For example, if the entity is a corporation, partnership, trust or exempt organization, with an original due date for the 2020 tax return between February 8 and April 15, the due date is now June 15, 2021. However, any Forms W-2 or 1099 that are due by February 28, 2021, should be filed in a timely manner or an extension of time filed with the IRS.

If your records were destroyed during the disaster, the IRS will provide, free of charge, copies of previously filed tax returns for affected taxpayers. What can be better than that?

For two consecutive years our state, and its wonderful citizens, have been subjected to significant disruption caused by natural disasters. Let us hope Mother Nature is not serving up a trifecta!

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When to Claim SSA Benefits

Posted on February 12, 2021February 12, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

When the economy takes a downward trend and the retirement you planned did not quite work out in the manner you thought, what can you do? Most of us look at this scenario as an opportunity to engage in the workforce. Much confusion exists about working while claiming your Social Security Benefits.

“Can I work and receive my SSA benefits?” This is the typical question we receive when planning for retirement with our clients. I look the client straight in the eye and answer “depends”. Well, that wasn’t very helpful. However, the SSA regulations applied to this scenario are complex and may be confusing to many of us. To properly apply the rules, think in terms of life sections: 1) before reaching your full retirement age (FRA) as defined by law; 2) the year you reach FRA; and 3) the period after you reach FRA.

Let’s address the first section of life which is before you reach FRA. The earliest a person can receive SSA benefits, without being a survivor or disabled, is age 62. To determine your FRA, you must consider the year of your birth. For example, if you were born in the period of 1943-1954, your FRA is 66. The amount of SSA benefits you are entitled to at age 62 is reduced permanently to 75% of your projected full retirement benefits. For example, if you would have been entitled to $2,000 a month of SSA benefits at FRA, by claiming your benefits at age 62, your lifetime initial benefit will be reduced to $1,500 per month. The loss of $500 per month of lifetime benefits, depending upon your longevity, may become a significant amount. By working and delaying your claiming of benefits closer to your FRA, you will have opportunity to receive a larger percentage of your benefits. For example, if you claimed your benefits at age 64, you would be entitled to 86.7% of your full retirement benefit. The closer your age to your FRA, the greater percentage you may claim of your full retirement benefit.

The next section of life is the year of reaching your FRA. Let’s assume you were born July 1, 1955. Your FRA would be 66 years and 2 months. Therefore, you could work in your full-time position earning up to $50,520 in the period of January 1 to June 30, 2021. You would be allowed to claim your SSA benefits and receive the full retirement amount even though you worked more than that allowed for those beneficiaries who wish to retire before FRA. This is where the confusion lies. Think about the individual who decided to retire early at the age of 63. This person may earn only $18,960 in 2021 without impacting their SSA benefits. However, for every $2.00 earned over the $18,960 limit, their SSA benefit will be reduced by $1.00.

Lastly, let’s explore the impact on the SSA benefits and the amount of earnings an individual may earn initiating with the month after reaching FRA. A person who has delayed claiming SSA benefits until reaching FRA, may continue to work full-time and not subject their SSA benefits to any reduction. There are some tax implications that will be imposed on your SSA benefits when you file your individual income tax return but we will address this issue in a future column.

Thinking about the three phases of before, reaching and after retirement age will help you make a better decision on the timing of your SSA benefits. We typically perform an analysis that helps you understand the economics and the qualitative issues of claiming your benefits at the proper time. This complex set of laws can be difficult to grasp. Seek out a complimentary consultation to determine the date of claiming your SSA benefits and maximizing your retirement income. See you on the golf course!

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Predict Your Future By Creating It

Posted on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Many of you will read the title of this article and wonder what it means. President Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” One of the roles I relish, when working with our clients, is the ability to help people reach their goals in life. Often clients will look at me during the planning process and possess only two items of information: 1) where she currently resides financially; and 2) where she wishes to be at retirement. The chasm between these two points of life may seem bottomless and unreachable. Before you shake your head that you agree with the previous statement, let me share a proven method of predicting your future.

First, you must clearly define your desires for your future. It is often said that “no archer can hit a target that doesn’t exist.” The process of future design begins with your imagination. Do you wish to relocate in retirement? Do you dream of a second career? What about your volunteerism you wish to enhance during retirement? Will you need specialty medical assistance and support in retirement? What type of home do you wish to reside in retirement? There are many considerations and you should list all of them that you wish. There are no wrong answers!

A plain piece of paper and your favorite writing instrument will open your mind to the world you want to develop. Once the list is completed, for now, you should breathe a sigh of relief. You have now performed more planning for your future than most people. More time is spent by individuals planning their vacation than planning their future!

Second, you should evaluate your current financial statement. What have you saved for the future? Do you possess an emergency fund? One of the quantitative misunderstandings by most people is that your life in retirement will cost you less than your current lifestyle when working. This is not necessarily true. Think about it. Your medical costs may rise due to age or you may locate where you wish to spend most of your day in your hobby. These types of activities require funds and it is a fact that most retired individuals will continue to require 90% – 95% of their currently living expense in retirement.

When planning for our clients’ future, we assume the same lifestyle in retirement as experienced in their career. Why? It is better to assume more income is required and save more than enough for a lifetime than to be deficient. No one wants to simply exist in their retirement. Therefore, it is critical that a projection assuming taxes, cost of living increases, medical needs, housing costs, etc. be developed into your plan for the future. Success in retirement depends on the ability to weather any financial storm that may arise.

Lastly, you must bridge the chasm with an active savings plan that allows you to maximize growth for the future. Time is your friend when investing. Start early and be consistent in the savings process. If you are starting a little later than intended to save for retirement, there is hope for you. With a proper review of your current circumstances, you can make strategic changes in your savings plan that will give you the most probable opportunity for success. As retirement planning specialists, we have witnessed the fear people experience when the vision for the future is not clear.

Seek out a complimentary consultation to see if you qualify for a “second opinion” of your plan for retirement. If you don’t have a plan, lets get one started. Live for today but plan for your future. Might as well, that’s where you will be spending your time in retirement. See you on the walking trail!