Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP® | Live a Life By Design

Bringing Clarity to Gift Taxes

Posted on February 3, 2022February 3, 2022 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Many of us have worked extremely hard in life to accumulate a substantial amount of assets to fund our future retirement. The younger generation is buying homes, attending college, and beginning their lives in a way they had been accustomed from their parents. However, in the words of the great songwriter, Bob Dylan, “these times they are a changin’” accurately describes the economic environment for Millennials and Gen-Zs in 2022.

To ease some of the fiscal burden experienced by our children and grandchildren, gifts are often given to them. As you are aware, there are no free lunches in life – even if you paid tax on the funds when you earned them – and you wish to gift funds to your heirs. Each year the annual exclusion, an amount the IRS deems to be free from reporting as a taxable gift, is announced. In 2022, the amount a person may give another without reporting the gift is $16,000.

If your spouse and you wish to help your child’s family purchase a new home, while keeping the monthly mortgage payment at a level the child can service, many resort to gifting cash to the heir. Assume the child is purchasing a $250,000 starter home (yes, I know that is a lot of money for a starter house but re-read the Bob Dylan quote in the first paragraph of this article) and the required deposit is 20% of the purchase price. To accumulate the $50,000 down payment would require considerable time and savings for your heir.

To reduce the timeline for saving the funds, you simply wish to gift the funds to your child and her spouse. If the structure of the transaction is performed correctly, your children will be in a house before you can say “straight amortization.” One parent may give each of the children, your daughter, and her spouse, $16,000 each or $32,000 in total. We are still short of the down payment amount but let us keep designing our gifting plan. The other parent may gift the same amounts to the daughter and spouse and – voila – we now have $64,000 available for the down payment of the new residence.

Now, the question arises, how do you report these gifts on a return to the IRS? An IRS Form 709 is required to be filed by April 15 of the year after gifts have been transferred to a donee. However, you are only required to file this form if your total gifts per donee exceed the annual exclusion amount ($16,000) in the calendar year. In our previous example, you will note that the parents gave only $16,000 to each of the donees thereby preventing the need for filing a gift tax return.

What happens when you gift a total of more than $16,000 to a donee? How much tax is owed on this transaction? Good news, again! Should you give a donee more than $16,000 in a given calendar year, a gift tax return is filed but the excess amount over the $16,000 is offset by your lifetime exclusion of $12.06 million. My point is that you have a considerable amount of gifting to be performed before taxation occurs in most cases.

Another strategy we employ with our clients is the funding of a grandchild’s education. By making a gift to fund the entire education estimated costs, the grandparent may gift five years of annual gifts in one year and elect to be prorated over the five-year period. For example, Grandpa Bob wishes to send Timmy to the University of Oklahoma in 15 years. Bob may gift a total of $80,000 to a fund that will grow and provide for Timmy’s educational needs when he reaches the age for college. Bob will file a Form 709 and pay no gift tax under the previously stated strategy.

Another misconception of gifting is that the donee believes she owes income tax on the gift. By its definition and nature, a gift is something given to another without consideration being transferred to the donor. In simple language, you can receive a million-dollar gift and pay no income tax. Is this a great country or what?!?

To avoid estate and gift taxes, as well as the reduction of income taxes, it is vital that you plan accordingly prior to transferring your gift. Certain assets contain characteristics that may require special treatment under the Internal Revenue Code. It is critical that you consider the tax implications prior to effecting the transaction. A CPA and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM professional can help guide you in the gifting process in conjunction with your overall estate planning desires. Taxes may be a part of life, but they do not have to be the primary part of your life.

See you on the jogging trail!

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Three Steps to Reduce Risk In Your Portfolio

Posted on January 21, 2022January 21, 2022 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if you could predictably earn 8% returns on your portfolio every year and only invest in certificates of deposit? Of course! One problem with this thinking is that you wouldn’t live in the United States of America and the dollar would be worthless.

You face some type of risk every day of your life. While driving your car through town, you may experience an automobile accident. This is the risk of driving a vehicle. You think about staying home and raking leaves. A sudden gust of wind causes a tree limb to fall on your roof causing significant damage to your home. This is environmental risk.

We all seek the best outcomes but many of us do not wish to experience the associated risks involved in the process. The universe works within a risk/reward paradigm. When more risk is accepted, we expect a higher reward. By investing in certificates of deposit, you believe you are undertaking a risk-free investment. Alas, you may expose yourself to interest rate risk, inflation risk, default risk (highly improbable, but a risk nonetheless) and liquidity risk. That sounds like a great deal of risk for an FDIC-insured investment.

Diversify Your Portfolio

The best approach to life is to manage risk, not attempt to alleviate it. The first method of mitigating risk is to fully diversify your portfolio. Diversification does not remove the risk factors but may lower them to a more acceptable level by investing in many different types of investments that are noncorrelated. Simply put, don’t put all of your monetary eggs in one basket.

Inexperienced investors make mistakes that may cost them significant money and time.

Two emotions generally guide individuals in their investment approach – fear and greed. One of the best methods of taking advantage of the stock market, an auction market in which one entity is selling the shares and another is buying them, is the focus on the emotions of other investors in the market. The famous investor, Warren Buffett, is cited as originating a quote that is used as the premise to maximizing your opportunities in the stock market – “Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.”

Understand the Investments You Are Buying

The second method of reducing risk in your portfolio is to understand the investments you are buying. Significant hype typically precedes Initial Public Offerings (IPO) as the underwriter is attempting to create a market for a stock. Without a historic picture of the company’s capabilities to generate a profit and pay a dividend, beyond its operations as a private company, the investor is buying based solely on prospective anticipated performance (i.e., hope). Many of the companies going public provide novel products and services not yet proven in the marketplace. For example, many IPOs will list for a price that reflects much higher value than the performance of the company may sustain. After the hype of the issue, realism sets in and the price may fall to a level that is a fraction of the issue price.

When to Rebalance Your Portfolio

Lastly, consider rebalancing your portfolio to its original target allocation when the variance is 5% – 10% above the intended percentage. For example, when your portfolio experiences growth in one asset class, the allocation for the original investments will change. Stocks have performed reasonably well in 2021 and bonds have provided lower yields. After the year has faded, you look at your portfolio and realize your 60/40 portfolio is now 75/25! Good news is that you have a larger portfolio value but inherently gained more risk. By rebalancing the portfolio consistently and timely, you will maintain better control of the risk in the portfolio.

Many investors may receive a benefit from seeking the assistance of a Certified Financial Planner^TM professional to analyze their portfolio. By implementing a few consistent steps in managing your retirement assets, you may increase your probabilities to achieve your ultimate goals.

See you on the jogging trail!

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How To Secure a Happy Retirement Life

Posted on January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

One of the most asked questions from our new clients is “How much wealth do I need to last my lifetime?” The obvious answer is “depends.” To help you quantify your needed savings for lifetime income, we will provide you three areas of life that must master to live the life you choose.

First, you must become a saver, not continue as a consumer. The highest savings rate in U.S. history was reached during the pandemic. Not surprising as most people did not feel safe shopping at local stores and malls but rather ordered online. Granted the online experience for shopping has improved exponentially, it is still not the experience most shoppers seek when a day is planned for the exchange of goods and currency (that is the phrase I use when my wife and daughters go shopping).

The savings rate for U.S. citizens in 2021 was a whopping 13.7% (www.statista.com)! This level of savings exceeds the 11% experienced in 1960. Is it enough to meet the demands of rising costs of living for most people? Perhaps if this savings trend were to continue for a period of 40 years representing the work life of most people, their post-career years would be sufficiently funded.

To bring another statistic into this discussion, the total savings of U.S. citizen in 2021 exceeded $2.3 trillion. This is a staggering amount of money considering the U.S. Government has distributed $4 trillion dollars during the pandemic. The average balance maintained in the 401(k) plan of a 65 years of age and older person is $216,720 according to www.personalcapital.com.

If you seek a lifetime of income, in the realm of reasonable support, it is important that you become a saver on a consistent basis to allow the compounding of investments to perform over a significant period of time.

Second, you must determine what happiness is for you in life. One of our clients was an older woman whose husband predeceased her while she was in her career. Her position was mostly clerical, and she enjoyed her work. During her career, she had the opportunity to invest in the company’s stock through a plan where the employer matched her contributions to buy the stock. The highest salary she earned during her career was $51,000, which was two years before her retirement from the company. Granted she worked for a good company and was fortunate to begin her career with the company while it was a fledgling start up organization.

At the age of 66 and 4 months, coincidentally her full retirement age for Social Security Benefits, we assisted her in filing for her benefits and prepared her for retirement. When we opened the most recent envelope containing her statement from the employee stock ownership plan, she could not help but grin at my expression. Her stock value was $1.5 million! She also was prudent and saved money through her employee retirement plan. The sum of this account exceeded $700,000. She looked at me and asked, “Is this enough for me to retire and keep my lifestyle?” Of course, we needed to perform our analysis and testing but offered her some probabilities that she would be simply fine in retirement.

The moral of the story is that time, once again, is the greatest impact on lifetime savings. Start early, be consistent with contributions and treat the account as your next income stream by never borrowing from the account for current lifestyle needs. Happiness for her was continuing to live in her home, travel to worldly destinations and help her grandchildren with college expenses. She, by thoughtfully planning, is still doing all the things that make her most happy in life.

Lastly, you must protect your health as you prepare for an active retirement. My father was one of those people that worked hard all his life and genuinely enjoyed his career. He suffered a heart attack in his early 40’s that opened his eyes to better care for himself so his future would be enjoyable. After finally retiring at 72 years of age, he has lived a wonderful life in retirement. He is reasonably healthy, has enjoyed cruises to Alaska and continues to do whatever he chooses to keep a smile on his face.

His father, my grandfather, died in his early 60’s. I always told dad that he would need to take advantage of the opportunities to maintain his health so that he could break the average mortality for males in our family. He smiled that sheepish grin and said, “I am setting a new bar for the Williams men!”

Exercise regularly, save consistently and find your happiness in life. By preparing prudently today, your tomorrows will be most enjoyable!

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Retirement Challenges and Successes

Posted on January 7, 2022January 7, 2022 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Another year of life has arrived. What are you doing to grow as a person? Grow your wealth? Grow your influence? It has been proven by scientists that individuals who live sedentary lifestyles after their career lose the cognitive abilities they once possessed. To help you keep up your psychological and emotional edge in life during these challenging times, practice the activities outlined in this article.

Get up and get going

Get up and get going. The simple act of walking each day and experiencing the wonder of nature will keep your mind inspired and active. There are differences of opinion that you should walk 10,000 steps per day or 5,000 steps per day. I say, walk until you feel sufficiently energized. If your heart rate is up to an acceptable level determined by your personal physician, walking for as little as 20 minutes per day can help you keep your mental faculties acute and ready for challenges in life that will most certainly arise.

Live each day with a plan for purpose

Live each day with a plan for purpose. Too many of us simply rise from bed and allow the “winds of the day” to blow our lives in any direction without our consent. This is not you. Set yourself a routine of rising from bed at the same time each morning and preparing a list of activities for the day that will stimulate your mind and work your body. For example, I do not start my day without clear understanding of what I must complete for the day. This type of planning gives your mind something to work on even when you are doing something else.

Perform one random act of kindness a day

Perform one random act of kindness a day. What does being kind have to do with your mindset? Everything! When we selflessly give to others in need, no matter the size or scope of the deed, your brain floods your body with dopamine. This chemical in the body brings happiness, euphoria, and other positive feelings. By helping others, you will also feel a sense of accomplishment that gives you energy to continue serving and care for yourself in a better manner. Another benefit to performing a random act of kindness is that the recipient can “pay it forward” to others in need and we can build a better community and planet based on mutual respect.

Build your confidence in your future

Build your confidence in your future. Review your financial picture and see if you have allowed parts of your budget to creep into areas that are not being utilized efficiently for your lifestyle. We often start subscriptions for products or services that automatically renew and fail to remember that we did not cancel them. Another area to focus is our savings pattern. For example, you may have saved 5% of your earnings monthly last year but your income has risen this year. If you do not utilize the additional cash flow and it is deposited in a non-interest bearing checking account, you will lose the benefit of earning interest on the funds.

Read

Lastly, read something stimulating to you each day. A good novel, a biography or anything that challenges your mind to create the background of the story or place yourself in the plot as a character that impacts the potential outcome of the storyline. The mind and body of humans are tremendously powerful devices that require our continual input of challenges, fuel, and rest.

This is a new year! Don’t become so relaxed in life that you fail to live it abundantly on a daily basis. Make 2022 a different outcome for you by facing the challenges of life confidently through strength gained by implementing one or all of the above strategies. You can truly become what you desire in life and build a better community in the process. See you on the walking trail!

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Concerned About Your Future?

Posted on December 30, 2021December 30, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Happy New Year! Another year of opportunities and dangers will present themselves periodically as we progress through 2022. This is called “life”.

Don’t be like everyone else and fall for the old adage of “life happens”. A better philosophy of life is “life planned”. Many people simply create resolutions for the new year and hope for the best. This is not planning, this is wishful thinking and relying on fate, which may not render the desired results.

President Abraham Lincoln is credited with one of my favorite quotes about the future: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” A powerful statement by a great leader such as President Lincoln should be given proper deference and thought. Under the stress of the Civil War, and the loss of a son, Lincoln continued to rely on his personal philosophies to keep him focused on the future of our country.

If a country can be run with such an approach, surely, we can manage our personal lives with the same principle. One of my yearend tasks is to spend time alone, thinking about the current status of my life and where I wish to be at the end of the next year. It has been said that people will spend more time planning a vacation than planning their life. You can change this rote approach to life and start today by planning your future using a methodology that has served me well.

First, find a quiet place to simply think. This would ideally be a location that doesn’t allow phones, discourages talking and has resources to help you find answers to questions that may arise. Sounds like your local library, doesn’t it? Yes, this is where I spend my time thinking about the future for my future goals. There is no better place than a library to offer you the solitude required to bring out your best thoughts and allow a space for creative planning.

Second, think with ink. I know, we are in the 21^st century and everybody has a smartphone, laptop or some other gadget to electronically record their thoughts. However, the brain functions, and remembers, differently when you use your hand for writing on paper rather than typing on a keyboard. Start with a strategic review of the past year. Did I accomplish my goals as intended? Is there work still to required to achieve an important goal? These are important results that give rise to your brain contemplating your future.

Record your thoughts on paper and simply read what you wrote. Are you proud of your progress? If so, celebrate in some form that you truly enjoy. If not, ask yourself if the goal was clear enough, empowering enough and challenging enough to require your greatest time, talent and treasure to achieve. Perhaps you will carry over an unfinished goal to 2022? This would not be the recognition of defeat but a reframing of the goal in a new light with additional information learned in 2021. Don’t listen to defeatist talk but rather give yourself the right to be positive in thinking and your outcomes will improve.

Lastly, write your completed goals for 2022 in your planner, on a piece of paper or wherever you can see them on a daily basis. The importance of referencing your goals often is to keep them top of mind. Everyday your mind goes to work on the matters you deem important by evaluating and analyzing what you feed it. If you are focusing on your big, hairy, audacious goals for a bigger, better, bolder you, that is what your brain will work to bring in to existence.

This is a new year, a new you and new opportunities for growth. Be the 1% of people who develop measurable, challenging goals that cause you to grow to achieve the objective by writing them down in a manner that can be reviewed frequently during the year. As an added bonus, why not listen to positive, powerful podcasts during the year to keep you on track? I recommend our podcast, “Live a Life by Design”, which is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

There are few concerns for your future when you are actively creating it. This is your year to realize greatness within you. Invest in yourself. Become who you wish to be – a bigger, better and bolder YOU!

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Wishes for 2022

Posted on December 21, 2021December 21, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

A new year is beginning and you are going to maximize your opportunities, eliminate your dangers and improve your strengths. That is how every year starts, right? For your 2022 year, I wish you many happy days with few struggles (unless its your fitness goal which requires some struggle).

Wish #1

This first wish is one that will make you very happy – lower inflation. One of the most difficult financial concepts to understand is inflation. This factor impacts every facet of consumer living – groceries, gasoline, clothing, travel, etc. Based on reports from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current inflation rate in the United States is 6.8% in November, 2021. The U.S. dollar buys less with inflation continuing to rise.

For example, gasoline prices are up 58.1% over the past twelve months. This increase costs far more for workers to commute to and from work and demands more from the family budget. Groceries also increased 6.4% over the past year according to CNBC. Home energy costs have risen 12.2% over the past year. The combination of the increases has caused significant demands on the budgets of families.

Wish #2

Better health and exercise success for 2022. According to Statista.com, medical costs in the United States has risen 7% in 2021 and projected to rise another 6.5% in 2022. One of the best methods of saving your hard-earned dollars on medical care is to change your lifestyle to include more exercise and movement. Another strategy is to review your Medicare Part B plan and determine if you are utilizing the plan effectively. Lastly, consider buying your pharmaceuticals in bulk through mail order to save on prescription costs.

Wish #3

Since genies on TV only grant three wishes, I will continue the precedent. My last wish for you in 2022 is peace in your world. I used the “peace in your world” statement to empower you to control those things and activities in life that give you the most peace. Admittedly, we cannot control all things in the world that contribute to lasting peace. However, our mindset and attitude are two of the most peace-creating areas of life that we have ultimate control. Don’t allow others to steal your joy; conversely, instill joy in those around you to create the types of people with which you wish to interact.

The world is neither good nor bad outside your person, it is only as you desire it be within your person. Find a means of peace within yourself and you will discover more peace in the world. You will attract people in your life that give you a greater sense of fulfillment and happiness. For them, you will be a consistent source of joy that refills their tanks of challenge on a daily basis. It is time to truly work on world peace, starting with us – you and me.

Many of us have plenty to be grateful for this new year. “If you are breathing, you have time to change,” is one of my favorite paraphrased statements by Jim Rohn. Begin your year with hope, happiness and health. The rest of the benefits will be added to you as the days progress.

Happy New Year to all of our subscribers and readers! It is an honor to share information, life stories and humorous moments with you each week. My goal for 2022 is to instill in each of you the powerfully positive message that YOU ARE THE PEACE THE WORLD NEEDS NOW!

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More Than Numbers

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Your personal physician gives you honest and candid information to help improve your physical health. A Certified Financial Planner^TM professional provides you the same type of consultation about your financial health. You are more than a number to a wealth advisor. Your family’s current financial state, future security and transition of assets are the focal points to a sound financial plan.

The basic level of fiscal management is the utilization of your annual household income in a manner that provides for your needs today while saving for your future. In a utopian world, we could simply spend all that we earn, and the retirement phase of life would be funded by someone else. The problem with this thought is that the “someone else” is you!

By applying guidance of cash flow management, your family will enjoy a lifestyle that creates happiness today. The physiological needs such as food, shelter and clothing are the very primal items that help your family simply survive. By appropriately allocating your resources to allow for current living needs and accommodating for your future will instill confidence in your capabilities.

While working through life, you become clearer on what you seek after your career. It is vital that you properly fund your retirement or the pleasure you see in all those vacation posters will evade you. Time value of money is an accounting concept that states, “a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow.” To maximize the probabilities of accumulating sufficient capital to fund retirement, it is critical to work with a wealth advisor to, first, determine what is the target amount of funds you should save and, second, what is the most efficient approach to saving these funds.

This approach is illustrated with our older daughter’s lifestyle. Our daughter is working in her first career position after graduating with her master’s degree. While helping her with a budget for this new paradigm she is living in, I will never forget her comment of “Wow! It takes too much money to live the way I wish.” After I realized she was being serious, I started the “dad talk” and reminisced about 1987, my first year out of college and working in my career. As her eyes rolled, I could literally hear her think – “Not another “back in the old days” story.”

After a brief discussion, I gave her the secret formula to accumulating wealth for the future while living a happy life today. In remarkably simple terms, invest 10% of your earnings for the future, give 10% away to qualified charities and/or church, invest 10% in yourself through education and other skill-building programs and, lastly, live on the remaining 70%. When she received her first performance bonus, she was so excited! The amount of money she earned was more than she had imagined. Immediately, she began talking about a new car or furniture for her townhouse. I interjected the 10/10/10/70 formula she is currently using to help her live an abundant life. After convincing her that she may not wish to expand her lifestyle with funds that are not consistent, she did something that made my chest swell with fatherly pride – she invested the money in her future

Do not assume that a Certified Financial Planner^TM professional only works with investments. Many of us possess expertise in behavioral finance and other psychological functions of wealth. Just like your doctor, we examine your total picture and provide advice and coaching to reach your highest goals in life in a manner that you choose. With a short conversation, you will discover that a wealth advisor is far more than numbers – you will find a lifelong advisor and friend.

It is an honor to share stories, tax laws and other financial information with you each week. Most importantly, it is critical that each of us share the blessings we possess with those in need. This Christmas Season focus your energy and resources on others and you will receive the most valuable gift on this planet – joy!

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Why Itemize Deductions?

Posted on December 2, 2021December 2, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Remember the old days when you could gain a tax benefit for paying your property taxes in December, generously donate to qualified charities and deduct your mortgage interest? Those deductions from the good old days are still available, but you must have a significantly greater amount of them to itemize and gain a benefit on your personal income tax return.

The standard deduction for married filing joint taxpayers for 2021 is $24,800 and $25,900 for 2022. For most families, the standard deduction threshold is far higher than they would normally have claimed as itemized deductions. One of the purposes for such a level of standard deductions is to simplify the tax filing for millions of Americans.

Within the itemized deductions additional limits exist. For example, to claim a deduction for your healthcare expenses for 2021, you are required to consider a “floor” of 7.5% or 10%, depending on your adjusted gross income. To create a deduction, consider maximizing your medical expenses by combining qualifying expenses in one year. Another, and more effective method, is to take advantage of any medical employer benefits offered to you.

Some companies offer their employees a “cafeteria” plan or IRC §125 plan that allows for pre-tax contributions to an account that the employee controls and utilizes for co-pays, deductibles, etc. By contributing to this plan in a pre-tax manner, you have avoided the limits caused by the “floor” mentioned above. This means you gain full benefit from the first dollar spent on your qualified medical care.

Income, property and other taxes are allowed as itemized deductions for individuals. The best method of taking advantage of these expenses is to maximize the deductibility of your income tax withholding. For example, let’s assume you are self-employed and the company you own is a partnership, limited liability company taxed as a partnership or an S corporation. These entities distribute the profits to the partners, members or shareholders for taxation at the individual level. Known as conduit returns, all income, losses, gains, credits, etc. will be reported by the owners on their individual returns and taxed for federal and state purposes.

However, some states have enacted legislation that allows the entity to pay the tax on behalf of the owners. By paying the state income tax at the entity level, the owners will receive full benefit of the taxes paid without concern for the $10,000 limitation otherwise required to compute their itemized deductions. Depending on the taxpayer’s income, these savings could be sizeable.

Charitable contributions are another important itemized deduction. Many people do not think about non-cash charitable deductions when preparing their returns. For example, let’s assume you donate your old living room furniture to a qualified charity in 2021. The value of the furniture, determined by IRS-approved methods, would be a deduction on your 2021 return. Proper receipts and other procedures must be followed to deduct the non-cash donation.

You can claim a greater amount of itemized deductions by reducing your adjusted gross income. One of the easiest methods of reducing your income is to contribute to your employer-provided retirement plan. Consequently, this is a great way to increase your future savings since most employers match the contributions you defer from your paycheck.

Another method of lowering your adjusted gross income is to contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA) if your health insurance qualifies. This is another form of “have your cake and eat it, too!” By contributing to your HSA, unlike the previously mentioned cafeteria plan, you may accumulate the account for many years and utilize for other medical payments after retirement. For example, if a doctor orders rehabilitative therapy in a nursing facility, the funds in your HSA may be utilized to pay these out-of-pocket medical expenses.

The simple act of itemizing your deductions for personal income tax preparation has become more difficult but not impossible. With a little planning and thought throughout the tax year, you may save your family significant federal and state income taxes. This area of tax law is complex. Seek out the assistance of a Certified Financial Planner^TM professional to help guide you through the maze of tax laws to gain the most benefit for your family.

It is truly an honor to share with you each week. This Holiday Season, consider the true wealth you possess in your life – family, friends and faith.

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Things Money Can’t Buy

Posted on November 19, 2021November 19, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

Typically, this column focuses on the wealth creation, tax savings strategies and estate transition planning. At this time of year, it is critical that we take a different perspective in providing you guidance as to the definition of “true wealth”. We work hard all year focusing our efforts generating income and support for our families, communities and charitable organizations. What actually is your net worth based on “true wealth”?

To define “true wealth” one must understand what is most valuable to her and focus on increasing the value of the item through commitment of mental and physical energy. For example, relationships that are important in your life (i.e., children, parents, grandparents, friends, etc.) require investment of time to truly yield the greatest return. I am not implying that you should expect any return from your input of respect, consideration and friendship but it is a typical response by someone who receives these “investments” to return the contribution in similar form.

Another asset of “true wealth” is charitable giving. How does this process help grow your wealth? By giving of yourself, you will receive an internal increase in your self-esteem. This process of giving was instilled in me by my parents. When I was a very young boy, my dad asked me to go with him to a pie supper. I did not know what a pie supper was but the word “pie” had my interest! My father, responding to my rapid-fire questions such as “Will they have a chocolate pie? How about a pumpkin pie? Coconut cream? Finally, as if I were badgering a witness on the stand in a courtroom, my dad relented and simply told me to get in the truck to see for myself.

Upon arrival at the high school gymnasium in a small Oklahoma town, I was shocked as to the number of people who liked to eat pie. I observed the gymnasium floor covered with tables that were filled with pies and a small stack of paper in front of each one. My dad walked over to a pie and wrote on a piece of paper. He then walked to another, and another until he had written on several pieces of paper. Now, I am really confused. He wrote on pages for pies that I don’t even like to eat!

After what seemed like four hours (but was really about one hour), a man started picking up the pages in front of each pie. This man, with a boisterous, deep voice, started yelling out names and amounts. Intrigued, I asked my dad why did he call your name and say $50.00? My dad explained that he bought the pie for $50.00 and our family would be taking it home to enjoy. I was only 7 years of age but I knew the value of a dollar in 1972 and told him mom would be upset that we spent so much money on a stinking, apple pie. He just smiled and told me to listen as other names and amounts were called.

After all the names had been called, I quickly added up the total of the amounts called after my dad’s name and it was $200. Oh my goodness! This was time in our country when $100 of groceries would fill a pickup bed and new Converse Chuck basketball shoes cost $16. We just spent $200 on pies?!?!

Once we loaded all the pies in the truck, my dad explained to me the purpose for the pie supper. A family friend in our little town had lost their home, furnishings, clothing, everything in a house fire. The proceeds of the pie supper will help the family with needed items to continue to survive. My dad told me that he had not “spent” any money today but rather “invested” it in his friend and community to help others.

My eyes were opened that day to charitable service. This Thanksgiving Season many families will not be as fortunate as you. Consider giving in a manner that aids those in need to experience the passion and compassion of our community.

To me, “true wealth” is all about family, friends and charitable investments. Trust you will enjoy the best of the Thanksgiving Season and help others to do the same.

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IRA Planning for 2021

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Jimmy J. Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®

The pandemic of the past two years has brought a tremendous amount of pain to many lives but there is a positive aspect in that dark cloud of gloom. One of the best attitudes, when performing tax and financial planning for your family, is to seize opportunities that are given you. In other words, capitalize on the negatives that impact your life and make the proverbial “lemonade from lemons.”

Many businesses are suffering net operating losses during 2021. If you are an owner of the business and the operation is conducted as a sole-proprietorship, partnership or S-Corporation, you may have a valuable tax saving asset in your future. The net operating losses of these entities are claimed on the tax returns of the owners. For example, if you were a fifty percent (50%) partner in a partnership that lost $100,000 in ordinary income for 2021, you would receive the benefit of $50,000 loss to be reported on your personal return.

With your personal return reporting a loss, or much lower income than you otherwise typically report, your Traditional IRA is holding a great value in it beyond its balance. Consider the conversion of your Traditional IRA, in whole or in part, to a Roth IRA prior to the end of 2021. A taxable event will be triggered when the conversion is performed but your tax computation is based on your taxable income which, when claiming your share of the net operating loss, may be lower than your typical year sheltering the income from the conversion from taxation.

The purpose for converting your Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA is to change the future taxability of the account. You will be taxed on distributions received from the Traditional IRA in the future. The Roth IRA does not mandate required minimum distributions to you at age 72 as a Traditional IRA. Also, you may use the benefits of the Roth IRA to accumulate tax-free income streams from a very young age.

If you believe tax rates are going down in the future, you may wish to contribute to a Traditional IRA to enjoy the current tax savings. However, if you think tax rates will be higher in the future, you may wish to forgo the tax deduction of today and contribute to a Roth IRA.

Both types of IRA may invest in many different types of investments – stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. The structure and taxation of the two IRA types are the distinguishing benefits each allows for a taxpayer. The IRS continues to close loopholes such as “back door” Roth IRA conversions and other planning opportunities.

To maximize your opportunities for most challenges in life, it is always an innovative idea to allocate your investments between qualified and nonqualified accounts. Qualified accounts such as IRAs and 401(k) plans are generally taxable upon distribution of the assets to the owner. However, nonqualified accounts such as transfer on death accounts and joint accounts pay taxes during the growth of the assets. When you wish to retire, the type of account may play heavily in your financial plan design.

IRAs are tremendous tools for tax planning. Don’t assume that you simply invest in the IRA every April to save taxes. There are so many other uses of IRAs for estate planning, gifting and lifetime income planning that are often overlooked. As retirement planning experts, we have witnessed a tremendous number of people who fail to maximize the benefits of IRAs.

Proper allocation of your assets is necessary to stage a retirement plan that will serve you well in life. Seek out the assistance of a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM professional to help you plan for the future that you wish to achieve. Remember, when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Be the exception. Take a pragmatic approach to your lifetime of income and enjoy the best of life on your terms. See you on the walking trail!