Month: July 2015

As it turns out, amnesty programs aren’t solely found on the federal level. Many states have tax amnesty programs similar to those instated by the federal government. Recently, both Oregon and Oklahoma have enacted new tax amnesty laws aimed at providing tax forgiveness to taxpayers with …

Recently I found myself taking a look at the taxation of gambling. But, just so we’re all on the same page, I’m not talking about income tax due from gambling. Instead, we’re focusing on the excise taxes imposed on gambling, which include… illegal gambling!

Many US expats have qualified retirement plans such as a 401(k) or IRA. One question I heard quite often is: “Can I name someone who lives in a foreign country as the beneficiary of my IRA?” In other words, what happens if my spouse or my beneficiary is not a US – citizen? Can my non – citizen …

Would you believe that the Fifth Amendment’s right against self-incrimination stems from some rather intense church – state intermingling? Not only that but a church – state mingling so intense that it’s one of the primary reasons the United States …

Privatbank Von Graffenried AG (effective 7/2/15), Banque Pasche SA (effective 7/9/15), and ARVEST Privatbank AG (effective 7/9/15) have been added to the IRS OVDP FAQ 7.2 Foreign Financial Institutions or Facilitators list.

We’ve talked about what it means when your bank has been added …

It might sound crazy, but sometimes hanging up is the best option. When you call the vast cubicle farm known as the Automated Collection Systems or, if you’re especially lucky, the Practitioner Priority Service line, you’ll be given an estimate of how long it might be until you’re spoken with. Or…

Well, this is certainly exciting! In one corner, we have a US Supreme Court who seems to constantly find that the IRS has the power to do anything it wants. That includes creating laws Congress never actually got around to creating. And on the other side, we have a legal superstar – – James …

In today’s sophisticated financial market, there are many kinds of annuity products available: fixed annuity, variable annuity, immediate annuity, fixed – period annuity, and deferred annuity. There are even more sophisticated products such as private placement annuities in order to meet …