Posts by Dan Madden, CFP®
Deducting Advisory Fees
Course: Income Tax PlanningLesson 10: Recognition of Expenses, Losses, and Deductions Student Question: Hi I read that advisory fees are no longer deductible. So in this question (below), is it deductible because this is treated as a business deduction since Roger is Self-Employed? Alisha Sheridan, A CFP licensee and fee-only financial planner, has assisted Roger…
Read MoreIdentifying Monetary Policy
Which of the following is a monetary policy that will tighten the money supply? Sell government securities Lower the discount rate Decrease government spending Increase taxes CLICK TO REVEAL ANSWER Expand A is the answer. Selling government securities is a monetary policy that will tighten the money supply as the cash used to purchase the…
Read MoreLife Insurance in the Gross Estate
Which of the following assets would be included in Martin’s gross estate? Life insurance on Martin’s life purchased one year before he died by the trustee of Martin’s irrevocable life insurance trust. Life insurance on Martin’s life purchased by Martin’s wife two years before he died. Life insurance on Martin’s life purchased three years before…
Read MoreRequired Insurance Penalty and Reimbursement
Course: Insurance Planning Lesson 6: Commercial Property and Liability Insurance Student Question: Hi Dan – On this review page, the correct answer for question 2 (below) indicates that insurance will only over 97% of replacement cost. However, it says in the chapter that as long as the property is insured for more than 80% of…
Read MoreDonating Appropriate Stock
Darryl Owens will report an AGI of $100,000 for this year on his federal income tax return. Darryl would like to make a gift to the local hospital of some stock. He would like to donate the stock that will provide the greatest income tax deduction for this year. Which of the following stocks should…
Read MoreTax Saving Strategies
Dan and Karen Burles have 2 children, Coy (age 12, student) and Roger (age 21, student). Dan and Karen own a security equipment sales and installation business, an LLC. Dan and Karen are in the highest income tax bracket. They have a portfolio with $130,000 of municipal bonds (annual income $5,200), $80,000 of corporate bonds…
Read MoreTotal CFP® Professionals Approaches 90,000
CFP® Board Updates Updated demographics from the CFP Board reveals there are now nearly 90,000 CFP® Professionals. With the CFP Board exam in July, we will no doubt cross over that mark and head towards 100,000. An impressive number when you consider there were just over 60,000 just a few years ago. These numbers are…
Read MoreSolving for Annual Equivalent Rate
Course: Retirement PlanningLesson 3: Employee Protections and Employer Responsibilities in Qualified Plans Student Question: I am confused as to how to get the correct answer for question number 4: Jackie invests her bonus at the beginning of this calendar year. If she earns 7% compounded monthly, what is the annual equivalent rate? Round your answer to…
Read MoreSale of Home by Surviving Spouse
April’s husband Jay died 5 years ago when their home was worth $600,000. Due to the soft real estate market, April kept the house until the housing market recovered. She finally sold the home this year for $950,000. What is the amount of April’s taxable gain or loss if she bought the home jointly with…
Read More401(K) Deferral Example
Course: Retirement PlanningLesson 3: Employee Protections and Employer Responsibilities in Qualified Plans Student Question: I failed to understand how $11,600 would be the correct answer to the question below. Can you go through the actual calculation? Belinda Bigbux (age 40) earns $1,000,000 annually as a test pilot. She wishes to defer 10% of her compensation…
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