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Life Insurance in the Gross Estate

By Dan Madden, CFP®

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…

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Are You Being Scammed by IRS Impersonators?

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Good to Know Scamming-especially income tax scamming-is on the rise yet again. Even if you’ve already filed your income tax return, you may not be immune from clever and, in one case, particularly loathsome villainy. The IRS recently published a list of common scams and we’ll focus on three in today’s article, including: IRS impersonators,…

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Value of Life Insurance in Buy-Sell Agreements

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Course: Insurance PlanningLesson 17: Business Uses of Life Insurance Student Question: Do buy sell agreements accounts for projected growth of the company?  Do the life insurance benefits increase over time to account for projected growth, or perhaps can they invest and grow conservatively to keep up with inflation (or COLA on the plan)?  Instructor Response:…

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ADP Rules and 401(k)

By Dan Madden, CFP®

KC Corporation offers a 401(k) plan. Under the ADP rules, what is the maximum salary percentage the highly compensated employees can contribute if the non-highly compensated employees contribute 6% of their salary? 6% 8% 10% 12% CLICK TO REVEAL ANSWER Expand B is the answer. Since the non-highly compensated employees contributed between 2% and 8%,…

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Opportunities for Financial Advisors

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

CFP® Certificants in the News What do an aging financial advisor community and an increasing demand for financial planning tell us? According to CFP Board, our profession needs a talent pipeline; CFP Board is supporting this effort in three ways: GUIDE TO CAREERS IN FINANCIAL PLANNING publication, FINANCIAL PLANNING CAREER PATHS Guide, and SCHOLARSHIPS. We’ll…

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Deductible Mortgage Interest

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Course: Income Tax PlanningLesson 8: Arriving at Taxable Income Student Question: If a client has a $250k mortgage on a home worth $500k and they refinance to take equity out of their home, say $100k. Then they use that $100k to purchase a vacation home worth $300k (so they now have $450k in mortgage debt),…

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Accelerated Death Benefits

By Dan Madden, CFP®

Which of the following individuals would typically qualify for accelerated death benefits under their term life insurance policy? Ida who is expected to die within 7 months from cancer. Jacob who is expected to die within 10 months from AIDS. Kay who is expected to die within 3 months from kidney failure All of the…

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CFP Board Continues Its Diversity Focus

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

CFP® Certificants in the News According to CFP Board “The Abacus Wealth Partners Scholarship for Increased Diversity in Financial Planning aims to advance the financial planning profession by providing financial assistance to students pursuing CFP® certification who are from populations underrepresented in the profession and have a financial need (emphasis added).” About The Sponsor Abacus…

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Qualified Plans – Parties in Interest

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Course: Retirement PlanningLesson 6: Matching Business Owner Needs to the Right Qualified Plan Student Question: How is “connection to the plan” defined in regards to a “party in interest” when talking about qualified plans?  Would a plan participant count as someone with a connection to the plan? From the Coursework: A party in interest is…

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