Most of the time, the topics that I choose for Daily Insights are things that I think I know a lot about. Sometimes, I write about a topic in an effort to learn more about it. That’s the case today: I had never heard of a border adjustment tax until a few weeks ago, wanted to know more and thought I would share what I’ve learned. Some of you undoubtedly… Read More
One of the immediately obvious results of the election is that the tax code is going to change. Republicans have had several plans in the works for years that differ from what Trump has proposed on the trail, so the final result won’t be known for a little bit even though changes are a priority for the President-elect and both houses of Congress. Income Taxes For the sake of simplicity,… Read More
Although we all know that ‘tax day’ is April 15th, a holiday in Washington DC pushed back the due date until today. Here are some fun facts from efile.com to help ease the pain: In 1705, Russian emperor Peter the Great taxed beards in the hopes that more men would adopt a clean shaven look. Playing cards and dice were taxed in England going back to 1710 and rose to… Read More
Tax time is fully underway at Acropolis as we help clients and their accountants get the information they need to prepare their taxes. It’s a cumbersome process for everyone (although the accountants have it the worst by a long-shot) that concludes with writing a check to the government. People might not be so bothered by the whole process if they felt that their money was going to good use, but there… Read More
It seems like only yesterday that the tax issues were finally settled after years of uncertainty, although it was actually 2012. Judging from the President’s State of the Union address last night, it appears that taxes may be in flux again. First, a quick and dirty background on the estate tax law as it stands today. For those that pass away in 2015, there is no federal estate tax unless… Read More
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (ticker: BRK.A) announced yesterday that it will buy the battery maker, Duracell, in a deal worth approximately $4.7 billion from Procter & Gamble (ticker: PG). In many ways, the purchase isn’t surprising since Duracell has many of the characteristics that Buffett likes: a strong global brand in an old, boring industry. What’s interesting about this deal, though, is that Buffett isn’t using cash from his $68.3… Read More
I visit Morningstar’s home page almost every day. I love their data and like about one-third of their qualitative written commentaries. Despite being a daily visitor, I noticed for the first time yesterday a ‘Chart of the Week’ and decided to check it out. Since I was unable to get a copy of the image, I strongly urge you to click here to check out the chart yourself. Essentially, the… Read More
If you pay quarterly taxes, they’re due today! The next payment isn’t until January 15th of next year, but it probably makes sense to start salting away money now so that you’ll have plenty on hand in a few months. If you aren’t sure whether or not you need to pay quarterly taxes, you probably don’t. The quarterly taxes are actually estimated tax payments on income that is not subject… Read More
One of the questions that we get from time to time is why one spouses account is outperforming the other. It’s kind of a funny question because it reveals some sort of mild competition between a husband and wife, who are presumably on the same team. When there is a discrepancy, it almost always has to do with what type of investment we put in certain accounts. For example, imagine… Read More
