Category Archives: Law

Investment planning: health care reform and opportunities

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Any change will hurt some and benefit others. For investing, selecting the former to sell and the latter to buy will be crucial as the health care reform become implemented.

It is not typical for me to reference self-serving statements from managers, but the following links are well written and make you consider options for investing (in or outside of the Artio fund):

Artio Sector, Spotlight-Healthcare And see also Forbes on healthcare, personal finance, investing ideas and small-caps

The white paper published by Artio Smallcap Fund concludes with this summary:

All four of these investment themes have particular relevance in the smallcap arena. We believe each represents compelling investment potential over the long-term, given the growing need for cost reduction in the healthcare sector. We continue to explore these and other investment ideas related to healthcare trends in the Artio US Smallcap Fund.

What do you think? Let me know.

Let us know if you have questions or comments. Thanks,

Steven

Possible tax law changes and tax planning opportunities

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From the predictions we see, Congress will be reviewing and in most cases renewing certain tax cuts. They will also pass some additional tax changes.

Here is a summary of what is expected to become law (let me know if you need more detail):

The following expired provisions are expected to be renewed: The tax free status of distributions made directly from IRAs to charity; the add-on to the standard deduction for state and local property taxes; tax breaks for state sales tax, college tuition and teachers’ school supplies; 15-year write-offs for restaurant renovations and leasehold improvements; and the R&D tax credit. The will also be a small business tax cut for hiring (let me know if you need details).

2010 is the year for Roth IRA conversion strategies, where the taxes can be paid over two years. Because of market volatility, you may want to have separate IRAs by asset classes so if one goes down, you can “un-convert”. (See prior posts on this) Note, however, that Roth conversion income can affect Medicaid premiums and taxation of Social Security benefits.

Also expected is an increase of tax rates for income and capital gains taxes for high income tax filers, where one possibility is raising the top tax rate to 39.6% on singles with taxable income above $196,000 and on married couples for taxable income over $231,000. With this could be a top capital gains rate of 20% for this group, up from 15% now. Itemized deductions could be affected as well – perhaps by capping at 28% the rate at which itemizations reduce a filer’s tax liability.

Future changes to tax rates will affect planning for 2010 – taking more income and possibly selling assets then later buying them back to up the basis for future sales.

The item still missing from the list is the fix for the estate tax (see prior posts on this). The expected change will be reviving the estate tax retroactive to January 1. However, Democrats support a $3.5-million exemption amount and a 45% rate while Republicans want $5 million and 35%. If no action is taken, 2010 will continue to have no estate tax and 2011 will have a $1 million exemption with a 60% top rate.

If you want to consider how this all applies to you, for income taxes or estate planning, let us know.

Let us know if you have questions or comments. Thanks,

Steven

Planning for Tax Law Changes – the Investment Piece

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Among the anticipated changes in taxes for individuals are the increase of the long-term capital gains rate from 15% to at least 20% and the elimination of the qualified dividend rate of 15%. How do you respond? That depends on several factors.

If the investments are tax-sheltered, as in an IRA or 401(k) plan, then the change has no impact: current growth is sheltered and withdrawals are always taxed as ordinary income. If the investments are in a taxable account, then the analysis involves your long-term plans and investment style. On the long-term capital gains, if you may be selling investments soon, doing so now and buying back (subject to the wash sale rules, if applicable), would increase your basis so that less would be taxed later at a higher rate. However, if you plan to hold investments long-term, there is little reason to react now. That is, the increased tax far in the future is less, on a net present value basis, than paying a lower tax today.

The long-term capital gains tax is still likely to be less than the maximum marginal rate, so converting what would be earned income into capital gains remains attractive (e.g., the basis for exercising and holding Incentive Stock Options)

As for the dividends tax, again this depends on your investment strategy. If you believe that the proper stocks or funds include those that distribute dividends, then the tax cost is part of your analysis in selecting those investments over funds or stocks that do not pay dividends.

As with any decision regarding the tax impact on investments, it is the investment strategy that should rule the outcome.

We will report more on possible tax changes and related strategies in upcoming newsletter posts.

Let us know if you have questions or comments. Thanks,

Steven

Estate Planning – will we have a new tax law in time?

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Many people have argued that Congress will freeze the federal estate tax exemption at $3.5 million and the estate tax rate at 45%

The House passed such a law and sent it to the Senate early this month.

However, as described in the article below, passage of this change to current law is not certain as there are political and procedural obstacles in the Senate. (Please see a more recent comment at What to watch out for in 2010)

If no action is taken, then there will be no estate tax in 2010 and only a $1 million exemption in 2011. In the second artilce below, Kiplinger’s Tax Letter projects a 1 year extension of the 2009 law.

We will continue to watch this to see if a law does pass…. and let me know if you have questions or comments. Contact Us

Estate Tax Reform Bill Passes House, Moves to Senate

Posted on December 8, 2009

On Dec. 3, the House passed the Permanent Estate Tax Relief for Families, Farmers, and Small Businesses Act of 2009 (H.R. 4154). With time running short, the bill now moves to the Senate, where straight passage of it is uncertain, and passage of any estate tax legislation is anything but assured.

Introduced by Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), the legislation permanently extends current estate tax law, which taxes the heirs of a deceased individual whose estate is valued above $3.5 million ($7 million for couples) at a 45 percent tax rate. The Pomeroy bill passed the House by a narrow margin – just 225 to 200 – and mainly along partisan lines, though 26 Democrats did join a united Republican caucus in opposition to the measure. The bill essentially mirrors what the president asked for in his FY 2010 budget request. Most importantly, the Pomeroy bill would extend current law and prevent the estate tax from expiring in 2010 and then coming back in 2011 under its pre-Bush tax cut levels.

According to an estimate released by the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, the Pomeroy bill would bring in $468 million in 2010, when the government would otherwise collect no estate taxes, but then cost the government $533 billion over the next nine years because of higher exemptions and lower tax rates than would have been in place if current law was left unchanged.

Passage of the Pomeroy bill in the Senate is unlikely because several important senators have misgivings about certain provisions. Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Kent Conrad (D-ND), chairs of the Senate Finance and Budget Committees, respectively, argue that Congress should index the tax for inflation, something the Pomeroy bill does not do. Moreover, the Pomeroy bill includes the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009 (H.R. 2920) that would give PAYGO budget rules the force of law in Congress. The House passed the PAYGO bill in July, but the Senate has yet to take action on it because, according to a recent Congress Daily (sorry, subscription required to view), top Democratic senators are opposed to enacting the provisions.

Estate tax legislation is therefore likely to go down one of two paths in the Senate. One alternative is for the Senate to bring up legislation similar to the Pomeroy bill, debate it, and pass it. The other option is for the Democratic leadership to tack a one-year estate tax extension onto a likely omnibus appropriations bill that insiders say Congress will pass before the end of 2009. Depending on how congressional events play out, either option is possible.

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Without action by Congress before the end of this year, the estate tax will disappear in 2010, but only for one year. The tax will then reappear in 2011 with just a $1-million exemption and a 55% maximum rate. In addition, many heirs of folks who die in 2010 will have to use the decedent’s tax basis for inherited assets.

The House has OK’d a permanent extension of the law in effect for 2009… a $3.5-million exemption with a 45% rate. Its bill repeals the carryover basis rule.

But the Senate has its own ideas. Finance Com. head Max Baucus (D-MT) favors continuing the $3.5-million exemption and indexing it to inflation each year, while maintaining the 45% rate. A coalition of Republicans and moderate Democrats is pushing for broader relief…a $5-million exemption and a 35% maximum tax rate. They have enough support to demand a vote for their proposal on any estate tax bill, and are likely to keep the Senate from voting on a permanent extension this year.

So a simple one-year extension of 2009 law is the likely result. This way, lawmakers can revisit the estate tax next year, after the health care debate ends. The bill will also kill carryover basis. To speed passage, the Senate may even add it to a fast moving appropriations bill that will be approved in the next week or so.

Two easings that could’ve passed in 2009 must wait because of the delay: Portable estate tax exemptions. Under current law, if a spouse passes away without having fully used up his or her exemption, the balance is wasted. Taxwriters want to ensure that any unused exemption goes to the surviving spouse. That way, taxpayers needn’t set up complicated trusts in their wills solely to save estate taxes.

And reintegrating the gift and estate taxes. The lifetime gift tax exemption is $1 million, less than a third of the estate tax exemption. Combining the two again would let taxpayers make larger lifetime gifts tax free to their heirs. Both changes must wait till 2010, when Congress will have more time on its calendar for debate.

Let us know if you have questions or comments. Thanks,

Steven