Tag Archives: health

CARES Act, Stimulus checks, and other tax law updates

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Keeping in touch during these challenging times …

2019 due dates (tax season is not quite over yet)

The IRS extended all of the following deadlines to July 15th:

  • 2019 return or extension filing;
  • Payment of 2019 taxes due;
  • Q1 2020 estimate payment; and
  • Q2 2020 estimate payment.

Most states have followed the same delayed dates (but not all).  Let me know if you have a question on payment and filing. 

So “tax season” will be over soon, yea!

Stimulus checks and other changes

Many people are asking about their stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.  The Act also has other provisions including tax credits for self-employed affected by Covid-19, student loan payment delays, and relief on mortgage payments and rent.

Of the many posts regarding the stimulus checks and benefits, student loans and 401(k) distributions, here is a good summary from the NY Times. 

If you want to check on the status of your stimulus check, here is the IRS website to find the status or apply for your stimulus check.  If you expect a check that has not arrived, check out the links in this Huffington Post article. 

And if you received a check for a deceased relative (over 1 million were sent!), you need to return it to the Treasury, sorry. 

Small businesses

CARES Act includes benefits for small businesses: Payroll Protection Program loans; payroll deposit delays; and tax credits.  The SBA funds for the PPP ran out initially, but Congress added more funding. 

The key is to file so that the loan is forgiven, so that the funds become a grant.  The forgiven loan is not treated as income.  

If you need more information on these programs, let me know. 

2020 tax law changes

The required minimum distributions or RMDs are suspended for 2020.  This way, you do not need to sell funds at a low to withdraw and may even be able to redeposit funds that you already withdrew. 

The CARES Act waives the 10% penalty for early withdrawals from qualified plans for up to $100,000 for coronavirus-related circumstances. The distribution is taxed over three years. And, if the funds withdrawn are repaid to the plan within 3 years, that is treated as a tax-free roll over.  The act also allows loan from the plan up to the lesser of the vested balance and $100,000. 

For 2020, there is an above-the-line charitable donation deduction up to $300.  This should help charities that are responding to those impacted helping them raise money now.

More Scams and Hackers

Be wary of messages asking for personal information because scams are on the rise.  And be careful working from home, as there are more hacker attempts to gain access via the home connections to companies. 

If you want help dealing with any, let me know.

Personal impact

Being cooped up is challenging, even if it is the best way to stay healthy.  Make sure you practice self-care so you can handle this! 

I hope you and your loved ones are all managing this as well as you can.

If you want to just talk, I would be glad to set up a time, just let me know! 

Thank you, and be well

Steven

The Rationale for Staying Invested

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I am reading about the impact of Covid-19 as I push to get all client tax returns completed and filed by the deadline, which may or may not be extended. 

Everyone is concerned and I wanted to respond.

These are scary times, both for personal health for you and your family and for your finances.  We worry about who will get sick, possibly die, and who will be out of work and have major life changes.  

Much of the ultimate outcome depends on how quickly governments respond – “stop everything immediately” contains the infections and thus allows the economy to bounce back sooner, while delayed responses mean many more infections and deaths, with a prolonged, deeper hit to all economies.   

On investing, to those who ask, “should I cash out,” my answer is, “it’s already too late, the markets have already gone down far, and even if you had sold a month ago, knowing when to buy back in is so tricky that you would probably be worse off.”  The truth is, when so many individual investors ask if it is time to sell, that is often a signal to buy. 

Here is an excerpt from a Merrill Lynch research post (credited to Jared Woodard, Derek Harris, Chris Flanagan, Justin Devery and Jordan Young) that I received last week, which crystalizes my experience from the downturns I lived through as well as the downturns I have studied:

Why stay invested?

Not staying invested means missing most of the long-term market upside…it’s simply too difficult to time the market. A strong impulse to hide out in cash is often a sign that a buying moment is near:

• We know that the best days often follow the worst and this has been the sharpest drop into a bear market in history (Chart 3);

• Since 1929, in the 24 months following a bear market, S&P 500 total returns have averaged 20%. Excluding the Great Depression, the average gain was 27% (Chart 4);

• Since 1931, an investor who missed the 10 best days of each decade made 91% in equities. Staying invested meant earning 14,962%;

• In the 2010s, missing the 10 best days meant gaining only 95% instead of 190%;

• Over any 10-year period, the odds of ending with equity losses are just 4%;

Let me know if this helps.  And let me know if you want to talk.   

Again, I hope you and your family stay healthy!

Take care,

Steven

Coronavirus – concerns for your health and finances

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This is my busy time, working long hours preparing income tax returns, but I wanted to respond to your concerns.

News of the coronavirus spread and its impact on the economy and stock markets is constant.

People ask: “can I get the virus from a package delivered to me from China” (the answer via the CDC is “no”).

As some say, it’s not “if” but “when” in terms of you being in contact.  That is upsetting.

At that same time, experts ask us all not to panic.  And financial people urge us to stay the course.

If you do not already have a plan, here is a good overview with links to CDC posts on making a plan with your family – NY Times prepare for coronavirus. 

As for the stock market, here is a good NY Times piece discussing the rationale for sticking to your long-term investment plan:  The Market Is Moving. Most People Should Sit Still.

Here is a more sobering assessment:  It’s a ‘Swimming Naked’ Moment: The Financial System Has a Real Test

In the end, if you developed a good long-term investment strategy, staying the course should be the best response as it was in the 2008 financial crisis.

Let me know if you want to talk and I hope you and your family stay healthy!

  • Steven

What we are reading – for laughs, for serious thought and discussion, and just because

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She’s right: This is the Fourth Grader who Asked Obama to put a Woman on the $20 Bill, from BuzzFeed News

Technology: Musk Plots Energy Storage fix Where Utility Industry Failed, from Bloomberg

Humor: Cookie Monster, Life Coach – on YouTube

Health: A 2-Minute Walk May Counter the Harms of Sitting – Even a few minutes per hour of moving instead of remaining in a chair might substantially reduce the risk of premature death.

Language: 20 Common Phrases Even the Smartest People Misuse, from The Muse

Comedy: Penn Jillette’s Big Dumb American Crush on Howard Johnson’s, from Eater

How to Be Emotionally Intelligent – What makes a leader? Knowledge, smarts and vision, but also the ability to identify and monitor emotions and manage relationships. From the NY Times

Comedy: The Man Who Makes the World’s Funniest People Even Funnier. As comedies become increasingly improvisational, they need an editor like Brent White to sew them together. From the NY Times- Quote: “Sometimes you just create a joke out of nothing.”

How Music Hijacks Our Perception of Time, from Nautilus – Quote: “The Royal Automobile Club deemed Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyrie the most dangerous music to listen to while driving.”

What Is Your Purpose? We need to forge new ways to seriously discuss the deepest questions in life with modern tools. This is a start. From the NY Times