Student Loans Payments Paused Again

As a financial advisor and CPA, one of the top questions I receive are “what is a trust” and “do I need a trust?” There are a so many different types of trust (i.e. GRAT, CLAT, ILIT, GST, revocable, irrevocable, charitable, asset protection, the list goes on and on), but in this article we are only going to cover the revocable living trust (aka: inter vivos trust) because that is the most common. The main reason why people create trusts is to avoid probate, but a trust has many other benefits. 

The question on investor’s minds is how will the markets react to the elections next month and will a contested election result in more volatility? We have already seen much volatility in the markets with large daily swings. Most experienced investors feel that markets are overvalued and don’t reflect economic conditions. We believe that in the near-term (5 years or less), markets will remain volatile and that some sectors are overvalued while others are undervalued. These volatile days/weeks create buying opportunities because in the long-term, we believe that stocks are the best investment to save for retirement and to beat inflation.

On August 8, 2020, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum, allowing employers to defer deducting payroll taxes from employee paychecks from September 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. The memorandum offered little guidance beyond the fact that it is only eligible for employees making less than $4,000 per bi-weekly pay period, or the equivalent amount for different pay schedules. 

By Matt Crisafulli, CFP, EA, August 24, 2020

Chances are you're either working from home full-time or a few days a week due to COVID-19. Naturally, you may be wondering if you can claim a home office deduction when you file your 2020 tax return. Additionally, you may be wondering what expenses you can deduct and how much. This article covers some of the most common questions related to claiming the home office deduction and deciding which one is right for you.

In each episode of the ACap ReCap, we go beyond the blog to answer your financial questions. Ara & Matt discuss year-end tax deadlines and financial planning tips.

The federally mandated R&D tax credit was initiated by Ronald Regan and Congress in 1981, which is now permanent and supported by a $20B budget. This program is a stimulus reward for businesses that create jobs, develop new programs, and innovate in their competitive space with investment in technology and people. 85% of all businesses that apply annually are very large corporations and only about 5% of small businesses apply due to the lack of resources which are generally not provided by CPAs, Accountants, or CFOs. This program is a tremendous opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses to get back money that they are eligible for as overpaid tax and reinvest it "as they please." In this webinar, ACap's Ara Oghoorian is joined by George Brumis of Business Group Resources to discus business tax credits & incentives.