The topic of declining mid-Atlantic shoreline property values and accelerating taxes is a controversial topic, especially in the rich communities that have not yet felt the real impact of tidal inundation. Just talking about the serious problem almost got me killed years ago when I first started covering the topic for investors. (That’s a story […]
One of my persistent flaws as a financial adviser (and as an investor) is that I forecast market changes too early. That’s a timing flaw, not a flaw on detection of the trend. I’ve been negative on housing prices for a long time. This graph published in a Robert Woods Johnson report explains why. When […]
In general, it is more difficult to avoid capital gains taxes than ordinary income taxes. One simple way to avoid the capital gains tax is to gift the appreciated asset to a parent and inherit it back with a new, higher stepped up basis. But what is easy under the tax law might be more […]
If you own investment real estate, maybe your taxes will be lower, or maybe not. One of the most uncertain issues of 2018 tax reporting was clarified today by IRS Notice 2019-7. This notice provides a safe harbor for determination of when a rental property is a business that qualifies for the 20% exclusion from […]
This post attempts to list in simplified wording what we know and what we don’t know about New Jersey’s new real estate tax credit program. What we know: 1. In May of 2018 the tax credit program became law, even though most details of its operation were missing. 2. The program allows taxpayers to take […]
This blog post lists key issues in bullet format and is not intended as a complete discussion of any issue. A more thorough consideration is helpful for any aspect that may pertain to your family’s situation. Definition: “Medicaid planning” refers to the specialized field of financial planning that recognizes that it is possible to simultaneously keep financial assets while, […]
I’ve been working on the redevelopment of Money Island New Jersey as a working waterfront aquaculture-based community. The overall community redevelopment plan is posted here. Throughout this process that includes some properties I own, I have also been authorized to represent some of the other principles in this community in planning various other aspects of this […]
I spent some time this weekend getting my ducks in a row, quite remarkably, pertaining to open land preservation that is most likely to be known as a duck habitat. This area along the Delaware Bay was once famous for it duck populations. Now we have only a small fraction of that peak population. Duck […]
How I concluded that my township would go bankrupt and what I’m doing about it This blog post is written on the eve of hurricane Harvey’s expected strike on the lowlands of the Texas gulf coast. It is written in response to a peer CPA’s inquiry yesterday on how I concluded that the combined effect […]
A three-minute explanation of the most common types of accountant verification letters and a tip on which type is the easiest and least expensive.