Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

Liz Weston

Q&A: Tax break for helping out son

By

Dear Liz: Our son bought a house and lost his job two months after the purchase. We have helped him stay afloat. Thankfully he has a new job. We don’t expect to get the money back — he is still trying to get out from under — but we have given him close to $10,000. Can we claim this as a “gift” to him on our income taxes?

Answer: The IRS doesn’t view money given to family members as a charitable donation. In other words, there’s no tax break for bailing out your kids.

If you’re so wealthy that estate taxes might be an issue — which means estates worth more than $5.45 million a person in 2016 — then you might be concerned about gift tax rules. You’re allowed to give a certain amount to any person annually without having to file a gift tax return. In 2015 and 2016, that amount is $14,000, so you and your wife together could give up to $28,000 to your son without needing to file a gift tax return. It’s only when the total value of gifts over this annual exclusion hit $5.45 million that you’d have to worry about paying gift taxes. Clearly, this isn’t an issue for most families.

Q&A: Taking Social Security at 70

By

Dear Liz: My husband will be turning 70 in August. Must he start taking Social Security at 70 or can he wait a little longer? He will still be earning money and if I understand correctly that will lower the amount he will receive. Does he have to do anything like apply for it or do they know he is turning 70?

Answer: He should apply for retirement benefits — online at www.ssa.gov, in person at a local office or by calling 800-772-1213 — three months before he turns 70. Benefits max out at that age, so there’s no reason to delay any longer.

The earnings test you fear only affects people who start benefits before their full retirement ages, which for your husband was 66. When you start benefits early, Social Security deducts $1 for every $2 you earn over a certain amount ($15,720 in 2016). After full retirement age, that penalty disappears.

Q&A: Financial benefits of marriage

By

Dear Liz: My registered domestic partner and I are both 64. We have similar incomes, similar 401(k) accounts and own a home together. We plan on retiring at 66, at which time we will also get similar Social Security benefits. We are each other’s beneficiary on all insurance, accounts, etc. My question: Now that the Supreme Court has made it legal, would it benefit us financially to get married? We’ve never felt an emotional need for that validation but are questioning whether it would make sense for other practical reasons.

Answer: When incomes are dissimilar, there’s a strong argument to be made for marriage. The lower earner may get more from a Social Security spousal benefit than from his or her own retirement benefit. In addition, the lower earner could get a much bigger survivor benefit, since a survivor gets the larger of the couple’s two Social Security checks.

If either of you had a traditional pension, a spouse would be entitled to survivor benefits that an unmarried partner can’t claim. And if you were of dramatically different ages, marriage would allow a younger survivor to put off starting mandatory withdrawals from inherited accounts.

Marriage also has estate planning advantages, but those primarily benefit wealthy couples (see above). If you do remain unmarried, you’ll want to make sure you both have powers of attorney for healthcare and finances so you can make decisions if the other becomes incapacitated.

There are many other benefits to marriage, which the self-help legal publisher Nolo has summarized at http://bit.ly/1mOmpZA. You also might want to talk to a fee-only financial planner who has experience with same-sex couples to make sure that your assets and rights are adequately protected if you remain unmarried.

Monday’s need-to-know money news

By

returnToday’s top story: What retirees need to know about the new Social Security deadline. Also in the news: States with no income tax, tax breaks for getting older, and why you need an “Armageddon Fund.”

What Retirees Need to Know About the New Social Security Deadline
Consider your options carefully.

U.S. States With No Income Tax
In case your recent tax fillings have put you in a relocating mood.

​Get tax breaks just for getting older
With age comes wisdom AND tax breaks.

Create an “Armageddon Fund” to Save for a Major Emergency and Still Earn Interest
Your emergency fund just got scarier.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

By

Pile of Credit CardsToday’s top story: The best credit card tips for March. Also in the news: Two smart paths for student loan borrowers, a 401(k) mistake to avoid, and how to get a tax deduction for supporting your child’s school.

NerdWallet’s Best Credit Card Tips for March 2016
Head into spring by maximizing your rewards.

The Road to Being Debt-Free: Two Smart Paths for Student Loan Borrowers
Income-driven repayment plans could make your life much easier.

You could be making this 401(k) mistake
Don’t cheat yourself out of money.

How To Get A Tax Deduction For Supporting Your Child’s School
Those routine school donations can go a long way.

Who’s giving crooks your tax information? Could be your preparer–or your boss

By

fraud, scam, theftThe IRS is reporting a 400 percent increase this year in malware and phishing scams as crooks try to get their hands on your tax data. Some of the scams target tax preparers, with emails that try to fool them into downloading bogus client documents or clicking on supposed links to the IRS. And some of the bad guys are going straight to your boss, reports the National Association of Enrolled Agents:

As if there weren’t already enough schemes out there to steal your identity, crooks have a new scam involving gaining access to employees’ tax forms W-2. In this scenario, emails are sent to human resources departments, supposedly from high-ranking company executives, requesting W-2s for a list of employees. Those forms have personal data that includes social security numbers. The scam was successful recently at Snapchat, a social media company in Venice, CA. Someone posing as Chief Executive Evan Spiegel requested W-2 data for nearly 700 current and past employees. Shortly after the information was sent, the HR employee became suspicious, but the information was already in the wrong hands.

Some of the stolen data is used to file phony tax returns and collect refunds. Other times it’s used to fuel imposter scams, where criminals posing as IRS agents threaten you with lawsuits or jail. Keep in mind that your first contact with the IRS over a problem won’t be a phone call or an email. The agency still uses old-school snail mail to notify taxpayers of problems.