Amazon.com

IRA's, 401(k)s & Other Retirement Plans, by financial specialists Twila Slesnick and John C. Suttle, is a solid self-help legal look at a critical back-end issue that most of us blissfully ignore until we absolutely must confront it. The authors themselves admit it is not a compelling page-turner, but rather a comprehensive resource that at some point should prove indispensable to everyone with a retirement plan. They describe the various plans available--including Roth IRAs, to which an entire chapter is devoted--focusing on distribution rules, associated taxes, and potential penalties. They offer details on early distributions used to pay higher-education expenses or health-insurance premiums (which are not subject to taxes, under certain explicit conditions), distributions you must take during your lifetime (when they begin, how they're computed, what happens if your beneficiary changes), and distributions made after an account holder dies (largely concentrating on administrative procedures that could help you avoid unnecessary financial loss). Helpful appendices include relevant IRS forms, notices, and schedules as well as life-expectancy tables. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great guide is lacking direction for clueless investors
Hey, let me be the first to say that Nolo publishing puts out great books that help sort out the world of legal mumbo-jumbo. I own three of their books and am very happy. So, now I am happy to find out that they offer this comprehensive guide on retirement plans which I am very interested in. The problem is that they give you the whys and whats but not the hows. Enter the 401(k) MarketBuster strategy. This strategy has given me a tested, successful method of maximizing my investment returns with a very simple strategy. If you are looking for the whys and whats like I usually like to do, get Slesnick and Suttle's book. If you want a quick primer on how to grow your retirement money faster than everyone else, then pick up the 401k MarketBuster. If you are like me and want to know everything I need to know about what is happening with and how to grow my hard-earned dollars, get both!

A must for any IRA or 401k owner
Very well written and easy to read with lots of examples. I found this a great reference and is a must own for anyone with an IRA or other qualified plan. Great for anyone looking to know the tax rules and distibution methods of their retirement plans.

Good Reference Work for a "Taxing" Subject
IRS rules for withdrawing money from IRAs are pretty complicated. This book, like others from Nolo Press, offers very specific coverage of these rules. I was looking for information on how IRAs can relate to Living Trusts, and I found it here. You have to pay attention, but the book is written in easy-to-understand English as opposed to legalese.

Be Careful. Table S on Page A/30 is outdated
One important area of the tax law has changed since this book was last revised in October 1998. Table S on Page A/30 has been revised for the year 2000 by the IRS -- make sure you get a copy of the updated table. Or see if the Nolo Press offers a newly revised edition.

Everything else is great -- 5 stars

Single Best Resource Book on Retirement Plan Distributions
In my career, I work almost exclusively with retirees, and I have found this book to be the best resource for Retirement Distributions. It explains the rules in a concise manner, and includes the special rules for Roth IRAs. This is an especially good reference book for advisors because it goes in depth- not just the basics. ... Read more

Book Description

This book contains sample payroll forms and completed tax returns, demonstrating how the church treasurer should prepare records that conform to current regulations. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Income Tax Guide for Ministers and Religious Workers
This book is a very helpful in knowing what to expect in anticipating ministry expenses especially for ministers returning to full time ministry.It helps make decisions about tax verses non-tax issues such as parsonageexpenses.The forms included in the book are great for knowing exactlywhat they look like and how to fill them out. ... Read more

Book Description

• Save for College
• Maximize Your Retirement Savings

What do the new tax laws mean to you and your money?

Keeping up with changing tax laws and rules is always hard. Now it’s more complicated than ever. There’s the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, the Victims of Terrorism Tax Relief Act of 2002, the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002, and more. Some new tax rules will be "phased-in" and "phased-out" for years to come. How can you make sense of it all?

PricewaterhouseCoopers Guide to the New Tax Rules answers your most frequent questions about the tricky new tax laws. Using plain language everyone can understand, the trusted tax professionals at PricewaterhouseCoopers explain how the new rules affect your personal finances and how you can benefit from the newly available opportunities. They outline the best ways to plan for your retirement, pay for your children’s education, maximize tax savings, and much more.

The valuable advice in this guide will:

• Arm you with unique insights, savvy suggestions, and vivid examples on the new tax provisions for this year
• Hand you proven tips, techniques, and methods for taking best advantage of the new tax rules
• Help you plan for new rules that don’t take effect until 2003 or later
• And much more

Reviews (1)

A comprehensive and uncomplicated tax guide.
Takes the guesswork out of determining how the new tax laws affect returns and tax planning. "Observation" and "Caution" text boxes on each page highlight potential pitfalls, and examples provide valuable information on how the laws work in real-life situations. Extremely useful for tax preparation. ... Read more

Book Description

What do the new tax laws mean to you?

Keeping up with ever-changing tax rules is like trying to hit a moving target that keeps getting smaller and moving faster. Big new laws like the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 have cut taxes in many ways–none of them simple. Their tax savings–including across-the-board rate cuts, reduced capital gain and dividend taxes, larger retirement plan deductions, "marriage penalty" help, more tax-favored education-savings options, expanded alternative minimum tax relief, and estate tax reduction, to name just a few–all come at a cost of tremendously increased complexity. The rules change from year to year, phasing in and phasing out, and in most cases "sunsetting" completely after 2010. Ignoring these changes is not an option; there’s too much to lose.

How can one make sense of it all?

PricewaterhouseCoopers Guide to the New Tax Rules answers your most frequent questions about the tricky new tax laws. Using plain language everyone can understand, the trusted tax professionals at PricewaterhouseCoopers explain how the new rules affect your personal finances and how you can benefit from newly available opportunities. They outline the best ways to handle your investments, plan for your retirement, pay for your children’s education, maximize tax savings, and much more.

Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, this comprehensive guide will:

• Give you proven tips, techniques, and methods for taking advantage of new tax rules
• Help you plan for new rules that don’t take effect until 2004 or later
• Arm you with unique insights, savvy suggestions, and vivid examples for dealing with this year’s tax provisions
• And much more

Book Description

West Federal Taxation: Individual Income Taxes continues to set the standard in introductory tax. With its through, accessible coverage, no other text helps users better master the ever-changing Individual Tax Code. This text provides comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the relevant codes and regulations as they pertain to the individual taxpayer, as well as coverage of all major developments in federal taxation. ... Read more

Book Description

Expanded coverage provides all you need to know about The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001

For over 60 years, more than 37 million Americans have trusted J.K. Lasser to help them save money at tax time

"The granddaddy of all ‘do-it-yourself' tax guides."——Accounting Today

"Rated #1. . . Winner and still champion . . . The best balance of thoroughness, organization, and usability."——Smart Money

Benefit from These New Tax Law Changes for 2001!

• A rebate check or tax credit
• Lower marginal rates
• Increased child tax credit
• Increased alternative minimum tax exemptions

Save Money by Taking Advantage of These Tax Laws!

• Home office deductions
• Special capital gains rates
• Roth IRAs
• Tuition tax credits
• Family gift and estate tax savings plans
• IRA deductions
• Tax-free home sales
• Medical expense deductions
• Filing options for married couples
• Education savings plans

Easy-to-Use Format Explains Complex Tax Laws

FILING TIPS and FILING INSTRUCTIONS help you prepare your 2001 return
PLANNING REMINDERS highlight year-end tax strategies for 2001 and planning opportunities for 2002 and later years
CAUTIONS point out potential pitfalls to avoid and areas where you might expect IRS opposition
LAW ALERTS indicate recent changes in the tax law and pending legislation before Congress
COURT DECISIONS highlight key rulings from the Tax Court and other federal courts

jklasser.com ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Answers all your tax questions
This book is definitely a handy reference. It will answer all your tax questions in easy to understand wording. Definitely easier to read and understand than the tax laws as written by the Federal Gov't.

Favorite tax book each year!
I have a tough time understanding tax rules with the normal tax instructions from IRS, so I have tried both JK Lasser's and the Ernst & Young tax books over the years. The JK Lasser tax book is by far the easiest tax book for me to understand. I'm just a normal citizen preparing my own taxes, including a small business and kids in school. With the JK Lasser tax book, I feel I'm getting every possible advantage. I like the notes in the sidelines, and find my info easily in their extensive and well-done table of contents. It also has 2 copies of every form in the back of the book, so I don't have to send for or go out looking for hard to find forms (which are now also available on-line from the IRS website).

J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax
I work for the IRS answering questions. I personally ordered this book each year because it is more easily organized and explains tax law in simple terms for the taxpayer. Often times if I have trouble explaining tax law in the terms that a taxpayer can understand, I refer to this book. One year I bought both the Ernest & Young and Lasser's Tax Guides. The information is the same in both. I picked up the Lasser Guide more often.

What year is this book for 2001 or 2002
I would be nice to know if this book is for preparation of 2001 or 2002 taxes. Since I (nor countless others) do not know, I will buy it locally. Sorry!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Ernst & Young Tax Saver's Guide 1999 comes with hundreds of tips and advice that can help you save your hard-earned dollars. It includes a special "Index to Life-Cycle Events" that can help you better understand the tax consequences that most of us face at different junctions of life, such as buying and selling a home, planning for our children's education, marriage and divorce, and so on. Includes a concise summary of the changes in tax law for 1998. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Go for IT
Great survey of tax ideas for 2002.None better.

Great Help
This guide is simply great and very helpful. Complete and precise includes all the needed tips and tools for saving a max. ... Read more

Book Description

Divorce creates unimaginable tax and financial stress for spouses and their dependent children. This tax guide offers the preparatory and negotiating positions for avoiding the tax traps of child support, dependency exemptions, property titling, and transferee burdens in unpleasant marital situations. It also highlights IRS-recognized "deemed unmarried" options before divorce is final and touches on prenuptial agreements in the event remarriage is contemplated. ... Read more

Book Description

America's leading tax preparation software is presented in an engaging and easy-to-follow format. Readers will feel confident that they are using the software correctly and will learn to use TurboTax quickly with maximum effectiveness. ... Read more

Book Description

The most common complaint of middle-income taxpayers is that the tax system favors the rich. Sean M. Smith, an experienced tax accountant, knows better. In this easy-to-use handbook, he presents everything taxpayers need to know to get the tax breaks they have earned.

In a clear, clutter-free format organized by tax-savings goals and including examples, planning pointers, and checklists, 101 Tax Loopholes for the Middle Class outlines specific, legal tax avoidance and deferral strategies, spelling out loopholes for a variety of tax circumstances. Smith offers valuable tips for every stage of life, from withholding and estimated tax loopholes to maximize a paycheck, to retirement plan and estate planning loopholes to maximize future returns. Homeowners and investors, wage earners and the self-employed, small-business owners and part-time staffers can all pocket a profit with these little-known techniques. Smith even includes tricks of the trade for surviving an IRS audit.

Up-to-date, with 1997 tax law changes, 101 Tax Loopholes for the Middle Class won't make paying taxes fun, but it can literally make the experience more rewarding. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Change your point of view
The value of this books lies in the author's frequent assertion that you are not 'avoiding taxes' or 'cheating the IRS'... because there are PLENTY of tax breaks written into the tax code that are legal and only have to be asked for; so ask! Many are best used by small businesses which are incorporated, but others apply to everyone. He has many travel deduction strategies which make most of a trip deductible.

Fun, wicked book about how to legally reduce your taxes!
I read the parts of this book that related to me...mutual funds,etc. Then I browsed through other parts. The examples make each point clear and are often humorous. There are lots of ways to keep taxes much lower through planning ahead of time. This book makes it fun to make those plans. ... Read more

Amazon.com

As you might expect, the world's largest tax preparer has its own tax guide: the H&R Block 1999 Income Tax Guide. It includes plenty of detail without going overboard and provides answers to common tax questions. Plus, if preparing your own taxes proves too daunting, you can take advantage of the book's coupon for $10 off H&R Block's services. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Perpetuating the myth...
Perpetuating the myth... Has anyone ever employed by H & R Block ever taken the time to read the internal revenue code? I highly doubt it, but even if they did, they wouldn't tell you what is contained in it as it would put the company (and indeed most so called "tax professionals") out of business. What the authors fail to tell us is that most U.S. Citizens are not liable for any income taxes. If you work within the fifty states for a non-federal government employer your earnings are not (by legal statute) subject to taxation. Incredible? You bet. Don't read this book - stop relying on this sort of "advice" and read the tax laws!

A great book--for tax year 1997!
This was a great book; but be sure you're not fooled as I was by its pesky title: H&R Block's 1998 Income Tax Guide covers the tax year 1997. ... Read more

Book Description

If you own a house, RRSPs, or even just have some savings stashed away, then you have an estate. And if you don't plan for what happens to your money, your children, your house and other assets upon your death, then the government will make those decisions for you— and might end up with a bigger share than anyone else. In these turbulent financial times, planning for the future is more important than ever, especially when it involved the financial security of those you love.

At a minimum, estate planning involves preparing a will, but really involves much more. This revised and update edition of the bestselling You Can't Take It With You

• Covers all areas of estate planning: financial and tax planning, wills and powers of attorney, life insurance, guardianship of your children, trusts and living wills, funeral planning, and much more.
• Prepares you for dealing with your financial advisor or lawyer— and may even help you to save hundreds of dollars in professional fees and taxes.
• Features practical examples, tips, and question-and-answer boxes.
• Helps you understand all of the financial, legal, and human issues around estate planning so you can protect yourself, your family, and your business.
• Includes new information on current legislation, as well as on changes to provincial probate fees, tax-saving strategies, and planning ideas for singles, common-law, and same-sex partners.

Book Description

Knowing what is likely to take place with property interests after a person's death can help that person prepare a better trust instrument before his or her death. This tax guide imparts the necessary knowledge for individuals to take a more decisive hand in clarifying the fine points and intentions of their trusts. Explained are the working components of a trust, the "why" of transfer taxation, the tax returns required, life estates for surviving spouses, the role of charitable remainders, and the special valuation rules for appreciated property, family farms and businesses, and other family wealth. This books cautions against using family trusts as a tax shelter and entrepreneurial enterprise, explains the taxation process before property transfers become irrevocable, and stresses the various tax exclusions. ... Read more

Book Description

On average, occupationally active persons will buy and sell between five and eight residences over their lifetimes. As they do so, current tax laws permit them to exclude from capital gain a large sum of money, regardless of age. In this heavily revised edition, a true tax professional explains how to accumulate tax-free money, while clarifying any preconceived notion concerning presale or postsale tax matters. ... Read more