Billionaires Income Tax On the Way & Covered Expats are Hit Hardest of All

If you or your clients are really (really) wealthy (more than $100 million in annual income or more than $1 billion in assets) and thinking about expatriation (relinquishing US citizenship or a green card as a long-term resident), the time is now.  Even if not super wealthy, the newly proposed Billionaires Income Tax should serve … Continue reading Billionaires Income Tax On the Way & Covered Expats are Hit Hardest of All

Tax Planning – “Foreign/International” Annual Inflation Adjustments Coming in 2024

Revenue Procedure 2023-34 was released by the IRS on November 9, 2023.   It provides full details about the annual inflation adjustments that are important in the world of US tax and impact over 60 tax provisions in the Internal Revenue Code ("Code"), including tax rate schedules and many other tax changes. Tax pro’s have been … Continue reading Tax Planning – “Foreign/International” Annual Inflation Adjustments Coming in 2024

Foreign Partnerships with a US Partner? Some Planning Ideas

An earlier blog post explained how easy it is for the foreign person to fall into some nasty US tax traps when entering a foreign partnership with a US person.  Even if that foreigner never sets foot in America and works solely from the foreign location, he can end up paying US taxes. In addition, … Continue reading Foreign Partnerships with a US Partner? Some Planning Ideas

The New York Times, USSCt Justice Clarence Thomas, Juicy Gifts & the Tax Lessons!

Sometimes I like to bring up issues occurring strictly in the USA and take a peek at how the US tax rules would shake out if foreigners were involved in the transactions.  It always makes for a much more complicated analysis. Here is one for today!  Let’s look at the juicy story of Justice Clarence … Continue reading The New York Times, USSCt Justice Clarence Thomas, Juicy Gifts & the Tax Lessons!

Is the US Tax Court Swiss? Taxpayer Loses When Petition Filed 11 Seconds Late     

I’ve been married to a Swiss for almost 40 years. I know the critical importance of timeliness.  When you say “I’ll be ready in 5 minutes”, believe me, that Swiss watch is ticking. And, so it is with the Tax Court and filing a Tax Court petition in response to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) … Continue reading Is the US Tax Court Swiss? Taxpayer Loses When Petition Filed 11 Seconds Late     

TikTok’s (Wrong) Tax Advice and How the Trust Tax Rules Really Work

My earlier post describing TikTok tax advice as to the magical workings of the “Non-Grantor Irrevocable Complex Discretionary Spendthrift Trust” (NGICDST) proved highly popular. The NGICDST is being marketed heavily on social media platforms and certain business websites. After the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) discovered the promotional material, the agency shut down any notion that … Continue reading TikTok’s (Wrong) Tax Advice and How the Trust Tax Rules Really Work

Beware TikTok Tax Advice – IRS Tanks a Trust Scheme

This will be a very short post with a few simple lessons I have shared before: Fast tax advice, is like fast fashion.  A waste! It's all too often a big mistake with serious repercussions. If something sounds too good to be true, it is. So, if you have not heard of it yet, today’s … Continue reading Beware TikTok Tax Advice – IRS Tanks a Trust Scheme

US Tax Issues Abound: A Global Look at Protecting Vulnerable Persons from Financial Fraud (The Case of the Wicked Stepdaughter)

On Wednesday I presented a webinar for the Financial Planning Association’s July International & Cross-Border Planning Knowledge Circle. My webinar highlighted numerous US tax issues when safeguarding the finances of the elderly (or other vulnerable individuals), whether Stateside or overseas.  You can listen to the entire webinar here. The Case of the Wicked Stepdaughter A … Continue reading US Tax Issues Abound: A Global Look at Protecting Vulnerable Persons from Financial Fraud (The Case of the Wicked Stepdaughter)

Do I Have Worldwide US Tax Liability While Waiting for the Certificate of Loss of Nationality (CLN)?

Unsurprisingly, many taxpayers are confused about the tax results of expatriation. One of the most common questions is whether, after having expatriated, but before receiving the CLN, the individual is liable for US tax on his worldwide income.  This question likely stems from the Department of State (DOS) policy that while issuance of the CLN … Continue reading Do I Have Worldwide US Tax Liability While Waiting for the Certificate of Loss of Nationality (CLN)?

Malta Retirement Plans – The Jig is Really Up!

Things are looking worse and worse for Americans who invested in Malta personal retirement plans. Not only has the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) listed them twice on its Dirty Dozen tax scams list, it has now proposed rules that will require taxpayers and material advisers to specially put the IRS on notice about their use.  … Continue reading Malta Retirement Plans – The Jig is Really Up!