TaxFacts Intelligence Weekly
Posted by William Byrnes on December 3, 2018
| TAX DEVELOPMENTS
SEC Announces New Disclosure Requirements for Variable Annuities and Life Insurance
The SEC recently proposed a rule change designed to improve disclosures with respect to variable annuities and variable life insurance contracts. The new disclosure obligations would help investors understand the features, fees and risks to these types of products in an effort to allow investors to make more informed investment decisions. Under the proposal, annuity and life insurance carriers would be entitled to provide information to investors in a summary prospectus form that would provide a more concise summary of the terms of the contract. For more information on variable annuities, visit Tax Facts Online and Read More. |
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Digging Into the Details of Hardship Distributions for Primary Residence Purchases
Qualified plans can to allow participants to take hardship distributions to help with the purchase of a primary residence. The distribution must be directly taken to purchase the residence–items such as renovations made prior to move-in do not qualify. Despite this, the distribution can cover more than just the purchase price of the residence itself. Closing costs would also qualify, as would the cost of a piece of land upon which the primary residence would be built. If a participant buys out a former spouse’s interest in a jointly-owned home pursuant to divorce, the distribution would also qualify. For more information on the hardship distribution rules, visit Tax Facts Online and Read More. |
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Avoiding Gift Tax Traps This Holiday Season
Most taxpayers believe that they are not required to file a gift tax tax return if they do not owe gift taxes–as many will not because of the current $11.18 million gift tax exemption will shield most donors from gift tax liability. Despite this, each gift made during a donor’s lifetime serves to reduce that $11.18 million amount, which applies both to lifetime gifts and transfers made at death. Taxpayers must file Form 709 to report taxable gifts in excess of the annual exclusion amount to avoid potential IRS penalties for failure to file a return. The form is required not because gift taxes are owed, but to provide the IRS with a mechanism for tracking any given taxpayer’s use of the exemption amount during life. For more information on the gift tax filing requirements, visit Tax Facts Online and Read More. |
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This entry was posted on December 3, 2018 at 08:41 and is filed under Retirement Planning, Taxation.
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