IRS Guidance on Retirement Plan Qualified Birth or Adoption Distributions

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (“SECURE Act”) established a new in-service distribution known as a qualified birth or adoption distribution (“QBOAD”). Generally, a QBOAD is any distribution of up to $5,000 from an “eligible retirement plan” (other than a defined benefit plan), made to an individual during the one-year …

Divorce Time Traps: Can I Lose the Rights the Judge Gave Me in my Divorce?

Many people assume once they are divorced and a Judge has entered an Order that the terms of that Order are binding and never end.  Under certain circumstances, this is not true. There are several situations where a judge may modify a “final” divorce order.  The modifications that can occur are discussed under Tennessee law, …

Practical Estate Planning Tips That Are Often Overlooked

So you have gone through all of the work to get your estate planning documents finalized, you have had your signing meeting with your attorney, and now it is time to celebrate that you are done, right? In most cases, the answer is not quite yet. There are few items that are often overlooked that are …

Do I Need to Make a Large Gift Now?

Many wealthy individuals are asking that question out of fear that the historically high estate/gift tax exemption of $11,580,000 ($23,160,000 for a married couple), indexed annually for inflation, could be significantly decreased prior to its scheduled “sun-setting” on December 31, 2025 to $5,490,000 (indexed for inflation) if the Democratic party sweeps Congress and the White …

August 31 Deadline Looming for Coronavirus Related Return of Required Minimum Distributions

The IRS this week issued Information Release 2020-187 to remind IRA owners and beneficiaries, as well as participants in workplace retirement arrangements, that they have until August 31 to return required minimum distributions (“RMDs”)received earlier this year and, thereby, avoid paying income tax on the distribution in 2020.  The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security …

IRS Grants Relief for 2020 RMDS

The IRS recently granted additional relief for retirement account owners due to Covid-19. Generally, when a person attains age 72 (previously age 70 ½) that person is required to begin taking required minimum distributions (“RMDs”) from their retirement account each year based on their life expectancy. Individuals with inherited IRAs are required to take annual …

Canadian Gaming Association’s Standards for Cashless Wagering

On June 10th, 2020, the Canadian Gaming Association (the “CGA”) released the draft Standards for Cashless Systems (the “Standards”) for industry comment. Cashless wagering systems allow players to participate in wagering activities without physical cash by using approved and securely protected authentication methods. The idea is that a sophisticated digital trail of cashless transactions will allow for increased …

Tax Tip for Tax-Exempt Hospitals: IRS Relief for the Community Health Needs Assessments Requirements

Recognizing the increased burdens that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on hospitals, the IRS has relaxed its deadline for meeting the Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) requirements per Internal Revenue Code Section 501(r)(3). See Notice 2020-56. To maintain their tax-exempt status, non-profit entities that operate hospitals must meet additional requirements, one of which relates to …