Author Archives: David
Tax Brackets, Limits, and Phaseouts
[Just a heads-up — this is mostly a placeholder for now — we are going to add more detail, including historic numbers so trends and changes are more clear. And there are some changes which won’t make sense without more context, such as when the standard deduction increased enormously due to the 2017 TCJA, but […]
2026 Social Security COLA and other adjustments
The BLS released the CPI-W for September 2025 a couple of days ago. This allows the Social Security administration to compute the COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) which will apply to Social Security benefits in 2026. The COLA for an upcoming year is based on the changes to the CPI-W over the three overlapping 12 […]
Did HR1 (known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) – Actually Cut Taxes On Social Security?
Perhaps you saw the headline on the White House’s press release: “No Tax on Social Security is a Reality in the One Big Beautiful Bill” Or maybe you saw the e-mail that the Social Security Administration released (at the best of new head, political appointee Frank Bisignano) which claimed “The new law includes a provision […]
Your Mileage May Vary – Federal and State tax rules differ
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. PLEASE BE PATIENT. AND PLEASE CONTRIBUTE IF YOU KNOW OF MORE EXAMPLES! See *update log* at the bottom for details. Most of us are subject to several set of tax rules (income and otherwise!). The biggest two, however, are the Federal Income Tax — and, if you live in […]
UGMA, UTMA and 529 Plans (vintage post from 2009!)
The following post first appeared on Meyers Wealth Management’s pre-blog “News and Notes” section of our old website — back in October 2009. It is reproduced here all these years later, as still pretty accurate and relevant: A question often comes up amongst folks of a certain age regarding UGMA/UTMA accounts. Namely, since many of […]
Roth == Time-Based Tax Arbitrage
“Arbitrage” is what we call it when one takes advantage of a difference in prices between two markets. Traditionally, it means buying a security in one market at a low price while simultaneously selling that same security in another market at a higher price — and pocketing the difference, taking advantage of that mismatch in […]
Updated Tax Numbers for 2024
We have just posted an updated Tax Reference for 2024. This is not a comprehensive set of tax tables, but rather mainly a handy reference for various thresholds such as maximum 401k contributions, gift tax exclusions, etc. Many (not all) are indexed for inflation. We hope you find this helpful. If you notice any errors, […]
There is no such thing as a Back-door Roth IRA or a Back-Door Roth Conversion
There is, however, a technique which is referred to as a “Back-Door Roth Contribution“. There are Roth IRAs. And there are Roth conversions. But “back-door” is a two-step technique, not an account, and not just a conversion. And, no, this is not just picking nits. This is a very important distinction and if you try […]
Can My Ex-Spouse Go After Some Of My Social Security?
Note the inflammatory phrasing – this was intentional because, unfortunately, we’ve seen people worried that an ex-spouse will somehow take some social security benefits, costing you some of your own benefits. And, sadly again, sometimes people aren’t too happy with their ex-spouse. But here’s the deal: Your ex-spouse can’t “go after” your benefit. Your ex […]
Warren Buffett has pledged that 99% of his wealth will end up in charity and philanthropy.
Warren Buffett has pledged that 99% of his wealth will end up in charity and philanthropy. He’s already given away billions — something around $50 billion already. A shit ton of that went to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. He’s still got something on the order of 100 billion left. Had he kept all […]
Meyers Wealth Management 