Useful Information For You to Read Listed  below are a number of general articles for your information.  Please note - this is general information and is not intended to be nor should it be treated as tax, legal or accounting advice.  Additional issues could exist which would affect the treatment of specific transactions.  Therefore, readers should seek advice from an independent tax advisor based on their particular circumstances before acting on any of the information presented.  This information is not intended to be used, nor can it be used, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties.

Business Owner   Articles     Benefits and retirement plans       Benefit plans for small businesses       Disability income insurance for the self-employed       Group health insurance: a valued employee benefit       Group term life insurance       Health insurance for the self-employed       Key employee life and disability insurance       Life insurance for the self-employed       Offering group disability insurance       Retirement plans for small businesses       Split dollar insurance plans       Understanding individual 401(k) plans       What employers need to know about workers' compensation insurance     Starting a business       Advantages and disadvantages of self-employment       Choosing an entity for your business       Funding a business       Hiring your first employee       Qualifying for the home office deduction       Record keeping for your own business       Starting or buying a business       Tax planning for the self-employed     Transferring or selling a business       Funding a buy-sell agreement with disability insurance       Funding a buy-sell agreement with life insurance       Transferring your family business   FAQs     Employee benefits and other issues       How can I boost the morale of my employees without incurring huge expenses?       What benefits should I offer to my employees?     Starting a business       How do I find good advisors such as lawyers and accountants to help with my business?       Should I buy an existing business or start from scratch?       Should I buy or lease assets for my business?     Transferring or selling a business       How can I keep my business in the family?       What is a family limited partnership, and will it help reduce estate taxes?     Valuing a business       How can I determine what my business is worth for estate and gift tax purposes?   Estate Planning   Articles     Assets       Asset protection in estate planning       Estate planning and 529 plans       Transferring your family business     Beneficiary designations       Choosing a beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k)       Designating a beneficiary for life insurance     Estate planning basics       Estate planning--an introduction       Gift and estate taxes       Trust basics       Wills--the cornerstone of your estate plan   Retirement Planning   Decision Tools     Retirement planning basics       Building an investment portfolio       How taxation can affect your retirement funds       Investing for retirement       Saving for your retirement   Tax Planning   Articles     General tax planning       Tax planning for income       Tax planning for the self-employed       Taxation of investments       Year-end tax planning     Tax credits and deductions       Personal deduction planning       Qualifying for the home office deduction       Understanding personal tax credits   FAQs     Tax credits       Can I take the credit for the elderly or disabled?       Can I take the tax credit for child care?       Now that my child is in college, am I entitled to any education tax credits?       What are the Hope credit and the Lifetime Learning credit?       What is the child tax credit?       What is the difference between the child tax credit and the child and dependent care tax credit?       What is the earned income credit and who qualifies for it?     Taxes and home ownership       Can I deduct the cost of improvements or repairs I've made to my home?       How do I figure the tax on the sale of my home?       I refinanced my principal home last year and paid points. What are points, and can I deduct them on my tax return?       If I prepay next year's taxes this year, can I deduct them this year?       We just bought our first home. What can we deduct from the settlement statement?