Accounting firms Crowe LLP and BKD LLP released year-end tax-planning guides Wednesday, during a time of great uncertainty over future tax changes in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic and the upcoming election.
Crowe’s Tax Planning: 2020 Year-End Guide discusses a number of issues, including recent legislation passed in Congress in response to COVID-19, such as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
Dominic Frederico is President and Chief Executive Officer of Assured Guaranty Ltd., a position he has held since December 2003. During his tenure, Assured Guaranty became the leading provider of municipal bond insurance and financial guarantees. Assured Guaranty completed its initial public offering in 2004 under his leadership, and, in 2009, acquired the financial guaranty insurance company now named Assured Guaranty Municipal, thereby merging the only two monoline insurers to continue writing policies before, during and after the Great Recession.Mr. Frederico has supervised the operations of Assured Guaranty since its acquisition in 1999 by ACE Limited, where he was Vice Chairman, and also served as Chairman of ACE Financial Services, ACE INA and ACE USA. He worked at ACE for nine years prior to his post at Assured Guaranty, progressing to increasingly senior positions, including: President & CEO, ACE Bermuda; Chairman, President & CEO, ACE INA Holdings; and President & Chief Operating Officer, ACE Limited. He oversaw the successful acquisition and integration of the domestic and international property casualty operations acquired by ACE from CIGNA Corporation in July 1999 and the acquisition of Capital Re Corp., the predecessor company to Assured Guaranty, in December 1999.Prior to joining ACE, Mr. Frederico spent 13 years working for various subsidiaries of the American International Group.Mr. Frederico holds an M.B.A. in Finance and a B.S. from Drexel University, as well as a Certified Public Accountant�s designation in the State of Pennsylvania. In addition to his professional responsibilities, he is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.�
Christine has significant experience serving as bond counsel, disclosure counsel and underwriter�s counsel on financings, including general obligation bonds and revenue bonds for transportation, water, sewer, power and tax increment projects. Her practice focuses on public finance transactions for state agencies, counties, cities, urban renewal agencies, school and special districts, and tribal governments. Her experience also includes conduit 501(c)(3) financings, full faith and credit or limited tax obligations, private bank placements, and shortterm obligations, including notes and lines of credit.
Robert Feyer is a Senior Counsel in the Public Finance Department of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP�s San Francisco office, with more than 37 years of experience representing issuers and underwriters of municipal bonds.� For most of this time Mr. Feyer has been the senior bond and disclosure counsel for the State of California, the largest issuer of municipal debt in the U.S.� Mr. Feyer is a frequent panelist on municipal finance and disclosure matters, including the Bond Buyer�s recent Webinar on the SEC Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation initiative.� Mr. Feyer is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers (Securities Law Committee) and the American College of Bond Counsel.
“Navigating the current landscape can be tricky and confusing,” said Gary Fox, managing partner of tax services at Crowe, in a statement. “It is important to stay on top of all the fast-moving law changes of the past six months and to remain prepared for the possible changes in the near future.”
Other topics include standard deductions vs. itemizing, state and local tax deductions, home-related breaks and tax-advantaged saving for health care. The guide also covers family-oriented tax breaks such as child, dependent and adoption credits, dependent care breaks, the “kiddie tax,” Section 529 plans, education savings accounts and Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts.
The Crowe guide also covers investor issues, such as capital gains taxes and timing, being tax-smart with losses, mutual funds, income investments and 3.8 percent net investment income tax. Business-related tax topics include business structure, Section 199A deductions for pass-through businesses, projecting income, depreciation, vehicle-related depreciation, meals, entertainment and transportation, employee benefits, tax credits and the self-employed.
Retirement tax topics include 401(k)s and other employer plans, more tax-deferred options, Roth alternatives, early withdrawals, required minimum distributions, IRA donations to charity and the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act).
Estate-planning topics in the guide include estate taxes, gift taxes, the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax, state taxes, exemption portability and tax-smart giving.
The Crowe guide also covers income tax rates for individuals, corporations and estates and trusts.
The BKD Year-End Tax Advisor aims to help businesses and individuals with their year-end planning decisions and the development of an effective tax strategy, given the recent changes in requirements, updated regulations and new tax laws this year.
“2020 has been a year like no other, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting each of our lives, businesses and communities in ways many of us have never experienced,” said BKD director of tax quality control Jesse Palmer in a statement. “Solid tax planning is probably more important than it’s ever been before as you work to create a healthy financial future for yourself and your business.”
The BKD Year-End Tax Advisor includes reminders for the year ahead. More than a dozen contributors have written 18 articles for the guide, including discussions of how COVID-19 has affected various industries, charitable giving and information-reporting reminders.
