Tag Archives: circumstances

Common Tax Mistakes When Selling a Home

With home sales booming throughout much of the country, you may decide that now’s the right time to put your abode on the market. If you do put your primary residence up for sale, try to steer clear of the following mistakes.

  • Not qualifying for the home sale exclusion. If you’ve owned and used your home as your principal residence at least two out of the last five years, you can exclude from your taxable income the first $250,000 of gain if you’re single and $500,000 if you’re married.
    What you can do: Consider a delay of selling your home until you meet the 2-out-of-5-year threshold. If you can’t qualify for a full exclusion, you may qualify for a partial exclusion if your sale results from an employment change, a need for medical care or other IRS-approved circumstances.
  • Forgetting to deduct points. If you have points from your current mortgage that you haven’t deducted on a previous tax return, include the balance of these points on your next tax return. Too many taxpayers forget to do this and lose thousands in deductions.
    What you can do: Review your loan documents before selling your property. Identify all costs, including points, that are included in the loan. Save the document with your tax records to ensure the deduction is not forgotten.
  • Not double-checking your settlement statement. Closely review the closing statement. It is easy to assume all the numbers are correct and the math is done right. Often this is not the case! And a mistake here could be costly.
    What you can do: Review the closing document multiple times. Have your Realtor and closing agent explain items you don’t understand. Pay special attention to property taxes. The property tax bill will be allocated between the seller and the buyer. Only pay the share of the bill that covers the time period when you’re the owner.

Selling a home is full of tax implications. Since selling a home is not an everyday occurrence, it is easy to make a mistake. So, if you need help with these or any other tax questions surrounding the sale of your house, contact your financial advisor…before you sell!

Ideas to Help the Virtual Learning Challenge

Virtual learning is a way of life again for many kids as we head towards winter.

Mayo Clinic psychologist Dr. Craig Sawchuk says that families will need to adapt to changing circumstances this school year.

“We’ve all been dealing with uncertainty,” Sawchuk said in a recent Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast. “We need to be flexible with the format of how our kids learn. It’s all going to look different, regardless of whether your kids are doing in-person, virtual or a hybrid learning model. And it’s subject to change.”

Here are some ideas shared by creative parents and experts to help maintain your family’s sanity, while trying to navigate virtual learning through the extended stay-at-home winter days.

  • Keep your kids moving. An absence of in-person learning means no recess and no gym class. Keep your kids exercising by scheduling 30 to 60-minute blocks of time for them to do their favorite activity. These activities can include, but not be limited to, walking, jogging, biking, skateboarding, rollerblading or riding on a scooter.

    Do it differently: Consider tracking student activity information on a spreadsheet, then teach them how to make charts and graphs. They can then see progress toward fun goals while learning how to work with spreadsheets.

  • Get crafty. Kids love anything that involves glue, scissors and building stuff. Set aside a dedicated area for your kids to build whatever they can imagine. Give them some latitude to get messy (as long as they clean up!).

    Do it differently: One of the more interesting phenomena of this year’s pandemic is our national coin shortage. If you have some spare change that you’re willing to part with, have your kids search online for DIY coin crafts.

  • Put on the chef hat. Turn your kitchen over to your kids. Yes, it might get messy, and your meatloaf may end up a little dry, but getting your kids to cook can spark their creativity and get them into the habit of helping prepare food for the entire family.

    Do it differently: Have your kids create their own cooking show. Set up a video recorder on a sturdy tripod and have them narrate what they’re preparing. If extra time allows, they can jump on a video editing software program and edit their TV show.

  • Thumb through an actual book. Textbooks have been replaced by tablets. Newspapers have been supplanted by websites. Physical books have given way to e-books. While your kids are at home, consider reading through an actual book, while sitting on an actual chair or sofa.

    Do it differently: After reading a book, have your children or grandchildren create their own story. Or have them create a different ending. You can record the story on your phone or be their scribe. They can then make their own book to share.