Articles by Jess C.

Tax law changes can hit fast, and the 2026 updates from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are no exception. Employers face new W-2 codes, higher 1099 reporting thresholds, and expanded deductions that affect payroll systems, employee communications, and filing deadlines. These changes apply to forms filed in 2027 for the 2026 tax year, but [...]

The Mega Backdoor Roth strategy can help high earners move meaningful dollars into tax-free retirement accounts. The process sounds complex, but the documentation requirements are surprisingly straightforward. Opening the accounts requires minimal paperwork. The real documentation work happens during the conversion step, when specific IRS forms and plan-specific requirements determine whether you execute the strategy correctly [...]

Retirement savers often ask if they can open and fund both a Roth IRA and a Traditional IRA in the same calendar year. The short answer is yes. The IRS allows you to contribute to both account types during the same year. This flexibility can help you diversify your tax treatment and tailor your retirement [...]

A Solo 401k offers self-employed business owners meaningful tax advantages and retirement savings options. One lesser-known benefit is the ability to borrow from your account balance. Not all Solo 401k plans permit participant loans — the feature depends entirely on whether your plan documents explicitly allow borrowing. This matters because accessing your retirement funds without [...]

A non-working spouse can build meaningful retirement savings even without a paycheck. The IRS allows married couples to fund a Roth IRA for a spouse who earns little or no income, as long as the working spouse earns enough to cover both contributions and the couple files taxes jointly. This spousal Roth IRA strategy helps [...]

A Roth IRA offers tax-free growth and withdrawals in retirement, making it one of the most attractive savings vehicles available. The account uses after-tax dollars today, so qualified distributions later come out completely tax-free. Setting up automatic monthly contributions takes the guesswork out of saving and helps you take advantage of dollar-cost averaging. This strategy [...]