Financial Investments

Since the initial release of the Mvelopes iPhone app two weeks ago we have been amazed and pleased at the interest so many of you have shown in the app. We are also aware that some bugs have been affecting the user experience for some of you. We have been working around the clock to address these problems, and several of you have been instrumental in helping us identify specific errors.

We are pleased to report that an update to the Mvelopes iPhone app was submitted to Apple earlier today. This update addresses the following issues:

• Enhanced stability, resolving many reported crashing issues. • Dramatically improved performance of the initial data load. • Payee field size now dynamically adjusts to accommodate long payee names. • Fixed incorrect reporting of Planned Funding amounts for envelopes. • Resol

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Is there a sense of “swimming upstream” when trying to propagate goal-based investing–as described in your new book Risk Less and Prosper–among existing Read the rest of article…

This is the fifth article of a series dealing with the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (“Act”). For the first four articles, see:

Part 1 – Charitable IRA Rollovers
Part 2 – Estate Tax/Carryover Basis Election for 2010 Decedents
Part 3 – Temporary $5 Million Estate Tax Exemption
Part 4 – Temporary $5 Million Gift Tax Exemption: Use It or Lose It

The Act temporarily increases the gift tax exemption to $5 million for 2011 and $5 million increased by inflation for 2012. The Act decreases the gift tax exemption to $1 million for gifts in 2013 or later. Our clients are actively considering methods to take advantage of this 2 year window of opportunity to make large tax-free gifts.

The first commandment of gift planning is to take care of yourself. This articl

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This week the IRS published the following Private Letter Rulings relating to international taxation:

PLR 201151008: Method for determining unearned premiumns and reserves for life insurance contracts in computing qualified insurance income of a controlled foreign corporation under Code §954(i)(4)(B)(ii).

PLR 201151010: Late entity classification election granted where the foreign entity “inadvertently failed to file a Form 8832″

PLR 201151017: Spin-Off with a foreign company that has American Depositary Shares

PLR 201151019: Consent was granted to revoke safe harbor method elections in computing foreign tax credits with respect to a dual capacity taxpayer under Treas. Reg. §1.901-2A(c)(1).

On Tuesday, January 3, 2012, the Mvelopes Team announced the release of the newest version of Mvelopes and Crown Mvelopes. The new Mvelopes includes a completely redesigned user interface, extensive database upgrades to improve speed and program responsiveness, and expanded report features.

The new Mvelopes also introduces a new, free version of Mvelopes with a limited feature set. The free version of Mvelopes will allow users to fully experience the automated envelope budgeting power of the Mvelopes system. The free version of Mvelopes limits users to 25 budgeting envelopes and to four online bank or credit card accounts. The free version of Mvelopes does not include the Debt Center or electronic Bill Pay, and free account users do not have access to online Live Chat support.

All current Mvelopes and Crown Mvelopes users will be grandfathered into the new, full version of the program, which is being renamed Mvelopes Premier or Crown Mvelopes Premier.

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A common question is how Read the rest of article…