Income-shifting Strategies

Definition of "Income-shifting strategies"

Ownership of tax-free or tax-deferred investments by a child or for a child, given that these investments will not reach maturity before the child attains at least age 14. The objective is to shift investment producing current income from high-tax-bracket adults to low-tax-bracket children. Possible means of achieving this objective would be the utilization of the following investment instruments:

  1. Municipal bonds interest earned is not subject to federal or state taxes.
  2. Savings bonds U.S. EE savings bonds that have a maturity date after the child attains age 14 these bonds guarantee payment of85% of the average interest rate of U.S. Treasury notes and bonds subject to a minimum guarantee rate of 6%. These bonds must beheld for at least five years for the full interest rate to apply.
  3. PERMANENT LIFE INSURANCE earnings accumulate on a tax-deferred basis with the possibility of avoiding taxes on the accrued earnings if the policy remains in force until the insured's death.
  4. DEFERRED ANNUITY this instrument offers the same tax-deferred treatment as life insurance.
  5. Growth equities taxes need not be paid on "paper gains;" taxes on gains are paid only after stock is sold.
  6. Custodial account parent retains control of the asset owned by the child until the child reaches the age of majority. The first $1000of income in the account is taxed at the child's rate (if child is less than age 14), and any additional income is taxed at the parent's rate. When the child reaches age 14, all income in the account becomes taxable at the child's rate.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Insurance Terms

Use of new rate structures by an insurance company without first obtaining approval of a State Insurance Department. ...

Approach used for sole proprietorships, partnerships, and close corporations in which the business interests of a deceased or disabled proprietor, partner, or shareholder are sold according ...

Company that buys life insurance policies from policyowners on the lives of insureds who are terminally ill. This type of company pays cash for the life insurance policies, usually in the ...

Type of organization of property and casualty insurance companies whose objective is to share information on fraudulent claims, handle claims in an expeditious manner, and disseminate ...

Insurance for accountants covering liability lawsuits arising from their professional activities. For example, an investor bases a buying decision on the balance sheet of a company's annual ...

The definition of special acceptance explains how two insurance institutions work together for the benefit of the masses. In order to define what special acceptance means, we must ...

new dividend option under which the policyowner allows the dividends from the participating policy to be applied for the purposes of accumulating cash values. ...

Arrangement under which the insured pays a fixed premium to the insurance company in exchange for the total transfer of the risk to that company. ...

Legal document setting out the rules to be followed by a trustee in administering assets of a trust. The trust agreement may limit investment of trust assets to specified types of ...

Popular Insurance Questions