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

Marketing of insurance through independent agents; also called independent agency system. Independent agents usually represent several insurance companies and try to insure the risk ...

Search engine site that emphasizes the fields of environmental risk management, environmental engineering, environmental planning, physical and biological sciences, and various ...

Method of funding a pension plan under which a single premium payment is made to fund a single unit of benefit for one year of recognized service with the employer. For example, if the ...

In automobile insurance, coverage providing protection in the event of physical damage to the insured's own automobile (other than that covered under comprehensive insurance) resulting from ...

Liability reserve required to be maintained by the national association of insurance commissioners (naic) prior to 1992 for fluctuations in the values of investments in securities. Realized ...

Means of paying the cost of benefits of pension plan participants including retirement, death, and disability. ...

Law that stipulates the minimum reserve the life insurance company must maintain for its life insurance policies and annuity contracts. This law was first developed by the NAIC as a method ...

Insurance established under the federal Railroad Retirement Act for railroad employees, covering death, retirement, disability, and unemployment. Benefits are adjusted for cost of living ...

Two basic kinds of policies sold by health insurance companies: medigap insurance (medicare supplementary insurance); and medicare wraparound ...

Popular Insurance Questions