Jeffrey B. Kahn, Esq. and Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord Discusses Financial Markets, Covered California, and FATCA Milestones On ESPN Radio – October 16, 2015 Show

Topics Covered:

1. The Economic Cycle And The Monday Morning Quarterback.
2. Covered California and what you need to know going into 2016.
3. Milestones in Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, also known as FATCA.

4. Questions from our listeners:

   • What if a taxpayer has already filed amended returns reporting income from foreign assets without entering into the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program?

   • In what situation would you take social security at 62 versus 67 or 70?

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Windus states: Yes sometimes we just have to take the money and run!

Good afternoon! Welcome to Inside Advantage – Your Financial And Tax Radio Show.

This is Inside Advantage – Your Financial And Tax Radio Show on ESPN and you are listening to Licensed Financial Planner, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord and my guest host today Sean Greene with Morrison Insurance Services, Inc. Jeffrey is out today, hopefully enjoying some time with the family as we speak

You are listening to our weekly radio show where we talk everything about finances and taxes from the ESPN 1700 AM Studio in San Diego, California.

Windus States, I’m going to fill in for Jeffrey and say:

When it comes to knowing tax laws and paying taxes, let’s face it — everyone in the U.S. is either in tax trouble, on their way to tax trouble, or trying to avoid tax trouble!

And whether you are on the rebound or flying high, we have the information you need to make sound financial decisions and map out your strategy for success.

Our show is broadcasted each Friday at 2:00PM Pacific Time and replays are available on demand by logging into the KahnTaxLaw website at www.kahntaxlaw.com.

For today’s show we have coming up:

Segment 2 material: Covered California and what you need to know going into 2016.

Sean states: Also coming up in Segment 3 is Amy Spivey joining us from The Law Offices of Jeffrey B Kahn, P.C. to talk about: Milestones in Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, also known as FATCA.

Windus: And of course towards the end of our show, we will be answering some of your questions.

Windus starts chit chat with Sean.

The Economic Cycle And The Monday Morning Quarterback

Last week the show took a pause mostly because both Jeffrey and I were on family vacations. Jeffrey in Florida and my husband and me in Charleston. It was a great five days and it gave me an opportunity to catch up on some reading. Ultimately my job is twofold: I help clients plan for their long term/mid-term/ & short term goals; and then I help them stay the course when things are turbulent. We just experienced an event that makes the second part of my job the most important: A market correction. While on planes traveling I did some reading, and it dawned on me that knowing where you are in an economic cycle is just like being a Monday morning quarterback. Everyone calls it after, few call it before.

A great example of this would be how much I “knew” the Fed would raise rates in September. And then, they didn’t. They ultimately didn’t for a number of factors and one of which was the correction the stock market was in at the time in which they had their meeting. Although they ultimately need to raise rates to give themselves more monetary policy in recessionary times, many believe we have a little more time before that next recession and therefore they still have some room. BUT how much room and how long before the next recession? No crystal balls here but I wanted to touch on a few articles that may be examples of how you can tell where we are in an economic cycle.

Sean, jump in here with questions.

There are four parts to an economic cycle. Understanding that can help to better understand timing of the next possible recession. However, peaks and expansion can last a longer than expected time, so just because we show signs of peak doesn’t mean that a recession is going to start tomorrow!

Here are the four parts: Expansion, peak, contraction, and trough. Pretty simple. To break it down quickly:

• Expansion is when the markets are growing. You typically see unemployment falling, and increases in pay, more housing “starts”/new construction.
• Peak is ultimately when this starts to wane a bit, maybe we start to see company’s thin work forces, hire less.
• Contraction is when manufacturing plummets, layoffs become prevalent.
• Trough is that time in between when the manufacturing turns around and companies start to hire again.

This is just a simple break down for everyone.

What caught my eye while traveling home from Charleston this week was the front page of the Business & Tech section of the Wall Street Journal on October 14^th. There were two articles. One stating that Truckers are seeing BIG increases in pay. The other article talked about how companies are trying the “firm 40” which is saying that they have enough employees to not need more than 40 hours of work from each and that they are focusing on quality of life. Wow. This is a 180 turnaround from 2008. In 2008, companies slashed their work forces squeezing each hour they could get out of each employee in order to try to stay profitable. And in many cases, reducing pay while doing that!

Sean, do you have any memories of what it was like in your industry in 2008?

Sean talks:

I’d like to pause quickly and let you know of an offer for the viewer’s today: Windus PLUG: Trilogy Financial Services will provide you with a retirement cash flow analysis which is a $600.00 value for free as long as you mention the Inside Advantage Radio Show when you call to make an appointment. Call my office to make an appointment to meet with me, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord. The number to call is 858.314.5169. That is 858.314.5169.

Sean, I have several clients in different industries and another client made me start to think more about where we are in this cycle. She runs a staffing company. Staffing companies often see the peak coming before others because their businesses slow. Orders for new employees stall a bit. Do you have any companies that you work with that have spoken to you about that?

I’d like to re-visit another interesting aspect of the last two recessions, they started at the beginning of a new presidency. Ultimately at the end of the prior presidency the “tech” bubble started as Bill Clinton was finishing his term and George Bush Jr was starting his term. In fact. the tech bubble started in March of 2000 and George Bush was elected in the fall of that year. Let’s fast forward to the “Great Recession”. This started in December of 2007, President Obama was elected in November of 2008 and sworn in January of 2009. This recession ended in June of 2009, but the aftermath was a long term global recession that kicked off in 2009 and lasted for some time making the recession feel like it was longer then it was in reality. Food for thought, it’s been over 6 years since the last recession and that is longer than the average gap. In most recent history, though, this isn’t the case. The gap between the last few recessions has grown. Between the last 3 recessions the average has been 7.67 years. Kind of putting us in line with our next presidential turn over.

It kind of makes me feel bad for the next President. What do you think Sean?

Ultimately, knowing when the next recession will be would be fantastic, but we don’t get to know until it’s already started. Something that appears to be a correction, can turn into a recession if markers start to turn. What you should be focusing on in your investments is always investing with the correct timeline in mind and the correct risk tolerance in mind. People ask me for options to beat the less than 1% interest they are getting at the bank. If this is short term money and is needed for something on a short time horizon, you have to leave it in the bank. If this is money you don’t need for 3 to 5 years, you may have options, but those options likely won’t have guarantees and just realize that. For retirement money, if you aren’t retiring for 10 or more years, these pull back and recessions provide you with tremendous buying opportunities. These are the moments you should be saving more, and not worrying about the volatility in your principal balance. Working with an advisor during times where your ability to stay the course is challenged is a huge benefit.

Windus PLUG: Trilogy Financial Services will provide you with a retirement cash flow analysis which is a $600.00 value for free as long as you mention the Inside Advantage Radio Show when you call to make an appointment. Call my office to make an appointment to meet with me, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord. The number to call is 858.314.5169. That is 858.314.5169.

Well it’s time for a break but stay tuned because when we come back we are going to talk with Sean about employee benefits, covered California and all the changes in regulation that are staying for the long term!

You are listening to Board Certified Tax Attorney, Jeffrey B. Kahn, and Licensed Financial Planner, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord on Inside Advantage on ESPN.

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Windus states: Welcome back. This is Inside Advantage – Your Financial And Tax Radio Show on ESPN and you are listening to Licensed Financial Planner, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord and my guest host today Sean Greene with James Morrison Insurance Services, Inc. Jeffrey Kahn is out today, hopefully enjoying some time with the family as we speak.

Sean, thank you again for being here to co-host. Sean has a treat for us today, he is going to help us sort through some of the health insurance regulation for the state of California. Sean, you told me this has been a big week for health insurance. Why don’t you start by sharing what happened? Sean doesn’t just help companies with benefits but is also Vice President of political action committee of our local chapter of the association of health underwriting.

Sean, why don’t you tell us more about this association and then we’ll jump into the bills from this week.

Covered California and what you need to know going into 2016.

A few major bills:

1. Federally the PACE act has been passed.  This allows for the small group expansion to 100 employees to become a choice by each state.  Because California already passed in to law the expansion last year we will be staying with the small group definition of 2-99 employees at least thru 2016. 

2. On a state basis: Senate Bill 137- Carriers must update their online directories on a quarterly basis at minimum. AB 248- Large employers must provide plans with at least 60% actuarial value

General California group insurance news: 100,000 small businesses are renewing their coverage on December 1st. Last year one third of the amount of business moved and the carriers were still installing December business in mid-January

Companies on smartcare plans are seeing renewals of 40+ %.  Best solution for these businesses are Sharp and Calchoice

Healthnet has best rates for PPO

Blue Shield has 2^nd best and most consistent PPO rates

United Healthcare for companies offering HMO/PPO Options

According to Kaiser Family Foundation more than half of the still un-insured Californians qualify for either medical or subsidies thru the Affordable Care Act

3.85 Million Uninsured Residents in California.  37% or 1.4 million would qualify for medical.  16% or 623,000 are eligible for subsidies

Love it or hate it- Covered California is doing a great job of pinpointing pockets of uninsured and trying to connect with them

Individual open enrollment begins in November for January 1^st effective dates.  This is the one time of year (outside of qualifying events) that individuals can purchase or change their Health Insurance

Well it’s time for a break but stay tuned because when we come back we have Amy Spivey calling in to discuss Key Milestones in FATCA Implementation. If you have undisclosed foreign bank accounts you will not want to miss this.

You are listening to Board Certified Tax Attorney, Jeffrey B. Kahn, and Licensed Financial Planner, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord on Inside Advantage on ESPN.

BREAK

Windus states: Welcome back. This is Inside Advantage – Your Financial And Tax Radio Show on ESPN and you are listening to Licensed Financial Planner, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord. Jeffrey Kahn is off today so with me as my guest host today is Sean Greene with Morrison Insurance Services, Inc.

Calling into the studio from my Walnut Creek Office is Jeffrey Kahn’s associate attorney, Amy Spivey.

IRS Announces Key Milestone in FATCA Implementation; U.S. Begins Reciprocal Automatic Exchange of Tax Information under Intergovernmental Agreements

Windus states: The Internal Revenue Service announced on October 2, 2015 the exchange of financial account information with certain foreign tax administrations, meeting a key September 30th milestone related to FATCA, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

Amy states: This information exchange is part of the IRS’s overall efforts to implement FATCA, enacted in 2010 by Congress to target non-compliance by U.S. taxpayers using foreign accounts or foreign entities. FATCA generally requires withholding agents to withhold on certain payments made to foreign financial institutions (FFIs) unless such FFIs agree to report to the IRS information about financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers, or by foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest.

Amy continues: To achieve this, the IRS successfully and timely developed the information system infrastructure, procedures, and data use and confidentiality safeguards to protect taxpayer data while facilitating reciprocal automatic exchange of tax information with certain foreign jurisdiction tax administrators as specified under the intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) implementing FATCA.

Windus asks: Amy, what is the reason behind the Federal government enacting FATCA into law?

Amy replies: Well for a long time the IRS felt that U.S. taxpayers were keeping money abroad to evade paying U.S. taxes. There are also many U.S. taxpayers who are still not aware that when they file their U.S. income tax returns, they must report their worldwide income. So by enacting FATCA, foreign banks would eventually be reporting the same level of financial information as domestic banks already do to the IRS which the IRS can then use to verify compliance of U.S. taxpayers in reporting their worldwide income on their U.S. income tax returns. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen has even said that “meeting the September 30th deadline is a major milestone in IRS efforts to combat offshore tax evasion through FATCA and the intergovernmental agreements and that FATCA is an important tool against offshore tax evasion.”

Windus: I understand that a lot of foreign countries are also looking to benefit from the enactment of FATCA by in facilitating and participating in the exchange of financial account information so they can enforce their own tax laws on their citizens who may be evading that country’s tax laws.

Amy replies: That’s right. The U.S. government has entered into a number of bilateral IGAs that set the groundwork for cooperation between the jurisdictions in this area. Certain IGAs not only enable the IRS to receive this information from FFIs, but enable more efficient exchange by allowing a foreign jurisdiction tax administration to gather the specified information and provide it to the IRS. And some IGAs also require the IRS to reciprocally exchange certain information about accounts maintained by residents of foreign jurisdictions in U.S. financial institutions with their jurisdictions’ tax authorities. Under these reciprocal IGAs, the first exchange of information had to take place by September 30, 2015.

Windus states: It should be apparent that the risks of hiding money offshore are growing and the potential rewards are shrinking which is why if you have undisclosed foreign account or other tax issues, why do not even have anything to do with foreign accounts, you need to contact … The Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn as they will provide you with a Tax Resolution Plan which is a $500.00 value for free as long as you mention the Inside Advantage Radio Show when you call to make an appointment. The number to call to make an appointment to meet with Jeffrey Kahn right here in downtown San Diego or at one of his other offices close to you is 866.494.6829. That is 866.494.6829.

Windus asks: So Amy what should one do if they have undisclosed foreign bank accounts and unreported foreign income?

Amy replies: You should see tax counsel as soon as possible. The tax law imposes penalties as high as $100,000 or 50% of the principal value of your foreign accounts per violation and you can be incarcerated for as long as 5 years if convicted by a Federal court. Since 2009, U.S. taxpayers have come forward voluntarily to disclose their foreign financial accounts, taking advantage of special opportunities to comply with the U.S. tax system and resolve their tax obligations. At the beginning of 2012, the IRS reopened the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), which is open until otherwise announced.

Windus states: That is some serious punishment. Amy, what different programs are available to U.S. taxpayers?

Amy replies: The two main options are:

1. Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program; and
2. Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures.

Amy continues: The Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) is a voluntary disclosure program specifically designed for taxpayers with exposure to potential criminal liability and/or substantial civil penalties due to a willful failure to report foreign financial assets and pay all tax due in respect of those assets.  OVDP is designed to provide to taxpayers with such exposure (1) protection from criminal liability and (2) terms for resolving their civil tax and penalty obligations.

Amy continues: OVDP requires that taxpayers go back as far as eight years in amending income tax returns to report foreign source income and disclose foreign bank accounts. The taxpayers would include with their submission of these tax filings the payment of the back taxes, interest each year on the unpaid tax and a 20% accuracy-related penalty which is applied against the unpaid tax. In addition, the taxpayers would include payment of what we call the “OVDP penalty” which is 27.5% of the highest balance of the foreign bank account in the past eight years. The IRS in return will not pursue charges of criminal tax evasion which would have resulted in jail time or a felony on your record and the IRS will not pursue impose the other multitude of penalties the tax law otherwise provides.

Windus asks: What about the other option you mentioned of Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures?

Amy replies: The streamlined filing compliance procedures are available to taxpayers certifying that their failure to report foreign financial assets and pay all tax due in respect of those assets did not result from willful conduct on their part.  The key factor to be eligible for the streamlined procedures is that a taxpayer must show that he is non-willful in failing to report worldwide income and disclose foreign accounts.

Windus asks: If the streamlined procedures require a taxpayer to prove he was non-willful in failing to report the foreign account and foreign income and the regular OVDP does not, why would it still be beneficial to pursue the streamlined procedures?

Amy replies: Well for one thing that penalty is a lot lower. Recall that under regular OVDP the penalty is 27.5% penalty based upon the highest balance of the account in the past eight years. Beginning August 4, 2014, this rate increases to 50% for U.S. accountholders of certain foreign banks. Under the streamlined procedures the penalty is 5% of the highest balance of the account in the past six years and if you are a foreign person, that penalty can be waived under the streamlined procedures.

Windus states: So it appears that for the streamlined procedures, the effort that you must place the most emphasis on to have a successful result is not so much in the preparation of the amended tax returns but showing that a taxpayer is non-willful.

Amy replies: That is correct. Many people think just by stating to the IRS that they did not know the law requires that you must report foreign income on your U.S. income tax return and disclose foreign accounts on an FBAR will satisfy this non-willful standard. There is a lot more than that to meet this standard. In fact we have identified over 50 factors that we cover with our clients which we then address in the non-willful statements that get included with the packages submitted to IRS. A comprehensive non-willful statement is the key to a successful submission.

Windus states: This is a great opportunity to come into compliance and is no longer available to you if the IRS has found you first so contact… The Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn as they will provide you with a Tax Resolution Plan which is a $500.00 value for free as long as you mention the Inside Advantage Radio Show when you call to make an appointment. The number to call to make an appointment to meet with Jeffrey Kahn right here in downtown San Diego or at one of his other offices close to you is 866.494.6829. That is 866.494.6829.

Hey Amy please stay on the phone with us for our questions to answer in segment 4 and Sean gets the honor of reading them!

Stay tuned. You are listening to Licensed Financial Planner, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord & Sean Greene, employee benefits broker and Amy Spivey with the Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. on Inside Advantage on ESPN.

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Windus states: Welcome back. This is Inside Advantage – Your Financial And Tax Radio Show on ESPN and you are listening to Licensed Financial Planner, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord. Jeffrey Kahn is off today so with me is my guest co-host Sean Greene with Morrison Insurance Services.

Windus PLUG: Trilogy Financial Services will provide you with a retirement cash flow analysis which is a $600.00 value for free as long as you mention the Inside Advantage Radio Show when you call to make an appointment. Call my office to make an appointment to meet with me, Windus A. Fernandez Brinkkord. The number to call is 858.314.5169. That is 858.314.5169.

You should also know that the securities and advisory services are offered through National Planning Corporation.(NPC) Member FINRA, SIPC, and a Registered Investment Advisor.  Trilogy Financial Services and NPC are separate and unrelated Entities.

Windus states: If you would like to post a question for us to answer, you can go to my website at www.kahntaxlaw.com and click on “Radio Show”. You can then enter your question and maybe it will be selected for our show.

Sean, please do the honors of asking the questions today:

Question 1: What if a taxpayer has already filed amended returns reporting income from foreign assets without entering into the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program?

Windus: Amy, this is obviously a question for you, I’ll let you take it away.

Amy replies: When a taxpayer bypasses the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program and instead files the delinquent FBAR’s and amends income tax returns to include foreign income, that we call is a “quiet disclosure”.

Amy continues: The IRS is aware that some taxpayers have made “quiet disclosures” by filing amended returns, by filing delinquent FBARs, and paying any related tax and interest for previously unreported income from foreign assets without otherwise notifying the IRS. Because of this the IRS has put procedures in place whereby its computers can detect these filings and now open up examinations or investigations against these taxpayers. Our firm has already seen this happen.

Amy continues: That is why taxpayers who have already made “quiet disclosures” are encouraged to participate in OVDP by submitting an application, along with copies of their previously filed returns (original and amended), and all other required documents and information to the IRS’s Voluntary Disclosure Unit. By doing this taxpayers are protected from criminal prosecution and obtain the favorable penalty structure offered under OVDP. Unlike a voluntary disclosure through OVDP, quiet disclosures provide no protection from criminal prosecution and may lead to civil examination and the imposition of all applicable penalties. And remember, once the IRS starts an examination or investigation, it is too late to enter into OVDP.

Windus states: Clearly the landscape has changed for those with foreign accounts which we why you need to contact …The Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn as they will provide you with a Tax Resolution Plan which is a $500.00 value for free as long as you mention the Inside Advantage Radio Show when you call to make an appointment. The number to call to make an appointment to meet with Jeffrey Kahn right here in downtown San Diego or at one of his other offices close to you is 866.494.6829. That is 866.494.6829.

Sean asks Question 2: In what situation would you take social security at 62 versus 67 or 70?

Windus: I love this question. I go over this with clients in all different situations. Just to tie this into our first segment, this is very much a Monday morning quarterback issue. Unless you can tell me definitively when you are going to die, we wouldn’t know for sure. There is certainly guidance I can give you though. In many cases if you are married, you can be creative and wait until full retirement age, opt to take your spousal benefit and the switch to your benefit at 70. Social security grows at an 8% growth rate from your normal retirement age until 70. I’ve had clients tell me that they aren’t going to live a day past 80. If that is the case, taking it at 62 will likely earn more money. There is great software that helps us navigate this. It allows us to take in to consideration if you aren’t married now but have been for more than 10 years and we can take a look at the spousal versus your own benefit. If you are going to live until 100 we can tell you how much more you’d earn if you were to take it early versus wait. In some cases, waiting earns you $100,000 over the course of your life. If that was the case, why would you wait? This question is really about being armed with the knowledge on how to navigate the system and we have some great tools for that.

Windus states: Well we are reaching the end of our show.

Remember you can send us your questions by visiting the kahntaxlaw website at www.kahntaxlaw.com.

Windus states: Sean, thank you for joining us, hope to have you back again. Amy, thank you for calling in! Have a great weekend everyone.