Blog

While many things are dividing the world right now, it’s good to know people can still unite around shared interests… like college basketball. According to an American Gaming Association (AGA) survey, something like 45 million people planned to wager $3.1...

When the tax deadline looms (this year’s is little more than a month out), a lot of Lakewood Ranch people start rushing to slap things together before the deadline expires. But in all the rushing, it’s easy to get on thin ice… and fast.So, let’s talk about what can...

Believe me, I’ve seen some of the craziest tax claims in my office over the years, but claiming captured military equipment hasn’t been one of them. Recently the Ukrainian government assured its people they wouldn’t be held liable for taxation on any Russian...

Change is sneaky… and (often) sudden, catching the best of us off guard and forcing us to scramble for some steady ground. Just consider the war in Ukraine. We’ve all been surprised by how quickly things have escalated in the last two weeks and by the devastation...

Congratulations, you’ve won the lottery!The IRS audit lottery, that is.If you’re being audited by the IRS, you’re in a very select group. Since the IRS audits less than one-quarter of one percent of all income tax returns – that’s less than 1 out of 400 – it’s a very...

The world seems to be hanging on a razor's edge.There’s a lot of fear going around with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. With a 24-hour news cycle, a heap of different internet sources, social media feeds, and more, it’s difficult to not give in to it all… and...

Well, before I jump into money management for teens, let’s focus on the fact that a month has gone by since the beginning of tax season. And boy has it been a veritable whirlwind of activity in the Casement Group, LLC office. We’ve got our arms deep in the returns of...

Before I get into today’s discussion on how to reduce taxes in retirement, let’s talk about the combined excitement of the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and Valentine’s Day that has swept Lakewood Ranch homes and businesses the past week. A surge of football parties,...

So, I’m not one for constant gloom-and-doom talk, but I do believe in giving it to you straight. And here it is:Things at the IRS are a maelstrom of hot mess. Some very serious voices are sounding the alarm of impending disaster at the agency ... and no one really...

Before I get into discussing the pros and cons of long-term care insurance, let’s talk about the weather… yeap… the weather.Warm and sunny temps marked the holiday season for most of the US in 2021, ruining visions of a white Christmas. Now, at the beginning of 2022,...

Imagine, for a moment, that you owed the IRS $5,000 on your tax return last year. You filed your return and sent a check a few weeks later via USPS.Then, 3 months later, they hadn’t cashed the check and were sending you new collection notices. Plus, they started...

Ding ding ding! Open season on 2021 tax filing has officially begun, and we’re already rolling up our sleeves and getting to work on tax returns for some of our Lakewood Ranch clients.With all the backlog and changes at the IRS, getting ahead of the tax storm is going...