As a first step, see if muni yields are a better deal than taxable bond yields in
your federal and state tax brackets.
I've consulted charts of
federal and state tax brackets, which are a bit dense for the layman.
Unfortunately, most investors will be in lower
federal and state tax brackets upon retirement since they will lose their primary sources of income (wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, tips, etc.).
Not exact matches
Municipal bond funds are exempt from paying
federal taxes,
and in some case even exempt from
state taxes... Most investors that invest in mumi funds are in the higher
tax bracket, so muni funds are a good choice, to avoid being
taxed on the dividends.
During the asset accumulation period, investors stay in 39.6 %
federal tax bracket, with a 5.2 %
state tax and 3.8 % a Medicare
tax.
Compounding the problem, President Trump
and congressional Republicans aim to eliminate or curtail
state and local
tax deductions to help pay for
federal income -
tax rate cuts in top
brackets.
From our example above, a person making $ 4,000 per month, or $ 48,000 per year, would be in the 25 %
federal income
tax bracket (
and this doesn't include
state and local income
tax).
You don't pay income
tax on the money when you contribute it (during your working life when your salary is high
and you are in a high percentage
tax «
bracket», i.e.
Federal tax is 25 - 33 %
and state tax is 0 - 12 %).
For example, if you increase your monthly 401K contribution amount by $ 500,
and you're in the 30 %
tax bracket (between
federal and state income
taxes), your take home pay will only decrease by $ 350 vs. the full $ 500 (more on 401K payroll deductions here).
For example, if you are in the 25 %
federal tax bracket and 8 %
state tax bracket, your
tax savings could be as much as 33 % of your traditional IRA contribution.
Do you know what
tax brackets you are in for both
federal and state?
Say you are in the 35 %
bracket for
federal income
tax and 10 % for
state income
tax — that's a combined marginal
tax rate of 45 %.
You might be in the 25 % marginal
tax bracket for
federal income
taxes, but on top of this you might add, say 7 % for
state income
taxes, 7.65 % for FICA,
and say, 2 % for municipal income
taxes, for a total marginal
tax rate of 41.65 %.
In both instances, people likely to be in high
tax brackets after retirement may prefer to hold a high proportion of municipal bonds, which are generally exempt from
federal tax and sometimes from
state and local
taxes as well.
States and cities that impose income
taxes typically have their own
brackets, with rates that are usually lower than the
federal government's.
This rate includes the current top -
bracket Federal rate,
State taxes of 5.1 %, FICA
taxes of 2.35 %,
and the Pease Amendment Surtax of 1.2 %.
In general, the interest paid on municipal bonds is exempt from
federal taxes and sometimes
state and local
taxes as well.1 The higher your
tax bracket, the more you might benefit from investing in munis.
If you are in the 25 %
federal and 8 %
state tax brackets, contributing to a spousal traditional IRA could save you up to an additional $ 1,650 ($ 2,000 if age 50 or older) in income
taxes.
But if you're in one of the top
federal income
tax brackets and live in a
state with high income
taxes, you may come out ahead with a
tax - free fund.
For example, if you are in the 28 %
federal tax bracket and pay 4 %
state income
taxes, enter 32 % for your personal income
tax rate.
Speaking to investment income, a NJ taxpayer in the top
tax bracket in all categories pays 39.6 % in Federal tax, 8.97 % in direct NJ State Tax and Obamacare 3.8 % tax on investment income (muni bonds are exemp
tax bracket in all categories pays 39.6 % in
Federal tax, 8.97 % in direct NJ State Tax and Obamacare 3.8 % tax on investment income (muni bonds are exemp
tax, 8.97 % in direct NJ
State Tax and Obamacare 3.8 % tax on investment income (muni bonds are exemp
Tax and Obamacare 3.8 %
tax on investment income (muni bonds are exemp
tax on investment income (muni bonds are exempt).
The Liberals have
stated their first priority will be to cut the
federal tax rate from 22 % to 20.5 % for the middle income -
tax bracket, which affects Canadians with taxable annual income between about $ 45,000
and $ 90,000.
Imagine you are in the 24 % marginal
federal income
tax bracket and a 6 %
state income
tax bracket, for a combined marginal rate of 30 %.
If, for example, you receive a $ 1,000 monthly housing allowance from the military, you're in the 25 %
federal tax bracket and your
state has no income
tax, that $ 1,000 can be counted as $ 1,333 in pretax monthly income.
For example, if your gross income is $ 100,000
and you paid $ 15,000 in
federal taxes, $ 1,000 in
state taxes,
and $ 5,000 in FICA
taxes, then your average
tax bracket was 21 %.
For someone in a 34 %
tax bracket (
Federal &
State), the investment return on the separate accounts may average 10 %,
and at say age 75 the policy's death benefit would have an internal rate of return of 9 %.