As we already mentioned, there are two main ways to earn passive income: investment dividends or capital gains. Both depend heavily on how your money is taxed. In this article, we will go into more detail about that.
First, let’s take a look at what defines as a “passive” source of income.
A passive source of income isn’t one where you have to work long hours to make enough money. For example, if you own a restaurant, you do not need to spend much time working to generate a large income. You can sleep until noon every day and still have a successful business.
That being said, most people who achieve success in the investing world require some level of effort throughout the year. This includes keeping up-to-date on current investments, reading financial newspapers, researching new stocks, etc. It takes time! But it's the continuous process that makes the difference between a small amount of revenue and big amounts of revenue.
Investments are typically considered active sources of income because you have to be present for them to keep producing revenue. However, some types of investments may be able to enter passive mode once done. We will discuss those next.
One of the most popular passive income tax shelter strategies in America is owning real estate. This is arguably one of the highest taxes owed on your savings depending on how you use it!
In fact, according to Forbes, “The top 1% paid an average of $633,000 in additional federal income tax due to their house holdings in 2017”. The very next tier (the 0.1%) only had to pay around $13,000 more in taxes!
This is why many people with large amounts of money own several homes. However, this isn’t always the best way to structure your wealth.
There are some rules that determine whether or not investing in real estate is a good tax strategy. In this article, we will talk about some important points about investing in real estate as well as what kinds of income can be derived from it.
In general, if you are lucky enough to make money investing in stocks or other capital assets, your income includes a small tax deduction for the “losses” that you incurred when you sold the asset.
This is what is called capital gain. The reason why this only applies to investment securities is because it is considered part of your overall income, not just from selling an item, but also by owning them.
However, if you instead use the proceeds from the sale to pay down debt, then this could be seen as a non-taxable expense. This would reduce your taxable income.
Depending on how much debt you have, this can add up to significant savings in taxes every year.
Furthermore, if you hold onto an asset longer than the IRS stipulates, you may face higher capital gains rates and/or additional fees!
Tax laws differ slightly from state to state, so make sure to do your research before buying or selling any items.
One of the most important ways to ensure your success as an entrepreneur is having enough money to succeed. This is what allows you to start the business, make changes to it, and keep investing in it.
A seed round or initial funding comes down to how much money you have to begin spending on your company.
By raising this money before you even launch your business, you increase your chances of succeeding greatly!
It’s difficult to become successful without capital, so why not use that energy to help you achieve your dreams?
Many entrepreneurs fail to obtain their needed funds due to two major reasons: lack of knowledge about financing opportunities and finance jargon.
Luckily, we have gathered some helpful information for you here! We will go over different types of financing, how they work, and examples of each in the seed stage. So let’t get started!
Types of Financing For Your Business
1. Private loans
Private loan providers are third party organizations (we would say “outside sources”) that offer small credit lines to individuals or businesses seeking quick access to cash.
These lenders typically require collateral, such as a house or car title, as well as personal guarantees from the borrowers.
Because private loans are more expensive than credit cards, they are usually only accessible to those with good credit.
As we mentioned earlier, one of the major ways that most people incur additional tax liabilities is by donating or offering large donations to charities.
Donating typically requires you to report your income, itemize deductions, and calculate your charitable contribution deduction. If you’re very wealthy, you can choose not to contribute because you are able to claim excessive deductible expenses!
This isn’t fair for other people who don’t have the same opportunities, but it is something we should acknowledge as part of our society.
Furthermore, many individuals derive much of their self-esteem from their involvement in community organizations, so giving away money frequently may hurt your overall feeling about yourself.
If you want to remain neutral politically, give less money now! It will cost you nothing but potentially lower your personal satisfaction. (Note: Giving away money to help others is always a good thing)
Taxpayers are allowed to deduct certain amounts they pay in charity dues annually, including membership fees in professional associations like the SPCA or The Sierra Club. However, these annual dues must be paid for an entire year to qualify as a deductible expense.
So if you're constantly switching memberships, this wouldn't count towards your charitable contributions. Luckily, there are some easier ways to donate more effectively than just by giving to charity, which we'll discuss next.
As we mentioned before, you do not have to be licensed as an employee or independent contractor of someone else to make passive income. However, if you are offering your services to other people for pay, you will likely need to file some kind of tax document (called Form 1099) with your accountant indicating what money you received and from whom.
This is because even though people may want to call you their employee or consultant, you are actually self-employed. You set your own hours and terms, and you receive full salary that is taxed like any other income.
You also owe payroll taxes similar to employees. This includes Social Security and Medicare fees, as well as state unemployment insurance premiums. If you work through an employer, they also include health benefits.
There are several ways to go about paying these fees, but most employers offer access to an employment tax account where you can deposit funds at no cost to yourself.
