Are you familiar with the charges imposed by the mutual funds you own? Since fund expenses affect your investment return, understanding the costs is an important step in making sound investment decisions. Here are some common charges you’ll want to know about before you invest. Load. A load is a sales charge imposed by the fund. You might think of it as similar to the fee you pay a broker to purchase a stock. Mutual funds

The fourth quarter is often make-or-break time in sports. Likewise, tax-cutting steps you take in the last three months of the year can transform a financial plan into a bona fide winner. Late-year tax planning is often a matter of reviewing your inflows and outflows. For instance, income from capital gains can be subject to both capital gains tax and the 3.8% Medicare surtax. To offset capital gains, you might sell investments that have lost value

It turns out you can go back after all – at least when it comes to last year’s decision to convert your traditional IRA to a Roth. The question is, do you want to? You might, if your circumstances have changed. For example, say the value of the assets in your new Roth account is currently less than when you made the conversion. Changing your mind could save tax dollars. Recharacterizing your Roth conversion lets you

September 15 – Third quarter installment of 2015 individual estimated income tax is due. September 15 – Filing deadline for 2014 tax returns for calendar-year corporations that received an automatic extension of the March 16 filing deadline. September 15 – Filing deadline for 2014 partnership tax returns that received an extension of the April 15 filing deadline. October 1 – Generally, the deadline for businesses to adopt a SIMPLE retirement plan for 2015. October 15 –