Unit 5 Flashcards
What is a section 529 plan?
is a specific type of education savings account available to investors. The plans allow money saved to be used for qualified expenses for K-12 and post-secondary education.
What are some QUALIFIED EXPENSES under section 529 plan?
include TUITION at an elementary or secondary public, private, or religious school for up to $10,000 per year.
What are the two basic types of 529 plans?
PREPAID TUITION PLANS for STATE RESIDENTS and
SAVINGS PLANS for RESIDENTS AND NONRESIDENTS.
What is a PREPAID TUITION PLAN?
allows RESIDENT DONORS to LOCK IN CURRENT TUITION RATES by PAYING NOW for FUTURE EDUCATION COSTS.
What are SAVINGS PLANS?
allows donors to save money to be used later for education expenses.
True or False
An adult has to be related to an individual in order to open a 529 plan for a future college student?
False
The donor does not have to be related to the student.
Explain the process of the 529 plan
With a 529 plan, the donor can invest a lump sum or make periodic payments.
When the student is ready for college, the donor withdraws the amount needed to pay for qualified education expenses (e.g., tuition, room and board, and books).
Withdrawals for nonqualified expenses will be subject to taxes on any gains and a 10% penalty on the gains.
Contributions, which are considered gifts under federal tax law, are made with after-tax dollars, and earnings accumulate on a tax-deferred basis.
When are WITHDRAWALS considered TAX-FREE?
at the FEDERAL LEVEL if they are used for QUALIFIED EDUCATION EXPENSES.
MOST STATES permit TAX-FREE WITHDRAWALS as long as the DONOR has opened an IN-STATE PLAN.
Mr. Hermosillo would like to save money for his 10-year-old daughter’s college tuition costs.
She has her heart set on a small liberal arts school with a growing reputation in the arts.
His biggest concern is the POTENTIAL INCREASE IN COST over the next several years.
The program best suited to hedge against the increasing cost of college tuition at the school is
A. a 529 prepaid tuition program.
B. a 529 college savings program.
C. a Coverdell ESA account.
D. a custodial account in the child’s name.
A. a 529 prepaid tuition program.
Your customer, Mr. Hernandez, has been saving money in 529 college savings plans for his three nephews.
The oldest nephew is awarded an athletic scholarship valued at $15,000 at a major university.
Mr. Hernandez may do any of the following EXCEPT
A. withdraw the value of the scholarship tax free.
B. transfer the account to one of the brothers.
C. withdraw the value of the scholarship penalty free.
D. leave the money in the account for that nephew’s future use.
A. withdraw the value of the scholarship tax free.
Which of the following DOES NOT have REGULATORY JURISDICTION over the STRUCTURE OR SALE of 529 plans?
A. SEC
B. IRS
C. MSRB
D. Department of Education
D. Department of Education
What will occur if a beneficiary DOES NOT need the funds for school?
there are NO TAX CONSEQUENCES if the donor CHANGES THE DESIGNATED BENEFICIARY to a FAMILY MEMBER OF THE ORIGINAL BENEFICIARY
What will occur if the beneficiary receives a scholarship?
the donor may withdraw the equivalent value from the plan without penalty.
INCOME TAXES on the gains would still apply.
Other relevant points regarding Section 529 plans are as follows
■ Overall CONTRIBUTION LEVELS can VARY from STATE TO STATE.
■ ASSETS IN THE ACCOUNT remain under the DONOR’S CONTROL, even after the student becomes of LEGAL AGE.
■ There are NO INCOME LIMITATIONS on MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS to a 529 plan.
❑ Plans allow for MONTHLY PAYMENTS if desired by the account owner.
❑ Account balances left UNUSED may be TRANSFERRED to a RELATED BENEFICIARY.
❑ Rollovers are permitted from one state’s plan to another state’s plan, but NO MORE THAN ONCE EVERY 12 MONTHS.
What is a PARTNERSHIP?
A partnership is an UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATION of TWO OR MORE INDIVIDUALS.
Partnerships frequently OPEN ACCOUNTS necessary for business purposes.
What does a partnership agreement document include?
stating WHICH OF THE PARTNERS can MAKE TRANSACTIONS for the account.
If the partnership opens a margin account, the partnership MUST DISCLOSE any INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS.
An investment established by states to provide other government entities such as cities or counties a place to invest funds short term is A. an FDIC. B. an ABLE. C. an LGIP. D. a REPO.
C
All of the following are true for an Achieving a Better Life Experience account except
A. the account must be opened before the beneficiary turns 26.
B. the account owner and the beneficiary must be disabled. C. the income is tax free.
D. the onset of the disability must have occurred before the owner turned
A
What are the two types of partnerships?
general partnerships and limited partnerships
General partnership is a __________1____________ but not a ____________2______________.
1 . tax-reporting entity (they report their business results)
2 . tax-paying entity (the owners would pay any taxes)
What is a Direct participation programs (DPPs)?
are unique forms of business that raise money to invest in real estate, oil and gas, equipment leasing, and other similar business ventures. DPPs are not taxed directly as a corporation would be; instead, the income or losses are passed directly through to the owners of the partnership—the investors.
Describe a general partnership
all partners in the business have responsibility to manage the business. Ownership of a general partnership may be unequal, and specific responsibilities may be assigned to specific partners. The partnership agreement would detail the specifics of the partnership. All owners may be held liable for actions of the partnership; there is no liability protection.
True or False
DPPs are considered highly illiquid.
True
An _____________ (similar to a corporate resolution) must be obtained each year if any changes have been made
amended partnership agreement
Describe a limited partnership
LPs are investment opportunities that permit the economic consequences of a business to flow or pass through to investors. The businesses themselves are not tax-paying entities.
What is a disadvantage of a limited partnership?
is the lack of liquidity in the partnership interest. The secondary market for LP interests is extremely limited; investors who wish to sell their interests frequently cannot locate buyers (i.e., interest in the business is not freely transferable).
Who is a general partner?
General partners (GPs) have unlimited liability, meaning that they can be held personally liable for business losses and debts.
What is the most common type of DPP in the securities industry ?
is a limited partnership (LP)
What are the two types of partners involved in a limited partnership?
general partner and the limited partner. An LP must have at least one of each.
Describe limited partnerships in terms of investors?
These programs pass through to investors a share in the income, gains, losses, deductions, and tax credits of the business entity. The investors (partners) would then have the responsibility to report individually to the IRS.
Property in limited partnerships is usually held in the form of and why?
a tenants in common (TIC), which provides limited liability and no management responsibilities to the limited partners.
What is the role of a general partner?
to manage all aspects of the partnership and have a fiduciary responsibility to use the invested capital in the best interest of the investors.
Describe the managerial role general partners play
In managing the partnership, they make decisions that legally bind the partnership, and they buy and sell property for the partnership; they are compensated for fulfilling these duties.
What is the purpose of local government investment pools (LGIPs)?
to provide other government entities, such as cities, counties, school districts, or other state agencies, with a short-term investment vehicle to invest funds. The LGIPs are generally formed as a trust in which municipalities can purchase shares or units in the LGIP’s investment portfolio.
most LGIPs operate similar to
a money market fund
True or False
LGIPs are required to register with the SEC and are subject to the SEC’s regulatory requirements
LGIPs are not required to register with the SEC and are not subject to the SEC’s regulatory requirements, given that LGIPs fall within the governmental exemption, just as municipal securities do. Therefore, investment guidelines and oversight for LGIPs can vary from state to state.
LGIP programs do have ____________ documents
disclosure documents
What are LGIP disclosure documents?
which generally include information statements, investment policy, and operating procedures. The information statement typically details the management fees associated with participation in the LGIP.
What are Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts?
tax-advantaged savings accounts for individuals with disabilities and their families. They were created as a result of the passage of the ABLE Act of 2014.
Describe the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts
The beneficiary of the account is the account owner, and income earned by the accounts is not taxed. The ABLE Act limits eligibility to individuals with significant disabilities where the age of onset of the disability occurred before turning age 26.
At what age is one eligible for Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts?
one need not be under the age of 26 to be eligible to establish an ABLE account. One could be over the age of 26, but as long as the onset of the disability occurred before age 26, one is eligible to establish an ABLE account.