Most lawsuit settlements are taxed, but there’s an important exception: compensatory damages for personal physical injuries or physical sickness are tax free under Section 104 of the tax code. However, exactly what qualifies has been hotly debated for decades. Damages for emotional injuries are fully taxable, yet if you have emotional injuries triggered by physical ones, the damages for the emotional injuries are also tax-free. It can make taxing emotional distress and physical sickness a kind of chicken and egg issue. Settlement wording matters, as does the complaint. Adding to the confusion, exactly what is ‘physical’ is not defined. Traditionally,…

Precious metals miners specializing in the extraction of gold and silver from the earth had a good week. These five – four of the NYSE and one on the Nasdaq – blasted to new price highs mid-week before pulling back a bit on Friday. A widely followed gold stocks ETF also showed a new high. Two factors are at work: inflation and fear. That Donald Trump tariffs are basically inflationary have money managers looking for hedges and the classic for that is precious metals. That’s one of the reasons for this week’s price run-up in silver and silver stocks –…