Solo Biz Owner? No Employees? Is the Mega Backdoor Roth for You?
If you are a business owner with no employees and prefer Roth-style retirement savings, you may want to consider the mega backdoor Roth strategy. This powerful tool allows you to contribute significantly more to a Roth account than the standard Roth IRA or even the regular backdoor Roth route—up to $70,000, or $77,500 if you’re […]
Backdoor Roth IRA Conversions: Smart Move or Hidden Tax Trap?
If you’ve ever wondered how to get more money into a Roth IRA despite income limits, the backdoor Roth IRA conversion strategy may have caught your attention. It’s a smart planning tool for high-income earners—but only when used with care. First, a quick refresher: Roth IRAs offer two powerful benefits—tax-free withdrawals in retirement (if you […]
Beat the Estimated Tax Penalty with Strategic Withholding
If you’re making quarterly estimated tax payments, missing a deadline can be costly. The IRS currently charges a 7 percent penalty for underpayments—and since penalties aren’t deductible, the real cost can feel closer to 11 percent. But here’s good news: strategic withholding can often help you avoid or erase those penalties—even late in the year. […]
Wildfires, Floods, Hurricanes: How the IRS Has You Back
Disasters are all over the news these days. Severe calamities that cause widespread damage, such as large wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes, ordinarily result in a disaster declaration by the U.S. president. There’s nothing good about a disaster, but at least the tax law can help disaster victims in various ways. And recent changes […]
The Way to Ask You C or S Corporation for Travel Reimbursements
Here’s a short note on your payments of corporate expenses. Your Corporation is a Separate Legal Entity As a business owner operating through a corporation, you need to remember that the corporation is a distinct legal entity separate from you. Avoiding Costly Mistakes If you incur expenses related to business travel, meals, lodging, or mileage […]
The Best Sole Proprietorship Retirement Plans to Reduce Your 2024 Tax Bill
Are you looking for ways to reduce your 2024 tax bill while securing your financial future? Setting up a self-employed retirement plan could be your solution—and it’s not too late! You have several options that can provide significant tax savings, including the following: SEP-IRA. Simple to set up and allows contributions of up to $69,000 […]
IRS Incorrectly Disallows $120,000 Tesla Model X Tax Write-Off
Did you purchase a 2022 Tesla Model X (or a similar vehicle) and claim 100 percent bonus depreciation on your 2022 tax return? If so, you should know that the IRS has incorrectly disallowed these deductions, arguing that the Model X is a passenger automobile subject to luxury auto depreciation limits. In a case we […]
Inherited IRAs Critical IRS Updates for 2025
If you have inherited (or may someday inherit) an individual retirement account (IRA), the 2025 changes may significantly impact your tax planning. Key Updates RMD requirements. Starting in 2025, annual required minimum distributions (RMDs) are mandatory for most inherited IRAs. Failure to comply may result in penalties of up to 25 percent, reducible to 10 […]
Can Real Estate Professional Status Free Up Old Passive Losses?
Deducting your rental property tax losses against your other income is tricky, as you likely know. You have to get the tax law to treat you—say, a computer engineer—as a tax-code–defined real estate professional. Let’s say you get there. Does that status allow immediate use of suspended passive losses? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Here’s […]
Tax-Free Home Sale: When and Why You Need to Report to the IRS
You’re probably aware that when you sell your home, you may exclude up to $250,000 of your gain from tax if you’re unmarried (or married, filing separately) and $500,000 if you are married and file jointly. To claim the whole exclusion, you must have owned and lived in your home as your principal residence for […]
Are you a Real Estate Dealer or Investor?
If you buy and sell real estate, you need to know the difference between being classified for tax purposes as a real estate dealer versus a real estate investor. Real estate dealers are in the business of buying and selling real property—property is their inventory. Real estate investors own property primarily to earn income from […]
2024 Year-End Strategies for Crypto Investors
If you’re in the market for a new car, the federal government would like you to purchase an electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV). In 2022, Congress enacted the Inflation Reduction Act, which revamped and expanded tax credits for EVs purchased during 2023 and later. As a result of the new law, there […]