Archive

The Cliff at $62,601 and the Wire Cutters in the Same Bill

The repayment cap is gone; the IRS wants every dollar back.

Sep 9, 2026

•

3 min read

They Risk $340. You Lose $2,750.

The penalty for a wrong W-2 is $340. Your lost refund is $2,750.

Sep 8, 2026

•

3 min read

Box 1i Tracks a Rule That Does Not Exist Yet

Your broker is already reporting a rule that doesn't exist yet.

Sep 7, 2026

•

4 min read

W-2 Box 3 Decides If You Keep Your Catch-Up

Your neighbor with the same income keeps the full deduction. You don't.

Sep 4, 2026

•

3 min read

How the IRS Matching Computer Loses Its Inputs

The $400 line hasn't moved since 1951. Nobody talks about it.

Sep 3, 2026

•

3 min read

Section 6045A Exists for Shares. Not for Your Coins.

Five percent of your trades qualify as covered. The rest show zero cost.

Sep 2, 2026

•

3 min read

$2M Gain, 50% Excluded, $318K to the IRS Anyway

Half your gain is excluded. The other half is taxed like a gold bar.

Sep 1, 2026

•

3 min read

The $114,000 Gap Congress Cut From Your Write-off Ceiling

Congress restored bonus depreciation and shrank the drain.

Aug 31, 2026

•

3 min read

How Phantom Income Works Inside OZ Funds

A 3.8% surtax on a gain that never hit your bank account.

Aug 28, 2026

•

3 min read

Same S-Corp, Same Million, One Owner Saved $117,857 More

Section 199A is permanent now. The wrong setting compounds forever.

Aug 27, 2026

•

4 min read

The IRS Now Taxes $53,000 of Every Million Your Trust Sends Out

The form doesn't flag it. The trust just pays more.

Aug 26, 2026

•

3 min read

They Painted the Wall While the Pipe Still Floods the Basement

One IRA dollar creates $1.85 in taxable income inside the torpedo zone.

Aug 25, 2026

•

2 min read