Individual Strategies

The Bucket List (Part 2): Living Large in Retirement While Minimizing Your Taxes

In Part 1 of this series, we took a deeper dive into IRMAA planning and minimizing tax on your Social Security benefits. You play a large role in shaping your retirement years in terms of lifestyle and financial health. Think of taking advantage of the many techniques to lower your tax during your retirement years as another aspect of self-care. By treating your financial health and well-being as carefully as you treat your mental and physical well-being, you can ensure that you have resources to attain your financial goals and support yourself in the style for which you’ve planned. In my practice, I see a wide range of client behavior surrounding retirement – from no planning to thoughtful, long-range planning. Looking ahead, whether you’re working with your tax professional and financial team or whether you’re planning on your own, pays off enormously.
Please read on for some additional tips and techniques for tax savings involving charitable giving, Roth IRA conversions, and minimizing capital gains taxes – and two more examples.

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Think Outside the Tax Box provides tax reduction strategies along with practical implementation advice in order to reduce your clients’ federal tax bill with ease.

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CURRENT EDITION

Charitable Impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Thomas Gorczynski, EA USTCP CTP

For charitable-minded taxpayers, several provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3 Act) will impact the tax reduction associated with their charitable giving starting next year in 2026. In one case, the change increases the deductible amount, but all other changes surprisingly reduce the value of charitable contribution deductions. This article will review how the OB3 Act changed the charitable contribution deduction landscape and strategies for tax year 2025 and beyond to maximize the tax reduction value from charitable contributions.

A Tax Tailored for Twenty-Six: OBBBA’s Impact on College Endowments

Peter J Reilly CPA

Chapter 4 of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA) is titled “Investing In American Families, Communities.” Subchapter B of Chapter 4 is “Permanent investments in students and reforms to tax-exempt institutions.” That is where you will find “Modification of excise tax on investment income of certain private colleges and universities.” What is really amusing about this rewrite of IRC Section 4968 “Excise tax based on investment income of private colleges and universities” is that it applies to such a small number of institutions that you can identify them with a decent degree of certainty from publicly available information. The tax does not apply to state universities.

10 Key Things Tax Professionals Should Know About State and Local Business Incentives

Garret Wasny, MA, CMC, CITP/FITP

State and local business tax incentives are powerful tools that can significantly reduce a company’s tax burden and influence business decisions. Every U.S. state offers some form of incentive to attract or retain businesses, from tax credits and exemptions to cash grants and property tax abatements. For experienced tax professionals, understanding these incentives is crucial for effective tax planning and helping clients maximize savings. Below are ten key things to know about state and local business incentives, along with real-world examples and actionable insights. We’ll also wrap up with essential dos and don’ts when advising clients on these programs.