Though 2025 was a gamechanger in many ways, Tax Court went on resolving controversies both arcane and mundane. Inventive counsel tried extending Supreme Court pronouncements and stretching narrow jurisdictional limits as always, Tax Court dealt with the Supreme Court's efforts to bring "discipline" to Tax Court practice, and self-represented petitioners continued to wander into sand traps of their own making.

So as I did last year, I have reviewed a multitude of year-end tax tips articles. One of them is a real standout that you should be sure to check out. If you missed it, you should definitely roll back to the November 15 edition and go over Dominique Molina’s piece, which focuses on what you need to do sooner rather than later in response to OBBBA. It provides more detailed, relevant, actionable advice that you won’t see anywhere else than any of the multitude of pieces I have reviewed. As for the rest, I will give you a basic rundown of what I call the SOSO (same old, same old) and a few suggestions that stand out as different that I will get into a little more along with some thoughts of my own.

When most people think about saving for the future, their minds jump to retirement accounts—401(k)s, IRAs, maybe even defined benefit plans. But business owners have another option that often goes overlooked: using a C corporation as a strategic savings vehicle. By leveraging the flat 21% corporate tax rate, smart income shifting, and careful timing of distributions, business owners can “stockpile” cash inside a corporation, building wealth for future use without the red tape of traditional retirement plans. Want to see how top tax strategists legally use C corporations as private retirement vaults while avoiding double taxation and IRS scrutiny? Continue reading to learn the blueprint.

Jessica, a self-employed consultant, was thrilled when she found a viral TikTok video promising a “little-known” tax trick. The video claimed she could get a huge refund by claiming a special Fuel Tax Credit and even writing off her family’s beach vacation as a business expense. Following the advice, Jessica filed an amended tax return and waited eagerly for a windfall. A few months later, instead of a refund check, Jessica received a stern IRS notice. Her so-called credits were disallowed, her refund was denied, and she now faced penalties. Jessica isn’t alone. Every tax season, well-intentioned taxpayers get lured by false tax advice on social media, only to end up in trouble. As tax professionals, we often meet panicked clients like Jessica who need our help to untangle the mess.

An updated website launches, the economic substance codification is applied, Loper Bright Entrprs. marches on but hits the statute, and the syndicated conservation easement flood continues, as Tax Court pushes through the government shutdown. The biennial examination for non-attorney admission to Tax Court took place as scheduled.

When is a business really a business? As Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said in 1964, “I know it when I see it.” The US Tax Court, however, maintains a slightly less subjective standard. The Roots were pretty sure they were running a bona fide business; the IRS, however, didn’t share the sentiment. And since we’re reading about them in a segment called “Lessons Learned,” one should assume it did not go the way the Roots would have liked.

There is a great scene in the movie On The Basis Of Sex. The actors portraying Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband, Martin Ginsberg, a very high-level tax attorney, early in their careers are reading in separate rooms. He comes in with something he wants her to read and she snaps that she doesn’t read Tax Court cases. In that moment she showed her future as a Supreme Court Justice. Not many Tax Court cases reach the Supreme Court. So when one does it’s exciting. And, as it happens, Commissioner of Internal Revenue v Zuch contains some practical lessons worth considering.

In mid-November a portrait of a young Vietnamese woman by the artist Gustav Klimt, which was part of the estate of the late Leonard Lauder (the cosmetics billionaire), was sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $236.4 million. It set the record for the most expensive work of modern art ever sold at auction according to Bloomberg. That’s probably out of reach for most of our clients. But what if they could join together to buy an interest in the painting with an entity holding the asset? That’s the idea behind the burgeoning fractional art market. While, in general, the art market has been struggling for a few years, the fractional art market has been expanding. According to the website Digital Original, “Fractional art ownership is no longer a niche concept – it’s a growing investment trend that’s accessible, flexible, and supported by cutting-edge technology.” What, you may be asking, does this have to do with taxes? It may be more than you think for your high-net-worth clients. As a trusted advisor it’s important that you are aware of both the types of investment opportunities your clients may be buying into and the tax consequences.