Edition 45

A TOTTB Live Webinar Event sponsored by our friends at RCReports! For two decades the IRS has been preparing an assault on reasonable compensation for S Corps. Their arsenal is now fully locked and loaded. In it, there is everything from commonsense tools to obscure memos. We will explore key court cases, IRS guidelines, preparer penalties and some of the obscure weapons the IRS has put in place. We debunk common myths and fiction on how reasonable compensation should be calculated and replace it with facts and methodologies that the IRS relies on.

Evie and I withdrew from active tax practice in 2018, but she maintains a sort of family and friend's freebie practice using Drake. I help a little. We have been struggling with difficulty getting the information for one of our “clients” as we watch the ultimate October 15 deadline creeps up on us. She is in Florida in one of the counties covered by President Biden’s disaster declaration relative to Hurricane Ian. So it was sort of a relief to find out that we have another three months to get the return done. In this case it is not a huge benefit since interest will still clock if there turns out to be a balance due, since the payment was due on April 18. “Certain deadlines” falling on or after September 23, 2022 and before February 15, 2023 are postponed through February 15, 2023. Read on to learn more!

Self-directed IRAs (SDIRAs) have long been a vehicle for less traditional investments that can't be held in a normal IRA, such as precious metals, real estate, or tax liens. Cryptocurrency is the newest addition to that list of alternative retirement savings and has exponentially grown in popularity in recent years. The rules governing SDIRAs are complex, and taxpayers can easily and unknowingly violate the rules, resulting in the entire IRA being deemed distributed and potentially subject to tax. As the famous adage says, "with great [investment] power comes great responsibility." Keep reading to learn more!

The fourth quarter just started and it's time to have your clients take a look at their financial services game plan. With interest rates approaching historic highs now is the time to review financial accounts to ensure high returns on cash investments, optimize reward-bearing accounts, and minimize interest paid and fees for financial products and accounts. The goal of this review is to ensure that investments and rewards programs are tuned for optimal results and to minimize interest and fees throughout next year. I won’t be providing much in the way of specific, prescriptive advice. I am not a registered investment advisor or a certified financial planner, nor do I recommend specific products, services, or institutions (other than a subscription to this publication). Rather, I will be providing a framework for the review, encouraging you to ask good questions about the goals for the various accounts, and reminding you to consider the big picture as well as the role each part plays in it. Let’s get started!