After my second busy season as a solo practitioner, I made a terrible mistake within my firm. I hired my first employee. As a matter of fact, I hired someone who also had tax and accounting experience. You may be thinking, “What? Hiring is the solution if you were feeling overwhelmed.” That is true, if you are assuming that I had the proper systems in place. The mistake I made was hiring an employee before I was ready. The money was there and ready. The work was there and ready. It only took a few weeks to realize that I didn’t have a capacity issue. I had a systems and processes issue. I am not suggesting that you should work yourself to full capacity, absolutely not. I am suggesting that before you attempt to pass along a task to someone else or put in place automation that you have a written-out process.

On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) became law, representing the most significant reform of the QOZ program since its inception. It made the program permanent, tightened eligibility rules, introduced a rural-focused investment vehicle, and imposed robust reporting requirements. For tax professionals and investors, understanding these changes isn’t just about compliance – it’s also about strategy.

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.

President Trump’s campaign promises oriented toward working stiffs and geezers – No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, No Tax on Car Loan Interest, No Tax on Social Security – were not precisely fulfilled in the Big Beautiful Bill, but they were not ignored. Rather than the exclusion implied by “No Tax,” we get deductions. Just so we don’t miss the connection, the first three get their own chapter in the Big Beautiful Bill – Delivering on Presidential Priorities to Provide New Middle-Class Tax Relief. The bone thrown to seniors is an exemption.

The Senate just passed the most significant SALT deduction changes since 2017, and most tax professionals are missing the real opportunity. While everyone's celebrating the increase from $10,000 to $40,000, there's a hidden tax trap that creates effective marginal rates exceeding 45% -- and that's your biggest planning goldmine.

Enacted into law on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is the biggest set of tax law changes since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The provisions discussed in this article impact individual taxpayers for tax year 2025 and must be considered immediately for proactive tax planning purposes, future tax withholding, and estimated tax payment calculations. Clients have questions, and we can generally give them the answers they seek; however, some will require future IRS guidance for complete clarity.

Tax season is prosperous, summer is dry until extension season. Do you find yourself in that cycle? Clients are “easy” to get during tax season when taxes are top of mind. Then the direct deposits go dry by June, and you are looking for what’s next. Stop the search, you don’t have to add another service. You need better marketing to highlight the service that you offer and specialize in. This will allow you to have a predictable client pipeline. You can do tax preparation, planning, and or representation all year long.

There are a few tax tips for people with disabilities that I think are not as well-known as they should be. They can also be applicable to their parents or others who care about them. This is not meant to be a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of how taxation and disability interact. Rather it is to alert you to some things I think should be more widely known. One thing to keep in mind is that some of the parents and grandparents of disabled adults don’t necessarily share this part of their personal life, so you may be surprised at how this information might be valuable and appreciated by some of your clients.