Guest Article

To have and to hold and happily ever after is a nice dream, but into every married life a little reality about money must fall. Enter the prenuptial agreement, aka the prenup. This contract between prospective spouses clarifies the rights and obligations of the parties during their marriage – and during the sometimes-ugly aftermath should they separate, divorce, annul the marriage, or die. Prenups can help couples set financial expectations for the marriage, including whether they’ll have a joint bank account and file taxes together, among many other matters. Given the sensitive nature of these conversations, it’s important to know how to advise on such an important document. What do your clients need to know?

We've been expanding our conversation on how a solid online presence is crucial for professionals in every field, including Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). So far, we covered Linkedin and X (previously Twitter). In this article, we will delve into Instagram, a platform traditionally dominated by lifestyle, fashion, and food influencers; it now offers a unique opportunity for accountants and CPAs to connect with potential clients, showcase their expertise, and provide an insider's view into their work processes. We will explore creative ways you can leverage Instagram to enhance your professional brand and connect with your audience through engaging visual content and storytelling. Unlike LinkedIn and X, you can post on Instagram (IG for short) in three main ways.

In the prior article "Tax Trends in M&A and What It Means for Your Clients," we had discussed certain techniques to, e.g., maximize net operating loss (“NOL”) and interest expense deduction utilization in the context of M&A transactions. This article examines certain additional strategies to monetize expiring, latent, or otherwise disallowed tax attributes.

On the website for Axium Wealth, Charles Dombek tells us that: “Most CPAs are historians that tell their clients how much they make, how much they owe, when and where to file their taxes, and oftentimes how to write large checks at the last minute when you least expect.” When it comes to Axium, though: “We help clients recover dollars they unnecessarily pay in State and Federal income taxes.” Axium also helps clients diversify capital into off-market passive real estate and alternative investments. Before Axium, there was The Optimal-Financial Group LLC. Of course many of the readers of Think Outside The Tax Box are CPAs, or EAs or others who both help their clients be compliant and advise on ways to minimize their liability. When I was practicing I would call the things I might suggest my “bag of tricks.”

It's been said that the United States Tax Court is "a vital cog in the financial machinery of the country," and October proved that point yet again.

As states increasingly focus on taxing digital products, tax professionals need to be aware of how these changes will affect their clients and businesses. The Multistate Tax Commission (MTC) is at the forefront of efforts to create more uniform approaches to taxing digital goods, and their proposals could have far-reaching consequences for compliance, pricing strategies, and audit risks. Here’s a breakdown of the major proposals under consideration and how they will impact sellers of digital products—and the tax professionals advising them.

A penalty specifically for taxpayers who have made a mistake on their return. That's how I explain the accuracy related penalty to taxpayers. This penalty carries a punch as well, with 20% of the tax the IRS didn't receive due to the taxpayer making a mistake. This seems harsh out of context. The reason for this harshness is because the IRS considers these "mistakes" to be intentional due to taxpayer negligence. This is one of the reasons at my firm that we encourage our clients to take their time when filling out the intake form and gathering their documents. Omitting an income document can be costly in the end to both you and your client. The IRS will hit your client with penalties that they could have avoided, and you may compromise the integrity of your firm.

Clients who recently graduated college brim with enthusiasm for adult life. If they’re like most other adults, they’re less enthusiastic about tax strategies and probably don’t know much about grown ups’ taxes. Some might not even know filing deadlines and may never have filed a 1040. Withholding, deductions and dependency, saving for retirement and lowering taxable income: It’s always difficult to realize all that others don’t know about taxes, and here’s how to continue these young clients’ education.