In society, bankruptcy no longer carries the humiliating stigma of failure ; which is why there are hundreds of thousands of bankruptcy filings each year. Interestingly enough, filings have been dropping dramatically since 2018. The total individual and business filings for fiscal year 2022 are nearly half of those from 2018. The statistics don’t include specific information about how much tax debt was extinguished in bankruptcy. Filing bankruptcy is not for everyone. It can be a viable option for those people whose tax debt meets certain criteria. The following is a basic overview of the concept...

Many taxpayers lost substantial amounts of money in the crypto collapse of 2022, but what tax consequences come with that loss? Taxpayers may be expecting to be able to deduct the full amount of their crypto losses, and may, unfortunately, find out it isn’t as straightforward as they would like...

If you build a mini business empire and it subsequently fails, a small consolation prize might be a net operating loss carryover that will shelter some or all of your more modest income for many years. Of course NOLs are only one among many carryovers that need tracking. In my experience the tracking often leaves much to be desired. Changes in tax preparers or even software can result in the loss of valuable carryovers. But that is not the worst of it...

The first rule of good writing is “Know your audience.” I would argue that this rule applies to your tax practice as well. Tax professionals, it's time to find your audience. If you want to be the best tax professional you can be, while preserving your physical and mental health, take a moment (or several) to define your ideal client. Your ideal client is your audience. Deciding which clients you want to work with will serve you well during tax season and beyond...