Loopholes

All About the Augusta Rule – One of the Tax Code’s Best and Easiest Income “Loopholes”

Do you have homes in destination spots? Places where people flock during specific times of the year? Mardi Gras? Spring break? Sports championships or events? Maybe you own a home in places commonly used as film locations? For example, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is often the site for movie and television productions, and it hosts the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta every year (excluding global pandemics, obviously). The 10-day long event hosts well over 100,000 visitors to the city each year. But this article isn’t about Albuquerque tourism, it’s about the easiest tax-free money you will ever make.

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Think Outside the Tax Box provides tax reduction strategies along with practical implementation advice in order to reduce your clients’ federal tax bill with ease.

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CURRENT EDITION

The Hidden Benefits of Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) for High-Net-Worth Families

Dominique Molina, CPA MST CTS

For wealthy families, the world of finance can feel like a high-stakes chess game. With increasing state and federal income tax rates, new tax laws on the horizon, and the complexities of private investments like hedge funds, finding ways to grow and transfer wealth efficiently is more important than ever. Enter life insurance—a tool not just for its traditional role of providing death benefits but as a strategic ally in tax-efficient wealth management. In particular, Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) offers unique advantages that make it a worthy consideration for those with sophisticated financial needs and significant liquidity.

The Cryptocurrency Basis Day of Reckoning is Upon Us

Matt Metras, EA

Late on a Friday afternoon at the end of June 2024, the IRS dropped nearly 400 pages of new Digital Asset (née Cryptocurrency) Guidance. Most of it related to the forthcoming form 1099-DA. Along with the massive tome of terrible bedside reading, the service also published two new Notices and a Revenue Procedure. The Notices were about boring stuff, like temporary penalty abatement for backup withholding on digital asset transactions. This Revenue Procedure, however, will impact nearly every taxpayer that owned crypto prior to January 1, 2025. This procedure, RP 2024-28, has gone largely unnoticed thus far. On the surface, it seems like a godsend to taxpayers. Below the surface though, it is a ticking time bomb.

Reflecting On Syndicated Conservation Easements

Peter J Reilly CPA

In late June, IRS announced it would be mailing out a time-limited settlement offer that would allow taxpayers who are haunted by an investment in a syndicated conservation easement to settle. As I write this, the terms of the settlement have leaked. They strike me as overly generous. It does seem that the syndicated easement campaign of the IRS is coming to a close.