Individual Strategies

The Bucket List (Part 2): Living Large in Retirement While Minimizing Your Taxes

In Part 1 of this series, we took a deeper dive into IRMAA planning and minimizing tax on your Social Security benefits. You play a large role in shaping your retirement years in terms of lifestyle and financial health. Think of taking advantage of the many techniques to lower your tax during your retirement years as another aspect of self-care. By treating your financial health and well-being as carefully as you treat your mental and physical well-being, you can ensure that you have resources to attain your financial goals and support yourself in the style for which you’ve planned. In my practice, I see a wide range of client behavior surrounding retirement – from no planning to thoughtful, long-range planning. Looking ahead, whether you’re working with your tax professional and financial team or whether you’re planning on your own, pays off enormously.
Please read on for some additional tips and techniques for tax savings involving charitable giving, Roth IRA conversions, and minimizing capital gains taxes – and two more examples.

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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

Beyond The Returns – Live Webinar Series Event!

Amber Gray-Fenner, EA NTPI Fellow USTCP

Tax season is always demanding. But what comes after? As a dedicated tax professional, it’s crucial to continually enhance your practice and adapt to an ever-changing landscape.

Introducing the Beyond the Returns Series – an in-depth suite of four live webinars designed to transform your firm’s future.

Key Highlights:
• Navigate the complexities of practice mechanics.
• Achieve a fulfilling balance between home and work.
• Dive deep into the imperatives of security and liability.
• Strategize your firm’s life cycle, from inception to retirement.

Led by industry veterans, Amber Gray-Fenner, EA, NTPI Fellow, USTCP and Matt Metras, EA, this series promises actionable insights to ensure you’re well-prepared for the 2024 filing season and the years to come.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to redefine and rejuvenate your tax practice.

Building a Strong Personal Brand as an Accountant: Strategies for Success

Marie Torossian, CPA

What is a personal brand?

If you asked me that question in 2018, I would not know how to answer it.

As I embarked on my journey to entrepreneurship, I took on any accounting-related project that came my way. I had yet to learn about the meaning of a personal brand. Fast forward to 2020, I launched my CPA firm just before the COVID shutdown. While established CPA firms could sustain or pivot to new services, I still had to figure out how to get clients, build my online presence, and establish trust to create my brand.

I learned on my journey that in today’s competitive landscape, a personal brand has become more critical than ever. Professional success is directly related to one’s brand, especially in service-based industries such as accounting. Surveys show that more business owners and young entrepreneurs are looking for accountants they can rely on for not only their technical skills and qualifications but also for a personal connection. Therefore, creating a solid personal brand distinguishes accountants from the rest of the crowd, enhances their credibility, fosters loyalty, and opens doors for new opportunities.

I will share my experience, dive into the significance of a personal brand for accountants, and provide actionable strategies to help you build a solid personal brand that resonates with your target audience.

Salt Miner’s Run for the Roses Ends with a Big Tax Bill

Peter J Reilly CPA

Judge Mark Holmes of the United States Tax Court expressed admiration for the achievements of Joseph G. Bucci Sr. whose American Rock Salt provides the salt to keep many of the streets in the Northeast passable in the winter. You can learn a bit about that from an interview in New York by Adriane Quinlan . The positive remarks were no help in the ultimate result. Judge Holmes agreed with the IRS that Bucci’s three side hustles — a real estate enterprise, a farm, and some racing horses — were “Activities not engaged in for profit” making losses unallowable. The total tab including accuracy penalties for 2016 and 2017 was $711,980. Judge Holmes explained the result in a bench opinion, which is less formal than a memo decision. The trial began in Buffalo on June 14, 2023.