Caitlin See, MPA, Author at Think Outside the Tax Box

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

Caitlin See, MPA

Caitlin See is a personal finance writer with seven years of experience. She’s written hundreds of articles about student loans, budgeting, insurance, mortgages and retirement planning for financial brands, including Student Loan Planner and The Plutus Foundation. She has a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and spent many years working for local government and nonprofit organizations throughout Texas and California. When she’s not writing about money, she’s wrangling her two little ones and rescuing as many dogs as possible.

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What You Need to Know About the Proposed Trump Savings Accounts

Tucked inside the narrowly passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending package, is a provision that’s drawing media attention: the creation of a new tax-deferred investment account called a Trump Account. A proposed $1,000 “baby bonus” tied to the account only adds to the intrigue. While the reconciliation bill primarily focuses on extending the 2017 tax cuts and reshuffling federal spending priorities, this unexpected addition could offer new planning opportunities for taxpayers.

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Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable? It Depends…

Is student loan forgiveness taxable? Yes. No. Maybe. Sometimes. It primarily depends on the student loan forgiveness program. But like everything else with student loans, there are a number of other factors at play. Why make it easy when you can thoroughly confuse taxpayers, federal student loan servicers and financial planners for years to come? Keep reading to learn when student loan forgiveness might be tax-free and how to prepare your clients for taxable loan forgiveness.

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How to Help Your Clients Maximize College Financial Aid

College tuition continues to climb, and for many families, financial aid can make or break their ability to afford their child’s higher education dreams. What most don’t realize is that their tax return — filed long before students even begin applying for college — plays a major role in determining how much financial aid they’ll receive. This is where you come in. Tax professionals and financial planners are uniquely positioned to help clients qualify for more college financial aid. But only if you know what to look for.

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How to Help Your Clients Lower Their Student Loan Payments

There are roughly 42.7 million federal student loan borrowers as of Q4 2024, creating an opportunity to provide additional insight to your clients beyond tax preparation. By leveraging certain tax and repayment strategies, you can help your clients reduce their tax liability and lower their student loan payments in one strategic swoop. Here’s how.

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Breaking Down Tax Benefits for Higher Education

With the rising cost of higher education and greater reliance on student loans, taxpayers are looking for every opportunity to ease the financial burden of earning a degree. Fortunately, several higher education tax benefits are available to help offset the high cost of tuition, student loans and other education-related expenses. However, certain eligibility requirements — such as income limits and tax filing status — often trip up taxpayers along the way. Understanding the nuances of these tax benefits for higher education can ensure your clients take full advantage of available tax savings.

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CURRENT EDITION

OBBBA Rundown: Provisions Affecting Individuals for 2025

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.

OBBBA Rundown: Provisions Affecting Businesses for 2025

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 business 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.

Big, Beautiful, and Oh So Salty: SALT and the OBBBA

The SALT cap has been one of the most argued pieces of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as it has been making its way toward passage. Actually, tax professionals and politicians have been talking about the SALT cap (and looking for ways around it) since it was enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As most of you are aware, most TCJA provisions were set to expire at the end of 2025, including the SALT cap. We take a look at where they stand now.

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  • Maximize Your Tax Deductions on Business Repairs

    When you own business properties, they will occasionally require repairs; that’s just a fact of business ownership. So, whether you need to make repairs on your place of business or your rental buildings, keep these simple truths in mind: You can either increase your net worth with tax-favored repairs, or you can decrease your net worth with tax-impaired improvements. Which would you prefer?

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    Client Alert

    Beyond Borders: Essential Tax Planning Insights for Advising Foreign-Invested Partnerships

    Cross-border ventures can unlock exciting destinations for growth and investment, but they also come with some heavy-duty baggage -- think IRS paperwork, withholding headaches, and estate tax landmines. If you're a tax planner gearing up for this global expedition (especially if it's your first trip), this guide is your passport to smoother travels.

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    TAX COURT ROUNDUP – June 2025

    A mix of old and new this month, obvious miscues and arcane strategies, an old protester/defier, and the perennial discovery jousts.

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    Networking Events for CPAs: Making the Most of Conferences and Seminars

    Networking is vital to any profession and is no different for us Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). Attending conferences and seminars can be a game-changer, offering opportunities to learn, connect, and grow your professional network. These events are not just about business but also about personal and professional growth. However, to truly benefit from these events, it's essential to have a strategy in place.

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    Beyond Numbers: How Post-Cognitive Accountants Transform the 1040 into a Portal of Profound Insights

    In an era where Artificial Intelligence (AI) effortlessly handles the computational heavy lifting of tax preparation, the role of the accountant is evolving into something far more profound. The Post-Cognitive Accountant emerges not as a number cruncher but as a holistic advisor, transforming mundane tax documents into gateways of deep personal and financial insight. The once straightforward Form 1040 is now a rich tapestry, each box a doorway into the unique narrative of an individual's life. Let's embark on a journey through the 1040, reimagined as a portal to new dimensions of understanding and opportunity.

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    Tax Tips for Families Affected by Disability: What More People Should Know

    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.

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    Client Alert

    Helping Elderly Clients Avoid Tax Scams

    Taxes are scary enough, even without the threat of scammers involved. While technology has in some ways made taxes easier than ever, like any tool ever invented by humans, these new technologies have also become the plaything of scammers looking to pull off cons. Elderly clients who often have large life savings can be easy targets for scams, whether because of social isolation or emotional and cognitive problems, or maybe just because they didn’t keep up with the latest IRS or FBI warnings about being careful on the internet. Some elderly victims learn too late that it takes serious effort to resolve thefts of money – and potentially years to fix identity theft. These clients need to be extra vigilant. Here’s what to tell them.

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    Client Alert

    Client Retention as a Prospecting Strategy: Turning Current Clients into Referral Sources

    In the competitive accounting world, where trust and reliability are paramount, client retention is not just a success metric—it's a vital strategy for sustainable growth. For Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), accountants, and bookkeepers, maintaining a solid relationship with existing clients can unlock new business opportunities, turning satisfied clients into powerful referral sources.

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