#tax-planning
Strategic tax planning to minimize liability and maximize savings
A 2026 comparison of solo 401(k) and SEP-IRA plans for the self-employed, with contribution math at $60K, $120K, and $300K of net income, SECURE 2.0 Roth catch-up and super catch-up rules, setup deadlines, and a decision framework for picking the plan that shelters the most income.
A 2026 guide to ABLE accounts under IRC Section 529A — the new age-46 eligibility cutoff that makes 6 million more Americans (including 1 million veterans) eligible, the $19,000 annual contribution cap, the $100,000 SSI shelter, the unlimited Medicaid shelter, qualified disability expenses, the ABLE to Work multiplier up to $34,650, and how to avoid Medicaid clawback at death.
For 2026, the federal Adoption Tax Credit is worth up to $17,670 per child, with $5,120 now refundable. A field guide to Form 8839, qualified expenses, the special-needs rule, failed adoptions, the MAGI phase-out, and the five-year carryforward.
For tax year 2026, the federal Adoption Tax Credit caps at $17,670 per eligible child, with up to $5,120 refundable and a five-year carryforward on the nonrefundable remainder. This guide explains Form 8839, the timing rules for domestic, foreign, special needs, and failed adoptions, MAGI phase-out between $265,080 and $305,080, and how to coordinate with employer-provided adoption assistance under Section 137.
US direct indexing harvests losses stock-by-stock in an SMA — wash-sale rules and tax alpha ETFs cannot match in 2026.
A side-by-side comparison of Electing Small Business Trusts (ESBT) and Qualified Subchapter S Trusts (QSST) under Section 1361, including who pays the tax, the 2-month-and-16-day election window, and a worked example showing a $118,000 annual tax swing between the two structures on $1M of K-1 income.
A trust holding S-corporation stock must qualify as a QSST or ESBT under Section 1361 or the S election terminates retroactively. A QSST taxes pass-through income at the single beneficiary's personal rate; an ESBT permits multiple beneficiaries but traps S-portion income at the 37% top trust rate. The election deadline is two months and sixteen days from the triggering event.
How Form 3800 aggregates 40-plus business tax credits into one limitation, why the 25/75 tentative minimum tax floor matters, and how eligible small businesses (≤$50M gross receipts) can offset AMT with R&D, WOTC, FICA Tip, and other specified credits.
Form 6166 is the IRS-issued certificate of U.S. tax residency that unlocks reduced foreign withholding under bilateral tax treaties. Apply with Form 8802 — $85 for individuals, $185 for entities — and one filing covers unlimited countries and certificates, often saving five or six figures per cross-border contract.
A practical guide to Section 453 installment sales and Form 6252 — how the gross profit ratio defers capital gains across years, when depreciation recapture forces year-one recognition, how the Section 453A interest charge applies above the $5 million threshold, and when electing out beats deferral.
A practical walk-through of reporting installment sales on Form 6252 under IRC Section 453 — computing the gross profit percentage, why depreciation recapture is taxed in year one, the 453A interest charge on notes above the $5M aggregate threshold, the two-year related-party resale rule, and when electing out beats deferring gain.
When a partner sells an LLC or partnership interest, Section 751 can recharacterize a large share of the gain as ordinary income taxed up to 37 percent. Form 8308 is the partnership's required disclosure of that hot-asset gain on Form 1065, with a January 31 furnishing leg and a return-due-date filing leg in 2026.
