Insights
Tax tips, options trading ideas, and market takes — updated regularly.
New 2026 rules trim the tax value of itemized charitable deductions for high earners. Qualified Charitable Distributions sidestep the change entirely — here's the mechanical reason why, plus this year's $111,000 QCD limit.
A new IRS notice creates the first standardized forms for moving money between retirement plans. It targets a genuinely annoying, decades-old problem — but adoption is optional, so the fix isn't automatic yet.
New proposed IRS regulations would let employers contribute up to $2,500 a year, tax-free, to an employee's own Trump Account or their dependent's. Here's what the rules actually say — and what's still just a proposal.
The IRS just outlined how the government's new retirement-savings match will work starting in 2027. It doesn't touch your 2026 taxes, but the account-type rule behind it is worth understanding well before then.
Final Treasury regulations, published today, spell out when payment apps and marketplaces must withhold 24% from a seller's payout. Staying under the 1099-K threshold doesn't mean you're exempt — one bad year can trigger withholding on every dollar you earn the next year.
New IRS guidance on the permanently expanded Section 45S paid-leave credit gives small employers two ways to calculate it, lets more part-time workers qualify, and answers questions accountants have been asking since last year's tax law passed.
Every month the IRS sets minimum interest rates for private loans between family and friends. August's rates just moved — here's how they work and what happens if you charge less.
A new deduction lets you write off up to $10,000 a year in car loan interest, but only on new, US-assembled vehicles, and it phases out fast for higher earners. Here's what qualifies, the income cutoffs, and why the IRS's new Form 1098-VLI won't show up until 2027.
Summer camp and daycare receipts are piling up right as school restarts. Here's how the Child and Dependent Care Credit and Dependent Care FSAs work — and a law change worth knowing about for 2026.
The IRS's 2026 "Dirty Dozen" scam list has a new entry aimed squarely at investors: fabricated capital-gains claims tied to funds and REITs. Here's how the scam works, plus two other schemes worth knowing before you file.
The IRS just marked National Whistleblower Day by touting $8 billion recovered since 2007. Here's how the award program works, what it pays, how long it takes, and why it matters even if you'll never file a tip yourself.
The OBBBA senior deduction gives filers 65+ up to $6,000, but it phases out 6 cents per dollar above $75,000 MAGI. With Q3 estimated taxes approaching, here's how the mechanics actually work and what confuses people.
A law reversal means Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App won't send a 1099-K unless you cross $20,000 and 200 transactions — not the $600 threshold everyone braced for. Here's what changed, and what didn't.
Louisiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Hawaii all got IRS disaster tax relief this year — and Hawaii's own deadline quietly changed after the fact. Here's the mechanism behind all four, and how to check whether it applies to you.
The IRS finalized a new W-2 box for 2026 that separately tracks overtime pay for the new "no tax on overtime" deduction. Here's what actually qualifies, the income caps, and why a strong trading year could shrink the deduction.
Twenty states are running sales tax holidays in 2026, with the biggest wave landing August 7-9. The exemptions, price caps, and per-item cliffs vary sharply by state — here's how to read the fine print (general education, not advice; confirm current rules with your state).
A pandemic-era tax break on forgiven student debt expired at the end of 2025. A new repayment plan ties monthly payments directly to income. A separate law change means a big forgiveness year could also disrupt an ACA health subsidy, with no repayment cap. Here's how the pieces connect.
Forecasters now peg the 2027 Social Security COLA at 3.6%–3.8%. A bigger check sounds like good news, but the income thresholds that decide how much of it gets taxed haven't moved since the 1980s. Here's how that math works.
2026 has already delivered a Tesla earnings crash, a semiconductor rout, and a Middle East oil spike, each leaving losses in some corner of a portfolio. Here's how tax-loss harvesting works, the 30-day wash-sale trap to avoid, and why waiting until December can cost you options.
If you're 73 or older in 2026, the IRS requires you to satisfy your full RMD before converting a single dollar to Roth — get the order wrong and it counts as an excess contribution. Here's how RMDs, backdoor Roth conversions, and the pro-rata rule actually interact.
Treasury and the IRS finalized "no tax on tips" rules this year, listing more than 70 qualifying occupations and adding new W-2 reporting codes. Here's what counts as a qualified tip, what doesn't, and when the new paperwork actually shows up on your paycheck.
The IRS just raised 2027 HSA limits to $4,500 self-only and $9,000 family. Mid-summer is a good moment to check whether you're on pace to use this year's limit — and a reminder of why HSAs remain one of the most underused tax accounts around.
Your Q3 estimated tax payment is due September 15 — about eight weeks out. If you had a strong first half, that's the deadline that can quietly generate a penalty the IRS's new automatic-relief rule doesn't cover. Here's the difference, and how to check your own exposure now.
The IRS just added new features to its online Business Tax Account platform. Here's why many trader-formed LLCs still don't qualify — plus a July 29 deadline for anyone who already has access.
The federal K-12 withdrawal limit on 529 plans doubled to $20,000 a year, and tutoring, test fees, and curriculum materials now qualify. Here's what changed and why your state might not agree.
The IRS has bumped the business mileage rate to 76 cents per mile — for the second half of 2026 only. Mid-year changes like this have happened just four times since 2005. Here's what actually changed, who it affects, and why "I trade for a living" probably doesn't qualify you for the deduction.
Taiwan Semiconductor reports Thursday, right in the middle of a rough week for chip stocks. Before you look at the headline number options traders are pricing in, here's what "implied move" actually means — and why it isn't a prediction.
Form 1099-DA is here, but for 2025 crypto trades it only reported what you sold for — not what you paid. Starting with 2026 transactions, brokers track cost basis too, and a wallet-by-wallet recordkeeping rule means your own records may end up controlling the numbers.
The IRS's new Automatic Exemption from Penalty quietly waives late-filing and late-payment penalties for taxpayers with a clean recent history — no form, no phone call. Here's what the new rule actually covers, and the one penalty that keeps tripping up options traders, which AEP doesn't touch.
Six months into the first full year of "no tax on tips," "no tax on overtime," and two other new federal deductions, most paychecks still aren't accounting for them. Here's what changed, what the IRS has clarified in the months since, and why mid-July is the right moment to check your withholding.
Contributions to Trump Accounts — the new tax-advantaged accounts for kids created under the Working Families Tax Cuts — became legal on July 4, 2026. Here's what the accounts actually require, including a mandatory index-fund rule and a new gift-tax safe harbor that's easy to miss.
The IRS raised 2027 HSA contribution limits to $4,500 (self-only) and $9,000 (family). The new numbers matter now, because open enrollment for 2027 health coverage — the decision that determines whether you can use them — happens this fall.
The "no tax on tips" and "no tax on overtime" rules from 2025's tax law didn't actually show up in your withholding until January 2026. Here's what changed, what to check on a pay stub, and why it matters before the next estimated-tax deadline.