About |
Lisa Bushur CPA writes & speaks about how to save income tax. Her book, Tax Path for Middle-Income Households, includes income tax savings ideas w/ examples and actual client stories. Lisa has been a CPA for 28 years.
Lisa encourages tax planning all year round, not just after a year is over during tax season. Saving income tax is thought process that can begin with taking on just one issue at a time.
Issues covered in her first book, Tax Path for Middle-Income Households, include:
-Do you need a CPA? (includes do-it-yourselfer critical mistakes)
-Tax Free items (coupons, some bartering, personal credit card rebates, etc.)
-Strategies for portfolio income (lower capital gain rate, tax free interest, etc.)
-Retirement plans (biggest move an employee can make is to participate fully)
-IRAs, Roth IRAs (contribute to IRA or Roth IRA even if you are in an employer retirement plan, younger folks can be moving IRAs into Roths-but there likely will be tax due)
-Let your retirement plan help you during hard times (loans, "rollover loans", etc.)
-Filing status choices (Married filing separate?) Head of Household?)
-Exemption issues (take exemptions for other family members and other household members?)
-Kiddie tax opportunities (pay tax at kids' lower rates)
-Dependent care issues (Dependent Care Credit and Dependent Care Benefit through employer)
-Adoption tax benefits
-College tax benefits, force Uncle Sam to help pay for college
-Additional Medicare tax
-Itemized deductions, and how to increase their deductibility
-Escape tax on sale of personal residence
-Alternative Minimum Tax, what items can be controlled
-Choose between being a W-2 employee or contractor (pros and cons of each)
-Can you deduct moving expenses
-How to manage hobby losses to avoid IRS issues
-Use HSAs and FSAs to increase deductibility of medical expenses
-Minimize tax even in divorce
-Solar systems for homes & electric cars-tax credits for same
-Actions to take in high income years
-Actions to take in low income years
-Penalty avoidance
-Tax savings quantified