My Tax Fella

08/31/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻?

Draw cash strategically across three accounts to keep your tax bill as low as possible.
• Pull just enough from your Traditional IRA or 401(k) to fill up the lowest tax brackets (10% or 12%).
• Cover remaining living expenses with taxable savings or brokerage cash so you don't push yourself into a higher bracket.
• Use tax-free Roth IRA dollars for big one-off expenses with zero tax impact.

Balancing your withdrawals this way keeps your overall tax rate low and can even unlock 0% capital gains rates.

08/28/2026

𝗔𝗺 𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗜 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜?

You could be. Time to fix that.

(We already make sure all privacy settings are enabled for any AI tools we use here.)

Worried about your personal AI chats being exposed? Here's how to tighten your privacy across several major chatbots.

08/27/2026

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗥𝗦?

Because state tax agencies generally enforce much tighter guidelines than the IRS.

States often cap payment plans at 12 to 36 months (compared to 72 or 84 with the IRS). Many states have no settlement program at all or enforce stricter criteria.

First-Time Penalty Abatement exists federally, but states rarely waive penalties and almost never waive interest. And state appeal windows run just 30 to 60 days from the notice date.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦: Take 5 minutes today to check the dates on any state mail sitting on your desk. Opening state mail as soon as it arrives and prioritizing it in your budget early will help keep extra fees from stacking up.

08/26/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆?

A core strategy we suggest during this retirement gap is a Roth conversion staircase:
• Move funds from your traditional IRA into a Roth IRA when your income sits in lower tax brackets.
• Pay taxes today at low rates so that money and its future growth stay 100% tax-free.
• Convert in stages each December to fill your target bracket line, instead of moving a single lump sum that spikes your tax bracket.

𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦: Pay the taxes using cash outside your IRA, such as a high-yield savings or taxable brokerage account. Withholding tax money directly from the IRA reduces your tax-free shelter and triggers a 10% IRS penalty if you're under age 59½.

If you recently left your job or plan to step away soon, DM us to find out how to map out your retirement gap.

08/25/2026

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗼𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵?

State agencies act much faster than the IRS. A lot of states send just one notice before putting a levy on your bank account or they garnish your wages within weeks.

Not only that, but they also connect directly into local systems like the DMV to flag your account immediately.

The IRS enforcement timeline is anywhere from 3-6 months because of the required notice cycle.

08/24/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹?

Whether it's how W-4 withholdings work, how interest adds up, or how credit scores are calculated, we've all had that moment. Drop yours below!

08/21/2026

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲?

Yes, because your tax status has changed, and if you don't note that, you could end up paying more in taxes than you should.

Do these two things as soon as possible:
1. Update your W-4, switching to Single or Head of Household
2. Assign child tax credits to whichever parent qualifies for the full dollar amount. (Check income phase-outs before deciding who claims the kids.)

08/20/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗼𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗥𝗦?

Yes, absolutely. You do not have to put your family's financial future on pause while working through an IRS resolution plan.

The secret comes down to leveraging outside capital. By tapping into federal seed credits, employer matches, and family gifts, your child's account keeps growing on autopilot while your own cash stays focused on settling your debt. We simply report everything transparently on your IRS forms so your settlement stays protected.

Comment 𝗙𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 below, and let's map out how you can build your child's savings while safely clearing your IRS debt.

08/19/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁?

We genuinely want to know.

08/18/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱'𝘀 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀?

The IRS gives the default claim to the custodial parent, who is the parent the child lives with for at least 183 nights during the year.

When both parents claim the same child, the situation unfolds in three main stages:
1. The first return gets accepted by the e-file system, while the second return gets rejected because the child's Social Security number is already marked as used.
2. The second parent must mail in a signed paper return to force an IRS review, triggering Notice CP87A where both parents must submit residency proof like school or medical records.
3. The IRS awards the claim based on night counts or higher income if custody is an exact 50/50 split, forcing the non-qualifying parent to pay back credits with interest and penalties.

A practical way to protect yourself is to keep third-party residency records on file if you are the custodial parent, or secure a signed IRS Form 8332 from the custodial parent before filing if you are the noncustodial parent.

𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 183-𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺?