Allan Rolnick's (taxcoach) Blog

Even for honest taxpayers, the IRS can be extremely frightening. Unlike most other government agencies, the IRS has the power to attach your wages, freeze your bank account and even confiscate your property, and that is enough to send a chill up the spine of any taxpayer. If you receive a letter ...

Showtime's hit series Billions invites us into the gilded life of Bobby "Axe" Axelrod, a working-class kid from Yonkers who makes his billions running a hedge fund. The camera teases us almost erotically with the spoils of his success: the $63 million Hamptons house he buys on a whim, the his-an...

Picture yourself at an "ozmiza," or "eight-day tavern," overlooking the Adriatic Sea on Italy's Carso coast, near the Slovenian border. A guitarist serenades you and your companions with local folk tunes. Your server treats you to heaping platters piled high with housemade meats and cheeses. Ther...

If you own a condominium, cottage, cabin, lake or beach home, ski lodge, or similar property that you rent for an “average” rental period of seven days or less for the year, you have a property with unique tax attributes. Seven days example. Say you have a beach home and you rent it 15 times duri...

Back in December 2017, while you were finishing up your holiday shopping and spiking the eggnog, Congress spiked the tax code. The goal was simple. First, eliminate a bunch of deductions that made the whole thing more complicated. Then, take advantage of that broader base to cut overall rates. T...

On March 12, the "Varsity Blues" scandal hit the headlines, and gossips across America leaped at the fresh meat. That's the day we learned about a group of 1%ers who paid anywhere from $15,000 to $6.5 million to cheat their kids' way into some of the most prestigious colleges in America. The Dep...

No, the IRS is not shutting down their operations — there is still (and probably ever will be) a federal income tax.But states are a different story…This being travel season, and the season during which some of our clients turn their eyes towards making a move, I thought I’d give you some info on...

Memorial Day has come and gone, and while summer doesn't officially unlock the door and open for business until June 21, who's waiting? Craft beer fans are swapping out those dark malts that taste like tree bark, and stocking up on summer brews with hints of lemon, lime, and cherry. Sports fans ...

You may have heard on the radio, TV, and online, that you can settle your tax bill for less than what you owe. But are these claims actually true? And can you really settle your tax debt without hurting yourself in the long run?  Some of these national tax resolution firms you hear advertising of...

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (okay, on May 21, 1980), The Empire Strikes Backintroduced the world to Yoda, the oldest, most-powerful, and most syntactically-challenged Jedi knight in the universe. Yoda delighted audiences as he trained Luke Skywalker, launched him into battle against...