Weekly updates on tax law, real estate strategy, property tax appeals, and IRS developments that affect your investments.
The 45-day and 180-day clocks, boot, depreciation recapture, and DSTs. How a Los Angeles CPA actually walks a client through a 1031 exchange in 2026.
August 23, 2026 · 2 min readThe IRS lets you write off most of a cost-seg asset in year one. The FTB does not. What that split costs you in recordkeeping, basis, and the year you sell.
August 18, 2026 · 2 min readThe passive activity rules keep most rental losses away from your salary. How the $25,000 allowance and Real Estate Professional Status actually work, and what the IRS looks for.
August 18, 2026 · 3 min readIRC Section 280A(g) lets you rent your home to your own business up to 14 days a year. How Los Angeles business owners set the rent, paper the file, and stay defensible.
August 16, 2026 · 3 min readA cash balance plan on top of a 401(k) can move a large share of business income into tax-deferred retirement accounts in one year. The contribution is fixed, the W-2 base has to carry it, and depreciation can quietly undermine the math.
August 16, 2026 · 4 min readA focused look at the two parts of a 1031 exchange that most often go wrong: the written identification rules and picking the intermediary who holds your money.
August 16, 2026 · 3 min readThe OBBBA created a new tax-advantaged account for kids. Here is what it does, where a 529 still wins, and when it is worth setting up.
August 16, 2026 · 2 min readThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act adds a 0.5% AGI floor to itemized charitable deductions beginning in 2026. How the floor works, who it touches, and why bunching still helps.
August 9, 2026 · 3 min readThe OBBBA made the higher individual AMT exemptions permanent. The 2026 amounts, phaseout rules, and planning points for California taxpayers.
August 2, 2026 · 3 min readThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act sets the federal estate tax exclusion at $15 million per individual for 2026 and makes it permanent, indexed for inflation. What changed, what did not, and how to think about gifting now.
July 26, 2026 · 4 min readThe OBBBA adds a temporary federal deduction of up to $6,000 per eligible taxpayer age 65 or older for tax years 2025-2028. Income phaseout rules, and what California filers should check.
July 19, 2026 · 4 min readA practical 2026 comparison of the federal standard deduction and itemizing, with California considerations, senior rules, and a records checklist.
July 12, 2026 · 4 min readThe OBBBA SALT cap is $40,000 for 2025 through 2029, but California taxpayers still face federal limits, phaseouts, and California's separate rules.
July 5, 2026 · 4 min readThe OBBBA made the federal Section 199A deduction permanent. What business owners should know about QBI limits, 2026 thresholds, and California's separate rules.
June 28, 2026 · 3 min readHow the federal 100% bonus depreciation rule under OBBBA can affect qualifying real estate components, cost segregation, and California reporting.
June 21, 2026 · 3 min readCalifornia estimated tax penalties are not always final. Learn the FTB safe harbors, Form 5805 process, and how to request relief when reasonable cause or a statutory exception applies.
June 14, 2026 · 3 min readReceived IRS Notice CP162A for an S corporation? Here is what the notice usually means, how to check the filing record, and when a penalty-abatement request may be appropriate.
June 7, 2026 · 5 min readA census tract lookup can help screen a solar project's potential energy community eligibility. Here's what the DOE map shows, what it cannot decide, and what to document before claiming a credit.
May 31, 2026 · 4 min readFor eligible EV charging property, Section 30C generally turns on the placed-in-service date. Here is what the June 30, 2026 cutoff means for LA property owners, and what to document.
May 24, 2026 · 5 min readIRS relief for certain failure-to-pay penalties on eligible 2020 and 2021 returns, and caution on the July 10, 2026 date (not a confirmed universal IRS deadline). Check your account and notices.
May 19, 2026 · 4 min readSeparate operating cash flow, taxes, financing, and exit assumptions before you decide what a property can support.
May 17, 2026 · 7 min readThe IRS may remove certain penalties when your compliance history is clean. How First-Time Abate works, what it covers, and what to check before you request it.
May 10, 2026 · 3 min readK-1s, basis, at-risk and passive loss limits, property contributions, debt, guaranteed payments, and California filing checks for real-estate partnerships.
May 3, 2026 · 6 min readA 2026 cost segregation study may move eligible components into shorter recovery periods, where federal bonus rules can accelerate depreciation. What to document, and what California may do differently.
April 26, 2026 · 4 min readA California partnership split can be tax-free, but property, debt, and hot assets can change the result. Use this checklist before you transfer an LLC interest or real estate.
April 25, 2026 · 5 min readMissed depreciation on rental real estate can often be caught up on the current return through a Section 481(a) adjustment, without amending every prior year.
April 20, 2026 · 2 min readThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act reshapes several 2026 planning items for higher-income filers, from QBI and bonus depreciation to SALT, the standard deduction, and the estate exclusion.
April 19, 2026 · 2 min readBoot is cash or other non-like-kind value you receive in a 1031 exchange. How it shows up, why it is taxable, and what equal-or-greater value and debt usually mean for full deferral.
April 17, 2026 · 3 min readDepreciation recapture when you sell investment property: how claimed depreciation returns in the gain, the 25% piece, and a worked basis example.
April 15, 2026 · 2 min readOn a joint return, one spouse’s real estate hours can make rental losses non-passive. The 50% and 750-hour tests, material participation, and why the log matters.
April 12, 2026 · 1 min readKeep more of your hard-earned money by learning how to challenge an unfair property tax assessment. This guide shows you exactly how to research and appeal your valuation.
February 21, 2026 · 2 min read