Home / The Reed Reports / Tax Strategy Guides
The Reed Reports
Tax Strategy Guides
A full library of professional tax strategy, financial planning, and business guidance — organized by topic and written to help you make better decisions before the deadline, not after.
66
Guides
3
Categories
IRS
Sources Cited
Individuals — Tax Strategies14 guides
Practical planning guides for individuals covering income tax strategy, retirement distributions, investment taxation, home sale planning, education funding, and charitable giving. Each guide connects tax rules to real financial decisions.
Tax Saving Strategies: A Helpful Checklist
Practical tax planning framework covering timing, deduction management, retirement contributions, charitable giving, and documentation.
→
Travel and Entertainment: Maximizing the Tax Benefits
Business-purpose tests, substantiation rules, meal limitations, and the line between deductible travel and nondeductible entertainment.
→
The “Nanny Tax” Rules: What To Do If You Have Household Employees
Household employment rules, payroll tax responsibilities, classification, and why informal handling creates compliance risk.
→
Higher Education Costs: How To Get The Best Tax Treatment
Education credits, qualified tuition programs, account withdrawals, and coordinating family-level tax benefits.
→
Selling Your Home: How To Minimize the Tax On the Gain
Gain exclusion rules, basis adjustments, improvement recordkeeping, and mixed-use complications.
→
The Deductibility of Points
When mortgage points qualify for current deduction, when they must be amortized, and refinancing treatment.
→
Annuities: How They Work and When You Should Use Them
Tax deferral, payout design, liquidity tradeoffs, fees, and how annuities fit into retirement income strategy.
→
Retirement Plan Distributions: When To Take Them
Timing withdrawals to manage brackets, RMDs, Medicare premiums, Social Security taxation, and cash flow.
→
Retirement Plan Distributions: How To Take Them
Distribution mechanics, withholding, rollover rules, direct vs. indirect transfers, and penalty avoidance.
→
Roth IRAs: How They Work and How To Use Them
Contribution and conversion strategy, tax diversification, distribution flexibility, and estate planning benefits.
→
Mutual Fund Taxation: How To Cut The Tax Bite
Capital gain distributions, turnover, tax-loss harvesting, fund location strategy, and avoiding surprise tax bills.
→
Advanced Charity Techniques: Maximizing Your Deduction
Bunching, appreciated property donations, donor-advised funds, substantiation, and bracket-coordinated giving.
→
Charitable Contributions of Property: Maximizing the Deduction
Noncash donation rules, valuation, acknowledgment requirements, holding periods, and appraisal issues.
→
Charitable Contributions: How To Give Wisely
Charitable giving strategy, recordkeeping, donation timing, deduction limits, and aligning generosity with tax planning.
→
Life Events20 guides
Financial planning guidance for life’s major transitions — from marriage and parenthood to retirement, home purchases, and difficult moments. Each guide addresses the tax, cash flow, and planning dimensions of the event.
Getting Married
Filing status changes, withholding updates, beneficiary designations, account integration, and early financial conversations.
→
Becoming a Parent
Family budgeting, child tax benefits, childcare planning, insurance review, and education funding basics.
→
Preparing for College
Education funding, tax benefits, realistic budgeting, student borrowing, and tax-efficient saving strategies.
→
Developing a Financial Plan
Goal setting, cash-flow systems, risk management, debt strategy, and building a practical financial framework.
→
Dealing with Your Bank
Liquidity management, banking relationships, fees, account structure, and fraud prevention.
→
Improving Your Credit
Credit score fundamentals, debt usage, payment behavior, dispute strategy, and improving borrowing terms.
→
Choosing A Professional
Evaluating accountants, attorneys, advisors, and insurance professionals based on scope and fit.
→
Buying Insurance
Risk management, coverage types, deductibles, liability protection, and buying the right policy.
→
Getting a Loan
Borrowing readiness, debt affordability, lender comparison, documentation, and using debt strategically.
→
Planning For Retirement
Accumulation strategy, tax diversification, spending assumptions, healthcare risk, and transition planning.
→
Buying & Maintaining A Car
Total cost of ownership, depreciation, financing choices, maintenance planning, and cash flow impact.
→
Buying & Selling A Home
Affordability, down payment planning, housing costs, tax implications, and home purchase strategy.
→
Planning Your Estate
Wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, incapacity planning, and reducing confusion during transitions.
→
Making Charitable Contributions
Purposeful giving, documentation, budgeting, and the interaction between generosity and deduction rules.
→
Avoiding Scams
Fraud patterns, verification habits, account security, identity theft prevention, and resisting pressure.
→
Getting Divorced or Becoming Widowed
Retitling assets, cash flow changes, beneficiary updates, filing status, and rebuilding financial systems.
→
Coping with Major Illness
Liquidity, insurance review, bill management, work disruptions, powers of attorney, and financial stability.
→
Coping with Death of a Loved One
First financial steps after a death, document review, tax filings, beneficiary claims, and probate coordination.
→
Improving Your Retirement
Refining an existing plan by upgrading contributions, rechecking assumptions, and improving tax efficiency.
→
Handling Other Situations
Decision frameworks for job loss, relocation, caregiving, sudden income change, and financial triage.
→
Business Owners & Business Strategies32 guides
Tax planning, entity structure, operations, growth, financing, and exit planning for small business owners and closely held companies. Each guide provides actionable frameworks rather than generic tips.
Tax Planning For Small Business Owners
Owner compensation, estimated taxes, entity structure, recordkeeping, retirement plans, and year-round planning.
→
7 Biggest Misconceptions Business Owners Have About Their Returns
Common false assumptions about deductions, profit, payroll, entity choice, and what the tax return can fix.
→
Travel and Entertainment: Maximizing the Tax Benefits (Business)
Business-purpose tests, substantiation rules, meal limitations, and deductible travel for business owners.
→
7 Ways To Save Even More Income Taxes
Advanced income tax reduction strategies beyond the basics for business owners and high-income taxpayers.
→
The Home Office Deduction
Qualifying for home office deductions, calculation methods, documentation requirements, and common mistakes.
→
Turn your Vacation Into a Tax Deduction
Combining business travel with personal time, substantiation rules, and legitimate deduction strategies.
→
Form of Business Organization: Which Should You Choose?
Comparing sole proprietorships, partnerships, S corps, C corps, and LLCs for tax and liability purposes.
→
Retirement Plan Options For Small Businesses
SEP IRAs, SIMPLE plans, solo 401(k)s, and traditional plans compared for small business needs.
→
The “SIMPLE” Plan: A Retirement Plan for the Really Small Business
SIMPLE IRA setup, contribution limits, employer matching, and advantages for micro-businesses.
→
Starting a Business? 3 Things You Must Know
Entity selection, tax registration, recordkeeping systems, and foundational planning for new businesses.
→
Advantages of Incorporating
Liability protection, tax planning opportunities, credibility, continuity, and incorporation considerations.
→
Advantages of Limited Liability Companies
LLC flexibility, tax classification options, liability protection, and operational simplicity.
→
Business Plans: How To Prepare An Effective One
Company overview, market analysis, financial projections, staffing assumptions, and owner qualifications.
→
Raising Capital: How To Get Money For a Small Business
Funding sources, investor preparation, loan readiness, and balancing equity with debt financing.
→
The Home-Based Business: Some Basics You Should Consider
Zoning, insurance, tax deductions, workspace setup, and professional standards for home-based operations.
→
Cash Flow — The Pulse of Your Business
Monitoring inflows and outflows, projections, receivables management, and maintaining healthy reserves.
→
Employee Benefits: How To Handle Them
Required vs. optional benefits, payroll taxes, health coverage, retirement plans, and administrative capacity.
→
Document Locator System: A Handy Aid For Keeping Track of Your Records
Organizing business records, filing systems, retention schedules, and audit-ready documentation.
→
Financial Planning Tips For Business Owners
Integrating personal and business finances, tax-aware planning, and long-term wealth building.
→
Evaluating Your Market: A Basic Review
Market research, competitive analysis, customer identification, and demand assessment fundamentals.
→
Pricing Your Products and Services: A Basic Review
Cost analysis, margin planning, competitive pricing, and avoiding revenue without profit.
→
Developing An Advertising Program: A Basic Review
Advertising strategy, budget allocation, channel selection, and measuring marketing effectiveness.
→
Referrals: The Secret to Building a Better Business Faster
Referral systems, client retention, word-of-mouth strategy, and relationship-based growth.
→
How To Get Your Customers To Trust You
Building client confidence through consistency, transparency, communication, and service quality.
→
The Nicest Way To Build Your Business
Relationship-driven growth, client experience, and sustainable business development strategies.
→
Developing a Unique Selling Proposition
Differentiation, value communication, competitive positioning, and clarifying what sets you apart.
→
Uncover Your Business’s Most Valuable Hidden Asset
Identifying underutilized assets, intellectual property, customer data, and untapped revenue opportunities.
→
How to Profitably Grow Your Business With Less Stress
Sustainable growth strategies, delegation, systems, and balancing expansion with operational stability.
→
Show Me The Money! Strategies For Securing a Loan
Loan preparation, financial statement readiness, lender expectations, and improving approval odds.
→
Your Business Succession: How To Plan For It
Ownership transfer, leadership transition, estate coordination, and operational continuity planning.
→
Successfully Pass On Your Family Business To Next Generation
Family business transfer, generational planning, governance, and preparing successors for leadership.
→
Maximize Your Wealth With a Winning Exit Plan
Exit strategy design, business valuation, tax-efficient transitions, and timing the sale or transfer.
→
Frequently Asked Questions
How are these tax strategy guides different from reading IRS publications directly?
IRS publications explain the rules, but they don’t tell you what to do with them. These guides translate tax code provisions into planning decisions — when to time a purchase, how to structure a contribution, whether to bunch deductions in one year or spread them out. Each guide starts from a real situation and works backward into the rules that apply, rather than listing rules and hoping you figure out the relevance.
Do these guides apply to my specific tax situation?
They’re written as general frameworks, not personalized advice. The individual guides cover strategies that apply broadly to W-2 earners, retirees, investors, and homeowners. The business guides address entity selection, retirement plans, and cash flow issues that most small business owners face. If your situation involves multiple states, foreign income, or complex entity structures, the guides give you a starting point — but you should work with a CPA to apply the strategy to your facts.
Which category should I start with if I’m both a business owner and an individual filer?
Start with the Business Owners section, because entity-level decisions (retirement plans, compensation structure, depreciation timing) tend to drive the biggest tax outcomes. Then review the Individual section for strategies that affect your personal return — things like charitable giving, home sale planning, and investment taxation. Many of the strategies overlap, and the best results come from coordinating both sides before year-end.
Are these guides updated for current tax law?
Yes. The guides reflect current federal tax law, including provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and subsequent legislation. When rules change — contribution limits, standard deduction amounts, phaseout thresholds — the affected guides are updated accordingly. That said, tax law can shift mid-year through new legislation or IRS guidance, so always confirm current figures with a tax professional before making time-sensitive decisions.
Can I use these guides to prepare my own tax return?
These guides are designed for planning and education, not return preparation. They explain the thinking behind tax strategies so you can make better financial decisions throughout the year. The actual return preparation — entering the numbers, choosing the right forms, running the calculations — still requires either tax software or a professional preparer who can apply the rules to your specific documents and facts.
Related Services from The Reed Corporation
Work With Our NYC CPA Team
ServiceTax Strategy & ConsultingYear-round planning that turns tax filing from a once-a-year event into a real strategy.
ServiceInvestment CoordinationWorking with your financial advisor so investment and tax decisions actually line up.
ServiceEntity Formation & StructuringLLC and S-corp setup for liability protection, SE-tax savings, and retirement options.
ServiceInvestment CoordinationWorking with your financial advisor so investment and tax decisions actually line up.
ServiceEntity Formation & StructuringLLC and S-corp setup for liability protection, SE-tax savings, and retirement options.
Related Reed Corporation Pages
Continue Reading
Need Personalized Tax Strategy?
These guides provide general frameworks. For advice tailored to your specific situation, schedule a consultation.