Free Guides
Plain-language guides for high-income earners and for farm and ranch owners, with IRS sources, written to work through with your CPA.
Everyone
Can You Get a Second Opinion on Your Tax Return Without Replacing Your CPA?
Yes, you can get a second opinion on your tax return without replacing your CPA. What a review covers, what happens next, and what to have ready.
Read the guideHigh income
Tax Planning for High-Income Earners: Questions to Work Through Before the Year Closes
Year-end questions for high-income taxpayers to raise with a CPA: estimated tax, investment income taxes, capital gains, giving and retirement.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Year-End Tax Planning for Farmers and Ranchers: Questions to Work Through With Your CPA
Year-end questions for farm and ranch operators to raise with a CPA: cash-method timing, crop insurance, weather sales, income averaging and more.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Farmland Purchase Price Allocation: How to Split Land From Improvements
When you buy farmland or a ranch, the price has to be split between land and improvements. Here's how IRS guidance says to allocate it, and what to keep.
Read the guideHigh income
Can a Ranch Loss Offset Your W-2 Income? The IRS Limits That Apply, in Order
Whether a ranch loss can offset wages depends on IRS limits applied in order: for-profit, basis, at-risk, passive activity and excess business loss rules.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Hobby or Business? How the IRS Looks at a Ranch
Ranch business or hobby? How IRS rules look at profit motive: the factors, horse activities and Form 5213, with IRS sources.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Depreciating Farm Land Improvements: Fences, Wells, Drainage Tile, and Buildings
Land isn't depreciable, but fences, wells, drainage tile and farm buildings may be. IRS recovery periods, with sources and FAQs.
Read the guideEveryone
The Free Two-Year Look-Back: What We Review and What Happens Next
A free review of your last two years of returns, done for you. What we review, what you leave with, and how it fits with your CPA.
Read the guideMissed Depreciation in Past Years: Amended Return or Accounting-Method Change?
Missed depreciation in past years? When the IRS lets you fix it on an amended return, when it's a Form 3115 method change, and what a 481(a) adjustment is.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Cost Segregation for Farms and Ranches: How a Study Works and What It Looks At
How a cost segregation study works for farms, ranches and rental or commercial property: how buildings, structures and land improvements are classified.
Read the guideHigh income
RSUs, Stock Options and ESPP Shares: How They're Taxed and What to Check on Your Return
How RSUs, NSOs, ISOs and ESPP shares are taxed, the AMT on ISOs, and the Form 1099-B basis check that keeps the same income from being taxed twice.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Buying a Ranch or Farmland: Tax Questions to Raise Before Closing
Before you close on a ranch or farmland, raise these tax questions with your CPA: price allocation, closing costs, crops, livestock, exchanges and records.
Read the guideEveryone
What to Bring to a Tax Return Review: A Checklist
A tax return review checklist: returns, depreciation reports, purchase records, information returns, IRS notices, and how to share documents with care.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Farm Income Averaging (Schedule J): Who Can Use It and How It Works
How farm income averaging on Schedule J works: who can use it, what counts as elected farm income, how the base years work, and amended returns. IRS sources.
Read the guideHigh income
The SALT Cap After the 2025 Tax Law: What Changed for High Earners and Landowners
What the 2025 tax law changed about the state and local tax deduction cap, how it phases down for high incomes, and why farm property taxes sit outside it.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
How Estimated Tax Works for Farmers and Ranchers
How estimated tax works for farmers: the two-thirds gross income test, the single January 15 payment, the March 1 file-and-pay option and Form 2210-F.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Livestock and Taxes: Inventory vs. Depreciable Breeding Stock
Bought or raised, held for sale or kept for the herd: how IRS rules treat livestock on Schedule F, Form 4797, inventory and depreciation. With IRS sources.
Read the guideHigh income
Charitable Giving Under the 2026 Rules: Bunching, Donor-Advised Funds and Gifts of Stock
The 2026 charitable deduction rules: the floor for itemizers, the top-bracket limit, the non-itemizer deduction, donor-advised funds and gifts of stock.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Inherited Farmland: Basis and Depreciation Questions, Answered
How basis works for inherited farm and ranch land: date-of-death value, alternate and special-use valuation, Form 8971, land vs. buildings, and depreciation.
Read the guideFarm & ranch
Selling Farmland to a Farmer: The Section 1062 Election to Pay the Tax in Installments
The section 1062 election for a farmland sale to a farmer: four annual tax installments, which land and buyers qualify, the covenant, and what to check.
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