Irvine Blackman, Brian I. Whitlock

Irv Didn’t Invent Taxes, Just 227 Ways To Beat Them

There are three main ways the federal tax law picks your pocket and becomes your legal partner: payroll taxes, the income tax and the estate tax. So, how can you fight back?聽 Here are five areas in which you can save money from taxes.

Read More

Involving Your Significant Other In Estate Planning

How one couple worked together to leave their business to their children.聽

Read More
Oil & Gas

Your Liquid Capital—A Dire Emergency

This article was written while 鈥渂urning the midnight oil鈥 because about 95 percent of this column鈥檚 readers who call me have a significant portion of their wealth being pummeled by the Wall Street meltdown.聽

Read More

Some Advice For The Two Presidential Candidates

Politicians鈥攖he Washington gang that includes the House, Senate and president鈥攁re forever talking about raising or lowering the income tax rate. It鈥檚 election time, which means it鈥檚 really the silly season for floating 鈥渨hat鈥檚 best for the country鈥 income tax rate ideas. Every once in a while, the same politicians will babble a bit as to how we should change, kill or modify the estate tax law.

Read More

The Best Profit-Making Software I Have Ever Seen

Are your funds working for you as hard as you worked for them? If you are unhappy with your rate of return, then continue reading. Whether you are still active in the business world or retired, you are about to be delighted. The typical successful business owner is busy.

Read More

The Truth About How The Income Tax System Works

This article starts a new, every-four-year鈥攂efore the presidential election鈥攖radition for this column. Actually, this article (a big, long quote) first appeared in this column in October 2003. I was flooded with requests for copies, the last one鈥攚ould you believe鈥攁bout six months ago. Enjoy what follows. Then pass it on to your friends, and save copies to give to your kids and grandkids.

Read More

There Is More To Winning The Tax Game Than Beating The IRS

Recently, I read an article entitled 鈥淲hat Makes for Success?鈥 by Kemmons Wilson, the founder of Holiday Inn. He said, 鈥淚t is great to attain wealth, but money is really just one way鈥攁nd hardly the best way鈥 to keep score.鈥 Interesting quote, huh? Most readers of this column call me with tax problems b

Read More
Basics

So Your Qualified Plan Is A Tax Trap ­- Here’s How To Escape

Do you have a significant amount of money ($400,000 or more) in one or more qualified plans鈥攁n IRA, profit-sharing plan, 401(k) or others? This is a bittersweet subject. It is bitter if you don鈥檛 know how to legally avoid the tax-robbing laws that enrich the IRS, and it鈥檚 sweet if you implement one or more of the

Read More

You Can’t Beat Death, But You Can Beat The Estate Tax

The typical reader of this column, (we鈥檒l call him Joe), who calls me for estate planning help has two basic characteristics: (1) He has been successful at accumulating wealth. This is almost always in a business he started or that was created by a family elder and passed to him. (2) He hates paying taxes.

Read More

A Great Tax-Saving Idea For The Family Business

Most closely held/family businesses are S corporations, which means they do not pay taxes. Almost all profitable small businesses should be an S corporation, as opposed to a tax-paying C corporation.

Read More

The Great (Inadvertent) 401(k) Rip-Off

Raise your hand if your company has a qualified retirement plan (QRP). Your QRP can be a 401(k), profit-sharing plan, SEP-IRA, pension plan or any one of the many other QRPs.

Read More