Tax Insight

Tax Insight: For Tax Year 2014 and Beyond will teach you to take control of life’s biggest expense—taxes.

In your lifetime, you will spend more money on taxes than on anything else. Despite that fact, you likely know the current prices of movies and milk but don’t know what your marginal tax rate is. You know where to get the cheapest gallon of gas to save a buck or two, but you don’t give a thought to the tax strategies you should be using right now that would save you thousands. It's not hard to understand why--taxes are complicated, unpleasant, and confusing.

InTax Insight, tax expert Casey Murdock opens up the world of taxes with amazing clarity and simplicity. As you will discover, you have within reach numerous ways to reduce your taxes. With everyday language and real-life examples,Tax Insight will give you the keys to minimizing your tax burden.

This book contains information you need even if you have a tax advisor or use a program like TurboTax. Tax professionals are busy and sometimes too cautious, and programs often miss opportunities for you to save money. It's also for those of all ages and income levels, including business owners.Tax Insight:

• Breaks down the key components of taxes with ease and simplicity.
• Provides a roadmap to paying as little tax as possible.
• Helps you know if you should do it yourself or hire a professional.

While there are many encyclopedic books on taxes—likeJ.K. Lasser’s Your Taxes—there aren’t nearly enough that describe the tax code in plain language. Far more than a rehash of impenetrable IRS "help" documents,Tax Insight is organized the way most people think and presents ideas in clear, simple language. If you buy this book and take advantage of its advice, you will save money.

M. Casey Murdock is a professional tax preparer, a financial advisor, and an enrolled agent with the IRS. He has a passion for minimizing taxes. It s the kind of thing you have to see for yourself to really understand. When he s working through your tax situation, he becomes transformed as he dials down into the deepest, darkest depths of the U.S. Tax Code. The only thing Casey enjoys more than reducing taxes is explaining how it is done. In Tax Insight 2013 he masterfully takes the ultra-complexity of the tax code and makes it easy to understand, using stories, examples, and simple explanations that he has developed as he has worked with his own tax clients over the years.

1. The Tax Code Demystified
2. Key Components Defined
3. Income
4. Dependents and Filing Status
5. The Tax Code Is Rigged
6. Employment Income
7. Retirement Income
8. Other Sources of Ordinary Income
9. Tax-Free "Unordinary" Income from Non-Investment Sources
10. Tax-Free Investment Income
11. Taxable Investment Income
12. Deductions from Investment Income
13. Education Investment Strategies
14. Retirement Investment Strategies—The Basics
15. Retirement Investment Strategies—Alternatives
16. Business Taxation
17. Business Use of the Home
18. Travel Expenses
19. Meals, Entertainment, and Gifts
20. Employee Benefits
21. Employing Family Members
22. Depreciation
23. Real Estate Losses
24. Real Estate Income and Deductions
25. Second Homes and Vacation Rentals
26. Medical and Dental Expenses
27. Your Residence
28. Your Children
29. Charitable Contributions
30. Education Expenses
31. The Alternative Minimum Tax
32. Penalties and Interest
33. Do It Yourself, or Hire a Professional?
34. Tax Implications of Health Care Reform