Business Travel Deductions: What You Can and Can’t Write Off
Traveling for business? Don’t leave money on the table. Understanding the current rules for deducting out-of-town business expenses is key to making the most of…
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Navigating Tax Benefits for Your Family
Parents and guardians, are you maximizing the benefits provided by recent legislative updates? Whether you are welcoming a new addition through adoption or supporting growing…
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Savvy Savings: Essential Tax-Saving Strategies for this Filing Season
If tax law had seasons, 2025 would be the calm stretch before the forecast changes. But several of the rules that have shaped returns for…
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Don’t Get Fooled: How to Confirm Real IRS Communication and Avoid Costly Scams
Receiving unexpected contact about your taxes can feel unsettling, especially when scammers are becoming more convincing every year. Emails, texts, and phone calls claiming to…
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What Retirement Planning Really Is (and Why It’s Often Misunderstood)
For many people, retirement planning is reduced to a simple question: “Am I saving enough?” That question matters, but it only scratches the surface. In…
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A Smooth Start to 2026: Tax Planning Without the Panic
Welcome to 2026: the year you finally organize your tax documents before the last week of March. Every January brings a fresh chance to reset…
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International Business Travel in 2026: Deduct It (Without Drama)
Planning a business trip abroad in 2026? Great news: you can explore new markets, meet global partners, and deduct a good chunk of your travel…
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ABLE Accounts and the Saver’s Credit: A Practical Overview for People with Disabilities
Paying for disability-related expenses often involves long-term planning, especially when public benefits are part of the picture. Achieving a Better Life Experience accounts, commonly known…
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Dec. 31 Checklist: What Missourians Should Wrap Up Before Year-End
Before you sign off and get ready to party, take a quick look to make sure the important year-end items are checked off before 2026…
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Smart Year-End Tax Planning for 2025 (With Less Stress and More Savings)
As 2025 winds down and everyone starts googling “Is it time for holiday lights?,” there’s one other thing worth turning on: your tax planning brain….
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Starting Fresh: A Year-End Tax Guide for the Newly Divorced
The first year after a divorce comes with plenty of adjustments, from scheduling holidays to figuring out which documents still have both names on them….
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The “New Client” Tax Scam That Puts Your Data at Risk
Some tax scams skip the taxpayer entirely and go straight for the preparer. The “new client” scam uses friendly, believable emails to bait professionals into…
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Smart Tax Moves for Homeowners: Deductions to Know Before the Year Ends
Buying a home comes with plenty of decisions: paint colors, repairs, figuring out where the mysteriously slow Wi-Fi signal disappears. But as 2025 wraps up…
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Taking Clients to Lunch? Here’s What Still Counts as a Business Meal Deduction
With the new year around the corner, it is a good time to revisit the rules around business meals. You cannot claim every sandwich or…
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Ghost Tax Preparers: When Your Preparer Pulls a Disappearing Act
As we spotlight to top tax scams making the rounds this year, here’s a sneaky scam that disappears just when you need answers: the ghost…
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The Back Taxes Scam Hiding Behind “Pennies on the Dollar” Promises
If you owe back taxes, the idea of wiping your slate clean for a fraction of what you owe sounds appealing. But behind many of…
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Year-End Checklist: Get the Most from Your FSA in 2025
Before the year wraps up, take a closer look at your Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Whether you’re planning ahead or trying to make the most…
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Too Good to Be True: The Overstated Withholding Scam
When Too Much Withholding Becomes Too Much Trouble Taxpayers chasing big refunds are being misled by a growing scam that’s landed on the IRS’s 2025…
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Passing Down the Family Home: How a QPRT Can Protect Your Legacy and Lower Taxes
For many families, a home is an asset… and a gathering place, a source of stability, and the centerpiece of a family’s story. But when…
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Tax Scams: Haunted by a Ghost Employee Claim
When the Nanny Is a Ghost and So Is Your Refund Improper household employment tax claims are making headlines as one of the IRS’s top…
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Philanthropy and Your Estate Plan: Smart Moves Before 2026
Including philanthropy in your estate plan lets you support meaningful causes and may reduce taxes on your estate. With higher exemption amounts scheduled to expire…
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Selling Stocks, Property, or Crypto? Missouri’s New Law Could Save You Thousands
Big changes are coming to Missouri taxes, and this time they’re in your favor. Thanks to House Bill 594 (HB 594), signed by Governor Mike…
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The Myth of the “Self Employment Tax Credit”
In this article we’re focusing on another top tax scam on the IRS’s 2025 Dirty Dozen: the so-called Self Employment Tax Credit, which is a…
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Accounting | News | Tax
Getting to Know Anastasiya Ellebrecht at Smith Patrick CPAs
At Smith Patrick CPAs, our team is the foundation of the service we provide, and we’re excited to introduce Anastasiya Ellebrecht, a CPA who has…
