Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Tax filing season is arriving just as President Donald Trump’s second-year agenda begins to bite, and the headline promise of “relief” is colliding with a more complicated reality. Some households will see bigger refunds, but a mix of expiring health subsidies, shifting brackets and stealth levies is poised to hit family budgets from multiple directions….
The first big tax deadline of 2026 has come and gone, and for employers and payors who missed it, the Internal Revenue Service is already tallying penalties. The cutoff for sending key information returns tied to 2025 income has now passed, which means late filers are moving from grace period to damage control. I see…
Two Atlanta-area tax preparers have been permanently pushed out of the business after federal authorities accused them of fabricating returns and pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper fees. The lifetime ban caps a civil enforcement push that forced the pair to give up $600,000 in what officials describe as ill-gotten gains and sends…
President Donald Trump is turning a massive legal clash with the tax authorities into a political and public relations spectacle, floating the idea of settling his $10 billion claim and handing the money to charity. The president has framed the lawsuit as a test of government accountability after the leak of his tax returns, while…
Across the country, conservative lawmakers and anti-tax activists are mounting an aggressive campaign to erase property tax bills for homeowners, recasting one of the most stable pillars of local finance as an unacceptable burden. The push stretches from the Plains to the Southeast, with proposals that range from gradual exemptions to sweeping constitutional bans and…
Calls to tax second homes more heavily usually come from housing campaigners and local officials, not from the people who own the keys. Yet one particular kind of second home owner has spent years insisting that the bill should be bigger, not smaller. The argument is simple: if you can afford a vacation mansion, you…
Tax season 2026 is shaping up to be the strangest in years: refunds are projected to be bigger on average, yet the rules for who benefits, how fast money arrives, and what it really means for your budget are shifting underfoot. Many filers are expecting a simple windfall, but the real story is more complicated,…
Vehicle buyers in 2026 are navigating a very different tax landscape than they saw a few years ago, and the rules around writing off sales tax on a car are more nuanced than ever. The Internal Revenue Service still allows deductions tied to vehicle purchases, but they are tightly woven into broader limits on state…
President Donald Trump has opened a new front in his long running battle over his finances, filing a lawsuit that seeks at least 10 billion dollars from the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department. The complaint accuses federal officials of failing to protect his confidential tax information and allowing it to leak to news…
New rules for charitable giving in 2026 are quietly turning donations into one of the most efficient ways to boost your refund. Two fresh tax breaks, layered on top of a stricter regime for high earners, mean everyday taxpayers can get more back while directing money to causes they care about. Used strategically, these changes…