News

Tax Planning Strategies Every Real Estate Investor Should Know 266 266 Noelle Merwin

Tax Planning Strategies Every Real Estate Investor Should Know

Many individuals invest in real estate to help diversify their portfolio, create an income stream for themselves from rental income and build net worth over time. Often, this is a side activity to a career in another field or running another type of business — not the individual’s primary source of income. Holdings might range…

read more
Teachers, take note! New Tax Deductions for Teachers in 2026 266 266 Noelle Merwin

Teachers, take note! New Tax Deductions for Teachers in 2026

Teachers and other educators often spend their own money on books, supplies, equipment and other classroom needs. For 2026, eligible educators may have two ways to deduct qualifying unreimbursed expenses. One deduction is available whether or not they itemize, and a new deduction under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is available to itemizers.…

read more
Will Your Disability Benefits Be Taxable? Understanding the Rules 266 266 Noelle Merwin

Will Your Disability Benefits Be Taxable? Understanding the Rules

Disability insurance is a valuable benefit provided by many employers. It replaces a portion of the insured person’s income — typically 45% to 65% of pre-disability earnings — after a specified waiting period that starts when the person becomes disabled (as defined by the policy’s terms). Whether you’re just beginning to receive disability benefits or you’re…

read more
Fraud in the Shadows: Uncovering Embezzlement and Asset Misappropriation in Business Disputes 266 266 Noelle Merwin

Fraud in the Shadows: Uncovering Embezzlement and Asset Misappropriation in Business Disputes

Welcome back to Follow the Money. Over the past few months, we’ve gone over hidden transactions, overstated assets, and how value gets quietly shifted in shareholder and partnership disputes. This time, we’re focusing on a type of fraud that shows up far more often than people realize, usually at the hands of someone who was…

read more
Running a Business Solo? Here’s What You Need to Know About Taxes 266 266 Noelle Merwin

Running a Business Solo? Here’s What You Need to Know About Taxes

Many small businesses start out as sole proprietorships. This structure is simple and inexpensive to establish and maintain — and it gives the owner direct access to profits without having to take formal distributions. But it also makes your taxes more complicated than when you were a W-2 employee. Here are some federal tax issues…

read more
NYC Pied-à-Terre Tax: What Property Owners Need to Know 266 266 Noelle Merwin

NYC Pied-à-Terre Tax: What Property Owners Need to Know

New York City has issued notices regarding the new Non-Primary Residence Surcharge, commonly referred to as the Pied-à-Terre (“foot on the ground”) Tax. The surcharge applies to certain non-primary residences located in New York City. In some cases, notices were also sent to New York City individuals whose properties qualify as their primary residence. Recipients…

read more
IRS Scam Alert: Protect Your Information 266 266 Noelle Merwin

IRS Scam Alert: Protect Your Information

We want to make you aware of a new scam targeting taxpayers that involves criminals impersonating the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Scammers are sending fraudulent letters, emails, and text messages claiming recipients must enroll in a so-called “Digital Asset Compliance Portal” before a specified deadline. These communications may include QR codes or links designed to steal…

read more
Sending a Child to College This Fall? Don’t Overlook These Valuable Tax Breaks 266 266 Noelle Merwin

Sending a Child to College This Fall? Don’t Overlook These Valuable Tax Breaks

A higher education is expensive, and many parents spend years saving up. Others haven’t had the financial bandwidth to save or have hit unexpected financial roadblocks along the way. Regardless of your situation, current tax breaks may be available to you (or to your children or even their grandparents) once your child begins attending college…

read more
Before You Donate: Know the Tax Rules 266 266 Noelle Merwin

Before You Donate: Know the Tax Rules

Have you already made contributions to charity this year? Are you considering making more between now and year end? If so, it’s important to be familiar with the tax rules for different types of donations so you can maximize your tax benefit or at least avoid finding out at tax filing time that your charitable…

read more
Vitolo & Associates Joins Smolin, Expanding Tax and Advisory Capabilities 150 150 Tonni

Vitolo & Associates Joins Smolin, Expanding Tax and Advisory Capabilities

Red Bank, NJ — July 8, 2026 — Smolin, Lupin & Co., LLC (Smolin), a leading advisory, tax, and accounting firm, announces that Vitolo & Associates has joined the firm, marking a strategic alignment between two companies dedicated to delivering exceptional client service. Vitolo & Associates brings deep tax expertise and a well-established Client Accounting…

read more
IRS Provides Gift Tax Filing Relief for Certain Trump Account Contributions 266 266 Noelle Merwin

IRS Provides Gift Tax Filing Relief for Certain Trump Account Contributions

The IRS has issued Revenue Procedure 2026-25, providing gift tax reporting relief for certain individuals who contribute to Trump Accounts established for eligible children. Under the new safe harbor, qualifying contributions will be treated as completed gifts that are not future interests in property and that qualify for the annual per donee gift tax exclusion.…

read more
Beyond the Balance Sheet: Tracing True Value in Shareholder and Partnership Battles 266 266 Noelle Merwin

Beyond the Balance Sheet: Tracing True Value in Shareholder and Partnership Battles

Welcome back to Follow the Money. In the last article, we dug into how inflated assets and hidden liabilities can distort a company’s financial picture. This month, we’re shifting to a problem that shows up just as frequently in shareholder and partnership disputes but is often much harder to see at first glance: the value…

read more

Get the Latest Smolin News.

Name
in NJ & FL | Smolin Lupin & Co.