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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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.…

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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…

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When Numbers Lie: Detecting Overstated Assets and Underreported Liabilities 266 266 Noelle Merwin

When Numbers Lie: Detecting Overstated Assets and Underreported Liabilities

Welcome back to Follow the Money. In the first article, we looked at how hidden transactions can shift the entire direction of a case. This month, we’re turning to something that tends to be quieter, harder to spot, and often more damaging in the long run: companies inflating what they own and downplaying what they…

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TRACING THE MONEY TRAIL: How Hidden Transactions Can Shape a Case 266 266 Noelle Merwin

TRACING THE MONEY TRAIL: How Hidden Transactions Can Shape a Case

Welcome to the first edition of Follow the Money—my new monthly series on the real world of forensic accounting. After years spent sifting through ledgers, bank statements, and the occasional financial garbage bag disguised as bookkeeping, I’ve come to appreciate just how much finding a single transaction or small series of transactions can change the…

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