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The Tax Strategy Podcast with Fexingo: Tax Planning, Deductions, and Saving Money on Taxes
The Tax Strategy Podcast with Fexingo: Tax Planning, Deductions, and Saving Money on Taxes
Lucas and Luna dissect the U.S. tax code with surgical precision, focusing on federal and state tax strategies for high-earning professionals, small business owners, and independent contractors. Each episode examines a specific deduction or credit, from Section 199A qualified business income deductions to cost-segregation studies for real estate investors, and walks through real-dollar examples using publicly available IRS forms and case law. They compare strategies like bunching itemized deductions versus taking the standard deduction, or weighing the benefits of a solo 401(k) against a SEP IRA. The show serves listeners who want to minimize their tax liability legally, without relying on gimmicks.
Episodes
How the IRS Audits Side Hustles in 2026
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna break down how the IRS is auditing side hustles in 2026, focusing on Form 1099-K reporting thresholds, the Transactional Data Analysis program, and a real case study of a freelance graphic designer who triggered an audit by mismatching income across platforms. They explain what red flags the IRS looks for, how to document business expense
How the Qualified Business Income Deduction Works in 2026
Lucas and Luna break down the Section 199A qualified business income deduction for pass-through business owners. Using the example of a freelance graphic designer earning $180,000, they explain the 20 percent deduction, the taxable income threshold ($197,300 for single filers in 2026), the phase-in range, the wage and property limits, and how specified service trades or businesses like law, medici
How a Home Office Deduction Works for Hybrid Workers in 2026
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna tackle the home office deduction for hybrid workers in 2026. With the rise of hybrid schedules, many employees and self-employed individuals are unsure if they qualify. Lucas breaks down the strict eligibility rules under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, focusing on the 'exclusive and regular use' test and the 'principal place of business' test
How an S Corporation Election Reduces Your Self-Employment Tax
Lucas and Luna break down the S corporation election strategy for self-employed professionals. Using the example of a freelance software developer earning $180,000 in 2026, they show how electing S corp status can save over $8,500 per year in self-employment taxes. They walk through the mechanics of paying yourself a reasonable salary versus distributions, the IRS thresholds for eligibility, and t
How the Net Investment Income Tax Hits Your Passive Gains
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna break down the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) — a 3.8% surtax that catches many investors off guard. They use a concrete example: a married couple filing jointly with $300,000 in wage income and $80,000 in capital gains and rental income. Lucas explains how the NIIT applies to the lesser of net investment income or the excess modified a
How the Kiddie Tax Affects Your Childs Investment Income in 2026
Episode 41 of The Tax Strategy Podcast with Fexingo digs into the kiddie tax—the IRS rule that taxes a child's unearned income at the parent's marginal rate. Lucas and Luna break down the 2026 thresholds, why a 16-year-old with a summer job and a brokerage account might face a surprise tax bill, and how to structure custodial accounts to stay under the radar. They walk through a real scenario: a f
How Tax-Efficient Withdrawal Sequencing Works in Retirement
Episode 40 of The Tax Strategy Podcast. Lucas and Luna break down the tax-efficient order of withdrawals from retirement accounts—taxable brokerage, pre-tax 401(k), Roth IRA, and Health Savings Account. Using a concrete example for a married couple retiring in 2026 with $1.5 million in combined accounts, they walk through the logic of filling lower tax brackets with pre-tax money, tapping Roth acc
How Tax Inflation Indexing Affects Your 2026 Brackets
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna unpack how inflation indexing for 2026 is reshaping tax brackets, standard deductions, and key thresholds. Using the IRS's recent revenue procedure, they explain why the 2026 adjustments are lower than the last two years due to cooling inflation. Lucas breaks down the specific numbers: the 2.8 percent inflation adjustment versus last year
How Installment Sales Defer Taxes on Large Gains
Lucas and Luna unpack the installment sale strategy for deferring capital gains tax when selling a business, property, or valuable asset. Using the example of a $2 million commercial building sale in Austin in June 2026, they walk through how spreading payments over five years keeps the tax bill manageable and avoids the net investment income tax surcharge. They also cover the tricky recapture rul
How Stock Options and RSUs Affect Your Tax Bill in 2026
Equity compensation is increasingly common outside of tech, but the tax rules are still confusing. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down how Incentive Stock Options (ISOs), Non-Qualified Stock Options (NSOs), and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) are taxed, when the AMT can sneak up on you, and what happens if you leave your job before shares vest. Lucas walks through a concrete example of an emp
How a Spousal IRA Doubles Retirement Savings for Non-Working Spouses
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna explain how a Spousal IRA lets a working spouse contribute to a retirement account for a non-working spouse, effectively doubling a couple's retirement savings. They walk through the income limits for 2026, the difference between traditional and Roth spousal IRAs, and a concrete example of how a family earning $150,000 can save an extra $
How Tax Brackets Actually Work and Why You Shouldnt Fear a Raise
Ever turned down a raise because you thought it would push you into a higher tax bracket and leave you with less money? Lucas and Luna bust that myth wide open. They explain how marginal tax brackets actually function in the US system, walk through the 2026 bracket thresholds, and show why only the money in the new bracket gets taxed at the higher rate — not your entire income. They use real numbe
How the Foreign Tax Credit Prevents Double Taxation
Lucas and Luna break down the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC), one of the most powerful tools for Americans with foreign investments or overseas income. Using a concrete example—a U.S. investor who holds shares of a German company and pays 15% German withholding tax on dividends—they walk through how Form 1116 works, the per-country and overall limitations, and the tricky interaction with the Qualified B
How the Backdoor Roth IRA Works in 2026
Lucas and Luna break down the Backdoor Roth IRA strategy for 2026, using a concrete example: a high-income earner named Jen who earns $180,000 and is phased out of direct Roth IRA contributions. They walk through the two-step process—making a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution and converting it to Roth—and explain the pro-rata rule that can trigger unexpected taxes if you have existing pre
How the Health Savings Account Triple Tax Advantage Works
Lucas and Luna break down the Health Savings Account (HSA) — the only tax vehicle that gives you a deduction on contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for medical expenses. They walk through the 2026 contribution limits ($4,300 for individuals, $8,600 for families, plus $1,000 catch-up for 55+), explain who qualifies (must have a high-deductible health plan with minimum deductibl
How Tax-Loss Harvesting Offsets Your Investment Gains
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna break down tax-loss harvesting—the strategy that lets investors use realized losses to offset capital gains and reduce their tax bill. Using a concrete example of an investor who sold a losing tech stock in June 2026, they explain how losses first offset gains of the same type, then any remaining losses can be deducted against ordinary in
How a Donor-Advised Fund Cuts Your Capital Gains Tax in 2026
In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down donor-advised funds (DAFs) as a powerful tax strategy for charitable giving with appreciated assets. Using a concrete example with NVIDIA stock, they show how donating shares instead of cash can eliminate capital gains tax entirely, reduce your income tax bill, and simplify giving. They cover the mechanics, the deduction limits, and the potential pitfalls
How the Charitable Remainder Trust Cuts Taxes and Boosts Giving
Lucas and Luna break down the charitable remainder trust (CRT) — a powerful but underused strategy that lets you donate assets to charity, receive lifetime income, and claim a charitable deduction. They walk through a concrete example: a donor with $500,000 in highly appreciated stock who uses a CRT to avoid capital gains tax, generate a 5% annual payout, and leave the remainder to a donor-advised
How the Medical Expense Deduction Works in 2026
Lucas and Luna break down the medical expense deduction for 2026—who qualifies, what counts, and the 7.5% AGI floor that blocks most people. Using a real-world example of a freelancer with $18,000 in unreimbursed medical costs, they walk through the math, the trap of over-the-counter items, and the strategy of bunching expenses into a single tax year. They also cover the new IRS guidance on telehe
How the Child and Dependent Care Credit Really Works in 2026
Lucas and Luna break down the Child and Dependent Care Credit for 2026, covering the new higher expense limits, phaseout thresholds, and how the credit interacts with employer-provided dependent care benefits. They walk through a concrete example: a married couple with two kids paying $16,000 in daycare costs. Lucas explains why the credit is now partially refundable for the first time, and Luna h
How the Saver's Credit Boosts Your Retirement Savings
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna break down the Saver's Credit — a tax credit that rewards low- and middle-income workers for contributing to retirement accounts. They explain who qualifies, how the credit is calculated, and how it overlaps with other tax breaks like the traditional IRA deduction. Using a concrete example of a couple earning $50,000 a year, they show how
How a Home Equity Debt Strategy Cuts Your Tax Bill
Episode 25 of The Tax Strategy Podcast explores a little-used tax loophole: using home equity debt to purchase investment property and deduct the interest. Lucas explains the 2026 rules under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including how the $750,000 debt limit applies, and walks through a concrete example of a homeowner in Portland who refi'd their primary residence to buy a duplex, saving $3,400 in t
How Qualified Opportunity Zones Cut Capital Gains Tax in 2026
Lucas and Luna unpack the mechanics of Qualified Opportunity Zones as of June 2026. They explain how deferring capital gains into a QOF can reduce your tax bill by up to 15 percent, walk through the 10-year holding period for tax-free appreciation, and highlight a real-world example in Denver, Colorado. They also cover the 2026 sunset of the 10 percent exclusion bump and the new IRS reporting requ
How a Self-Rental Strategy Shrinks Your Tax Bill
Lucas and Luna unpack the self-rental strategy, a little-known tax maneuver where a business owner rents property from themselves to shift income, claim deductions, and reduce self-employment taxes. They walk through a concrete example: a real estate agent in Austin who owns her office condo personally and leases it to her LLC, saving roughly $8,000 in 2025. The hosts explain the IRS 'recharacteri
How the Qualified Business Income Deduction Works in 2026
Episode 22 of The Tax Strategy Podcast breaks down the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction under Section 199A, focusing on how it applies to freelancers and small business owners in 2026. Lucas and Luna walk through a concrete example: a freelance graphic designer earning $180,000 per year with $40,000 in qualified business income from a side LLC. They explain the 20% deduction, the phaseout
How to Deduct Your Hobby Expenses Legally in 2026
Lucas and Luna tackle the tricky IRS rules on hobby versus business income. Using the real example of a freelance photographer who turned her weekend gig into a profitable side business, they explain the key tests the IRS uses to decide if you can deduct losses. They walk through the nine-factor 'profit motive' test, the difference between a hobby loss and a start-up loss, and how the Tax Cuts and
How the Net Investment Income Tax Hits Your Passive Income
Most people focus on income tax brackets, but there is a separate 3.8 percent surtax that quietly eats into investment earnings for higher earners. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) — who it applies to in 2026, what counts as 'investment income' (spoiler: rental real estate and capital gains are included), and a surprising exemption for active real est
How the Nanny Tax Works for Household Employers
If you hire a nanny, housekeeper, or caregiver in 2026, you are likely subject to the 'nanny tax' — paying Social Security, Medicare, and federal unemployment taxes on their wages. In this episode, Lucas and Luna walk through the current thresholds, the Schedule H filing process, and the surprising way this tax interacts with the Child and Dependent Care Credit. Using a concrete example of a famil
How the American Opportunity Tax Credit Cuts College Costs
In Episode 18 of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna break down the American Opportunity Tax Credit—a refundable credit worth up to $2,500 per student for qualified college expenses. They walk through the income phase-outs, what counts as a qualified expense, and the tricky rule about claiming the credit in the same year you use a 529 plan. Using a real example of a family earning $160,000 wi
How the Kiddie Tax Traps Teen Investors and What to Do
Episode 17 of The Tax Strategy Podcast digs into a tax rule that surprises a lot of parents: the kiddie tax. Lucas walks Luna through how unearned income over $2,600 for kids under 19 gets taxed at the parents' marginal rate, not the child's lower bracket. They use a concrete example — a 16-year-old with $8,000 in stock dividends and a part-time job — to show how the tax bill jumps from roughly $1
How State Tax Credits Reduce Your Federal Bill
Episode 16 of The Tax Strategy Podcast with Fexingo dives into state tax credits that can directly lower your federal tax liability. Lucas and Luna use the real example of the Louisiana Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit, which offers a 30% state credit — but the federal deduction for state taxes paid creates a double benefit. They walk through the numbers: a $100,000 investment in a qualifying fi
How Side Hustle Deductions Work Under the New IRS Rules
If you've got a side gig — freelance writing, reselling vintage furniture, dog walking, driving for a rideshare — the IRS changed the rules in late 2025 for how you deduct expenses. Lucas walks through two real scenarios: a graphic designer earning $14,000 in 2026 and a reseller who buys pallets of returned goods. The key number is $1,000 — the new de minimis safe harbor threshold for supplies. Lu
How the Home Office Deduction Works for Hybrid Workers in 2026
Lucas and Luna unpack the home office deduction specifically for hybrid employees in 2026. They compare the regular method vs. the simplified method, highlight the key eligibility test — exclusive and regular use — and walk through how a graphic designer who works from home three days a week can qualify. They also discuss what happens when you sell your home if you've claimed the deduction, and ho
How the Foreign Tax Credit Prevents Double Taxation on Global Income
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna unpack the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) — a critical but often misunderstood tool for Americans with foreign income. They walk through a concrete example: a freelance consultant earning $120,000 from a German client who already paid 15% German tax. Lucas explains how Form 1116 works, the difference between foreign earned income e
How a Solo 401k Cuts Taxes for Freelancers
Lucas and Luna break down the Solo 401k — a retirement account that lets self-employed individuals contribute up to $69,000 in 2026 as both employer and employee. They walk through the mechanics: the 25% employer profit-sharing contribution on top of the $23,500 employee deferral, the catch-up provisions for those over 50, and the key difference from a SEP IRA — the ability to make Roth contributi
How Section 1031 Exchanges Defer Capital Gains on Real Estate
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna break down Section 1031 like-kind exchanges – a powerful IRS provision that lets real estate investors defer capital gains taxes indefinitely when swapping properties. Using a concrete example of a rental duplex owner in Austin moving up to a fourplex, they walk through the 45-day identification window, the 180-day close rule, and the ris
How Tax-Loss Harvesting Actually Works in 2026
Lucas and Luna walk through a real tax-loss harvesting scenario for a hypothetical investor with $50,000 in realized gains this year. They explain the wash-sale rule, how to pair losing positions with winning ones, and why harvesting into December can backfire if you don't plan ahead. They also pull back the curtain on how Fexingo stays listener-supported: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No
How Roth Conversions Can Lower Your Lifetime Tax Bill
In Episode 9 of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna break down the Roth IRA conversion ladder — a strategy that lets you move pre-tax retirement dollars into a Roth account at a lower marginal rate, then withdraw them tax-free in retirement. They walk through a concrete example: a married couple earning $120,000 who converts $30,000 per year for five years, paying roughly $3,600 in extra tax
How the Blended Tax Credit Works for Child Care Costs
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the recently expanded blended tax credit for child care costs under the 2026 tax code. They break down how the credit now combines elements of the old Child and Dependent Care Credit with a new refundable portion tied to inflation-adjusted income thresholds. Using a concrete example of a family earning $75,000 with two children, t
How to Use a Health Savings Account as a Retirement Vehicle
Lucas and Luna explore a powerful but often overlooked tax strategy: using a Health Savings Account (HSA) as a retirement savings vehicle. They walk through the triple tax advantage—deductible contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses—and explain why an HSA can be more tax-efficient than a 401(k) for many people. Lucas breaks down the 2026 contribution
How the Section 179 Deduction Works in 2026
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code, a powerful tax deduction that allows businesses to immediately expense the cost of qualifying equipment and software. As of 2026, the deduction limit is $1.22 million, with a phase-out threshold of $3.05 million. Using a concrete example of a mid-sized landscaping company, they explain h
Using a Donor-Advised Fund to Cut Your Tax Bill
Lucas and Luna explore how donor-advised funds, or DAFs, work as a tax strategy for charitable giving. They walk through a concrete example: a listener who wants to donate $10,000 to several charities but can't itemize deductions under the current standard deduction. By bundling five years of donations into a single year and using a DAF, that listener creates a $50,000 itemized deduction in year o
How Basis Points Slash Your Investment Tax Bill
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna dig into the tax impact of investment fees—often overlooked but quietly eating into returns. Lucas walks through a concrete example: a $500,000 portfolio with a one percent expense ratio versus a 0.05 percent index fund. Over 30 years, that fee difference costs roughly $185,000 in lost growth, plus a hidden tax penalty when fees are deduc
How the R&D Tax Credit Works for Small Manufacturers
Episode 3 of The Tax Strategy Podcast digs into the Research & Development tax credit — often thought of as a Silicon Valley perk but actually a powerful tool for small manufacturers and product-based businesses. Lucas explains how a mid-sized Ohio machine shop named Precision Tool & Die claimed over $80,000 in credits by retrofitting CNC equipment and testing new alloys. Luna asks about the trick
How the TCJA Changed Pass-Through Deductions for Small Business Owners
In this episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna break down the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction under Section 199A, which was introduced by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. They explain how this deduction allows pass-through business owners to deduct up to 20% of their qualified business income, but highlight the complex phase-out rules for specified service trades or busine
How Apple Uses the Irish Tax Structure
In this debut episode of The Tax Strategy Podcast, Lucas and Luna unpack the famous Irish tax structure that helped Apple legally pay a single-digit effective tax rate on billions in profits for years. They trace how the Double Irish and Dutch Sandwich arrangements worked, why the European Commission ordered Apple to pay €13 billion in back taxes, and what changed in 2024 that finally shut the loo
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