TX-LW Firm Blogs
Given our diverse firms, we are constantly exploring new ideas and staying up to date on the latest trends and developments in our industries.
On this page, you’ll find a selection of blog posts written by our experts across a range of disciplines, including tax, probate, business, and other services. These posts cover a wide range of topics, from industry-specific news and analysis to advice on how to navigate complex challenges.
-
When Settlement Funds Belong to the Estate, Who Can Settle Claims?
When a loved one dies due to someone else’s negligence, family members often find themselves navigating two parallel legal worlds: wrongful death claims that belong to individual family members and survival claims that belong to the deceased person’s estate. The litigation is often prosecuted by a personal injury law firm. They may or not may……
-
Can an Active Limited Partner Avoid Self-Employment Tax?
Self-emploiyment taxes are an additional tax over and above any income tax that may be due. The amount can be significant—these Social Security and Medicare taxes can add up to 15.3% on top of ordinary income tax rates. For smaller businesses, it is often a very large part of the overall tax due. How this………
-
When Providing Information to the IRS Discloses Additional Tax Due
The IRS consumes information about taxpayers. By and large, that is what the IRS is–a vacuum for information. It then processes the information and applies statutorily mandated processes to evaluate the information. The processes are geared toward evaluating whether additional tax is owed and then recording that balance on the IRS’s books, so that the………
-
Missed Opportunity When a Partner Dies: the Section 754 Election
There are tax opportunities that come up when someone dies. Many of these relate to those who own real estate in LLCs or partnerships. One such a opportunity the Section 754 election for partnerships. This is a valuable election–one of the most commonly missed–thatallows the partnership to adjust its inside basis in assets to match………
-
Can a Tax Attorney Recover Attorney’s Fees from the IRS for their Own Case?
The IRS administrative process is intended to catch incorrect tax returns and make adjustments to fix the returns. This includes false and fraudulent tax returns as well as those with honest errors. This includes an IRS audit function, and IRS appeals function, and IRS counsel function. And each step has a management oversight function and………
-
When Can the IRS Pursue a Deceased Spouse’s Estate Without Probate?
Our income tax laws can be complex when applied to unique or varying fact patterns. This can result in tax liabilities. Tax liabilities can also arise when someone legitimately owest tax and simply does not pay it. There are various collection remedies available for tax liabilities. These remedies often have the best outcome when there………
-
Short-Term Vacation Rentals and Material Participation
Real estate can offer significant tax benefits. This is largely due to depreciation deductions which allow taxpayers to deduct their cost of investment in the property. Given the tax benefits, Congress has put in place some nuanced rules that allow some real estate owners to get immediate benefits and that deny or defer benefits to………
-
Settling Debts in an Asset Purchase: Immediate Deduction or Capitalized Cost?
You own two businesses. They work in similar spaces, but are distinct businesses. One of them has financial troubles and gets behind on its bills. You decide to have the other business acquire the assets of the failing business. You start thinking about taxes. You think ahead when you go to do the tax returns………
-
When Does a Promissory Note Create Basis in Controlled Company Stock?
Business owners have choices in how to fund their corporations. Should they contribute cash? Property? Perhaps a promissory note? There may be some benefit of using a promissory note. You get stock in your company without immediately parting with cash or other assets. The promissory note sits on the company’s books as a receivable, and………
