Back in December 2017, while you were finishing up your holiday shopping and spiking the eggnog, Congress spiked the tax code. The goal was simple. First, eliminate a bunch of deductions that made the whole thing more complicated. Then, take advantage of that broader base to cut overall rates. There’s nothing radical about that sort of tinkering. The hard part is deciding which sacred cows get gored to make it work.Much to many peoples’ surprise, the state and local tax deduction...

Turn on any television, any time of day or night, and you’re likely to see an insurance ad, or two, or a dozen. Flo is showing off her “name your price” tool, which sure looks like her company’s way of saying “you may not be able to afford all the insurance you need, but we’re happy to sell you whatever you can afford.” There’s the ubiquitous gecko, telling you his company sells insurance for your RV and motorcycle, too. And there’s Duncan,...

Memorial Day has come and gone, and while summer doesn’t officially unlock the door and open for business until June 21, who’s waiting? Craft beer fans are swapping out those dark malts that taste like tree bark, and stocking up on summer brews with hints of lemon, lime, and cherry. Sports fans are turning their eyes towards baseball’s upcoming All-Star game. (Yeah, hockey and basketball are still going on — but aren’t those supposed to be winter sports?) And...

Graduation season is here, and grads of all ages are excited to move on! Kindergartners are celebrating mastery of letters, shapes, and not eating crayons. Awkward eighth-graders just want to finish getting through puberty. High-schoolers are looking forward to careers, college, and moving out of their parents’ nests. College grads are looking forward to crushing student debt and moving back in to those nests. And some panicky grad students (you know who you are), are searching...

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (okay, on May 21, 1980), The Empire Strikes Backintroduced the world to Yoda, the oldest, most-powerful, and most syntactically-challenged Jedi knight in the universe. Yoda delighted audiences as he trained Luke Skywalker, launched him into battle against Darth Vader, and died peacefully at age 900, his body becoming one with the Force. Today, his fans remember Yoda by celebrating May 21 as National Talk Like Yoda Day. And celebrating we are this...

On May 6, England’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan introduced the world to a baby with the delightfully British name of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The new royal is now seventh in line for the throne, which means he won’t have to spend his life faking fascination with mundane royal duties like touring factories or christening ships. The poor kid doesn’t even have a title, at least not yet. You’d think he would at least be Laird of some Scottish fishing...

In the criminal justice system, tax-based offenses aren’t considered especially heinous . . . but they still cost the government a ton of money. In field offices throughout the country, the dedicated Special Agents who investigate these expensive felonies are members of an elite squad known as IRS Criminal Investigation. (They’re also the only IRS agents who get to pack heat, rock a Kevlar vest, and go undercover.) From the FY 2018 CI Annual Report, these are their stories. (Dun...

Last weekend, Hollywood made history. Disney’s three-hour popcorn epic, Avengers: Endgamesent box-office records scrambling in panic, grossing $350 million here in the U.S. And $330 million in China. And $600 million more in another 43 countries. It’s the first movie to top a billion dollars in its opening weekend. Endgame still has a long way to go before it catches Gone With the Wind, which made $3.4 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars. But did Scarlett...

When it comes to raising revenue, governments usually find it most efficient to follow the immortal advice of bank robber Willie Sutton and go “where the money is.” They turn to income, payroll, property, and sales taxes to fund most of their operations. They’ll throw in the occasional gas tax or sin tax for fun. Most of the time, those “nuisance taxes” don’t amount to much. But that’s not always the case. In 1989, New York state imposed...

Sunday night, millions of Game of Thrones fans who waited breathlessly for 20 months finally got rewarded with their next installment what’s become the biggest TV show on the planet. Cersei discovered (redacted). Jon Snow learned that …. (sorry, no spoilers here). And that guy with the eye patch and flaming sword probably does great on Tinder. (Seriously, what fair maiden wouldn’t swipe right on him?) Last week, we speculated about how taxes work in Game...