Check out our October newsletter!
OCTOBER 2025 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 10
TOPH’S TAX RESOLUTION TIMES
513-513-8674 WWW.513TAX.COM
NO CAR? NO PROBLEM Commuting by Bike Puts Toph in the Fast Lane
Riding your bike to work isn’t the first thing that comes to mind for most commuters these days. But when our second car, a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta, started making funny noises, with its dashboard lights flashing, our mechanic told us so much stuff was wrong that he couldn’t fix it for less than $5,000. With the odometer at 150,000 miles, Ashley and I decided to retire the Jetta and sell it to our mechanic for parts. When we set out to buy the new Ford SUV Ashley had picked out as our next family car, we were told it would be built soon. The manufacturer was just waiting for parts. “There’s no point in renting another car at this point,” I thought. “I’ll just ride my bike to work for the next couple of weeks.” That was last February. And that’s how I ended up riding my bike to work on-and-off for the next six months. The ride to and from my office is only about 3 1/2 miles. We are not talking about the Tour de France here — I can go almost the whole way on sidewalks. But I have to cross one busy road and travel a short way along another. On my first day as a bicycle commuter, one of our neighbors was pulling out onto that road when I pedaled across the street right in front of her, waving. “Is that your crazy husband biking home?” she texted Ashley. A couple of other neighbors were a little surprised, and a few clients remarked on my new mode
of commuting to Shanti at the office. But aside from that, I didn’t get many comments.
As a guy who has made no secret of the fact that I was in debt when I started my business, I don’t think anybody expects me to be driving a Ferrari to work. Memories of our lean days, when my office was still in our laundry room, are still fresh. So even though renting a car would have been easier, it’s nice to save a little money. It syncs with our down-to-earth reputation as personable hometown professionals who greet clients with a handshake. Meanwhile, our new SUV was delayed, and delayed again. I ended up having to ride my bike for a lot longer than I anticipated. And I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Surprise Benefits: Commuting by bike is nice exercise. The 20-minute ride after work also gave me time to decompress by listening on my headphones to Pandora or the Reds pregame show. Commuting by car, I get no real break before I walk in the door to our six kids. Also, there is a ton of construction underway on the roads in our community. At rush hour, drivers wind up sitting in traffic a lot while I pedal right on by. Of course, the summer heat and humidity made it a little challenging. Family members occasionally loaned me their cars, and Ashley sometimes dropped me and my bike off at the office in the mornings, so I wouldn’t have to arrive hot and sweaty.
To be honest, I’m not sure I’m looking forward to the new car. We have saved a lot of money on car payments, insurance, the whole nine yards. And biking to work has been one of those unique experiences, where you appreciate the little things more than you expect. I’m thinking about making it a permanent habit a couple of days a week. So if you see me biking around town one of these days, honk and wave. And consider trying a two-wheeled commute yourself! I highly recommend it.
–Toph Sheldon
DON’T LIVE IN FEAR - TOPH IS HERE!
513TAX.COM • 1
Halloween has a way of sneaking up on you. One day, it’s back to school, and the next, you’re knee-deep in costume negotiations and candy debates. But here’s the good news: You don’t need an over-the-top haunted house or a monthlong Pinterest board to make the holiday memorable. With a few simple ideas, you can turn Halloween into a tradition your kids look forward to without totally exhausting yourself! Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt Who says egg hunts are just for spring? Fill plastic eggs with small candies, stickers, or tiny trinkets, toss in a glow stick bracelet or glow- in-the-dark sticker, and scatter them in the yard or house. With the lights off and flashlights on, it’s like Halloween hide and seek! Fun, Not Fussy NAIL HALLOWEEN WITH MINIMAL EFFORT
A client called us one recent afternoon in a panic. “The IRS just took all my money!” she declared. FREAKOUT MOMENT: WHEN BOTH THE IRS AND YOUR BANK DERAIL YOU At first, I couldn’t believe it. I insisted there was no way the IRS could legally do that. I was right: Although our client, a self-employed event planner, did owe back taxes, her case was on appeal, and we had taken all the necessary steps to prevent the IRS from levying her bank account while the tax resolution process was underway. Toph’s Tax Triumphs
Costume Creation Station You can forget the overpriced store-bought outfits that
tear before dinner on Halloween night. Set up a costume creation corner with old clothes, cardboard boxes, fabric scraps, and safe accessories. Let the kids go wild designing their own characters. These can be superheroes, TV characters, animals, or fun foods.
I was shocked to learn that the IRS had taken $40,000 from her bank account anyway.
For our client, it was a freakout moment. The money in her account came from clients who paid her in advance for future work. Not only did the IRS’s money grab leave her broke, but she could no longer do the promised work for her clients. “I can’t pay my rent!” she declared. “I can’t buy groceries! I’m going to be homeless!” When something like this happens, everybody in the office goes to war. I double-checked all of our actions and found we had done everything right to make sure she was protected from exactly what had just happened. The case should clearly have been on pause. I called the IRS immediately and, drawing on my contacts, went straight to the top. After I explained what had happened, paperwork was set in motion to release the levy. Within 24 hours, we succeeded in getting the IRS to acknowledge its error and reverse the levy. However, the crisis for our client wasn’t over. When she asked the bank to return her funds, she was told it had already been sent to the IRS! This, too, was a breach of duty. A bank is legally required to hold a client’s funds for 21 days after an IRS levy, to give the taxpayer a chance to work things out. We supported our client as she called the bank repeatedly, reached the legal department, and threatened legal action. She finally got her money back. But her aggravation, lost time, and stress were off the charts. Consider this a public service announcement: If you are battling the IRS over a tax debt, it might not be a good time to have all your money sitting in a bank account. Based on my client’s experience, consider keeping it in a safer place!
Pumpkin Painting Party Carving can be fun, but it’s not always kid-friendly. Painting pumpkins is safer, cleaner, and just as
festive. Grab some nontoxic paints, markers, and stickers, and let your kids transform their pumpkins into silly, spooky, or sparkly works of Halloween art. Haunted Story Walk Set up a path around your backyard or hallway with hidden story pages or flashlight stations. Each stop reveals part of a spooky (but age-appropriate) tale. For an extra-special touch, have an older sibling or adult dress up and narrate along the way. Spooky Snack Lab Host a kitchen “lab” where your little monsters whip up their own creepy creations. Think monster trail mix, pretzel broomsticks, mummy-wrapped hot dogs, or bubbling punch with dry ice. The process is half the fun, and the mess is part of the Halloween magic.
–Toph Sheldon
2 • 513-513-8674
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
ASHLEY’S CORNER NURTURING YOUR KIDS’ LOVE FOR READING
I have always loved to read. I remember my mom used to pay us a quarter a book, and that’s how we got started. She had to quit because we read so much. I still love reading, and so does my sister. She is on a 605-day streak of reading 10 minutes a day on her Kindle. On a call recently, she vowed, “I can’t break my streak!” October is National Book Month, a good time to think about our reading habits and what we’re teaching our kids. I was reading a lot on my Kindle app, too, on my phone — whenever I had 10 minutes free. But the kids started complaining, “You’re always on your phone!” I’m reading a book , I would tell them. But I recently resumed borrowing print books from the library. It’s a visual thing. If the kids see me reading, book in hand, they will want to read. They will see that reading is a life skill you need to have.
I want to be more intentional about keeping my kids reading too. They do love going to the library and picking out books. But for them, reading is not the escape that it was for me as a kid. I need to work on that, so it becomes a love for them too.
By bedtime, when we have typically been doing a lot of our reading, I’m often too tired, and I’ll just say, “We’ll read tomorrow.” That’s sad, because I’m noticing that my kids don’t have as big a love for reading as I do. I think I have done them a disservice. I need to change the routine, so it’s fun. We need to read at midday, during a quiet break. I would love to just sit and read on the front porch. “Yes, bring me all the books, and we will just read!” Readers, do you have set times of the day you read with your kids? How do you instill a love of books? I’d love to know how other parents handle this (if you have any suggestions then please email me as I’d love to hear from you! asheldon0608@gmail.com).
Books are such a great escape! My book club meets every six weeks or so, and we have good conversations. The discussions are often thought- provoking, and I enjoy that. We just finished “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman, and I loved it. Next up is “Code Name Hélène” by Ariel Lawhon, about a socialite spy in Paris during World War II.
Take a Break
EXTRA-CRISPY RANCH CHICKEN CUTLETS
Ingredients
Inspired by TheCookieRookie.com
• Olive oil • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 3/4 cup flour • 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese • 1 oz ranch seasoning, store-bought (1 packet) or homemade • Cooking spra
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with olive oil and set aside. 2. Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. 3. Set out three shallow bowls. In the first, combine flour and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the eggs to the second bowl. Mix panko, Parmesan, and ranch seasoning mix in the third bowl. 4. For coating, dip seasoned chicken breasts in flour, coating both sides. Then, dip the chicken in the beaten eggs and, finally, the panko mixture. 5. Place each coated chicken breast in the prepared baking dish. 6. Spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray. 7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165 F and is golden brown.
Solution on Page 4
513TAX.COM • 3
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
Cincinnati Tax Resolution Powered by Toph Sheldon 9200 Montgomery Rd., Ste. 7B Cincinnati, OH 45242
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
513-513-8674 513TAX.COM
INSIDE
1
Stuck Without a Car, Toph Learns to Love Biking to Work
2
Easy Halloween Fun for Kids (Without Losing Your Mind) One Client’s Nightmare: When the IRS and Your Bank Mismanage Your Funds Ashley’s Corner: How to Inspire Young Readers at Home Extra-Crispy Ranch Chicken Cutlets
3
4
Rapper Hits a Dead End With the IRS
IRS TELLS TAX-DODGING RAPPER: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! TOPH’S TAX NIGHTMARES
After playing cat-and-mouse for years with the rapper known as Tyga, the IRS has a go-ahead from a tax court to seize his assets to recover $2.3 million in back taxes. Tyga, whose real name is Micheal R. Stevenson, is on the hook for more than $8 million in unpaid taxes since 2012, according to Tax Notes, a news site. His history has been marked by a chronic failure to pay estimated taxes or comply with settlement deadlines. An appeals officer recently rejected Tyga’s attempt to slash his monthly installment payments on $2.3 million owed for 2019. The rapper’s lawyer cited declining tour revenues and costly litigation in other areas of his life. Instead, a tax court judge gave the officer a green light to begin collection action.
Tyga’s tour revenues have fallen since the peak of his career. The rapper shared a Grammy in 2011 with two other artists, and he was named Favorite Rap and Hip-Hop Artist in 2012 at the American Music Awards. He bought a $6.5 million California mansion around that time. Tyga’s dating life also drew the spotlight. He and the model Blac Chyna began dating after she starred in one of his music videos, and the two had a son together in 2012. In 2014, Tyga began a relationship with the reality-TV star Kylie Jenner. Jenner appeared in two of Tyga’s music videos before the couple broke up in 2017.
Tyga has been sued twice since 2018 by landlords trying to collect unpaid rent or damages.
The IRS was unmoved by the rapper’s pleas of poverty. “Against this long backdrop of oft-fruitless accommodation,” a tax court judge wrote, “the appeals officer was justified in deciding ‘enough was enough.’”
Based on documents filed by his attorney, the appeals officer claimed Tyga could afford to pay about six times more each month than he was offering — $87,169 a month compared with the $13,000 he offered. Although the appeals officer had given Tyga more time to catch up on estimated taxes, he repeatedly missed those deadlines too.
4 • 513-513-8674
DON’T LIVE IN FEAR - TOPH IS HERE!
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator