Cincinnati Tax Resolution - August 2025

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AUGUST 2025 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8

TOPH’S TAX RESOLUTION TIMES

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NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT Our Firm Wins Award for Outstanding Service

If I have learned anything running my own business over the last decade, it is that you can never tell when opportunity will strike. When I signed up in 2015 for a sales and marketing webinar by Roz Strategies, a tax resolution training and consulting company, I never imagined it would be a game-changer. I just wanted to cram in some continuing education credits. I was a struggling solo practitioner working from a home office, with little money and a growing family. I had confidence in my professional abilities, but hadn’t found the right niche to allow me to leverage them all. By the end of that webinar, I had decided to make what turned out to be the best investment of my career — enrolling in Roz Strategies’ coaching program. Michael Rozbruch, Roz’s CEO and founder, has been my mentor and inspiration ever since. He has been instrumental in helping me launch and grow my own successful tax resolution firm. I never saw that opportunity coming, but I’m glad it did. Our firm recently reached a new pinnacle of success, and I didn’t see that coming either. I was busy with family activities and couldn’t attend Roz Strategies’ annual spring mastermind conference that was being held in Austin, Texas. Fortunately, when Roz announced at that event that our firm had

been named one of three top tax resolution practitioners in the country, our operations manager, Shanti Steffen, was there to accept the award for us — a beautiful glass trophy, “In Recognition of Outstanding Achievement in Tax Resolution.” Receiving that honor brought back memories of that Roz Strategies webinar 10 years ago, when I first heard Michael speak about the tax resolution profession. The timing was critical: It wasn’t as though I would have to give up a big salary at a corporate job to try it. My own finances were in shambles. I had very little to lose. I also knew from having been a practicing CPA that few professionals with my training would be interested in entering the tax resolution field. Most accounting firms rely on referrals for new business. In contrast, tax resolution is a niche that requires a sales and marketing strategy — an area that had always interested me. The Roz team gave me the confidence to try it, and I followed their strategies. For most of the next decade, I was part of Roz’s Mastermind membership group, where we received coaching on all marketing, sales, and technical aspects of the business. In another fortunate turn, Roz selected our firm last year to beta-test a new CRM software platform that Michael and his team

were developing. I had long resisted investing in a CRM because I hadn’t found a user- friendly system that met all our needs. Roz’s CRM was the missing piece we needed. It has been a real game-changer for us, helping our small team stay abreast of our rapid growth. We exceeded and achieved several major goals and milestones in 2024, thanks in part to Roz’s CRM software and other investments we have made in our infrastructure. Today, the future is bright. We posted more than a 30% increase in cases resolved for clients in 2024, and 2025 is shaping up to be an even better year. We have continued to hold the pedal to the metal in our sales and marketing efforts. With even more aggressive collection actions coming from the IRS in 2025, we are projecting this year to be another successful year, with us helping even more people permanently resolve their IRS problems! To our clients and referral partners, we are super grateful for your referrals and the great 5-star reviews you continue to give us. We appreciate your support!

–Toph Sheldon

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NO ROOM FOR DISTRACTION

WHY EVERY KID NEEDS A HOMEWORK HAVEN

While some kids love school and eagerly start their homework when they get home, others dread everything about it. They might not enjoy what they’re learning or have a difficult time sitting down to study. You could try countless strategies, such as hiring a tutor or offering rewards, but the solution might be simpler than that. If you don’t have a dedicated homework area in your home, now is the time to create one. Start by determining the best location in your home. Ideally, choose a location without distractions, such as a bedroom or office. However, if your child does not work well without supervision, put them in a central location. If you don’t have the space in your home to set up a dedicated homework area, you can create a homework basket or cart to break out whenever it’s time to do schoolwork. You also need to gather supplies and set them up for success. Consider the assignments your child will need to complete during the school year and provide them with the necessities for each assignment. Younger children will likely need paper, crayons, scissors, and glue, while older kids should have access to pencils, erasers, a calculator, and a dictionary.

Toph’s Tax Triumph

Coming to the Aid of a Grieving Widow

Some of our smallest cases are also the most interesting. A small issue we handled recently for a widow burdened by her late husband’s tax debt was also one of the most rewarding. Her husband had died recently and unexpectedly, after being diagnosed with cancer in his late 30s or early 40s. He had been in the trucking business and piled up a sizable tax debt before they were married. To avoid the problem, he started a new trucking business and put it in her name after they were married. So, this couple went from having a tax problem in his name to having a tax problem in her name. She came to us after his death, beside herself with worry over a $10,000 tax bill the IRS had been trying to collect. Although that might seem small by most people’s standards, she couldn’t afford to pay it, and it was a big stressor for her, especially when she was already grieving the loss of her husband. This widow’s case posed a rare opportunity to resolve a client’s tax problem without dealing directly with a collections issue. Our client was not liable for her husband’s tax debts because she had been reporting her income as “Married, Filing Separately.” Her returns, however, showed her late husband’s 1099 income from the trucking business and her W-2 earnings. We found that all the income from the business had been going to her late husband, as shown by his bank accounts and other documents. He had stopped filing returns altogether in the apparent hope that he would drop off the IRS’s radar. We filed amended returns for the widow to show the IRS that its collection efforts were mistaken. The income from the business had never been hers and her late husband should have claimed them. The IRS accepted her amended returns. And after the agency invalidated the penalties associated with her late husband’s tax debts and reduced her taxes to only what she actually owed on income that was legitimately hers, she received a $3,000 refund!

All that’s left is organizing everything they’ll need. Separate everything into bins, cubbies, or baskets by their subject. You could apply labels to each bin to ensure everything stays organized. This will help your child focus only on the task at hand. Once you establish the space, you must set ground rules to ensure your child does their homework.

Restricting the use of phones or tablets is a must in today’s day and age. They may say they need it for their studies, but it will distract them.

If possible, set specific times your child should be at the desk doing schoolwork. Even if they don’t have homework that day, they can still benefit from studying. While it might not fix every school woe, creating a dedicated homework area for your child could help them foster a love of learning!

Not surprisingly, our client was hugely relieved. In thanks, she immediately left us a five-star Google review.

–Toph Sheldon

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ASHLEY’S CORNER When Is a 10-Year-Old Ready to Launch (to the Park)?

I wrote last month about our family transition toward giving Mac, who is 10, more independence. We recently reached a new milestone.

Now, this is kind of the same thing. Mac leaves at 9:15 a.m. to play ball with his friends at the park, then walks to camp, and won’t be home until 2:15 p.m. We still do the usual family stuff at home, but the younger kids notice: Where is Mac?

It was late on a summer afternoon, a time when I would normally have loaded our six kids into the car to drive Mac five minutes to baseball practice. We had already been to doctor and dentist appointments, a camp drop-off, the community pool, and other activities that day. By late afternoon, everybody was melting down. They were hungry. Nobody wanted to get back in the car, and I didn’t want to buckle everybody into the car. But that day was different. I turned to Mac and told him he could walk to the park. He was thrilled! And I didn’t have to load everybody into the car. I fed the other kids dinner, got them into bed, and cleaned everything up before Mac returned. At that moment, it was great. But I couldn’t stop feeling a little tug. Omigosh. It’s starting. In just another year, he’s going to be saying, “I’m going to my friend’s house. Bye!” And I won’t see him. He’s going to be gone! When I first had children, I was in love with the baby phase. I remember thinking I would miss that when it was gone. Then, when Mac went off to kindergarten, I sobbed because we wouldn’t be able to hang out. But he loves school, learning, and being with his friends.

He is out with his friends. He is gone.

I have been talking with friends about the importance of giving our kids more responsibility and freedom in the real world, instead of handing them a smartphone and letting them disappear into gaming and texting. Mac is fine roaming the neighborhood like I used to do as a kid. I won’t give him a smartphone. I will get him a normal watch that just tells time. Following our rules will be his responsibility, or he will lose privileges. Like everything else in family life, though, it’s a work in progress. I would love to hear from you, readers: How are you dealing with the smartphone issue and your kids’ transition to independence?

Take a Break

BARBECUE CHICKEN FRENCH BREAD PIZZA

Ingredients

Inspired by FromValeriesKitchen.com

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces • 1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt • Fresh ground pepper, to taste • 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp barbecue sauce, divided

• 1/2 cup marinara sauce • 1 loaf French bread

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion • 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line baking sheet with foil. 2. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. 3. Reduce heat to medium and add 3 tbsp barbecue sauce. Simmer for 3–4 minutes, remove skillet from heat, and set aside. 4. In a small bowl, combine remaining barbecue sauce and marinara sauce. 5. Cut French bread in half and place on prepared baking sheet. Coat with the sauce mixture, top with chicken and red onions, then add shredded cheeses. 6. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until cheese is melted. 7. Remove from oven and top with chopped cilantro. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving!

Solution on Page 4

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Cincinnati Tax Resolution Powered by Toph Sheldon 9200 Montgomery Rd., Ste. 7B Cincinnati, OH 45242

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INSIDE

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Cincinnati Tax Resolution Wins National Award for Excellence

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The Homework Game-Changer Hiding in Your Home Toph Successfully Defends a Grieving Widow From the IRS Ashley’s Corner: The Edgy Art of Letting Go Barbecue Chicken French Bread Pizza

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The Dubious Tax Write-Offs of the Rich and Famous

Toph’s Tax Nightmares

The IRS says work-related deductions must be necessary for your work. Clothing, makeup, personal trainers, bodyguards, and limousines usually don’t qualify because the personal benefits outweigh the business value. For example, a new suit an actor purchases for an audition wouldn’t be allowed because he could wear it again. Actors have often tried to deduct the cost of facelifts and other cosmetic surgery, without success, according to Backstage. Only if a treatment or procedure is tied to the requirements of a particular role are such deductions allowed. One actor who had to wear heavy makeup to play an alien on “Star Trek” was allowed to deduct the cost of a special facial to restore her skin afterward. And if a celebrity has a gown or suit made especially for an awards ceremony or other event, it might qualify. Lady Gaga’s famous meat dress, for example, the beefy gown she had made for the MTV Music Video Awards, would probably qualify — because no one would argue that a beefsteak gown is everyday wear! And careful recordkeeping can sometimes carry the day. According to the Syracuse University report, the IRS questioned an actor’s attempt to deduct 10,000 miles in business travel expenses for driving around Los Angeles — a write-off that saved her about $5,000 in taxes. Commuting expenses aren’t deductible. But because the actor had kept a battered notebook documenting her trips from studio to studio, her accountant said, the write-offs were allowed.

DON’T TRY TO TAKE THESE RED-CARPET WRITE-OFFS!

Many taxpayers dream up creative write-offs to reduce their tax bills. But some celebrities take the game to a new level by trying to deduct just about any expense they claim enables them to maintain their celebrity status. Some attempted deductions don’t make it past the stars’ Hollywood tax accountants. One famous actor tried to deduct $30,000 for the cost of her makeup, hair stylist, wardrobe, and rent. She claimed it all contributed to her being fabulous . Her Los Angeles-based CPA, who specializes in celebrity clients, wasn’t having it. He knocked her deductions down to $11,000, claiming only the ones she could support, according to a series of interviews by a Syracuse University writer.

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