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DECEMBER 2025 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12
TOPH’S TAX RESOLUTION TIMES
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FROM STRUGGLES TO STRENGTH I’ve Been There Too: Sharing My Story to Help Others Succeed
After more than a decade owning and running my own business, I have finally managed to tell my whole story. I’m excited to report that my book, “Escaping the Sand Trap,” is available on Amazon now, and I hope it will help other business owners avoid some of the financial sand traps I hit on the road to where I am today.
full-time, my winnings fell short of my needs. I skidded into an obsession with sports betting and online poker, and ultimately, into a gambling addiction. In deep trouble with credit card debt and the IRS, I returned to Cincinnati, stuck in a sand trap of my own making.
It was during that grueling period that I came across an advertisement for Michael Rozbruch’s seminar on how to become a tax-resolution
Many entrepreneurs write books to build their brand and expand their reach. I’d like to accomplish those goals too, of course. But I also had what is, to me, a more important objective: I want readers facing tax troubles to know that they’re not alone. They aren’t the only ones who have struggled with a mountain of debt, battled the IRS, and fought the urge to run away from their troubles. As my story shows, I’ve been there too. The book also includes seven gripping personal stories from clients about skidding toward the tax-debt abyss, edging back from the brink, and finding a solution. I am grateful to these clients for sharing their stories, including: • The entrepreneur who faced a $124,099 tax debt because of a previous tax preparer’s mistake. (We settled with the IRS for $14,600.) • The physician whose accountant embezzled funds he thought were going to the IRS, leaving him with a $1.8 million tax bill. (We settled for $106,000.) • The truck driver whose wife kept for herself money she told him she used to pay taxes, then left him with divorce papers and a $300,000 tax bill. (We settled for $10,176.)
professional. After studying his materials, I realized an honest man could do a lot of good in this field. I had found my calling! And fortunately, my amazing wife was willing to serve as the family’s primary breadwinner for a time while I got the business up and running. Having gained a lot of empathy for the challenges of the self-employed, I focused my entire business plan on serving other business owners. I know that 99% of taxpayers never intend to let their tax problems spiral out of control. I understand why keeping up with taxes is so difficult for the self-employed. For me, “Escaping the Sand Trap” was a way to convey that awareness and empathy to my clients and to acquaint a wider audience with these facts, which I believe set me apart from many other practitioners. I also hope to demystify the tax resolution process and show readers that despite its fearsome reputation and nasty enforcement tools, the IRS can be tamed.
I have been mired in what seemed like a bottomless quagmire of problems. But instead of getting stuck there, I have made it my life’s work to help others dig themselves out of similar financial crises. If my book helps other business owners reclaim hope, I will have accomplished my goal!
The fact that I have been in my clients’ shoes makes me appreciate these stories even more. As readers of this newsletter know, I once had my sights set on a long career as a professional golfer. But after I quit my day job as a club golf pro and headed to Florida to pursue my dream
–Toph Sheldon
DON’T LIVE IN FEAR - TOPH IS HERE!
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During the last Summer Olympic Games, Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn’s performance caught the world off guard. After watching the event, many Americans wondered why breaking was added to the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is responsible for choosing the events, and they consider a wide range of criteria when considering adding or removing events. They look at how long the sport has existed, its popularity within the host country, the cost to broadcast the events, and whether an international federation governs the sport. Breaking was a hit at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics and was added to the 2024 Paris Games to drive engagement with a younger audience. Strange Events You’ve Probably Never Heard Of NOT YOUR AVERAGE OLYMPIC SPORT
Toph’s Tax Triumphs
Patience Pays Off, With a $99,000 Tax Reduction
The IOC has already announced that breaking will not return for the 2028 games in Los Angeles, joining a list of other sports dropped from
Resolving tax debts for my clients sometimes takes an insanely long time. In almost all cases, however, the result proves the truth of this quote by an ancient poet: “Be patient and tough. Someday this pain will be useful to you.” We recently sliced two clients’ six-figure back-tax debt by more than 80%. Although reaching this settlement took nearly three years and required a lot of staying power from everyone involved, the result was worth the effort. These clients, a married couple, first approached us for help in early 2023. They owed about $120,000 to the IRS, mostly on self-employment income from a garden produce business the husband had previously operated. The wife earned a steady paycheck as a schoolteacher. They had filed both joint and “married filing separately” tax returns in the past. Our first move was to make two offers in compromise to the IRS, one for each spouse, for $100 each. The agency rejected them both. We withdrew the wife’s offer; I was fairly sure it would be rejected anyway, because her income was relatively high and she had assets in her name. Instead, we restructured the husband’s offer so all of his payments would go toward their joint tax debt. The IRS again rejected his offer. Never quick to surrender, we filed an appeal. Almost three years after we began work on this case, the IRS sent a letter formally accepting $21,359 to settle the couple’s entire $120,000 tax debt. The wife’s share of the joint debt was only about $21,000, and the husband’s share was $100,000. So, his entire debt was essentially forgiven. Waiting it out took a lot of resilience. The IRS letter agreeing to the settlement didn’t arrive until more than a year after we negotiated the compromise. We didn’t know why. After spending nearly three years with their lives on hold, our clients kept asking, “Did you hear anything?” But I knew there was nothing to do but wait.
the Olympic stage. Think breaking was a little outside the box? Then you won’t believe some of the events from past Olympics.
Plunge for Distance (1904): Plunging was a sport in which participants dove into the water from a spring 18 inches above the surface. They floated for 60 seconds without propelling themselves forward, and whoever went the farthest won. Only five individuals competed in the event, and all were American.
Ballooning (1900): Technically an unofficial event at the 1900 games, ballooning consisted of various
hot-air balloon-related activities. They held competitions for the farthest distance traveled, longest time traveled, greatest height achieved, and landing closest to a target. Motor Boat Racing (1908): Competitors got in their boats to travel five laps around an 8-nautical-mile course in the Southampton waters of England. This event was a complete disaster. Multiple boats would start each race, but in almost every instance, only one would cross the finish line, as strong winds heavily affected the others. Ski Ballet (1988 and 1992): While never an official Olympic event, ski ballet was demonstrated at two Olympic Games, anticipating its potential as a real event. Imagine figure skating on skis instead of skates. Competitions required participants to complete a choreographed routine in 90 seconds on a smooth slope.
Now, as the ancient poet said, all that pain has proven useful. Our clients are obviously very happy. And best of all, they are free and clear of the IRS!
–Toph Sheldon
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ASHLEY’S CORNER Game On! Family Game Night With the Sheldons
We are big gamers in our family, and this month brings a national day made for us: December 20 is Games Day, a time to celebrate the fun of playing games. My family loved playing cards when I was growing up. On holidays, the pattern was, “Get the food ready and then it’s time to play!” My cousins and I would stay up late, playing cards. Now, our own kids are loving games too. Even though they range in age from 2–10, we have games they can all play, including Uno, Clue, and Skip- Bo (a numbers game). Last Christmas, I gave them a trivia board game with animal and geography questions. While the geography challenges are hard, like ranking four mountains by elevation, they can still guess. It’s interesting to see how their little brains work. If a game is too complex for the younger kids, they’ll sit on my lap or ask, “Can I be on your team?” They want to learn. Even Nelle, who just turned 2, likes playing our animal-matching version of Dominos. We also have some memory-matching games. I’m starting to think I need to play more of these with the kids, because they’re asking, “How do you not remember? We already saw those cards!” Clearly, my memory is dwindling! I recently taught the kids Monopoly Deal, a fast-moving card game version of Monopoly. Mac loves it. He will sit down and play that game with me and tell me about his day. It’s great: We are playing, and talking, and
not watching screens. I also realized recently that he is kicking my butt! I am wondering, “How do I keep losing to him?”
The kids also love imaginative play, which is amazing. But while I loved Barbie as a child, I don’t have a desire to play Barbie anymore. I might suggest a card or board game instead. Or if it’s raining and they’re tempted to turn to screens, I can say, “Play a game with me.” I’ve noticed a trend among families toward giving games as a party gift. It’s something you can use, rather than a toy you already have. We’ve been given games we’ve never heard of, like Sirocco, a fun portable game. I have bought more copies and gifted them to friends and relatives. When I volunteered at my kids’ school recently in the second-grade classroom, I happened to arrive on game day, when the students were playing a math game. Everybody was totally engaged, while also learning addition and subtraction.
“Is this all you want me to do? Play games?” I asked the teacher.
I was thrilled when the answer was yes. “Sign me up!” I replied. “This is my jam!”
ROAST BEEF WITH CARAMELIZED ONION GRAVY
Take a Break
Ingredients
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1 tbsp black peppercorns 1 tbsp mustard powder
Gravy •
4 tbsp flour
1 tbsp dried thyme 1 tsp celery seeds
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2 beef stock cubes
3 tbsp caramelized onion chutney
1 tbsp olive oil
2–3 tsp yeast extract
4 1/4 lbs topside joint of beef
Directions
1. With a pestle and mortar, crush peppercorns, mustard powder, thyme, and celery seeds together. 2. Stir in oil, then rub into beef. 3. Preheat oven to 375 F and set seasoned beef in a snug roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour. 4. Remove from the oven, lift onto a platter, and cover with foil to rest 30 minutes. 5. For gravy, pour juices from the pan into a large measuring cup. 6. Let the juices separate, then spoon 2 tbsp of fat back into the pan. Discard remaining fat. 7. Top juices in the cup with boiling water to make 3 cups total liquid. 8. Heat pan with fat over medium heat and stir in flour, stock cubes, onion chutney, and yeast extract. 9. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, and gradually add juices/water. Bubble to thicken and serve with the beef.
Solution on Page 4
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Inspired by BBCGoodFood.com
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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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Toph’s New Book Aims to Help Self- Employed Taxpayers Survive and Thrive
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The Olympics’ Most Unusual Events 3 Years, One Big Break: A Couple Saves $99,000 in Taxes Laughter, Connection, and a Little Competition: The Fun of Family Game Night Roast Beef With Caramelized Onion Gravy
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A Presidential Pardon Sends the Chrisleys Back Home
Pardoned by Trump, Reality Stars Return Home to Family Strife TOPH’S TAX NIGHTMARES!
Julie and Todd Chrisley had their prison sentences for tax evasion cut short earlier this year after President Trump pardoned his fellow reality-TV stars. Since then, their experience underscores a hard truth about dodging taxes: Even if you bag a presidential pardon, bouncing back isn’t easy. The backstory: In 2024, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Chrisleys’ 2022 conviction on charges of tax evasion and conspiracy. Julie Chrisley was serving a prison sentence set to end in 2028; Todd was scheduled for release in 2032. After the Chrisleys’ daughter, Savannah, a Trump supporter, complained that the charges against her parents were politically motivated, however, Trump pardoned the couple, saying they had been given “pretty harsh treatment based on what I’m hearing.” Returning to life as usual for the Chrisleys hasn’t been easy, however. Almost immediately, they had to stamp out rumors that they were getting a divorce. Then, in a Lifetime docuseries, the couple saw relatives squabble over issues that erupted during their 2 1/2-year imprisonment. Regarding the tension among family members, Savannah said, “I don’t know if it can ever be repaired, honestly.”
Julie’s mother complained about having to get a job to pay the rent because the Chrisleys hadn’t bought her the townhouse they had promised. The Chrisleys’ son, 19-year-old Grayson, quit playing baseball, citing Julie’s absence at his games. Savannah, 28, who shouldered responsibility for caring for younger family members, complained of problems supervising the Chrisleys’ adopted granddaughter Chloe, 12. Savannah and her brother Chase, 29, locked horns over whether Chase was shirking his share of the bills. Then Chase entered treatment for alcohol abuse.
Asked to comment, Todd Chrisley said in an interview, “To see your children fight … is heartbreaking.” Todd Chrisley was convicted in connection with allegations that he fraudulently obtained more than $36 million in personal loans from Atlanta- area banks. Prosecutors claimed the couple also sought to dodge nearly $500,000 in taxes by hiding income. Now, those charges are history. A presidential pardon cannot be overturned by a subsequent president or the courts.
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DON’T LIVE IN FEAR - TOPH IS HERE!
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