Are you sure about the free products thing? I get tons of makeup sent to me for my beauty channel. Do I really need to figure out the retail value of every single item?? That sounds like a nightmare!

Yes, I'm completely sure about the free products. The IRS considers them "payment in kind" for your services as a content creator. You need to track the fair market value (retail price) of everything you receive. It is definitely a pain, but it's better than getting audited later! I keep a spreadsheet with the product name, date received, and retail value. If the company provides a value in their documentation when they send items, use that. Otherwise, just look up the regular retail price online.

I use it! It connects to your bank accounts and automatically categorizes a lot of transactions. The quarterly tax estimate feature is super helpful too. Worth every penny for me since it saves so much time tracking everything manually.

Thanks for this advice! I do have the original invoice somewhere in my files. When you removed the laptop from your fixed asset schedule, did you need to fill out any specific form beyond the Form 4797 that others mentioned?

No additional IRS forms are needed beyond Form 4797 for reporting the sale. The fixed asset schedule update is just for your own business bookkeeping - it's an internal document that tracks all your business assets, their purchase dates, depreciation method, and current status. You'll want to mark the laptop as "disposed" with the date and sale amount in your accounting system. If you use QuickBooks or similar software, there should be an asset disposal function that handles this automatically and creates the proper journal entries. This keeps your business balance sheet accurate and prevents confusion if you're ever audited.

For a 100% bonus-depreciated business asset like your laptop, you'll report it on Form 4797, Part III (Gain From Disposition of Property Under Sections 1245, 1250, etc.). This is because the gain from selling depreciable business equipment is considered "Section 1245 property" gain by the IRS. The entire $850 would be reported in this section as ordinary income, not as a capital gain, because it represents recaptured depreciation. If you're using tax software, it should guide you through this process once you indicate you're selling business equipment that was previously depreciated.

Good point. I once had an employer who withheld federal but completely missed setting up state withholding. Ended up owing $2,300 to my state at tax time. It was a nightmare.

That's a really smart approach! Do you know if there are any drawbacks to front-loading 401k contributions early in the year? My company matches 4% of each paycheck - would I lose out on matching if I max out too early?

That's an excellent question about front-loading! Many employer matching programs are designed to match per paycheck, not as a lump sum. So if you max out your 401k early in the year and stop contributing, you might miss out on matching contributions for the remaining paychecks. Some companies have what's called a "true-up" provision that will give you the full match you're entitled to at the end of the year regardless of when you made your contributions. You should definitely check with your HR department about this before front-loading. Without a true-up provision, it's usually better to spread your 401k contributions throughout the year to maximize the employer match.

HSAs don't count toward your IRA or 401k limits - they're completely separate! For 2024, HSA limits are $4,150 for individuals and $8,300 for families (plus $1,000 catch-up if you're 55+). It's actually one of the best tax-advantaged accounts because it's triple tax-advantaged.

Just adding to what the other person said - HSAs are actually BETTER than 401ks and IRAs from a tax perspective. You get tax-free contributions, tax-free growth, AND tax-free withdrawals for medical expenses. If you can afford to max it out, definitely do it before worrying about maxing your IRA!

1 That's interesting! I've never heard of Opportunity Zones before. Do these need to be in specific locations? And does the investment have to be through some special fund or can I just buy property directly in these areas?

3 Yes, Opportunity Zones are specific census tracts designated by the government as economically distressed communities. You can find maps online showing exactly where they're located in each state. You generally need to invest through a Qualified Opportunity Fund rather than buying property directly. The fund then invests in property or businesses within the Opportunity Zones. The main tax benefits are deferring your current capital gains tax until 2026, getting a reduction on those taxes if you hold the investment long enough, and potentially paying zero tax on the new gains from your Opportunity Zone investment if you hold it for at least 10 years.

15 This is actually a really smart question. Often people focus so much on avoiding taxes that they don't consider the overall financial picture. For capital gains tax deferral, you have to weigh several factors: the time value of money (what could you earn with those tax dollars if you defer paying them?), potential future tax rate changes (will rates be higher or lower when you eventually pay?), and the transaction costs of whatever strategy you're using to defer taxes (like setting up special entities or funds). For many investors with moderate gains, simply paying the tax and maintaining flexibility in your investments often works out better than complex deferral strategies. Complex tax strategies usually make the most sense for very high-value transactions where the savings outweigh the costs and complications.