For most families, Thanksgiving means gathering around a perfectly roasted turkey, sharing gratitude, and trying to avoid discussing politics or crypto. But in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, things are a little more “improvised.” Instead of turkey and stuffing, the Peanuts gang ends up with toast, popcorn, pretzel sticks, and a side of existential confusion. And honestly? That makes it a pretty realistic holiday picture. Because whether you’re cooking a turkey or prepping a tax plan, life serves up whatever’s in the pantry. Charlie Brown’s holiday feast is basically a metaphor for the final weeks of tax-planning season. It’s messy, it’s chaotic, and half the participants assume someone else is doing the hard work. If that isn’t December tax planning, I don’t know what is.
tax savings
The Devil’s in the Deductions-Digging Into the “Big Beautiful Bill”
You already know the highlights: the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) is Congress’s latest effort to stuff 10 pounds of tax cuts into a five-pound bag. It locks in most of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Marginal rates stay low. The standard deduction stays chunky. The qualified business income deduction lives to fight another day. Cue the confetti (and another round of Roth conversions while you’re at it).
California Dreamin’
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been playing “David versus Goliath” with President Donald Trump, especially as Trump has ordered troops into Los Angeles to quell protests against his immigration raids. Now Newsom has floated a wild idea: what if California stopped sending money to the IRS?
Yes, you read that right. The head of the fifth-largest economy in the world — home of tech bros, movie stars, and $12 oat milk lattes — is making noises about withholding federal tax revenue.
May the Force Be with You
Hard to believe it is, but taxes lie at the heart of the Star Wars universe. In Episode One: The Phantom Menace, in the very first paragraph of the opening crawl, we learned that taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems was in dispute. The Galactic Senate had imposed taxes to fight interplanetary pirates, and in response, the Trade Foundation had blockaded shipping to Naboo to pressure the Senate into repealing those taxes. The Supreme Chancellor dispatched two Jedi Knights to resolve the dispute… and the adventure began!
Not “Just” an Accountant
Last month, Ben Affleck’s new popcorn thriller, The Accountant 2, hit theaters, nine years after the original delighted audiences. Early reviews were positive, and the Hollywood trade rags reported a $24.5 million opening weekend gross. Millions of Affleck’s fans flocked to their local multiplex to see their favorite number cruncher wrestle with spreadsheets, fight bogus deductions, and clean up the books with style and panache.
Taxes, with Salt and Lime
Americans are great at taking perfectly serviceable holidays and turning them into excuses for parties. On Super Bowl Sunday, millions of Americans who couldn’t tell you the difference between a safety and a concussion protocol guzzle one-too-many beers with their chicken wings. A month later, on St. Patrick’s Day, millions of Irish-for-a-day drinkers belly up to their favorite fake Irish bar to down pints of Guinness and shots of Jameson. Next on the calendar is Cinco de Mayo, when all those same St. Paddy’s fans become Mexicans for a day to down bottles of Corona and pitchers of margaritas. (We can’t wait to see what the hospitality industry dreams up when they discover Talk Like a Pirate Day lurking on the September calendar.)