The Original Tax "Shelter" Every year, "true crime" fans look forward to the IRS Criminal Investigation Unit's annual report detailing their New York City is the indisputable hub of American capitalism. Its glittering streets are home to the worlds of finance, advertising, fashion, publishing, and even organized crime. The island of [...]

Accountants Behaving Badly Every year, "true crime" fans look forward to the IRS Criminal Investigation Unit's annual report detailing their efforts to combat the cheats who don't pay their share. This year's edition is no exception, with dozens of entertaining stories about clever scammers who just ... weren't ... clever ... [...]

Bet They Didn't Think About This! Last week, a New York judge issued writs of habeas corpus on behalf of two chimpanzees named Hercules and Leo, currently living in a research lab at the State University of New York in Stony Brook. The next day, she walked back the scope of [...]

In The Headlines Avon Stumbles in its Fight for Survival in a Changing Market “Ding Dong, Avon calling,” was a familiar sound for decades in the United States, heralding the arrival of an Avon Lady selling beauty products door to door. But according to a recent Wall Street Journal report, that [...]

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Every year, the IRS Criminal Investigations unit (IRS-CI) releases a surprisingly entertaining report detailing their efforts to protect the Treasury from scammers, fraudsters, and cheats. This year's edition reveals that, due to budget cuts, activity is actually down. In 2014, IRS special agents initiated 4,297 [...]

The Tax Man Runneth The 2016 presidential election is 20 months away. Sadly, for those of us who don't watch C-SPAN for fun, that basically means it's right around the corner. (Keep a sharp eye out for negative campaign ads, coming soon to a TV near you!) Candidates are already lining [...]

Big News from Washington Americans have been complaining about income taxes since the IRS unleashed the first Form 1040 on us back in 1913. Sure, we all hate paying them. But as the tax code has ballooned to twice the length of the Bible (with none of the good news), preparing [...]

Shocking News This time of year, taxpayers across America are scrambling to put together their last year's mileage records. First you've got to total up how many miles you drove for your trade or business. Then you've got to add up all the costs of operating your vehicle — depreciation, interest [...]

007 For A Day Who hasn't wanted to be a spy at some point or another? Boys see their first James Bond movie, and they don't want to be like 007 — they want to be 007. Girls learn how Mata Hari put her charms to work as a lethal double [...]

In The Headlines Nations Retreat from Privatizing Retirement When Poland introduced private retirement accounts in 1999, the government gave its blessing to a $100 million ad campaign explaining why workers were required to contribute. Privately managed savings accounts would assure a comfortable retirement, the pitch went, while giving a boost to [...]