![](\"https:\/\/taxwhatifdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Blog-Pic-2023.03.21.png\" "\\"Lower")
<\/a><\/div>Lower Your Tax Bill More by Using a Qualified Charitable Distribution<\/a><\/span>by TaxDoctor<\/a> on June 17, 2026 at 7:47 pm <\/small>This is the time of year when people often start taking personal inventory of how fortunate they are and start considering charitable contributions as a way to \u201cgive back\u201d a little. For some, it\u2019s an automatic budget item in their day to day lives, but for others it\u2019s a new activity. For many years the IRS has helped people give by allowing charitable contributions to be deducted on schedule A when they file their taxes. The tax deduction value of those gifts changed with the Trump tax code simplification, as many people no longer need to file a Schedule A due to the higher standard deduction. Many people are still ingrained in their old charitable giving habits and aren\u2019t aware<\/p><\/div><\/li>
<\/a><\/div>Why Do People Fear Tax Audits More Than They Fear Overpaying?<\/a><\/span>by TaxDoctor<\/a> on June 10, 2026 at 4:06 pm <\/small>Ask anyone if they \u201cpay too much income tax\u201d and the knee jerk reaction is almost always, \u201cYes!\u201d and without much hesitation. Why do we call that a knee jerk reaction? Because if you then follow the question up with two more questions, \u201cWhat did you pay in federal tax last year? And\/or what bracket are you in?\u201d they almost as quickly say, \u201cI don\u2019t remember, or I\u2019m not sure.\u201d Or they might guess at a bracket percentage, but usually not correctly. We\u2019ve even had people profess the pain of paying too much in tax only to discover that not only did they get back all of their withholdings, but they were given tax credit refunds of money they did<\/p><\/div><\/li>
<\/a><\/div>Not Everyone Should be Trying to Lower Their Tax Bill<\/a><\/span>by TaxDoctor<\/a> on June 3, 2026 at 4:17 pm <\/small>It may sound odd when you say it out loud, but after considering all the facts, it\u2019s quite true. It\u2019s an emotional but understandable reaction to think you always want to lower your tax bill as much as possible. However, except in the case of death, the tax code is basically a case of \u201ctax me now or tax me later.\u201d In many cases, to lower your current tax bill means that income avoided or deductions taken now are going to come back into your life at some later point. One example would be an IRA. You put money in an IRA and lower today\u2019s tax bill, but those dollars will need to be taxed at some point. When you<\/p><\/div><\/li>
<\/a><\/div>\u201cDon\u2019t Let the Tax Tail Wag the Dog!\u201d Can Be Bad Advice<\/a><\/span>by TaxDoctor<\/a> on May 27, 2026 at 8:41 pm <\/small>In the \u201cold days,\u201d you went to the general store for your dry goods, the blacksmith for your horseshoes or tool repair and likely had your own cow and chickens for milk and eggs. Fast forward, you went to a lawyer to get a will, an insurance rep to get a policy and an accountant to get your taxes done. There was no internet, so information was something you had to gather and organize yourself. You would talk to a few co-workers, a family member, a mentor and then take actions based on the limited intel. Back then, you would sit with a financial advisor, and if they were a big deal they might have a stock ticker pumping out<\/p><\/div><\/li>