J.K. Lasser's Homeowner's Tax Breaks 2005: Your Complete Guide to Finding Hidden Gold in Your Home [Paperback]

Gerald J. Robinson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471647713 | ISBN-13: 978-0471647713 | Publication Date: November 12, 2004 | Edition: Revised

"Robinson walks the reader through almost every conceivable scenario that could result in a lower tax bill."
—Ilyce Glink, Tribune Media Services

The 2005 Edition of J.K. Lasser's Homeowner's Tax Breaks reveals a multitude of both well-known and little-known tax-saving ideas that will allow you to put substantial dollars back in your pocket. In fact, it's packed with the largest in-print collection of tax-planning ideas for homeowners.

Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, the 2005 Edition of J.K. Lasser's Homeowner's Tax Breaks will help you:

• Legitimately take deductions for your household when you have a home office
• Make your credit card and car loan interest deductible
• Qualify to exclude up to $250,000 of gains on the sale of your home—$500,000 if you're married
• Cope with a depressed housing market by getting deductions for renting your home before you sell it
• Create tax-free income from renovating your home and selling it at a profit
• Receive charitable deductions for your home while you still live in it
• Make your home a retirement nest egg that generates tax-free income by trading down or using it for a reverse mortgage
• Eliminate estate tax on your principal residence by utilizing a personal residence trust

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gerald J. Robinson, Esq., tax counsel to the New York City law firm of Carb, Luria, Cook & Kufeld, is a member of the New York and Maryland bars. he received his BA degree from Cornell University, an LLB from the University of Maryland, and an LLM in Taxation from New York University. Prior to entering private practice, he served in the Office of Chief Counsel , Internal Revenue Service, He is the author of the treatise, Federal Income Taxation of Real Estate, now in its sixth edition, and wrote the monthly newsletter, "Real Estate Tax Ideas," both published by warren, Gorham & Lamont. He is also a frequent lecturer and contributor to various professional journals.
He hates to pay taxes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; Revised edition (November 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471647713
• ISBN-13: 978-0471647713
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,840,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Friend Indeed, February 16, 2004

By 

Robert Brownstein (Sarasota, Fl USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: J.K. Lasser's Homeowner's Tax Breaks: Your Complete Guide to Finding Hidden Gold in Your Home (Paperback)

Having recently sold a vacation house on Martha's Vineyard, it was fortutious to find a copy of Gerald Robinson's new book "Homeowner's Tax Breaks" at my local Borders.

Well writen, clearly writen and, best of all, superbly organized, Robinson's book covers all the bases of the complex game of home ownership. Were that most books of this type provided as much useful advise for passage through the dense U.S. tax codes that apply to buying and selling of one's home.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's As Good As Money in the Bank, April 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: J.K. Lasser's Homeowner's Tax Breaks: Your Complete Guide to Finding Hidden Gold in Your Home (Paperback)

As a CPA and former teacher of accounting at the graduate school level, I can tell you that if you own or are selling real estate, Gerald Robinson's new book is almost as good as winning the lottery. In fact, the odds of realizing a big pay-off from this book are much better than the odds of hitting the lottery.

While books on taxation can be among the most boring ever written, Mr. Robinson avoids that trap. He writes in plain english, explaining complex strategies at a level almost everyone can understand.

For example, if you are selling your primary residence that you've owned for many years, or you've moved to more expensive homes a number of times during your working career, this is as good as discovering an unexpected bonanza in your bank account. The three strategies for avoiding capital gains tax when yous sell a residence and realize a gain of more than $500,000 (it is far more common than you think, and comes as a shock to many sellers) are unknown to most people, including some tax accountants. This one chapter is worth the cost of the book many times over.

The book is clearly written, is well organized, and I highly recommend it. The reader will feel much more confident the next time he/she is a party to a real estate transaction, including the renting of vacation property.