Surprisingly Simple: Independent Contractor, Sole Proprietor, and LLC Taxes Explained in 100 Pages or Less [Paperback]

Mike Piper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2009

Find all of the following, explained in plain-English with no legal jargon:

• Business Taxation 101: A brief primer on tax topics in general, especially as they apply to businesses.
• Home Office Deduction: How to ensure you qualify for it and how to calculate it.
• Estimated Tax payments: When and how to pay them, as well as an easy way to calculate each payment.
• Self-Employment Tax: What it is, why it exists, and how to calculate it.
• Business Retirement Plans: What the different types are, and which one is best for you.
• Numerous Business Deductions: Several deductions explained in detail, including how to make sure you can qualify to take them and how to maximize them.
• Audit Protection: Learn what records you need to keep (and how long to keep them) in order to protect yourself in case of an audit.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Find all of the following, explained in plain-English with no legal jargon:

Business Taxation 101: A brief primer on tax topics in general, especially as they apply to businesses.

Home Office Deduction: How to ensure you qualify for it and how to calculate it.

Estimated Tax payments: When and how to pay them, as well as an easy way to calculate each payment.

Self-Employment Tax: What it is, why it exists, and how to calculate it.

Business Retirement Plans: What the different types are, and which one is best for you.

Numerous Business Deductions: Several deductions explained in detail, including how to make sure you can qualify to take them and how to maximize them.

Audit Protection: Learn what records you need to keep (and how long to keep them) in order to protect yourself in case of an audit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Simple Subjects, LLC (July 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615158439
• ISBN-13: 978-0615158433
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #451,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mike Piper is the author of 7 personal finance books and the popular blog Oblivious Investor (obliviousinvestor.com). He is a Missouri Licensed CPA.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Simple and readable, but a bit too shallow, March 12, 2008

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Surprisingly Simple: Independent Contractor, Sole Proprietor, and LLC Taxes Explained in 100 Pages or Less (Paperback)

This self-published book is literally 100 pages from cover to cover; as such (the author's favorite phrase which he uses ad nauseam), the real stuff only goes from about page 12 to page 90. Plus there's a ton of white space on each page.

Why do I mention this? Because even though the book makes some tax topics easy to understand -- for instance, I liked its short chapter on retirement plans -- it's a rather poor value for over twelve bucks. The author could have said so many more things, without complicating anything. For instance, the said chapter on retirement plans sorely lacks information -- important information -- on when each plan must be filed with the IRS. Also, the few chapters on business deductions (a topic most readers bought the book for) are very light and very shallow.

If you're absolutely clueless about sole-proprietorship tax planning and don't want to hire an accountant, this book can serve as a start, a primer of sort, but you'll need another more in-depth book like those put out by JK Lasser or Nolo. If you already know something about business taxes, this book will be too elementary for you.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good to have on the shelf, October 2, 2007

By 

Michael Beaver - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Surprisingly Simple: Independent Contractor, Sole Proprietor, and LLC Taxes Explained in 100 Pages or Less (Paperback)

As a private consultant I use this book as a reference guide even when helping my clients. I read to see if I agreed with everything and my reaction was wow "they actually know what they are talking about"!

I would recommend this to new business owners along with other consultants. It's a good guide and a good reference book when you get a client's issue that don't normally work with.

The only down side is that % and tax laws do change so you will still need to make sure you keep up with the newest rates.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide!, October 1, 2007

By 

bushmanbill "be useful" (you can find me wherever Carmen Sandiago is) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surprisingly Simple: Independent Contractor, Sole Proprietor, and LLC Taxes Explained in 100 Pages or Less (Paperback)

I purchased Nolo's Tax Savvy For Small Business and was inundated with unnecessary information. Mike Piper does an excellent job of getting straight to the point without missing any points. Very informative and helpful, thanks!