Anna's Deep Dives

_{Just facts, you think for yourself}

The newspapers are calling the new OBBBA tax bill a "snooze fest."

They say it’s just a "copy-paste" of the old rules.

They tell you the top rate stayed at 37%, so nothing changed.

They are wrong.

We read the fine print—all of it. And what we found isn’t a boring extension of the status quo. It’s a complete rewiring of how your money gets taxed.

The sticker price didn't change, but the machinery did.

The architects of this bill moved the battle lines. They stopped fighting about the tax rate and started messing with what counts as income.

They built "trap doors" and "kill zones" into the code that activate exactly when you think you’re getting a break.

And if you’re following the old playbook? You might be walking right into a 60% effective tax rate without knowing it.

Here is what is actually in the bill.

The SALT Cap Trap Everyone is cheering because the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap went up to $40,000. Sounds like a win for anyone in New York or California, right? Not quite. There’s a hidden "phase-out" clause. If you earn between $500,000 and $600,000, the math gets ugly. We found a "phantom" tax rate in this zone that punishes you for earning more money. [See how the "Kill Zone" works in Section 1]

The Small Business Trap Good news: The 20% business deduction (QBI) is finally permanent. You can stop worrying about it expiring. Bad news: It’s now rigged with a new tripwire. The bill creates a conflict between paying yourself "Overtime" (to get a tax break) and keeping your W-2 wages high (to keep your business deduction). If you pull the wrong lever, you save pennies on payroll but lose dollars on profits. [Check the math in Section 2]

The "Haircut" on Your Deductions For high earners, a dollar deducted is no longer a dollar saved. Starting in 2026, the government is taking a "skim" off the top of your itemized deductions. They call it a value cap. We call it a hidden surtax. Plus, there’s a new rule called "The Shave" that eats away at your write-offs before you even start. [See the impact in Section 3]

The Social Security "Gotcha" The politicians promised "No Tax on Social Security." And technically, they delivered. But they added a catch. There is a new deduction for seniors, but it vanishes if you make too much money. We mapped out exactly where the benefit disappears and why taking money out of your IRA might now cost you double. [Read the Senior Deduction breakdown in Section 4]

The End of Casual Charity Used to writing a $100 check to a friend’s charity run? Or $500 to the local food bank? Under the new rules, those might be "dead money" for your taxes. There is a new floor that makes small donations tax-useless. We explain why you need to stop writing small checks and start "bunching." [See the strategy in Section 5]

The "Blue Collar" Loophole You probably don't work for tips. But the new law makes "Tips" and "Overtime" tax-favored. This isn't just for service workers. It creates a massive incentive to reclassify how you get paid. Why? Because these deductions crush your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). And in this new bill, a lower AGI is the master key that unlocks every other tax break. [See why AGI is king in Section 6]

The Estate Tax Flip-Flop For years, the goal was simple: Get assets out of your estate to avoid the 40% death tax. The OBBBA flips that logic on its head. With the exemption locked at $15 million, the smart move might actually be to put money back in. The game has moved from tax avoidance to "basis management." [Learn about "Trust Decanting" in Section 7]

The Hidden Levers Buried in the back of the bill are some weird specific gifts. Want a tax-free savings account for your newborn (funded by the Feds)? It’s in there. Want to write off your car loan? You can, but only if the car was "Final Assembled" in the USA. We found the niche perks that most accountants haven't even noticed yet. [Check Section 8]

This isn’t just about paying taxes. It’s about keeping what you’ve built. The rules have changed. Make sure you know them.

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Table of Contents

^{(Click on any section to start reading it)}

Chapter I: The SALT Cap Trap

• The Mechanics of the "Phantom" Tax Rate

• The "Kill Zone"

• The Marriage Penalty

• The 2030 Reversion: The Five-Year Planning Window

• The Survival of the PTET Workaround

Chapter II: The QBI Redesign

• The Expanded Phase-In Corridors

• The "Minimum Deduction" and the Gig Economy

• The Wage/Property Interaction Trap

• SSTB Definitions and Aggregation

Chapter III: The High-Earner Squeeze

• The 35% Value Cap: The "Haircut"

• The Mortgage Interest Disconnect

• The "Shave": The 0.5% Floor

• The Philanthropic "Tax Drag"

Chapter IV: The Senior Deduction Framework

• The Mechanics of the Senior Boost

• The Phase-Out Cliff and RMD Management

Chapter V: The Charitable Floor: The End of Casual Giving

• The 0.5% Hurdle

• The Corporate 1% Floor

• The "Bunching" Imperative and DAFs

Chapter VI: The Wage Classification Shift

• The Deduction Mechanics

• The "Redefinition" Economy

• AGI Suppression: The Master Key

Chapter VII: The Estate Tax Fortress

• The "Decanting" Wave

• Valuation Discounts and FLPs

Chapter VIII: The Hidden Levers: Sector-Specific Shocks

1. Trump Accounts: The "Baby Bond" Revolution

2. Auto Loan Interest: The "Made in USA" Test

3. Remittance Tax: The Cash Loophole

4. The Endowment Tax Escalator

5. QSBS Expansion (Section 1202)

6. Permanent Bonus Depreciation

7. Domestic Research and Development Expensing

8. Excess Business Loss Limitation Becomes Permanent

9. Restoring the Old 1099-K Threshold

10. Opportunity Zones

11. Adoption Credit

Baked with love,

Anna Eisenberg ❤️