Janet Novack

How Confident Can You Be In The Person Preparing Your Tax Return? Most paid preparers aren’t subject to any licensing or competency standards. A new bipartisan bill tightens enforcement against bad preparers, but wouldn't regulate the industry

Most paid tax preparers aren't licensed or regulated. A bipartisan bill in Congress wouldn't change that, but it would crack down on the bad ones after the fact. www.forbes.com/sites/kellyp...

Sanders And Khanna Push National 5% Annual Billionaire Wealth Tax Backers project, based on Forbes’ billionaires list, that the tax would raise $4.4 trillion over ten years for childcare, housing and a $3,000 per person check to many Americans.

A much more dramatic proposal than the California wealth tax--the federal version would be 5% a year, not a one-time tax. @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/kellyp...

Startup MMI Wants To Use Mini Robots To Treat Alzheimer's MMI is starting FDA-approved human trials for its tiny robot to use needles the size of eyelashes to help clear waste from the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

*NEW* In my latest @forbes.com feature, I wrote about the startup that’s starting early clinical trials to use a miniature robot to treat Alzheimer’s based on experimental operations done in China and elsewhere in Asia.

www.forbes.com/sites/amyfel...

How AI Could Wreck Your 401(k) Stocks have low earnings yields and TIPS have good yields. Move money from stocks into bonds.

The headline says AI. But the truth is, this applies to war, too. Those approaching retirement are often more heavily invested in stocks than they meant to be. www.forbes.com/sites/baldwi...

For Trump, the Iran Attack Is the Ultimate War of Choice

The must-read of the day. Although “war of choice” is actually a euphemism. It’s a war of whim, of ego, of madness. Gift link. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/u...

if you believe in any form of free enterprise at all, the idea that the Pentagon can not only cut off your contract but designate you a supply chain risk and prevent other companies from buying from you just because you won't build killbots for the government should be terrifying

A new car, home feel out of reach for middle-class Americans, poll finds Most renters — including those earning six figures — doubt they could afford a home in the foreseeable future.

While most Americans can afford basic necessities, half or more adults across income levels say larger expenses and the costs of a comfortable life — including healthcare, a new car, or taking a weeklong vacations — are out of reach. (gift link)
wapo.st/4aG3YIT

Trump’s Federal Retirement Account Is A Serious Step Forward President Trump announces a federal retirement savings plan with a $1,000 match. Will it close the coverage gap?

Trump's retirement proposal, which merges a new tax benefit passed under Biden, and a longstanding, bipartisan proposal, could make a difference--if he follows through. www.forbes.com/sites/teresa...

From Lanai To Near Mar-A-Lago: Larry Ellison’s Trump Proximity Play Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison's official residence is now in Manalapan, Florida, not the Hawaii island that he famously bought in 2012.

The Oracle cofounder’s official residence is now in Manalapan, Florida, not the Hawaii island that he famously bought in 2012, according to previously unreported county records.

More details in my latest for @forbes.com:

www.forbes.com/sites/phoebe...

This Fintech Is Winning With Hispanic Immigrants. Now It Has To Survive Trump. Común allows immigrants to open a free checking account online with a foreign ID and to send money to relatives back home at a reasonable cost.

Limiting U.S. bank accounts to citizens (or those with legal status) as Trump Administration is reportedly discussing, would be a burden to big banks. But it could put this promising fintech out of business. www.forbes.com/sites/sophia...

Trump Claims Tariffs Could ‘Substantially Replace’ Income Tax: Why That’s Misleading The Supreme Court on Friday ruled Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs were unlawfully imposed.

No, tariffs won't replace the income tax. www.forbes.com/sites/sarado...

Forbes Tax Guide For 2026: Navigating Tax Changes & IRS Issues The Forbes Tax Guide offers the help you need to file your 2025 return while dealing with complicated new tax breaks and the IRS. Find answers to your questions here.

Refunds are up a bit, but the IRS is a mess and the "no tax on tips" and "no tax on overtime" breaks are temporary, limited and complicated. The tax cuts for the rich? Permanent. www.forbes.com/sites/kellyp...

Now that's a Trump Account.

Contrary to Administration’s Misleading Claims, New Senior Deduction Doesn’t Help Low- and Middle-Income Seniors, Does Deplete Social Security Trust Funds The Trump Administration has been peddling false and exaggerated claims about the harmful Republican megabill’s effects on the taxation of Social Security benefits, including in a blast email from...

Fact check: the OBBBA did NOT eliminate taxes on Social Security.

In fact, it does nothing to help lower- and middle-income seniors--but it does harm Social Security's financing. #CBPPSOTU

www.cbpp.org/blog/contrar...

Is A Trump Account The Right Savings Plan For Your Children? With strict rules and limited tax benefits, Trump accounts aren’t right for every family—particularly if they’ re not eligible for government or private seed contributions.

With strict rules and limited tax benefits, Trump accounts aren’t right for every family. www.forbes.com/sites/kellyp...

Well, someone is "richer than ever before" anyway...

How Much Do You Really Gain By Delaying Social Security Benefits? The experts say wait to claim Social Security. But interest rates have reduced the payoff. Here are four questions to ponder before making a decision.

Novel and smart way to look at the decision of when couples should claim Social Security. www.forbes.com/sites/baldwi...

Roses Are Red, Taxpayers Are Blue, As Romance Scams Become More Common AI has helped these scams blossom. But the tax code now offers little relief for those who have lost money to a romance scam—unless it turns into an investment scam.

Thanks to Trump tax changes, the tax code now offers no relief to those who are victims of romance scams--unless they turn into investment scams. www.forbes.com/sites/kellyp...

Trump Says Voter ID Will Be Required In Midterms ‘Whether Approved By Congress Or Not’ Voter identification requirements are working their way through Congress with the SAVE Act, which was passed by the House this week.

Voter identification requirements are working their way through Congress with the SAVE Act, which was passed by the House this week.

Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...

there's fierce competition, but this is one of the most stomach-turning things I've read in some time

> @alivitali.bsky.social

CNN confirms what MSNBC reported live a few hours ago: DOJ is surveilling Dem lawmakers when they go to the DOJ to search unredacted Epstein files.

Yikes here are the numbers for the past 12 months. Everything is pretty much dead except healthcare/social assistance. Note that healthcare growth is largely not about the business cycle -- it's about the aging of the population and more elderly people needing care.

"...the paper is dropping between 350 and 375 journalists. With the newsroom’s pre-layoff strength at 790 people, that means between 44 percent and 47.5 percent of the newsroom has been axed.

...last week may have been the biggest one-day wipeout of journalists in a generation."

Conflict of interest alert: Trump pardoned Binance's billionaire founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao (aka CZ) in October 2025 after CZ pled guilty in 2023 to a money laundering charge. Now, per @forbes.com @zacheverson.com , Binance is the biggest holder by far of the Trump family's stablecoin.

How Picasso, Van Gogh And Cézanne Helped Finance Epstein Client Leon Black’s Billionaire Lifestyle The Epstein files detail private equity tycoon Leon Black’s massive, multi-billion-dollar art collection—and how he leveraged it to grow his wealth.

Epstein's appeal to some of the rich was about more than exploiting women. He helped this Apollo Global billionaire avoid taxes. www.forbes.com/sites/johnhy...

This $1,000-A-Year Credit-Boosting Service Rarely Improves Scores—But Still Takes Your Money More than a year after being cut off by the credit bureaus, San Francisco fintech company TomoCredit continues to sell an exorbitant, misleading service and makes its subscription extremely difficult ...

Too bad the CFPB is moribund under Trump. www.forbes.com/sites/jeffka...

How Tax Credits Can Lower Your Tax Bill—or Boost Your Refund Federal tax credits come in a number of flavors, including refundable, nonrefundable and partially refundable. Here’s what you should know heading into tax season.

How Tax Credits Can Lower Your Tax Bill—or Boost Your Refund

U.S. Jobs Disappear At Fastest January Pace Since Great Recession There were 108,000 job cuts in January in the U.S., the most to begin a year since the Great Recession in 2009, according to a new report.

There were 108,000 job cuts in January in the U.S., the most to begin a year since the Great Recession in 2009, according to a new report.

Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has weaponized administrative subpoenas to attack free speech, according to privacy and civil rights groups.

A reminder, that despite certain ownership issues, the Washington Post is still doing important reporting. (Gift link) wapo.st/4rtfCw8