patrick.net

just_passing_through says

Then there is what happens if you get audited?

Biden is spending 80B hiring more irs agents.

just_passing_through says

I have a vacay rental in Maui and I typically gross about 78K a year and have hella write-offs. This year will be >100K. In order to get those write-offs and tax breaks I can't (admit) stay in it for something like more than 10 days a year. It would be difficult for me to call some place I stay in for 10 days a year my residence.

I hear what you're saying. I wouldn't rent it out enough to trigger an audit. It wouldn't be about the rental income outside of paying the mortgage down and not coming out of pocket.

If you rent it out 182 days or less, the IRS is going to have a hard time proving it's not your primary residence. 90-100 days would likely cover your nut on the mortgage down there and the IRS for sure has no legs to stand on then.

I need to look into what the federal tax savings is. So as I've said in other comments, I'm talking out my ass a bit. But I do know it's a real thing to save on Fed taxes "living" in PR. High income earners especially.

All that aside, we'll still "winter" down in the Caribbean and if we can get something now and start paying it off before retirement, I'm game.

just_passing_through says

No, I don't want to give the IRS access to wire to my bank account.

Why not? I have an AmEx savings account for exactly that purpose. It sits empty most of the year but when I need to pay to or receive money from the gubmint - I transfer the funds from or to my 'real' bank accounts.

Hircus says

WookieMan says

St. John is just fucking awesome though.

What's good about it? I haven't heard much about the usvi.

Here is one downside to USVI:

The 10 countries with the highest homicide rates:
1-El Salvador (82.84 per 100k people)
2-Honduras (56.52 per 100k people)
3-Venezuela (56.33 per 100k people)
4-United States Virgin Islands (49.26 per 100k people)

Robert Sproul says

Hircus says

WookieMan says

St. John is just fucking awesome though.

What's good about it? I haven't heard much about the usvi.

Here is one downside to USVI:

The 10 countries with the highest homicide rates:
1-El Salvador (82.84 per 100k people)
2-Honduras (56.52 per 100k people)
3-Venezuela (56.33 per 100k people)
4-United States Virgin Islands (49.26 per 100k people)

Holy fuck!

It's not whether a lot of people are murdered. It's whether the right people are murdered.

FuckCCP89 says

Why not? I have an AmEx savings account for exactly that purpose. It sits empty most of the year but when I need to pay to or receive money from the gubmint - I transfer the funds from or to my 'real' bank accounts.

Interesting idea!

I guess in my case it's more of a protest. I'm fooling myself that they can't get in there any time they want for maybe reasons as simple as a post on patnet.

Case in point: All of the tea party people who were attacked by a weaponized IRS during the Obummer years.

WookieMan says

I need to look into what the federal tax savings is. So as I've said in other comments, I'm talking out my ass a bit. But I do know it's a real thing to save on Fed taxes "living" in PR. High income earners especially.

For people who truly live there yes. Hey if you can pull it off I think that's awesome! I'm too chicken to try something like that. Instead I tend to overestimate my taxes if there is any confusion (by single digits). Might be why my tax refund is delayed. I noticed they are paying me back $1.26 more than I asked for / calculated haha.

I've been watching some Nomad Capitalist vids lately. What the guy offers is tempting. I'm not that rich yet though.

Robert Sproul says

The 10 countries with the highest homicide rates:
1-El Salvador (82.84 per 100k people)
2-Honduras (56.52 per 100k people)
3-Venezuela (56.33 per 100k people)
4-United States Virgin Islands (49.26 per 100k people)

Never have felt unsafe there. White privilege/tourist maybe? I don't know. 93 people have been killed in Englewood, Chicago year to date. I used to work in that neighborhood occasionally and a bunch of other ghettos in Chicago. Unless my math is wrong, Englewood is about 306 per 100k people (30k population). Either way that's 4 months. Close to 300 people will be killed there this year, probably more as summer hasn't hit yet.

Here's the total for 2020 for all of USVI: http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/2020-homicides/article_22a93566-6623-5a6e-b0eb-f18fb8275a22.html

In 2020, the Virgin Islands recorded 49 homicides, including 27 on St. Croix, 20 on St. Thomas and two on St. John. Two of the homicides were vehicular in nature.

That's really a huge nothing burger. And I'd guess most of it is domestic violence as well. Just seems high per capita, which it obviously is, but it's no Englewood and I've gone there hundreds of times. Puerto Rico is the main target as Chicago will always have non-stops to the island. St. Thomas/John would be nicer though as a beach lover.

A thought experiment.

In order to have such a huge capital gain, it means a relatively low cost basis. That means for most cases, a long-ago purchase with Proposition 13 assessment locked in.

All those years, all those savings on Property Tax, compounded if invested. (Indirectly) subsidized by Tax Donkeys who made more recent purchases at more recent prices with more recent assessments. This would include some renters who paid it through some landlords.

Now a taxable windfall capital gain. What goes around, comes around.