Welcome to the Big Beautiful Bill Resource Center The Big Beautiful Bill is transforming the landscape of financial legislation and we're here to help you stay informed every step of the way. This page is your central hub for everything related to the bill: expert articles, insightful videos, and in-depth webinars designed to unpack what it means, why it matters, and how it could impact your financial future. Check out our latest webinar. Check out our articles on the Big Beautiful Bill Understanding the New Tax Relief for Seniors and Hourly Workers: Tips, Overtime, and Social Security Explained Jim Richter 25 Takeaways From the Big Beautiful Bill Michael Baumeister Three Sweeping Tax Reforms That Could Impact Your Paycheck Jim Richter

At Monotelo Advisors our accountants work hard to free up cash flow by helping you minimize your federal tax liability, giving you more money to reinvest into your future. Simplify Your Taxes with Trusted Experts Accurate, stress-free tax preparation for individuals and businesses. Learn More Schedule Meeting Start your 2024 Tax Return Tax Season Resources Understanding the New Tax Relief for Seniors and Hourly Workers: Tips, Overtime, and Social Security Explained 3 days ago 3 min read 25 Takeaways From the Big Beautiful Bill Jul 8 4 min read New Illinois Sales Tax Changes: What Local Business Owners Need to Know Before July 1, 2025 Jul 3 3 min read Understanding the New Tax Relief for Seniors and Hourly Workers: Tips, Overtime, and Social Security Explained 25 Takeaways From the Big Beautiful Bill New Illinois Sales Tax Changes: What Local Business Owners Need to Know Before July 1, 2025 Looking for Financial Planning Help? Our values-based retirement planning will give you the quiet confidence that everything is on track for you to achieve your life goals. Get Started Learn More Run your business, we'll handle your finances. Small business owner? Yes, we can help you with your tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs. But there is so much more to having the right financial partner. Get Started Learn More

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What requirements do you need to meet to avoid capital gains taxes on the sale of your home? TAX IMPLICATIONS of Selling Your Home Save as PDF Read more articles Share Ownership Test: You need to have owned the home for at least 24 months out of the last 5 years leading up to the date of the sale. If you are married, only one spouse needs to own the property. Residence Test: You must have used the property as your primary residence for at least 24 months out of the last 5 years. These 24 months are not required to be consecutive. If you are married each spouse must meet this test to qualify for the full exclusion. Lookback Test: You cannot have taken the exclusion for the sale of another property in the last 2 years. If you meet these three requirements, then you can exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 if married and filing a joint return) in capital gains from the sale of your home. If you have capital gains in excess of the exclusion amount you will be required to pay taxes on the excess amount. Partial Exclusion If you do not meet the above requirements you may still be eligible for a partial exclusion if you sold the house for one of the following reasons: Work-Related Move: If you or your spouse get a job that is at least 50 miles further from your house than your previous job you can qualify for the partial exemption. Health-Related Move: If you move to obtain medical treatment for yourself or a family member, or to provide medical or personal care for a family member suffering from a disease or injury. Unforeseeable Events: You or your spouse: Dies Gets divorced or legally separated Gives birth to two or more children from the same pregnancy Becomes eligible for unemployment compensation Becomes unable to pay basic living expenses for the household due to a change in employment status. If one of these special circumstances applies to you then you can receive a partial exemption based on the percentage of the 2-year residence requirement that you meet. Example: One year after purchasing your home, you or your spouse gives birth to twins and you decide to sell your home to find a larger home. Even though you do not meet the 2-year ownership and residence requirements, you can receive a partial exclusion of the capital gains since the move was due to the birth of twins. In this case your exclusion would be one half of $500,000 since you resided in the house for 1 of the 2 required years. Exclusion of Gains on Home Sale Before any large financial decision, you should ask yourself “What are the tax implications of this?” Failing to consider the tax impact on some decisions can lead to an unpleasant surprise come tax season. Fortunately, the sale of your personal home is a financial event where you can generally expect favorable tax treatment. That is because the tax code allows you to exclude up to $500,000 in capital gains when selling your primary residence, provided you meet certain requirements. So what are capital gains? Capital gains are any profits from selling personal property above the original purchase price. If you purchase a painting for $10,000 and later sell it for $15,000 you have capital gains of $5,000, which can be taxed at rates up to 20%. However, when you sell your primary residence you can avoid the capital gains tax on the sale if you meet the following three requirements: Summary Our homes are one of the few assets that we own that have the potential to appreciate. If you own your home and live in it for more than 2 years before you sell it, you can exclude up to $500,000 of the gains from your taxable income. If you do not meet the 2-year requirement you may still be eligible for a partial exclusion if one of the provided special circumstances applies to you. Read more articles Share Failing to order your affairs to minimize your tax burden could cost you significant money - so don't wait to take action. If you have additional questions or need some planning help, please reach out to us.

Why 401k Plans Are Sub-Optimal

At Monotelo Advisors we work hard to free up cash flow by helping you minimize your federal tax liability, giving you more money to reinvest into your future. TAX EXPERTISE Monotelo believes there is a better way to help you secure your financial future. It starts by improving your cash flow, then focusing on the budget and retirement savings to help you take charge of a future filled with peace and financial security. Our mission is to make a difference with meaningful and actionable financial solutions that positively impact our client's lives. We do this by integrating the tax component into all our discussions - freeing up cash flow that allows our clients to live the lives they want to live. SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS If you are a small-business owner, there is a high probability that you are paying more tax than what is required. And the key to lowering your tax bill is not in finding a competent CPA to file your tax returns, it's in finding an expert with a disciplined process to help you plan your future. LEARN MORE REAL ESTATE AGENTS As a real-estate agent you are uniquely positioned to manage how much you pay in taxes. While the new tax code just made things better for you, it made things significantly more complicated. How you organize your affairs and structure your business will have a direct impact on your tax bill come April 15th. LEARN MORE PRIVATE CLIENTS LEARN MORE INDIVIDUALS Click here to access the tools and articles designed to help you manage your taxes and your finances while giving you confidence to take the steps needed to prepare for a future filled with peace, hope and financial security. LEARN MORE

Going to an office is no longer a requirement of conducting business in the age of the internet, cell phones, Skype and GoTo meetings. OCTOBER 2017 MONOTELO QUARTERLY Quarterly: Oct 17 UNLOCKING the Missed Deductions of a Home Office Small-business owners should not miss the benefit of a home office deduction out of fear of a tax audit. Going to an office is no longer a requirement of conducting business in the age of the internet, cell phones, Skype and GoTo meetings. This means an increasing number of small-business owners are working from home, and eligible to claim a home office deduction. When Properly implemented, this deduction can make a significant difference in your tax liability. WHAT CONSTITUTES A HOME OFFICE? In order to claim a deduction for a home office the IRS requires that a designated space be used exclusively and regularly for business. Going to an office is no longer a requirement of conducting business in the age of the internet, cell phones, Skype and GoTo meetings. Exclusively used for business means it cannot ever be used for personal reasons during the tax year, this includes any type of storage for personal items. Although the office is to be used only for business, the tax code does not mandate that it be a separate room, it can be part of a room - walls are not a requirement. The office must also be used on a regular basis for business. HOW TO DEDUCT EXPENSES FOR THE HOME OFFICE There are two different methods you can use to claim a home office deduction, the actual expense method and the simplified method. ACTUAL EXPENSE METHOD The actual expense method allows you to deduct all direct expenses and a portion of any indirect expenses. Direct expenses are any expenses incurred specifically for the home office, such as painting the office or putting in new carpet. Indirect expenses include any expenses incurred for the home such as mortgage interest, property taxes and utilities. To claim these indirect expenses you need to determine the portion of the expenses that relate to the home office. This can be calculated by dividing the square footage of the office by the square footage of the house. You can also claim depreciation or a rent deduction for the part of the home used for business purposes. On the downside, when you sell the home any depreciation taken needs to be recaptured. This can be an unpleasant surprise come tax time. When using the actual expense method, detailed records and supporting documentation must be kept for all expenses. SIMPLIFIED METHOD If you prefer not to maintain records of these expenses, you can still take a home office deduction using the simplified method. The simplified method is calculated by simply multiplying the square footage of the office by $5 per square foot (up to 300 sq. ft.). The advantage to this method is the IRS does not require you to keep any records that are required by the actual expense method. The main drawback of the simplified method is that you will not be able to deduct your actual expenses if they exceed the allowance of the simplified method. The best solution is to keep track of all of your expenses and then determine at the end of the year which method will provide the greater deduction. MILEAGE Regular commuting to and from work is not a deductible expense, however travel between your primary office located in your home to your second office is classified as business miles that are deductible. This does not mean that you can set up a "home office" to deduct your regular commuting miles. It means that if your home office is where you conduct the majority of your business, you can deduct any mileage to a secondary location. Setting up a home office can potentially create several thousands of dollars in deductible mileage each year. TAKE AWAY Even the smallest home office can unlock significant deductions if the expenses are properly accounted for using either the actual or simplified method. It is very important that the space be used exclusively for business purposes. July 2017 Save as PDF May 2018

About Us Who We Are Meet The Team Jim Richter, CFP®, CAIA®, EA President 800-961-0298 jim@monotelo.com Jim Richter is the President of Monotelo Advisors. Jim sets the strategic direction for the firm, including oversight of all tax and financial planning services at Monotelo Advisors. He brings 20+ years of experience in the financial services industry, including 10 years of hedge-fund specific work across diverse investment products. Prior to founding Monotelo Advisors, Jim spent 7 years as a Managing Director and Partner at a Chicago-based asset management firm. Prior to his time in the asset management industry, Jim spent 9 years as a fixed-income specialist in the banking industry. Jim is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst with a degree in Finance from the University of Illinois - Chicago. Jim is an Enrolled Agent, a federally authorized tax practitioner empowered by the US Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. Gina Gucciardo, CPA Certified Public Accountant 217-839-4226 gina@monotelo.com Gina is a Certified Public Accountant with over 35 years in public accounting. Gina and her team provide tax and accounting services to small businesses throughout Macoupin County and the surrounding area. She spends a good portion of her time volunteering and serving on non-profit boards. She enjoys exercise and runs nearly five miles a day five days a week. She likes to travel and spend time with her family, friends, and pets. Gina has the distinct honor of being the very first graduate of of Blackburn College's Accounting program. Gina and her husband have two adult children, one grandchild and two dogs! Steve Watts, CPA Certified Public Accountant 630-377-1040 steve@monotelo.com Steve is a Certified Public Accountant with an MBA and the CIRA certification. He has extensive banking and accounting experience with direct knowledge of the challenges faced by small business owners. He has developed and implemented various automated programs for management and financial reporting. During his 13 years on the banking side, Steve has prepared financial statements as well as examined and analyzed the financial statements and cash flow for thousands of companies. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Illinois CPA® Society, National Association of Tax Professionals, Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors and Turnaround Management Association. Steve and his wife have two adult children. Gavin Tabb, CPA Certified Public Accountant 847-923-9015 gavin@monotelo.com Gavin is a Certified Public Accountant and small business specialist for Monotelo Advisors. He is responsible for overseeing the staff that delivers a premium level of service to more than one thousand clients throughout the year. Gavin has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northern Illinois University. He is an Intuit QuickBooks Certified User and he supports our small business clients throughout the United States with seamless payroll, bookkeeping and monthly accounting services. Gavin and his wife, Elise have a five-year old daughter and one-year old son. Michael Baumeister, CFP®, EA Addy Genetti Financial Planner 847-923-9015 michael@monotelo.com Accountant 217-839-4226 addy@monotelo.com Michael is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ for Monotelo Advisors. Michael provides solutions to client’s complex financial planning in a thorough, cost-effective manner. He is the point of contact for all financial planning clients to ensure a constant channel of communication and oversight. His personal experience brings an expertise in the fields of asset allocation, estate planning, insurance review, tax planning and comprehensive financial planning. Michael has a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Judson University. Michael is an Enrolled Agent, a federally authorized tax practitioner empowered by the US Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. Michael lives with his wife, Sarah, and their two-year-old son. Addy is an accountant for Monotelo Advisors. Addy graduated from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. She has 18 years of public accounting experience including preparation of individual, partnership, corporate and estate/trust tax returns. Addy serves Monotelo's small business clients with preparation of payroll, sales tax, bookkeeping and monthly accounting services. When she is not busy exceeding our clients' expectations, she is running around with her three boys to all of their sporting events. She loves to travel, especially anywhere there is a beach! Addy and her husband live on their family farm with their three boys. Lisa Rondi Accountant 217-839-4226 lisa@monotelo.com Lisa is a small business specialist for Monotelo Advisors. Lisa has 24+ years of experience in tax return, payroll, sales tax and bookkeeping preparation and review in the Gillespie and Carlinville offices. She strives to help clients with their financial needs in the ever-changing tax system. She enjoys spending time with her family, her church family and doing anything outdoors. She also enjoys spending time on her craft projects and she plays several musical instruments. Lisa lives in Mt. Clare, IL with her pets. Marianne Richter Engagement Manager 847-923-9015 marianne@monotelo.com Marianne Richter is responsible for ensuring that Monotelo is delivering a high level of customer service and meeting the expectations of Monotelo’s small business relationships. Marianne brings 13+ years of diversified training and marketing experience in the consumer goods industry to Monotelo. Working in senior management roles at Kraft Foods for more than a decade, she had national profit and loss responsibility for consumer brands. In addition to her brand management responsibilities, she also played the role of national trainer, traveling around the country training Kraft's emerging managers. Marianne and her husband, Jim live with their two sons who are both in college. Roger Medallo Relationship Specialist 800-961-0298 Roger@monotelo.com Roger plays a key role in developing relationships with small business owners for Monotelo Advisors. He sets appointments for our CEO and helps promote our Second-Act Planning® program to colleges and universities across the country. Roger has a degree in computer science and plays multiple musical instruments. Roger and his wife, Diane have been married for 6 years.

Going to an office is no longer a requirement of conducting business in the age of the internet, cell phones, Skype and GoTo meetings. One step away to save on your taxes. Schedule a quick 10-minute, no-obligation consultation. UNLOCKING the Missed Deductions of a Home Office Small-business owners should not miss the benefit of a home office deduction out of fear of a tax audit. Going to an office is no longer a requirement of conducting business in the age of the internet, cell phones, Skype and GoTo meetings. This means an increasing number of small-business owners are working from home, and eligible to claim a home office deduction. When Properly implemented, this deduction can make a significant difference in your tax liability. WHAT CONSTITUTES A HOME OFFICE? In order to claim a deduction for a home office the IRS requires that a designated space be used exclusively and regularly for business. Going to an office is no longer a requirement of conducting business in the age of the internet, cell phones, Skype and GoTo meetings. Exclusively used for business means it cannot ever be used for personal reasons during the tax year, this includes any type of storage for personal items. Although the office is to be used only for business, the tax code does not mandate that it be a separate room, it can be part of a room - walls are not a requirement. The office must also be used on a regular basis for business. HOW TO DEDUCT EXPENSES FOR THE HOME OFFICE There are two different methods you can use to claim a home office deduction, the actual expense method and the simplified method. ACTUAL EXPENSE METHOD The actual expense method allows you to deduct all direct expenses and a portion of any indirect expenses. Direct expenses are any expenses incurred specifically for the home office, such as painting the office or putting in new carpet. Indirect expenses include any expenses incurred for the home such as mortgage interest, property taxes and utilities. To claim these indirect expenses you need to determine the portion of the expenses that relate to the home office. This can be calculated by dividing the square footage of the office by the square footage of the house. You can also claim depreciation or a rent deduction for the part of the home used for business purposes. On the downside, when you sell the home any depreciation taken needs to be recaptured. This can be an unpleasant surprise come tax time. When using the actual expense method, detailed records and supporting documentation must be kept for all expenses. SIMPLIFIED METHOD If you prefer not to maintain records of these expenses, you can still take a home office deduction using the simplified method. The simplified method is calculated by simply multiplying the square footage of the office by $5 per square foot (up to 300 sq. ft.). The advantage to this method is the IRS does not require you to keep any records that are required by the actual expense method. The main drawback of the simplified method is that you will not be able to deduct your actual expenses if they exceed the allowance of the simplified method. The best solution is to keep track of all of your expenses and then determine at the end of the year which method will provide the greater deduction. MILEAGE Regular commuting to and from work is not a deductible expense, however travel between your primary office located in your home to your second office is classified as business miles that are deductible. This does not mean that you can set up a "home office" to deduct your regular commuting miles. It means that if your home office is where you conduct the majority of your business, you can deduct any mileage to a secondary location. Setting up a home office can potentially create several thousands of dollars in deductible mileage each year. TAKE AWAY Even the smallest home office can unlock significant deductions if the expenses are properly accounted for using either the actual or simplified method. It is very important that the space be used exclusively for business purposes. Save as PDF

TAX IMPLICATIONS of the AMERICAN JOBS PLAN President Biden recently unveiled his new infrastructure plan which includes significant tax hikes for corporations and higher-net-worth families. While the plan has not been passed through congress, we thought we would share a quick overview of what is likely to come if there is a shift in tax policy. The plan includes over $2 trillion in proposed infrastructure spending over the next 15 years. To offset this additional spending the plan imposes significant tax hikes on corporations and higher-net-worth families. The plan also includes a number of changes to corporate tax law while modifying the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was passed in 2017. Increased Corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28%... While the 7% corporate tax hike may translate into lower stock prices, reduced 401(k) matching, fewer bonuses, fewer raises and fewer stock grants for employees, another impact is likely to come from the income phaseouts on Roth and traditional IRAs. In addition to these proposed changes is a significant tax increase on those making over $400,000 a year. Higher income, capital gains and estate taxes… President Biden campaigned on taxing the wealthy and he’s now beginning to deliver on that promise. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the $400,000 threshold for higher taxes would be for families. That implies that individuals surpassing the $200,000 threshold are also likely to face higher taxes. The changes that U.S. taxpayers are facing provide Monotelo with a significant opportunity to demonstrate our value. By getting creative and thinking outside the box, we can equip you to take proactive steps to reduce your short-term and lifetime tax burden. If you would like to learn more about the specific changes that are being proposed, please see below. Warning! There is a fair amount of tax speak here! The proposed tax plan includes the following changes: Imposes a 12.4 percent Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (Social Security) payroll tax on income earned above $400,000, evenly split between employers and employees. This would create a “donut hole” in the current Social Security payroll tax, where wages between $137,700, the current wage cap, and $400,000 are not taxed. Reverts the top individual income tax rate for taxable incomes above $400,000 from 37 percent under current law to the pre-Tax Cuts and Jobs Act level of 39.6 percent. Taxes long-term capital gains and qualified dividends at the ordinary income tax rate of 39.6 percent on income above $1 million and eliminates step-up in basis for capital gains taxation. Caps the tax benefit of itemized deductions to 28 percent of value for those earning more than $400,000, which means that taxpayers earning above that income threshold with tax rates higher than 28 percent would face limited itemized deductions. Restores the Pease limitation on itemized deductions for taxable incomes above $400,000. Phases out the qualified business income deduction (Section 199A) for filers with taxable income above $400,000. Provides renewable-energy-related tax credits to individuals. Expands the estate and gift tax by restoring the rate and exemption to 2009 levels. Expands the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) from a maximum of $3,000 in qualified expenses to $8,000 ($16,000 for multiple dependents) and increases the maximum reimbursement rate from 35 percent to 50 percent. For 2021 and as long as economic conditions require, increases the Child Tax Credit (CTC) from a maximum value of $2,000 to $3,000 for children 17 or younger, while providing a $600 bonus credit for children under 6. Reestablishes the First-Time Homebuyers’ Tax Credit, which was originally created during the Great Recession to help the housing market. Biden’s homebuyers’ credit would provide up to $15,000 for first-time homebuyers. Source: www.taxfoundation.org If you would like to learn more about how these changes will directly impact you or how to proactively address these changes so your financial security is not put at risk, please reach out to us at info@monotelo.com or 800-961-0298. Failing to order your affairs to minimize your tax burden could cost you significant money - so don't wait to take action. If you have additional questions or need some planning help, please reach out to us.