Free Course · Adults & Business Owners · 7 Episodes + 7 Workbooks
The taxes W-2 life never teaches.
Quarterlies without fear. The bracket myth, killed with arithmetic. The deductions, entities, and retirement doors owners actually use — from the people who use them. Every number verified against the 2026 code.
22.4%
what a $100k freelancer really pays - not the scary 40% guess
$640
the real tax on a $4,000 raise. The bracket cliff is a myth
4 dates
the entire quarterly system. Miss them and the IRS charges 7%
$72,000
the 2026 retirement door a business owner can open - vs $24,500 for W-2
Every figure primary-source verified · IRS · SSA · 2026 tax year · Built from our actual portfolio
EPISODE 01
Estimate It
“Four dates. One number. Zero penalty.”
You will be able to:
- Identify whether the $1,000 estimated-tax trigger applies to your 2026 income mix - freelance, 1099 clinical work, rentals, consulting, or an operating business.
- Compute both tax layers on business profit - the 15.3% self-employment tax and the income-tax stack - using verified 2026 figures.
- Lock in a penalty-proof safe-harbor payment number using the 90% / 100% / 110% rules.
EPISODE 02
Withhold It
“Stop lending the government your paycheck at zero percent.”
You will be able to:
- Read a pay stub like an operator: separate income-tax withholding (which the W-4 controls) from fixed FICA taxes (which it cannot).
- Complete the modern five-step Form W-4 correctly - including the two-earner checkbox and the $2,200-per-child Step 3 math for 2026.
- Judge a refund honestly: tuned within $500 either way versus a 12-month interest-free loan to the Treasury.
EPISODE 03
Own the 1099 Dollar
“Same dollar earned. Different rules. Different rows.”
You will be able to:
- Explain why the same dollar lives under two rulebooks - W-2 withholding versus 1099 self-employment - and what disappears when no one withholds for you.
- Compute 2026 self-employment tax: 15.3% on 92.35% of net earnings, with the Social Security portion capped at the $184,500 wage base, then claim the half-SE-tax deduction.
- Build a Schedule C that captures every ordinary and necessary expense, including the 2026 split-year mileage rates (72.5 cents, then 76 cents) and the exclusive-and-regular home-office tests.
EPISODE 04
The Staircase, Not the Cliff
“A raise always pays. The staircase will not punish you for climbing it.”
You will be able to:
- Read the 2026 federal bracket staircase and explain why only the dollars above each floor pay that jar's rate - never the whole stack below.
- Prove with exact 2026 numbers that a raise cannot reduce take-home pay in a marginal-rate system.
- Distinguish marginal rate (your next dollar) from effective rate (your whole pile) and compute both from a Form 1040.
EPISODE 05
FICA Explained
“Two small lines on your paystub fund the two oldest promises in American law. Learn what they cost, what they buy, and how the math changes when you work for yourself.”
You will be able to:
- Decode the Social Security (OASDI) and Medicare lines on any paystub and verify the 6.2% and 1.45% math yourself.
- Explain the employer's invisible matching 7.65% and why 15.3% of every covered wage dollar reaches the trust funds.
- Apply the 2026 Social Security wage base ($184,500) and the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax thresholds to real incomes.
EPISODE 06
Deduct It
“Two paychecks, same salary — and one owes thousands more in April. The difference is what they did with the line between gross income and taxable income. Today we move that line.”
You will be able to:
- Distinguish gross income from taxable income and explain how every deduction lowers the taxable 'waterline' — without putting cash directly in your pocket.
- Choose correctly between the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single / $24,150 head of household / $32,200 married filing jointly) and itemizing the big four.
- Stack above-the-line deductions — 401(k), HSA, IRA, student loan interest, half of self-employment tax — on top of whichever path you choose.
EPISODE 07
CREDIT IT
“A deduction trims what gets taxed. A credit pays the bill - dollar for dollar.”
You will be able to:
- Compute the difference between a $1,000 deduction and a $1,000 credit at every 2026 bracket, and explain why credits land after tax is calculated.
- Distinguish refundable from nonrefundable credits and explain why filing a return matters even when you owe zero.
- Claim the 2026 household credit stack with exact verified amounts: Child Tax Credit $2,200, EITC up to $8,231, education credits, Saver's Credit, and the new 50% child and dependent care rate - plus know which credits expired for 2026.
Keep going — this is one pillar of five.
Money Smarts sharpens the household engine. The Library gives you 13 free playbooks. The Five Pillars show where it all leads.
Money Smarts → Free Library The Five Pillars