Video Library · Surya Padhi, CPA, EA
One tax question, properly answered, every week
A new explainer every Tuesday — six or seven minutes on video, with the written version, the figures and the sources on the same page. No signup, nothing gated, and no email address required to watch anything.
Three tracks
Start with the one that sounds like you
Each track runs on its own schedule and can be followed on its own. Most people only need one.
Individuals & Retirement
The questions that come up when a return stops being a single W-2 — retirement distributions, capital gains, IRS notices, and the planning that has to happen before December to matter.
1 published · 23 planned → For owners, S corps and the self-employedSmall Business & S Corp
Entity choice, reasonable compensation, quarterly estimates, payroll and the books behind them — decided during the year, while the answer can still change the outcome.
18 planned → For expats, nonresidents and ITIN applicantsForeign Income & International
Foreign accounts, foreign income, nonresident and dual-status returns, and ITIN applications — the reporting obligations that carry the largest penalties and the least available explanation.
11 planned →Why this exists
Most tax questions have a clear answer that takes about six minutes to explain properly. What is usually available instead is either a forum thread written by somebody guessing, or an article that describes the rule without ever putting a number on it.
Every episode here does the same four things: states the rule, explains the mechanism behind it, works through an example with real dollars, and says what to do about it. The written version on each episode page carries the full transcript, a table of the figures with the tax year stamped on it, and links to the IRS source for every number quoted.
What it is not
It is not advice about your situation, and no video can be. Tax outcomes turn on facts, and the facts are yours. What these are for is understanding the rule well enough to know whether it applies to you and what question to ask next.
They are also not sales material with an explanation attached. Several episodes will tell you that you do not need a professional for the thing being described, because for a lot of people that is the true answer.
This week
Estimated Taxes 2026: The Safe Harbor Rule That Prevents a Penalty
Published Sep 1, 2026 · Individuals & Retirement track. You do not have to forecast this year’s tax correctly — hit one of two targets and the underpayment penalty cannot apply, however large the April balance turns out to be.
While you are here
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Your own situation
These are explainers, not advice
Every episode is general education. If you want to know what a rule means for your facts specifically, that is a conversation — and the first one is free.
Every video and written explainer here is general tax education and does not constitute individualized tax, legal or financial advice. Figures are stated for the tax year shown and are subject to IRS adjustment — verify against current guidance before acting.