Maximize Wealth: Inside Tips from Tax Attorney Brian Boyd

Tax attorney Brian Boyd joined Wake Up to Wealth to explain how the U.S. tax code is not a punishment but a rulebook—and that people who learn the rules can use them to build wealth, especially through real estate. Boyd, a partner at Thompson Burton with a master’s in tax law from Georgetown, argues that most people treat taxes as a source of anxiety rather than a set of tools. The conversation focuses on specific strategies that are available to ordinary investors and business owners, the psychology of why people avoid learning them, and the conditions under which each approach works.

The short-term rental loophole: a path for W-2 earners

The most accessible strategy Boyd highlights is Treasury Regulation 1.469-1T(e)(3)(ii)(A), commonly called the short-term rental loophole. This regulation allows a taxpayer to deduct losses from a short-term rental against ordinary income—including W-2 wages—without having to qualify as a real estate professional. The key requirement is only 100 hours of work on the property per year, or about two hours per week. This is a dramatic difference from the 750-hour threshold required for real estate professional status under Section 469, which is nearly impossible for someone with a full-time job.