The questions people are afraid to ask.

Yes. Our tax compliance and planning practice serves businesses, individuals, and high-net-worth families, and our outsourced accounting practice handles bookkeeping and reporting. Specialization simply means your domestic work gets specialist-level rigor.

Yes. Most engagements are conducted remotely through secure document exchange and video meetings, in English or Spanish. Our Phoenix and Tucson offices anchor the practice; they don't limit it.

Every engagement starts with a complimentary 30-minute consultation. Most clients then begin with a Tax Health Check, a fixed-fee written diagnostic, and progress to project-based strategy work or an ongoing advisory relationship. Fees are quoted in advance.

Nothing formal. Come ready to describe your situation: which countries are involved, what you own (businesses, accounts, properties, partnerships, trusts), and what worries you.

We are happy to review any documents you believe would be fruitful for our initial consultation ahead of our meeting. Please contact us before our consultation to receive a secure link for upload to our client portal.

A cost segregation study identifies components of a building, such as certain electrical, finishes, and site improvements, that can be depreciated over shorter lives than the building itself, accelerating deductions into the early years of ownership. Higher-value properties, recent acquisitions, and renovations tend to benefit most. The trade-off is depreciation recapture when you sell, which should be modeled before you commit.

Often not. A "look-back" study combined with an accounting method change can let you capture missed depreciation in the current year without amending prior returns. Whether it makes sense depends on your remaining hold period and expected exit.

A like-kind exchange lets you defer gain by reinvesting the proceeds from investment real estate into replacement real estate, within strict identification and closing deadlines and using a qualified intermediary. Exchanges are made by the taxpayer that owns the property, so when partners want to go separate ways, the structure has to be planned well before the sale. This is one of the most common places we add value.

Rental losses are generally passive and can't offset wages or business income. Taxpayers who qualify as real estate professionals (based on hours and the share of their working time spent in real property trades or businesses) and who materially participate in their rentals may be able to use those losses against other income. The IRS scrutinizes this closely, so contemporaneous documentation matters.

Three things most foreign owners miss: US filing requirements on the rental income, FIRPTA withholding when you eventually sell, and US estate tax exposure on US property held at death, which can be significantly higher for non-residents than for US citizens. All three can usually be planned for, but only in advance. Our international and real estate partners handle these together.

If you are a US person (citizen, green card holder, or resident) and the combined value of your foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 at any point during the year, you must file an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114). This includes accounts in Mexico, Canada, Europe, or anywhere else, and it applies even if the account produced no income.

Penalties for missed FBARs can be severe, and are far higher where the failure is willful. But if your failure was non-willful and the IRS has not contacted you yet, remediation paths such as the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures may bring you current with reduced or no penalties.

Acting before the IRS contacts you is what preserves your options. Your foreign bank is likely already reporting your account under FATCA.

They are separate filings with separate thresholds, and filing one does not satisfy the other. The FBAR goes to FinCEN and covers foreign financial accounts over $10,000 combined. Form 8938 is attached to your tax return and covers a broader set of foreign financial assets at higher thresholds that vary by filing status and residence. Many taxpayers must file both.

A PFIC (Passive Foreign Investment Company) includes most foreign mutual funds and pooled investment vehicles. Without proper elections, PFIC income can be taxed at the highest ordinary rates plus an interest charge, and requires Form 8621 for each fund. Identifying PFICs early and making the right elections can dramatically reduce the cost.

It depends on the type. A fideicomiso used solely to hold residential property in Mexico's restricted zone is generally not treated as a foreign trust under IRS guidance (Rev. Rul. 2013-14). Other fideicomisos and foreign trust arrangements may require Forms 3520 and 3520-A, with significant penalties for missed filings. Each structure should be reviewed individually.

The treaty allocates taxing rights between the two countries and reduces withholding rates on cross-border dividends, interest, and royalties. Combined with foreign tax credits, a correctly claimed treaty position usually prevents paying full tax twice on the same income.

In practice, many families overpay for years because no single advisor coordinates the treaty position across both returns.

Your advisors are probably competent within their borders, but tax systems do not align automatically. Cross-border families need someone who sees both sides at once. We work alongside your existing advisors, not against them, and often become the coordinator who finally gets everyone following one written strategy.

No. US-Mexico planning is our deepest specialty and where our bilingual, bicultural fluency matters most, but we advise families and businesses connected to Canada, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.