Finally, progress on US taxes

[mtbc]

This gap in between jobs is a chance for me to catch up on some neglected chores. Today's focus was last year's taxes for the IRS. (I had filed for an extension.) They take me more than a day partly because there are new things to figure out each year. This year's, so far, turn out to have been: how to use my lifetime allowance in calculating gift tax, and how to concisely report capital gains when a small fraction had loss disallowed as a wash sale^*. Alas, this year's taxes will be no easier.

^*I did not sell simply in order to realize a loss to reduce my taxable income but, of course, the IRS suspect that may have been my motive.