Attention High-Income W-2 Earners

If You're A W-2 Earner Making $500K+ A Year, We'll Save You At Least $50K In Taxes This Year, Or You Don't Pay

Ryan Carriere, CPA, sizes a short-term rental to your income and handles the tax work, while you put in the hours.

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The CPA Behind The Offer

$10M+
in tax savings for clients over Ryan's career
300+
clients served over Ryan's career
50
states served, with every meeting held virtually
10+
years of experience, including about 4 at Hall CPA, The Real Estate CPA

Is This You?

Who Is This For?

Who This Is For:

  • You're a W-2 earner making $500K or more a year, in medicine, tech, sales or another high-paying role.
  • Your 401(k) and HSA are maxed, and your tax bill still grows with every raise, bonus or equity payout.
  • Your preparer files an accurate return each spring, but nobody plans anything before December 31st.
  • You own a rental property, have one under contract, or plan to buy one this year.
  • You can put more than 100 hours a year into running the property, more than your cleaner or anyone else.
  • You've heard about the short-term rental strategy from a coworker and want to know if it really works at your income.
  • You want proactive planning all year, not a return prepared once a year.

This Is Not For:

  • Anyone earning under $500K a year.
  • Anyone with no real estate and no plan to buy any.
  • Anyone who only wants a return filed.
  • Anyone who wants the deduction without putting their own hours into the property.
  • Anyone looking for aggressive positions outside the tax code.

Real Clients · Real Outcomes

What We've Delivered

Two W-2 households from Ryan's published case studies, with the numbers.

Senior software engineer2025, actual result
$250,000
combined federal and state tax savings
$1M+ W-2Worked 60-hour weeks

Alex, a senior software engineer at a public AI hardware company, bought a high-end short-term rental and logged his hours as he went. A cost segregation study then unlocked over $600,000 in first-year depreciation, which offset his W-2 income directly.

Alex (name changed for privacy)
Physician and spouse2026, projected
$140,000+
projected tax savings
$1M+ household incomeCame in before buying

They planned to buy long-term rentals and have one spouse chase the 750-hour test. We switched them to a short-term rental and the 100-hour test before they bought anything, with roughly $400,000 in projected bonus depreciation.

Dr. Julian (name changed for privacy)

Results from past clients. Your numbers depend on your income, structure and timing.

100% Done-For-You

Here's Everything We Do For You

The hours on the property are yours. Ryan handles all of the tax work around them, one on one.

We Review Your Last 2 Years

Every engagement starts with your last 2 years of returns, a short questionnaire and this year's income, including any bonus or equity that pays out before December.

We Work Out The Right Size

Before you buy, we work out how big a property needs to be for your bracket, because a rental that's too small for your income gives you a deduction too small to matter.

We Set Up Your Hours Log

Once you're under contract, we set up your log and check it with you during the year, so you stay over 100 hours and ahead of your cleaner and every other vendor.

We Coordinate The Cost Segregation Study

Once you're clearly over the hours line, we line up the right study with a trusted third-party provider, so years of future depreciation come off your W-2 income in year one.

We Stack Smaller Strategies On Top

Where it helps, we add moves like bunching your charitable gifts, shifting income to your children and tax loss harvesting, so your savings never rest on one strategy alone.

We File Your Return Too

Tax filing is available to strategy clients and billed separately, so the return that reports your deductions comes from the same firm that planned them.

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On The Record

Does It Actually Work?

“
Ryan is so knowledgeable and genuinely helpful. It has taken me years to find someone with his depth of expertise... What makes him truly exceptional is that he goes far beyond traditional tax advising; he helps you think strategically about your future, your goals, and how to build a smarter, more intentional financial life.
LB
Laura B.
W2 Physician, STR Strategy
“
Ryan is a true STR tax expert. He is highly knowledgeable and responsive, with clear, efficient, and effective communication... We are thoroughly impressed and very happy with his work so far.
AG
Ankur G.
W2 Physician, STR Strategy
“
Ryan has been the biggest asset to starting new in the short-term rental business with his knowledge of tax strategy specific to owning rentals. As newcomers to the industry, the education and guidance he's provided have been invaluable. Starting out can be daunting, but Ryan has been by our side every step of the way...
DC
Derek C.
W2 Tech Sales, STR Strategy

Still On The Fence?

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really have to work on the property myself?+
Yes. For the losses to come off your W-2, you need more than 100 hours on the property in the year, and more time than any other single person, your cleaner included. Spread over a year, that's about 2 hours a week, and the clock starts when you go under contract. Ryan sets up your log and checks it with you, and all of the tax work is handled for you.
Do I need real estate professional status?+
No. Real estate professional status needs 750 hours and more time in real estate than at your actual job, which rules out almost anyone with a full-time career. A short-term rental uses the 100-hour test instead, as long as the average guest stays 7 days or less.
Will this hold up if the IRS ever looks at it?+
The strategy is written into the tax code, and where people lose it is the paperwork. In Mirch v. Commissioner, the court agreed the property qualified as a short-term rental and still ruled the losses passive, because the hours log was an undated summary built from estimates. That's why each entry in your log names a real task and the time it took, and Ryan reviews it with you during the year.
Is it too late to lower this year's taxes?+
Not necessarily. The big first-year deduction attaches to the year the property is placed in service, meaning ready and available for guests, so a property that's ready to rent by December 31st can count for 2026. The savings show up when your 2026 return is filed, and if the calendar doesn't work this year, 2027 starts with the property, the log and the study lined up from day one.
How much does it cost?+
Ryan publishes his fees. The year-round Tax Strategy engagement has 3 tiers, starting at $7,450, $8,950 (the most popular) and $17,950, billed upfront, and an engagement typically runs 12 months from your kickoff call. The strategy is the same at every level, and what changes is how much of Ryan you get. Final pricing depends on things like how many properties and entities you have, and he talks through the scope with you before any work begins.
Is tax filing included?+
Tax filing is only available to strategy clients and is billed separately, typically $2,000 to $3,000 per return. If you only want a return filed, this isn't the right fit. Cost segregation studies come from third-party providers, typically $1,000 to $4,000 per study.
Do you work with clients outside Minnesota?+
Yes. Ryan lives in Minnesota, holds every meeting virtually and has served clients in all 50 states. You work with him directly, one on one, and he works with a limited number of strategy clients at a time.
What happens on the strategy call?+
Ryan asks about your W-2 income this year, including any bonus or equity, the real estate you own or are looking at, and the time you could put into a property. You'll find out whether a short-term rental strategy is worth pursuing for you this year and what would have to happen before December 31st. If it isn't, or you'd be better off waiting a year, he'll tell you plainly.
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One Last Step

Want To Know If A Short-Term Rental Makes Sense For You This Year?

On the strategy call, Ryan looks at your W-2 income, the real estate you own or plan to buy, and the time you have. You'll leave knowing whether a property sized to your income is worth pursuing before December 31st, and if it isn't, he'll say so.

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Any client results described on this page are not a guarantee of future results. Every tax situation is different, and outcomes depend on your income, structure and timing. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Facebook, Instagram, Google or any other advertising platform.