The world of comedy lost a giant this month. Joan Rivers may have topped out at just 5'2" and weighed 110 pounds soaking wet, but when it comes to influence, she towered above her peers.

1. Can We Talk?
The world of comedy lost a giant this month. Joan Rivers may have topped out at
just 5'2" and weighed 110 pounds soaking wet, but when it comes to influence,
she towered above her peers. Rivers established that women can be just as funny
as men and paved the way for the Sarah Silverman’s and Tina Feys of today. She
could alienate people with sometimes-offensive takes on her fellow celebrities.
("Is Elizabeth Taylor fat? Her favorite food is seconds.") But she was never afraid
to turn her wit on herself. ("I've had so much plastic surgery, when I die, they will
donate my body to Tupperware.")
Rivers hated Washington, and considered herself apolitical. But it's hard to go 50
years in the public eye without having something to say, especially when it comes
to taxes. So here are three quick observations:
• Money was important to Rivers. ("People say that money is not the key to
happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key
made.") She worked hard to make it and worked hard to keep it. Back in 2012,
she criticized President Obama's proposal to raise taxes: "If I work very hard, I
should be able to gather the fruits of my labor." Of course, this was a woman who
also said "I'm definitely in favor of a monarchy because they're there, they look
good, and always have good gift shops when you leave the palace." So, you might
want to take her specific policy recommendations with a grain of salt!
• Rivers wasn't afraid to take on the jokers at the IRS. Back in 1993, she lost a
Tax Court case involving disability insurance premiums. The dispute established
the rule that a corporation can't deduct those premiums on an employee unless
there's a contractually binding obligation to pay the benefits to the employee.
(We'll skip the details because they're so boring and technical that even she
couldn't make them amusing.)

2. • Rivers will get a pretty nice final tax break from the IRS, even though it
comes too late for her to enjoy it. Code Section 2053 says that when it comes
time to calculating estate tax, you can deduct funeral expenses. And Rivers made
it clear that she wanted to go out in style. Here's what she said in her 2012 book, I
Hate Everyone . . . Starting with Me:
"When I die, I want my funeral to be a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras,
action. I want Craft services, I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a
scene! I want it to be Hollywood all the way. I don’t want some rabbi rambling on;
I want Meryl Strep crying, in five different accents. I don’t want a eulogy; I want
Bobby Vinton to pick up my head and sing 'Mr. Lonely.' I want to look gorgeous,
better dead than I do alive. I want to be buried in a Valentino gown and I want
Harry Winston to make me a toe tag. And I want a wind machine so that even in
the casket my hair is blowing just like Beyoncé’s."
She may not have gotten the funeral she joked about. But she did get a pack of
celebrities, a troupe of bagpipes, and a celebration of a life well lived.
Joan Rivers entertained millions over the course of her career. But there's nothing
entertaining about wasting money on taxes you don't have to pay. And you'll get
the last laugh if you know you've done everything you can to keep what you
make. So call us for a plan to pay less, before the comics at the IRS throw out the
punch line for you!