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PODCAST

Finance Exam Prep

Ran Chen, EA, CFP®

Finance Exam Prep is a daily podcast designed to help future tax and finance professionals pass their certification and licensing exams with clarity and confidence. Built and operated by OpenExamPrep, this podcast breaks down major tax exams into focused, easy-to-digest episodes covering the CPA & Enrolled Agent (EA) Exam, including Part 1 (Individuals), Part 2 (Businesses), and Part 3 (Representation, Practices, and Procedures). Each episode targets one key tax concept, common exam trap, or

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All Episodes

03:07

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 81, Simple vs Complex...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/17

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The three strict requirements a trust must meet to be classified as 'simple.' - How a trust's classification can change from simple to complex on a year-by-year

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03:12

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 80, Trust Income Tax —...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/16

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The purpose of Form 1041 for reporting income for estates and trusts. - How severely compressed tax brackets cause trust income to be taxed at the highest rates at

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05:11

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 79, Advising Clients on...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/15

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Why an S corporation is often the optimal choice for a single-owner business aiming to reduce self-employment taxes. - The critical differences in tax treatment for

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02:48

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 78, Estimated Tax...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/14

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - C corporations must make estimated tax payments if their expected annual tax is $500 or more. - The four quarterly payment due dates for a calendar-year corporation

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03:39

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 77, Schedule M-1 / M-3...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/13

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The purpose of Schedule M-1 and its role in reconciling book income to taxable income for corporations with assets under $10 million. - When the more detailed and

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02:59

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 76, Form 1065 —...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/12

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The due date for a calendar-year Form 1065 is March 15th, with a six-month extension available via Form 7004. - Form 1065 is an informational return; tax liability

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03:37

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 75, Form 1120-S — S Corp...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/11

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The annual due date for Form 1120-S is the 15th day of the 3rd month after year-end (March 15 for calendar year filers). - S corps are pass-through entities,

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03:43

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 74, Form 1120 —...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/10

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The distinct purpose of Form 1120 Schedules L, M-1, and M-2. - How to perform a book-to-tax reconciliation on Schedule M-1 with common exam-style adjustments. - The

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03:51

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 73, General Business...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/09

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The General Business Credit (GBC) is an aggregation of over 30 individual business credits, with one overall limitation. - The GBC limitation is calculated as net

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03:06

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 72, Employer Health...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/08

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit requires fewer than 25 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees, which is based on total hours worked, not a simple

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03:15

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 71, Employer-Provided...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/07

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to calculate the Employer-Provided Childcare Credit using the 25% and 10% rates. - The maximum annual credit limit of $150,000 and how it functions as a common

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03:38

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 70, Disabled Access...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/06

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The Disabled Access Credit is for small businesses with under $1 million in prior-year receipts OR 30 or fewer full-time employees. - How to calculate the Disabled

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03:30

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 69, Work Opportunity Tax...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/05

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The WOTC is a general business credit for hiring individuals from specific targeted groups who face employment barriers. - The credit is calculated as either 25%

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03:22

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 68, Research and...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/04

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Post-2021, §174 R&D costs must be capitalized and amortized over 5 years for domestic research or 15 years for foreign research. - The §41 credit is calculated on

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03:12

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 67, W-2 Wage and UBIA...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/03

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to calculate the two separate QBI limitations for high-income taxpayers with non-SSTB businesses. - The specific formula: the QBI deduction is limited to the

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03:46

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 66, QBI Phase-out and...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/02

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The definition of a Specified Service Trade or Business (SSTB) for the QBI deduction. - The specific 2025 taxable income thresholds that trigger the QBI phase-out

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03:44

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 65, Section 199A QBI...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/07/01

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The QBI deduction offers up to a 20% deduction on income from pass-through entities like sole proprietorships, S-corps, and partnerships. - For 2024, the deduction

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03:48

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 64, Excess Business...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/06/30

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to calculate an excess business loss using the inflation-adjusted thresholds for different filing statuses. - That any disallowed excess business loss is treated

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03:14

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 63, Net Operating Loss...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/06/29

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Post-2017 Net Operating Losses (NOLs) have an indefinite carryforward period but generally cannot be carried back. - The deduction for post-2017 NOLs is limited to

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03:51

Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 2] 62, Home Office —...

Finance Exam Prep ·

2026/06/28

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The simplified home office deduction is calculated at $5 per square foot, with a maximum of 300 square feet, capping the deduction at $1,500. - The actual method

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