Donaldson's Federal Income Taxation of Individuals: Cases, Problems and Materials, 2D

Donaldson has made a mundane and complex topic (tax law) accessible and entertaining. The book is organized in an easy-to-follow format and has chosen interesting cases to illustrate core concepts. The book also does an excellent job of incorporating problems that illustrate key concepts and test your knowledge. Each chapter comes with "Self Assessment Questions" that illustrate discrete concepts, with accompanying answers so that you can check yourself. Additionally, more complex questions are presented throughout the book. These questions test big-picture knowledge and do not have accompanying answers. My professor used these for class discussions and review. The format of incorporating discrete and complex problems throughout the book helped me build my knowledge one step at a time. The book publisher helpfully publishes updates on a website, allowing the textbook to stay current with changing tax laws. Overall, I highly recommend this book for introductory tax classes. Even if this is not the book your professor assigns, it is better than most study guides. This book will help you learn the income tax essentials.