That's a really fair point and I think specifically when you are at the point of contemplating RE in the next 5-10 years it absolutely makes sense to consult a professional at least once to make sure you're on the right track. It just seems to me that a lot of people think of tax law as this insanely arcane monstrosity that no one could possibly apply correctly without devoting their whole life to it when, realistically, the things that apply to you personally are going to be a small and manageable subset of all that. The reason the job is complex and difficult for professionals (I'm definitely not saying it's easy and anyone could do it or anything!) is that they have to keep up with everything that might apply to anyone, which is a different and considerably more daunting task.