<prompt> Human: Hi all,The company I work for was recently acquired - and as a result my employer just deposited 120k into my bank account a few hours ago. This money is for unpaid sales commissions, unused vacation days, and a severance.Instead of paying me via my normal payment method ACH Direct Deposit every 2 weeks - the company WIRED me 100 of the money with ZERO tax withheld.I know this money is technically income and Ill need to pay taxes on it come April, but it is currently just sitting in my checking account.I will no longer be employed as of November 1 - and my current plan is to start my own company in early 2017. I plan to use at least some of this cash to bootstrap my new company until I have raised money from traditional investors.My main questions are: - What is the most responsible way for me to saveinvest this newfound money?- Any tips for reducing my tax burden in 2016? As it is highly likely that I will have 0 income next year, is there any way I can defer this income to 2017 somehow? Is it too late for me to put some of it into a 401k?- Would immediately incorporating my new company and funding that account have any advantages?Other potentially relevant information:- I am a 30 year old single male - living in New York City- Im completely debt free- I have about 100k in various stocks- I have about 20k in US Savings Bonds all coming due within the next year- I have about 6k in a traditional IRA but no 401k- I have about 3k in an HSA- I had a 115kyear salary in 2016- I made an additional 25k from various freelance work AirBNBing my apartment no tax withheld from either- I was paid 15k as a 2015 holiday bonus, but due to an error it actually didnt hit my account until January 2016.- My current rent is 2900month. I own zero property automobiles.Thanks in advance for any help!  <response>: You need to talk to an accountant about strategies to minimize your tax burden, but since this was all basically income earned in this tax year you are going to have to pay a ton of taxes on it. I am not an accountant but to my knowledge your company also made an error if as you state no withholdings were made on this 120,000 as vacation payouts and severance payments are both subject to withholding. The only thing thats immediately obvious to lower your tax burden either now or in the future is to stuff an IRA and a solo 401k based off of the profits of your freelance business this year. 