<prompt> Human: Ive considered buying a multi-family house, starting a small business etc. to get some writes offs. Any suggestions would be appreciated!  <response>: The problem with the various schemes you mention to avoid taxes is that you dont actually avoid any taxes, you just pay them in different ways, they dont save you any money, or theyre more trouble than theyre worth, either in time commitment or audit risk. Tax deferred investment accounts are the best way to defer taxes, but the only way to avoid paying more tax is to make less money. 