I was surprised this afternoon to find that for single filers for 2019 the first $39,375 of long term capital gains is taxed at zero.

So much was made of
putting a $10,000 maximum Federal deduction for State and Local Taxes ( SALT)
that the good news
of being able to pay zero tax on say,
buying old cars or parts,
holding them more than one year,
and hopefully selling them for a capital gains profit with zero tax due
got lost in the “media noise.”

Before this afternoon,
when I thought of avoiding Federal taxes
I thought of municipal bonds.

It makes more sense now
to putting in any free hours and energy into
figuring out how to make up to a $40,000 one year or more Capital Gain.