Stories

Before the move.

Most tax stories don’t begin with a tax return. They begin earlier—with a new job, a side payment, a house, an investment, a business idea, a move, or a child.

Money Meets Tax follows Evan and Daisy Park, a California couple building careers, businesses, a family, and eventually wealth—one decision at a time.

Evan likes numbers, comparisons, and finding the most efficient way to do things. Daisy, an interior designer, is more interested in what money can make possible than in optimizing every dollar.

Their story begins simply: two W-2 jobs, a Los Angeles apartment, some savings, and a life they have intentionally built around the two of them.

Then Evan receives $4,800 for helping a former coworker.

One decision leads to another. A side project becomes a business. They buy a house. The house becomes a rental. Careers change. Daisy begins building something of her own. And after years of believing they would remain a family of two, Jiwoo arrives.

The characters are fictional, but the financial decisions and tax problems are drawn from situations people face every day. Because tax rarely begins with a tax return. It begins with the decision that came before it.

Meet Evan & Daisy Park

Two people. One life. A thousand little decisions.

Evan plans. Daisy creates. They don’t always see money the same way—but every decision belongs to both of them.

Episodes

  • EPISODE
    11

    Not Yet

    The question Evan and Daisy left alone in December comes back. This time, “someday” starts to sound a little more specific.

  • EPISODE
    12

    The Other Question

    Evan’s consulting is growing again. The LLC question he thought he had settled has changed shape.

  • EPISODE
    13

    The Offer

    A recruiter calls with an Irvine opportunity. The salary is higher, the role is bigger, and the decision starts moving more than Evan’s career.

  • EPISODE
    14

    Closer

    Evan’s new job makes Irvine feel much closer. Moving there is one decision. What to do with the Anaheim house is another.

  • EPISODE
    15

    One Week

    Jiwoo arrives on Christmas Day. Back home in Irvine, Evan and Daisy adjust to a family of three—and one small year-end tax question.

  • EPISODE
    16

    One Room

    During maternity leave, Daisy takes on a $3,000 design project for a friend. What starts as one room begins to look like something that might continue.

  • EPISODE
    17

    This Time

    Two years after buying their first house, Evan and Daisy consider buying again—this time with a baby, a rental property, and a different question about cash.

  • EPISODE
    18

    The Spot

    How the Child and Dependent Care Credit works, when daycare qualifies, how a dependent care FSA changes the calculation, and why federal and California treatment can be different.

  • EPISODE
    19

    Available

    A second client reaches out. Back at work, Daisy starts putting a price on her own time and work.

  • EPISODE
    20

    Two Nights

    Daisy’s side business is growing. The harder question is how much of her time she wants to give it.