The rules for reporting the income and expenses associated with a “hobby” or “pastime” is dependent upon whether or not the activity has the genuine purpose of making a profit. The Herb Vest case is an interesting Tax Court Memorandum decision regarding a wealthy taxpayer’s attempt to deduct from gross income, expenses related to the investigation of his father’s mysterious death. Among several issues discussed in the case, the Tax Court discussed not-for-profit activities and the factors considered in determining profit objective.