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This episode alone could save you hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands in taxes—all with 100% legal means. If you own a rental property, you could be paying significantly less in taxes. With the US tax code being favorable to real estate investors and renewed provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill, real estate investing is one of the most tax-advantaged investments on the planet. Today, we're showing you how to pay the least amount of taxes, before tax day 2026! Amanda Han, CPA and real estate investor, says 40% of the tax returns she reviews are not optimized for deductions. Investors are leaving thousands on the table and giving it straight to the IRS. But after this episode, you won't have to anymore. We're talking about how real estate investors can reduce their taxable income by up to 20%—instantly. Plus, the one renewed tax deduction that creates six-figure write-offs for investors, and what you can start doing right now to lower your taxes as much as possible starting in 2026. In This Episode We Cover How to reduce your taxable rental income by 20% instantly (many investors miss this) The biggest (six-figure) write-off that was renewed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Commonly missed real estate tax deductions that every investor can write off Are opportunity zones back? How to defer your capital gain to another year What to start doing right now to have the most tax deductions with the least stress If your CPA says this to you…consider finding a new one And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1239 Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You can flip 100 houses a year, you can build a rental portfolio…You can make multiple 6 or 7 figures…And still accidentally build a business that feeds the IRS more than it feeds your family.I've seen it happen.One of the best operators I know, flipping 180 houses a year, got hit with a $500,000 tax bill only because he was reactive instead of proactive.That's why I brought my personal CPA, Ryan Cason, onto the podcast.And we went deep.Making money is one skill.Keeping money is another.The largest expense in your business isn't marketing, it's your tax bill.And if you're only talking to your CPA in March, you're already behind.That's why we partnered with ATG.They specialize in real estate investors; they don't bill by the hour just to answer questions.They work with a ton of our 7 Figure Flipping members already, and the feedback has been incredible.If you're making meaningful money, or about to, you need a plan.CLICK HERE to schedule your call with ATG:Catch you later!CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TAX CALL FROM BILL ALLEN:LINKS & RESOURCES1,000 FREE Seller LeadsGet your first 1,000 seller leads FREE from our partner BatchLeads and start closing deals immediately. CLICK HERE: http://leads.getbatch.co/mztQkMr7 Figure Flipping UndergroundIf you want to learn how to make money flipping and wholesaling houses without risking your life savings or "working weekends" forever... this book is for YOU. It'll take you from "complete beginner" to closing your first deal or even your next 10 deals without the bumps and bruises most people pick up along the way. If you've never flipped a house before, you'll find step-by-step instructions on everything you need to know to get started. If you're already flipping or wholesaling houses, you'll find fast-track secrets that will cut years off your learning curve and let you streamline your operations, maximize profit, do MORE deals, and work LESS. CLICK HERE: https://hubs.ly/Q01ggDSh0 7 Figure RunwayFollow a proven 5-step formula to create consistent monthly income flipping and wholesaling houses, then turn your active income into passive cash flow and create a life of freedom. 7 Figure Runway is an intensive, nothing-held-back mentoring group for real estate investors who want to build a "scalable" business and start "stacking" assets to build long-term wealth. Get off-market deal sourcing strategies that work, plus 100% purchase and renovation financing through our built-in funding partners, a community of active investors who will support and encourage you, weekly accountability sessions to keep you on track, 1-on-1 coaching, and more. CLICK HERE: https://hubs.ly/Q01ggDLL0 Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram: @7figureflipping Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
VanMan: https://vanman.shop/Book a call: https://remnantfinance.com/calendar ! Out Print the Fed with 1% per week: https://remnantfinance.com/optionsEmail us at info@remnantfinance.com or visit https://remnantfinance.com for more informationFOLLOW REMNANT FINANCEYoutube: @RemnantFinance (https://www.youtube.com/@RemnantFinance )Facebook: @remnantfinance (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560694316588 )Twitter: @remnantfinance (https://x.com/remnantfinance )TikTok: @RemnantFinanceDon't forget to hit LIKE and SUBSCRIBEIf you've been in the health-conscious space online, you've seen Van Man products everywhere — tallow balm, eggshell tooth powder, fluoride-free mouthwash. But most people don't know the story behind the brand.In this episode, Jeremy Ogorek sits down with Hans to talk about losing everything in a New York tech startup, moving back in with his mom, buying a van, and accidentally stumbling into a health brand that's now replacing every product in your bathroom — and soon, your pantry too. We also get into the "everything is a lie" awakening, why fluoride was his first red flag, what's actually in the products you put on your skin, and how he's now selling $6 grass-fed smash burgers out of a restaurant in Pacific Beach that keeps selling out.If you've been rethinking what you put on and in your body, this one's for you.Chapters: 00:00 – Opening segment 01:25 – Van's background: CPA, quitting his first job, joining a NYC tech startup 05:15 – The startup collapse: $8M raised, celebrity investors, and losing everything 08:55 – Fluoride as the first red flag and the origin of the eggshell tooth powder 14:05 – How the tallow balm was born and why it went viral 19:00 – "Your skin is a mouth" — the philosophy behind Van Man products 21:25 – Product lineup: deodorant, sunscreen, bug balm, soap, shampoo, eye cream 30:30 – The Van Man restaurant in Pacific Beach: $6 grass-fed burgers 36:00 – The business model: restaurants, gas stations, and movie theaters as product "stunts" 43:25 – Other clean brands: Masa Chips, Orum, Rosie's Chips 53:00 – Vaccines, home birth, and the broader health awakening 57:00 – What's next: tallow popcorn, clean Snickers bars, cough drops, and an RFK collab1:04:15 – Closing segmentKey Takeaways:Tallow isn't a trend — it's a return to what worked for thousands of years. People are reporting cleared rosacea, vanishing acne, and healed scars from a balm made of five ingredients you could eat. Meanwhile, the dermatologist-recommended steroid creams weren't solving the same problems in a decade.Your skin is your largest organ, and it absorbs what you put on it. If you wouldn't eat the ingredients in your lotion or deodorant, ask yourself why you're comfortable rubbing them into your skin — especially in high-absorption areas like your armpits.Fluoride was the first domino. It's the only non-opt-in medication — it's in your tap water, your toothpaste, and it's free. Once you ask why they care so much about your cavities, the rest of the questioning begins.The restaurant isn't really about the restaurant. Van Man Burgers in Pacific Beach sells $6 grass-fed smash burgers at near break-even. The real play is getting clean products in front of new customers. Every "stunt" — restaurant, gas station, movie theater — is a storefront for the mission.You don't need permission to start. Van went from credit card debt and a van to building a brand, a restaurant, and a product line — all by following his gut, tweeting his thoughts, and making products he wanted to use himself. The XP comes from doing, not reading.
Sales tax in QuickBooks Online is powerful — it tracks rates, recognizes tax holidays, and even handles economic nexus — but one wrong checkbox or a hidden shipping field can throw everything off. Alicia Katz Pollock breaks down the full sales tax workflow from setup to payment, revealing the three settings that have to line up perfectly and the common mistakes she finds in almost every year-end cleanup.SponsorsFutureView Systems - https://uqb.promo/bezUNC - https://uqb.promo/unc(00:00) - Welcome to The Unofficial QuickBooks Accountants Podcast (00:45) - Setting Up Sales Tax in QuickBooks Online (01:36) - Understanding Sales Tax Liabilities (05:27) - Configuring Products and Services for Sales Tax (08:40) - Managing Customer Sales Tax Settings (11:21) - Sales Tax Rate (17:58) - Using the Sales Tax Center (23:18) - Reconciling and Adjusting Sales Tax Payments (25:22) - Handling Uncollectible Invoices and Special Cases (26:57) - Third-Party Apps for Complex Sales Tax Needs (27:27) - Conclusion and Further Learning Resources LINKSAlicia's Sales Tax in QBO Course: http://royl.ws/SalesTax?affiliate=5393907, recording with CPEWe want to hear from you!Send your questions and comments to us at unofficialquickbookspodcast@gmail.com.Join our LinkedIn community at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14630719/Visit our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@UnofficialQuickBooksPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 Sign up to Earmark to earn free CPE for listening to this podcasthttps://www.earmark.app/onboarding
The Steve Gruber Show | From Recession Warnings to Economic Boom --- 00:00 - Hour 1 Monologue 19:00 – Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow in the Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law at Advancing American Freedom. Von Spakovsky discusses a judge's decision to block the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals. He explains the legal reasoning behind the ruling and its broader immigration implications. 27:51 – Nick Hopwood, Certified Financial Planner and Founder of Peak Wealth Management. In this week's “No Lazy Money” segment, Hopwood breaks down the latest jobs numbers, the Dow crossing 50,000, and trends shaping the markets. He also offers a free Social Security analysis at peakwm.com/gruber and explains why staying independent and advisor-owned matters in today's private equity-driven wealth management industry. 38:02 - Hour 2 Monologue 46:56 – Paul Miller, CPA and founder of Miller & Company LLP in New York City. Miller shares five critical things taxpayers should check before hitting “submit” this tax season. He explains common mistakes that could trigger audits or cost filers money. 56:55 – Claire Abernathy, Independent Women ambassador and detransitioner. Abernathy shares her powerful story, first told alongside her mother in the “Identity Crisis” series. She discusses being told she would be suicidal if she did not transition and reflects on the long-term impact of those medical decisions. 1:14:57 - Hour 3 Monologue 1:24:29 – Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author, host of The Eric Metaxas Show, and President's Fellow at Cornerstone University. Metaxas discusses free speech, faith, and the Founders' vision for America. He argues that many colleges are ignoring the constitutional blueprint that shaped the nation. 1:34:31 – Perry Johnson, Michigan businessman, author, and political candidate. Johnson announces his entry into the race for Michigan Governor. He outlines his priorities and vision for the state moving forward. --- Visit Steve's website: https://stevegruber.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stevegrubershow Truth: https://truthsocial.com/@stevegrubershow Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/stevegruber Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevegrubershow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevegrubershow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stevegrubershow Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/TheSteveGruberShow
In a podcast recorded at ITEXPO / MSP EXPO, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, spoke with Tomas Sjostrom, CISSP and President of Technology Services at James Moore Co., about how cybersecurity and compliance priorities are evolving for small and mid-sized businesses. Sjostrom explained that James Moore is a long-established CPA firm with more than 60 years of experience serving Florida-based organizations, and nearly three decades delivering IT managed services alongside traditional financial and audit work. As cybersecurity threats increase and regulatory requirements expand, SMBs are showing greater interest in both protecting their environments and demonstrating compliance—often driven by cyber insurance requirements, customer demands, or new business opportunities. A key theme of the discussion focused on how organizations assess and manage cybersecurity risk. Sjostrom emphasized that the process begins with understanding what is motivating a customer's concern, whether it is insurance questionnaires, data protection issues, or compliance mandates tied to industries such as defense contracting. From there, James Moore leverages onboarding and automated discovery tools to establish a baseline and support continuous compliance. “Customers want to meet new requirements as fast as possible, reliably, and without spending excessive time or money,” Sjostrom noted, highlighting the need for scalable and automated approaches. The conversation also touched on AI adoption and compliance readiness. Sjostrom observed that less mature organizations often start with questions around data protection and privacy, while more advanced companies already understand where their critical assets reside and can move more quickly toward compliant AI deployments. As cybersecurity, compliance, and AI increasingly intersect, Sjostrom positioned proactive risk monitoring as a strategic advantage for SMBs working with trusted MSP and advisory partners. Visit https://www.jmco.com/
Send a textSchedule an Rx AssessmentRapid growth is exciting but without the right metrics, culture, and plan, it can quietly put your pharmacy at risk.In this episode, Scotty Sykes, CPA, CFP®, Bonnie Bond, CPA, MBA, and Austin Murray sit down with Jim Hrncir, R. Ph. FACP, Owner of Las Colinas Compounding Pharmacy and Wellness Center veteran compounding pharmacist and owner, to unpack what it really takes to run a sustainable compounding pharmacy through industry cycles, GLP-1 volatility, and ownership transitions.We cover:The KPIs Jim actually tracks to manage a complex compounding operationWhy cash position may be the most overlooked metric in pharmacyHow GLP-1s changed the business—and why diversification still mattersInternal succession vs. private equity: the real tradeoffsAnd more!More About Our Guest:Jim Hrncir RPh and wife Jan founded Las Colinas Pharmacy, Compounding & Wellness in 1984. Recognized as one of the pioneers of modern pharmaceutical compounding, Jim's 1986 creation of Estradiol Transdermal Gel was the first of its kind in the United States. He is responsible for the formulation of many Bio-Identical Hormone, Dermatological, Nutritional, and Anti-Aging compounds in wide use throughout the United States. Jim was named the 2017 Compounding Pharmacist of the Year by Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA) and is a Fellow of the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding (FAPC). NCPA's magazine America's Pharmacist featured Jim and Las Colinas Pharmacy as the cover story for December 2018.Jim has received extensive continuing education in the areas of Bio-Identical Hormones, Nutrition, Anti-Aging Medicine, Weight Management, Pain Management, Neurotransmitter Management, Natural and Functional Medicine including the use of botanical medicines, nutritional supplements, Detoxification and Purification, homeopathy and lab testing. He has lectured across the country on a variety of topics including Clinical Patient Consulting, BHRT Assessment and Case Management, Low Dose Naltrexone, Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Protocols, and Ketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression and PTSD.Jim is a member of Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA), American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Age Management Medical Group, Texas Pharmaceutical Association, Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding, and the National Association of Community Pharmacists.Stay connected with Jim and Las Colinas Pharmacy: Jim's LinkedInLas Colinas Pharmacy WebsiteLas Colinas Pharmacy FacebookLas Colinas Pharmacy TikTokLas Colinas Pharmacy InstagramLas Colinas Pharmacy LinkedInStay connected with us: FacebookYouTube LinkedInInstagram More resources on this topic: Podcast - Driving Independent Pharmacy Profitability in 2026Podcast – The Startup Compounding Pharmacy Playbook
Why tracking everything your affiliates do matters more now than ever before (and what conversion protection tells us about lost revenue)If your affiliate program isn't tracking properly, you could be losing millions without realising it. Adam Ross, CEO of Awin and 21-year industry veteran, reveals exactly how AI-powered search is fragmenting the customer journey, why deterministic tracking alone won't survive the next five years, and how Awin's Conversion Protection Initiative has already recovered over $250 million in previously untracked revenue. Lee-Ann and Adam discuss his leadership approach, why probabilistic tracking methods are becoming essential, and what the convergence of influencer and affiliate marketing means for program growth.Talking Points Include:The seismic shift happening in content attribution – how LLMs are citing publisher content to answer consumer queries, why this value currently goes unrewarded, and the new tracking signals needed to expose itWhy different traffic deserves different tracking methods – different traffic has different value and possibly needs different tracking methods and different reward mechanisms, ending the era of treating all affiliate partnerships equallyThe conversion protection wake-up call – how forcing tracking upgrades revealed $16 million in additional commission and what this tells us about invisible program valueListen to Find Out More About:Why Awin does quarterly seasonal product releases to bring meaningful improvements to advertiser and publisher experiences, with the winter release focused on simplifying what is still an incredibly complex channel to help everyone get much more value out of the spaceHow the new platform aims to get smaller advertisers to money-making partnerships as quickly as possible without needing account management support, using 25 years of data to know which partnerships work, what rates to pay, and how to increase active partnershipsWhy Adam is extremely bullish about affiliate's future, noting that while this disruption is probably going to be much bigger than past changes, affiliate is a wonderful monetisation infrastructure that can be quite agnostic about how end user experiences evolveThe exciting new influx of AI startups connecting at scale with multiple brands looking for ways to monetise, where the CPA model works very well for AI recommendations based on personalisationWhy the convergence of influencer and affiliate marketing continues accelerating and why people will always want to buy from other people, even when using AI for researchWhat it means that there's got to be an acceptance that in a lot of cases, the old ways of tracking from a technical perspective are no longer going to work, whilst deterministic tracking remains super important as the baseKey Segments of This Podcast and Where You Can Tune In to Go Direct:[01:15] The unlikely journey from dentistry student to affiliate marketing through a recruiter who saw potential beyond experience[18:55] Why different affiliate traffic has different value and needs different tracking methods and reward mechanisms[27:00] How Awin's seasonal product releases bring quarterly improvements and what the winter release means for platform simplificationCall to ActionMaster the tracking evolution that's reshaping affiliate marketing success. Adam's insights into probabilistic measurement, AI disruption, and conversion protection reveal exactly why upgrading your technical infrastructure isn't optional anymore. [Subscribe to the AffiliaSend me a text with your questions
Send a textHow do you scale a home service business to a 9-figure valuation in record time? In this episode of Let's Vent Podcast, we sit down with Tim O'Reilly, the CEO of Guild Garage Group, to share his professional journey from a CPA at UCF to the CEO of a massive private equity-backed powerhouse.Tim reveals the "Language of Business" that allowed him to transition from auditing to leading, and the specific leadership framework he used to achieve in 11 months what takes most companies 5 years. If you want to understand the intersection of high-level finance and boots-on-the-ground service, this is the episode you were waiting for.Inside the Episode you will learn: The CPA Edge: Why accounting is the ultimate foundation for any CEO.The $1.1B Lesson: What Tim learned working with Arnie Bellini and the ConnectWise exit.The 5 Pillars of Relationship Leadership: Trust, Listening, Respect, Influence, and Caring.The "Triple Eight" Rule: How Tim manages a 9-figure empire while protecting family time and personal growth. How to create The blueprint for scaling home services through private equity and strategic partnerships.Connect with Tim & Guild Garage Group:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toreilly/ Timestamps: 1:30 - How an accountant from Orlando became the CEO of one of the fastest-growing garage door companies in the world? 7:54 - The importance of relationships and How can they build you up 9:11 - Even successful businesses have many things that can be transformed.13:54 - The value of culture.15:27 - Easy decisions are a distractions 18:36 - How to create a winning playbook and be a value-based CFO versus a cost-cutting CFO.21:38 - The start of Guild Garage Group 24:14 - Start with relationships first, take extra time.25:05 - How to apply the experience into an Action Plan28:35 - The 5 Pillars of Leadership Relations 30:30 - Brianna Skington, the best example of a relationship built from Trust, Creativity and amazing solutions in Marketing.33:38 - prioritize personal check-in first in one-on-one meetings is called the "oxygen goal" 35:34 - The best influencers are those who are very easily influenced and allow themselves to take in different perspectives.38:30 - "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care,"42:39 - The Guild Garage Group has a leadership development course that teaches the five characteristics: trust, listening, respect, influence, and care.46:58 - The importance of protecting your time52:56 - The ONE Thing by Gary Keller– discusses that saying "yes" to something is saying "no" to everything else, putting time into perspective.55:19 - The makers versus managers concept1:12:10 - How to build a Strong Culture focusing on the positive1:21:30 - Get the right systems in front of your Team 1:29:05 - The Ability to build constructive criticism 1:36:20 - What is your Goal? 1:47:25 - The Voice inside your Head talks to you than any other Voice1:54:50 - Episode Ends
Chris's SummaryJim and I are joined by Steve Sansone as we revisit Cash Balance Plans and respond to listener follow-up emails. (8:30) A CPA asks whether cash balance plans could be a fit for farmers with high income near retirement driven by deferred grain and equipment sales.(18:30) A listener with two controlled-group businesses asks how a cash balance plan works with divergent profit cycles, whether it can support succession planning, and whether it makes sense if ownership works until death.(36:45) A financial advisor asks for real-world details on costs, duplication/administration, duration, interest crediting rate risk, investment management, participant inclusion decisions, partner exits, lifetime maximums, and terminate/restart mechanics. Jim's “Pithy” SummaryChris and I are joined by Steve Sansone as we dig back into cash balance plans, but this time we're doing it by letting listener questions drive the conversation. We take three listener emails that each come at this from a different angle: one from a CPA working with farmers facing lumpy income near retirement, one from a family dealing with two controlled-group businesses that don't behave the same way financially, and one from an advisor who's basically saying, “Convince me this isn't just theoretical.” Chris and I talk with Steve about what makes these plans work and what makes them a headache—cash flow consistency, the “permanence” expectation, why manufacturers with lots of employees can be a tough fit, and how quickly the math changes when you have to fund meaningful benefits for staff. We also get into the stuff people don't always hear in the sales pitch: what “interest crediting” really means, where the risk lives if returns don't cooperate, and why newer market-rate designs change the conversation compared to older fixed-rate versions. And we cover the messy real-life questions: what happens when partners leave, what it looks like to terminate and restart a plan, and why you can't treat this like an investment strategy with a neat five-to-ten-year horizon. It's a tax and retirement-acceleration tool with rules, tradeoffs, and guardrails—and Steve does a solid job laying out when it's worth the complexity and when it's just not. The post Cash Balance Plans Part 2: EDU #2606 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.
From Olympic sprinter to trusted advisor helping entrepreneurs save millions in taxes, David Flores Wilson shares proven strategies for QSBS planning, equity compensation design, and preparing business owners for successful exits both financially and personally. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with David Flores Wilson, CFA, CFP, Managing Partner at Sinceres, who advises entrepreneurs and business owners in New York City on personal financial planning from formation to exit and beyond. David is a multiple Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisor whose guidance has appeared in CNBC, Yahoo Finance, the New York Times, US News and World Report, and Investment News. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: In this episode, you'll discover how QSBS planning can potentially exclude $10 million to $70 million or more in capital gains from taxes when structured correctly, why LLC to C Corp conversion timing creates dramatic differences in tax outcomes, and how QSBS stacking through non-grantor trusts multiplies exclusions. David shares why equity compensation plans often fail to motivate the specific people they target and what questions to ask before choosing a vehicle. You'll also learn about the personal readiness component of exit planning that determines whether entrepreneurs thrive or struggle after selling their businesses. DAVID'S JOURNEY: David's path to financial planning started with entrepreneurial instincts in an unexpected place. Growing up in Guam, he ran a comic book arbitrage business as a kid, discovering price differences between local stores and mainland mail-order catalogs. His father was a CPA with a home office, and despite wanting nothing to do with accounting, David absorbed financial concepts through osmosis that would later prove invaluable. After college at UC Berkeley, David joined Lehman Brothers and worked through the financial crisis. During that time, colleagues started coming to him with financial planning questions, and he realized helping people with their money was his true passion. He sat on that realization for years before eventually transitioning to financial planning. When Covid hit in 2020, David and his partner Dan Ryan launched Sinceres, and the firm has been growing since. OLYMPICS LESSON: David represented Guam in track and field at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, competing in the 200 and 400 meters. The experience taught him something crucial about career selection. Unlike running, where pushing harder brings diminishing returns and constant injury risk, financial planning offers the opportunity to improve incrementally every single day. That compounding knowledge approach now drives how he serves clients. KEY INSIGHTS: QSBS planning stands out as potentially the most powerful tax planning tool for qualifying entrepreneurs. C Corps meeting holding period and active business requirements can exclude $10 million in gains, or 10 times basis for older shares, with new legislation increasing that to $15 million. The planning becomes even more powerful with LLC conversions where market value at conversion becomes the QSBS basis. The biggest mistake with equity compensation involves choosing vehicles based on what owners like rather than what motivates specific employees. "Equity" can mean participation in profits, upside potential, a seat at the table, or financial disclosure. Different people value these differently, and the best planning starts with understanding objectives before selecting tools. Exit planning involves three components that David implements from the first meeting with business owners. Getting personally ready addresses what provides purpose after selling. Getting financially ready ensures the numbers work. Getting business ready covers everything from customer concentration to management team development. The recent One Big Beautiful Bill Act has changed QSBS holding periods, SALT deductions, and AMT rules. Business owners should review their planning with advisors rather than assuming previous strategies still apply. Perfect for entrepreneurs considering entity structure decisions, business owners thinking about exit planning, and anyone interested in tax-efficient wealth building strategies. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/davidfloreswilson FOR MORE ON DAVID FLORES WILSON: https://www.planningtowealth.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfloreswilson/ FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps: [00:00] - Introduction: David Flores Wilson's credentials and areas of expertise [02:55] - Growing up in Guam with a comic book arbitrage business and CPA father [07:58] - Representing Guam at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and career lessons from athletics [09:28] - QSBS fundamentals: Exclusions, holding periods, and qualifying business requirements [10:45] - LLC to C Corp conversions and the basis multiplication strategy [11:40] - QSBS stacking through non-grantor trusts and family gifting [19:40] - Equity compensation design: Why attraction, retention, and incentive vehicles often miss the mark[28:37] - Journey from Lehman Brothers through the financial crisis to launching Sinceres [31:59] - Exit planning framework: Personal, financial, and business readiness [41:27] - Recent tax law changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act [44:09] - What freedom means: Making impact through continuous improvement Guest Bio David Flores Wilson, CFA, CFP, is Managing Partner at Sinceres, advising entrepreneurs and business owners in New York City on personal financial planning from formation to exit and beyond. His areas of expertise include qualified small business stock planning, business exit planning, and equity compensation planning. David is a multiple Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisor whose guidance has appeared in CNBC, Yahoo Finance, the New York Times, US News and World Report, and Investment News. He represented Guam in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and sits on the Board of Directors as treasurer of the Lower East Side Girls Club. David is active in Entrepreneurs Organization, the Estate Planning Council of New York City, Advisors in Philanthropy, and the Exit Planning Institute. Host Bio Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Show Description Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From large mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate deals, and more, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Get the confidence to pursue deals that will help your company scale faster. Related Episodes Episode 325 - Kelly Finnell: Using ESOPs in Ownership Succession Planning Episode 350 - Tom Dillon: Understanding Business Valuation and Exit Planning Realities Episode 328 - Richard Manders: Post-Exit Transitions and What Comes After Selling Your Business Episode 339 - Solocast 74: Equitizing Key Employees and Succession Planning Strategies Follow DealQuest Podcast: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ Website: https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Follow David Flores Wilson: Website: https://www.planningtowealth.com Keywords/Tags QSBS planning, qualified small business stock, business exit planning, equity compensation, entrepreneur tax strategy, LLC vs C Corp, financial planning for business owners, exit planning institute, tax-efficient wealth building, business succession planning, capital gains exclusion, non-grantor trusts, C corporation conversion, equity incentive plans, entrepreneur financial advisor
If you're already giving to charity, you're leaving thousands of dollars in tax deductions on the table. What is a donor-advised fund and why should you care? Mike sits down with Adam Nash, CEO of Daffy, to break down how Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) work and why they can be a powerful tax strategy for business owners and high-income earners. If you regularly give to your church, your kids' school, your alma mater, or other charities, this episode shows you how to give more strategically, reduce taxes, and increase your impact.
email chris@drchrisloomdphd.com with "Podcast freebie" to book a coveted FREE guest spot on the show. To book a PREMIUM spot on the Podcast: https://www.drchrisloomdphd.com/_paylink/AZpgR_7fBook a 1-on-1 coaching call: https://www.drchrisloomdphd.com/booking-calendar/introductory-session Become a member of our Podcast community: https://www.drchrisloomdphd.com/membershipSubscribe to our email list: https://financial-freedom-podcast-with-dr-loo.kit.com/Click here to join PodMatch (the "AirBNB" of Podcasting): https://www.joinpodmatch.com/drchrisloomdphdClick here to purchase my books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PaQn4pClick here to purchase my audiobooks, visit: https://www.audible.com/author/Christopher-H-Loo-MD-PhD/B07WFKBG1FTo help support the show:CashApp- https://cash.app/$drchrisloomdphdVenmo- https://account.venmo.com/u/Chris-Loo-4Buy Me a Coffee- https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chrisJx
She Thinks Big - Women Entrepreneurs Doing Good in the World
Still running your firm out of your Inbox?In this episode, a CPA who spent 20 years living in her Inbox shares how she got down to Inbox Zero, shredded the paper piles, stopped the late-night deadline sprints, and finally knew what to work on next.You'll hear exactly how Simple Systems, Free Time works in real life, why it feels slightly terrifying at first, and how it quietly frees up hours without perfection, new tech, or heroics.Lori's email:lori.yearwood@zealaccounting.com…Link to full shownotes: https://www.businessstrategyforcpas.com/384…Want Pricing Essentials?If you feel trapped by your own accounting firm, it's not because of the work – it's how you've priced the work. Too many accountants are stuck in undercharging, overdelivering, and people-pleasing cycles. Break the pattern with my short PDF guide: 7 Pricing Essentials »It's free and you can read it in 5 minutes.I want to help you get your prices up without losing loyal clients. …Want client interviews?310 From Exhausted to Having Her Life Back: Wendy Norman, CPA304 From 55 Down to 15 Hours; Same Take-Home Pay with Melissa Downs, EA293 What it Takes to Work 15 Hours per Week with Erica Goode, CPAComplete list:geraldinecarter.com/client-interview-episodes…FOUR ways I help overworked CPAs go down to 40 hours without losing revenue or hiring:THE EMAIL COURSE – Freegeraldinecarter.com/stop-working-weekendsStop Working Weekends will teach you how to reduce your hours without giving up revenue. THE BOOK – $9.99geraldinecarter.com/bookDown to 40 Hours – A Roadmap for CPAs to End Overworking Without Losing RevenuePEAK FREEDOM COMMUNITY – $197/mogeraldinecarter.com/peak-freedomFor solo and small accounting firm owners who want to rise above the insanity of hustle-cultureDOWN TO 40 HOURS ACCELERATOR – $995/mogeraldinecarter.com/40For the overworked CPA at multiple six figures of revenue who is ready to stop working weekends, wants to implement overdue changes, and doesn't want to do it alone. You'll make progress faster and with more confidence. …
Roma Pithadiya is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Affordable Insurance and Financial Services (AIFS), a financial services and insurance advisory firm based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas. She is a seasoned financial professional and entrepreneur with extensive experience in insurance, financial planning, and wealth protection.Roma immigrated to the United States with limited resources and has built her career from the ground up, becoming a respected advisor to individuals, families, and small businesses in matters of health insurance, life insurance, auto and home protection, and long-term financial planning. She has been active in the financial services industry for well over a decade and is known for her deep commitment to client education and advocacy.She is also recognized as a Million Dollar Immigrant, a title reflecting her journey from starting penniless in the U.S. to achieving significant success in the insurance and financial advisory business.In addition to her executive role, Roma engages heavily in community service: she is active with the Lions Club, participates in senior citizen organizations, and serves on committees for cultural and religious groups. She frequently speaks on financial literacy and planning topics at national stages, including events hosted by CNN, the Harvard Club of Boston, New York Life, Nasdaq, and the MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table).Her expertise spans health insurance (including Medicare and individual policies), life and annuity products, retirement planning, and strategies for tax-efficient financial growth. Roma also works to empower clients to manage their finances wisely and protect their financial futures with well-structured, personalized solutions.Learn more: https://aifsgroupbyroma.com/Roma Pithadiya is not an attorney or CPA. Affordable Insurance and Financial Services does not provide legal or tax advice. Any discussion of financial strategies is general in nature and not a recommendation. Insurance and financial products involve risk and may not be suitable for all individuals. Licensing and availability vary by state.Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/roma-pithadiya-president-and-ceo-of-affordable-insurance-and-financial-services-discussing-effective-retirement-planning
Today we had the exciting opportunity to host Bill Anderson, Senior Managing Director at Evercore and Global Head of the firm's Activism/Raid Defense team and Strategic M&A Advisory practice. Bill is a pioneer in activism defense and has advised more than 500 companies facing activists or strategic raids, including many of the largest proxy fights and defense situations of the past two decades. Prior to joining Evercore in 2016, Bill spent more than 15 years at Goldman Sachs as an M&A partner and leader of its defense team. Earlier in his career, he was an M&A attorney at Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett, clerked on the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, worked as a CPA at Coopers & Lybrand, and served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves. It was our pleasure to hear Bill's perspectives on the latest M&A activity, activism and hostile preparedness, board composition and alignment, and the evolving dynamics between companies, shareholders, and capital markets. In our conversation, we explore Bill's career path from classic M&A work into defense and special committees as markets changed, and how activism became a major driver of M&A. Bill shares his top takeaways from 2025 activity, noting the wide range of deal types and attributing the acceleration in deal flow to greater antitrust optimism, liquid financing, and strong buyer stock performance. We discuss why activism has become a core risk-management issue for public companies, how activists can build positions via derivatives and broker-dealer exposure with limited disclosure (and why 13F filings can be an important early-warning signal), and how shareholder bases have evolved with index funds now a dominant ownership block alongside the continued influence of ISS and Glass Lewis. We cover the difficulty of mobilizing retail votes and related regulatory/state-law considerations, the deal approval environment under Trump versus Biden (including CFIUS as a wildcard), why companies are more careful describing synergies, the impact of universal proxy, and the importance of diversity, tenure, and sector expertise in board refreshment. We touch on the drivers of positive acquirer stock reactions, how companies communicate value at deal announcement, activist dynamics in M&A and when activism becomes contentious, the importance of board alignment and cohesion, increased spin-off activity, and much more. We ended by asking Bill for his thoughts on how companies can attract long-only capital. Throughout the discussion, we reference several elements of Evercore's “2025 Year in Review Report.” It was a fascinating discussion and we appreciate Bill for sharing his time and insights. Mike Bradley kicked us off by noting that the 10-year U.S. bond yield plunged this week following an unexpectedly soft December Retail Sales report. Bond volatility could remain elevated with January CPI set for release on Friday. On the crude oil market front, WTI price appears to have temporarily settled into a $60-$65/bbl trading range, given there have been no major new geopolitical surprises over the past week. In natural gas, prompt natural gas price has completely roundtripped since the Arctic blast started and is now trading back at ~$3.15/MMBtu. U.S. gas storage is back near normal levels (around the 5-year average) and winter weather from here through the end of withdrawal season will determine how constructive the setup is for summer gas price. On the broader equity market front, the DJIA has been one of the real winners this past week (up ~2.5-3.0%), especially versus the S&P 500 (up ~0.5%). Cyclical sectors (Energy, Industrials, and Materials) continue to be the market leaders, while Tech/Telecom continue to lag. In energy equities, most large-caps (Oil Majors, Oil Services, and Refiners) have already reported Q4 results, and the next few weeks will be dominated by E&Ps reporting. E&P commentary will likely be do
A woman caring for her ailing mother is drawn into a North Korean scheme to infiltrate American companies.SponsorsUNC - http://accountingpodcast.promo/unc Get NASBA Approved CPE or IRS Approved CELaunch the course on EarmarkCPE to get free CPE/CEDownload the app:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.appQuestions? Need help? Email support@earmarkcpe.com.CONNECT WITH CALEBLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/
What if the biggest thing holding your practice back is not systems, numbers, or skill but the conversations you are avoiding. In this episode, Art Wiederman sits down with leadership expert Katherine Belt to unpack why courageous communication is the real driver of strong teams, healthy culture, and sustainable growth in dentistry.Katherine shares her journey from a struggling dental assistant to an internationally recognized leadership consultant and best selling author, all sparked by one courageous conversation that changed her life. Together, Art and Katherine explore what true leadership looks like inside a dental practice, why most managers fail without training, and how clarity plus inspiration creates teams that actually have each other's backs. They dive deep into courageous conversations, accountability without blame, building leaders instead of trying to find them, and why culture and communication are now the ultimate retention strategy in a tight labor market. This episode is a masterclass in how leaders think, speak, and set standards that allow teams to grow, trust each other, and thrive together.Connect with Katherine
Data centers have shifted from supporting enterprise IT to running large parts of the digital economy. They now host AI model training, AI inference, and many critical digital services. As this shift accelerates, data centers are placing greater demands on power systems and operations teams. Managing energy use, uptime, and physical infrastructure has become central to how these facilities operate. The challenge is that data center growth is moving faster than the tools used to manage it. Many operators still depend on legacy monitoring systems and spreadsheets to understand complex environments. These approaches struggle with rising power density, sustainability targets, and security requirements. At the same time, data sovereignty and grid access are influencing where new infrastructure can be built. In this episode, I speak with Jad Jebara, CEO and co-founder of Hyperview, about how data center operations are changing. We discuss why cloud-native platforms are replacing legacy tools for managing power, facilities, IT, and OT systems. Jad explains how improved operational visibility supports security, efficiency, and scalability. We also explore what these shifts mean for energy companies and oil and gas producers supplying power to this growing infrastructure.
Are six-figure and seven-figure launches actually profitable? Or are we just celebrating revenue without asking the real question...what's left over?In this powerful behind-the-scenes conversation, Barbara sits down with ads strategist Ashley Brock to unpack what actually creates sustainable wealth: profitability, smart tax strategy, strategic investments, and getting in the right rooms.From overcoming skepticism around ads to saving six figures in taxes, this episode dives deep into what it really takes to scale a business the right way. Barbara shares why profit is always her first filter, how real estate can generate immediate tax savings (yes, immediate), and why masterminds can either accelerate your growth or drain your wallet if you're in the wrong one.Tune In to Hear:Why seven-figure launches don't matter if your profit margins are weakThe exact mindset shift that made Barbara finally embrace adsHow Ashley saved six figures in taxes after hiring a strategistThe difference between a CPA and a true tax strategistHow real estate can create immediate tax deductions through depreciationWhat cost segregation actually means (explained simply)Why 100% bonus depreciation makes this a powerful investing yearHow being in the right mastermind can 10x your growthHow to choose the right room (and avoid the wrong one)The $50,000 investment Ashley made before she felt “ready”Why trust and discernment matter when investing in mentorsThe burnout wake-up call that forced Barbara to create boundariesHow scaling to a 33-person team changes your leadershipWhy entrepreneurs must celebrate wins to keep growingThe connection between wealth, generosity, and impactConnect with Ashley: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ads.with.ashley/While the 2026 Council Mastermind is currently closed, you can join the waitlist for 2027 here. https://thecouncilmastermind.com/thecouncil In the meantime, if you'd like to join one of our upcoming retreats, head here for details. https://taxedacademy.com/eventsHow To Get Involved:Life-Changing Money is a podcast all about money. We share stories of how money has impacted and radically changed the lives of others—and how it can do the same for you.Your host, Barbara Schreihans (pronounced ShREE-hands) is the founder and CEO of Your Tax Coach, and the creator of the Write Off Your Life Course. She is a top tax strategist, business coach, and expert in helping business owners and high-net-worth individuals save millions in taxes while increasing profits.When she's not leading her team, coaching clients, or dreaming up new goals for her company, you can find her drinking coffee, hanging out with her family, and traveling the world.Grab a cup of coffee and become inspired as we hear from those who have overcome and are overcoming their self-limiting beliefs and money mindsets!Do you have a burning question that you'd love to hear answered on a future show?Please email it to: podcast@yourtaxcoach.bizSign Up For Our NewsletterLife Changing Money PodcastGet Tax Help!
Most people think refinancing is about timing interest rates. It's not. It's about preparation.In this episode of 2026: The Year to Advance (Part 2), Mo and Andrew break down what it actually means to be refinance ready. Instead of chasing headlines or hoping rates drop, they walk through a practical readiness playbook designed for high-income households and business owners who want flexibility, leverage, and better long-term outcomes.You'll learn why cash-flow resilience matters more than a lower rate, how underwriting readiness determines who gets the best terms, and why decision rules prevent costly mistakes when the window opens. They also cover common debt structure traps, what lenders really do when rates fall, and how business owners should think about the purpose of capital in a changing rate environment.This is not a “refinance now” episode and it's not a “wait for perfect rates” episode. It's about positioning. When you are prepared, you can move quickly without being reckless and hold with confidence when the math doesn't work.If 2026 is your year to advance, this episode will help you stop reacting to rates and start making intentional, strategic decisions.Follow us onX.com: https://x.com/AMGinc_ATLInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/assetmanagementgroupinc/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amgincatl/Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/beyondtomorrowpodcastWebsite: https://www.assetmg-inc.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@assetmanagementgroupincTikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@assetmanagementgroupincBlog: https://www.assetmg-inc.com/blogDisclosureEducational content only. Not tax, legal, or investment advice. Tax laws can change. Consult your CPA or advisor about your specific situation.
If you're looking to understand how the OBBBA can empower your business, this episode is packed with clear explanations and actionable insights for entrepreneurs everywhere.Welcome to another episode of Empowering Entrepreneurs, hosted by Glenn Harper and Julie Smith. They talk about the real impact of the OBBBA—referred to as the "big beautiful bill"—on entrepreneurs and business owners.With lots of chatter and confusion around what this legislation actually means, Glenn Harper breaks down the concrete benefits: from locking in permanent tax rates, to making long-term business planning easier, to allowing full write-offs for heavy vehicles and essential equipment purchases.Julie Smith joins in with practical questions, making sure listeners know how these changes could directly affect their buying decisions and tax strategies.PureTax, LLCTop 3 Takeaways:Locked-in Tax Rates: The OBBBA makes the current tax rates permanent, allowing entrepreneurs to plan for the future with more certainty. No more worrying about sudden tax hikes after sunset clauses expire!Permanent Qualified Business Income Deduction: Most flow-through entities can continue to benefit from this deduction. That means more money stays in your pocket and less goes to taxes.Immediate Asset Write-Offs: Need new equipment, vehicles, or even a factory upgrade? Purchase qualifying assets and write off 100%—right away, with no long depreciation schedules.Running a business doesn't have to run your life.Without a business partner who holds you accountable, it's easy to be so busy ‘doing' business that you don't have the right strategy to grow your business.Stop letting your business run you. At Harper & Co CPA Plus, we know that you want to be empowered to build the lifestyle you envision. In order to do that you need a clear path to follow for successOur clients enjoy a proactive partnership with us. Schedule a consultation with us today.Download our free guide - Entrepreneurial Success Formula: How to Avoid Managing Your Business From Your Bank Account.Glenn Harper, CPA, is the Owner and Managing Partner of Harper & Company CPAs Plus, a top 10 Managing Partner in the country (Accounting Today's 2022 MP Elite). His firm won the 2021 Luca Award for Firm of the Year. An entrepreneur and speaker, Glenn transformed his firm into an advisory-focused practice, doubling revenue and profit in two years. He teaches entrepreneurs to build financial and operational excellence, speaks nationwide to CPA firm owners about running their businesses like entrepreneurs, and consults with firms across the country. Glenn enjoys golfing, fishing, hiking, cooking, and spending time with his family.Julie Smith, MBA, is a serial entrepreneur in the public accounting space. She is the Founder of EmpowerCPA™, Founder of PureTax, LLC, COO for Harper & Company CPAs Plus, and Co-host of the Empowering Entrepreneurs podcast. Named CPA.com's 2021 Innovative Practitioner of Year, Julie led Harper & Company's transition to an advisory-focused firm, doubling revenue and profit in two years. She now empowers other CPA firm owners nationwide through consulting and speaking, teaching them how to run their businesses
Roma Pithadiya is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Affordable Insurance and Financial Services (AIFS), a financial services and insurance advisory firm based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas. She is a seasoned financial professional and entrepreneur with extensive experience in insurance, financial planning, and wealth protection.Roma immigrated to the United States with limited resources and has built her career from the ground up, becoming a respected advisor to individuals, families, and small businesses in matters of health insurance, life insurance, auto and home protection, and long-term financial planning. She has been active in the financial services industry for well over a decade and is known for her deep commitment to client education and advocacy.She is also recognized as a Million Dollar Immigrant, a title reflecting her journey from starting penniless in the U.S. to achieving significant success in the insurance and financial advisory business.In addition to her executive role, Roma engages heavily in community service: she is active with the Lions Club, participates in senior citizen organizations, and serves on committees for cultural and religious groups. She frequently speaks on financial literacy and planning topics at national stages, including events hosted by CNN, the Harvard Club of Boston, New York Life, Nasdaq, and the MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table).Her expertise spans health insurance (including Medicare and individual policies), life and annuity products, retirement planning, and strategies for tax-efficient financial growth. Roma also works to empower clients to manage their finances wisely and protect their financial futures with well-structured, personalized solutions.Learn more: https://aifsgroupbyroma.com/Roma Pithadiya is not an attorney or CPA. Affordable Insurance and Financial Services does not provide legal or tax advice. Any discussion of financial strategies is general in nature and not a recommendation. Insurance and financial products involve risk and may not be suitable for all individuals. Licensing and availability vary by state.Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/roma-pithadiya-president-and-ceo-of-affordable-insurance-and-financial-services-discussing-effective-retirement-planning
Full bays don't always mean healthy profits. In this episode of Ratchet+Wrench Radio, host Christine Schaffran sits down with Hunt Demarest, CPA, partner at Paar, Melis & Associates, and author of Beyond the Bays, to unpack why so many shop owners feel busy but broke—and what they can do about it. From cash vs. profit confusion to overlooked financial fundamentals, Hunt explains how better understanding your numbers can change the trajectory of your business.
Host John Randolph launches a new quarterly segment called Pipeline Pulse, pulling back the curtain on what's actually happening in CPA talent conversations right now, on Episode 88 of CPA Life. Drawing from scores of interviews with accountants quietly exploring their options, he identifies three critical disconnects plaguing firm hiring: Most firms still treat capacity planning like a last-minute scramble instead of a year-round discipline, leaving them perpetually understaffed when resignations hit in January. They're also selling compensation hard while candidates are buying something entirely different; one senior with 14 years of experience would take a lateral move just to escape the 2,000-billable-hour requirement standing between her and manager. And firms keep saying they want advisory-focused talent while hiring purely for compliance skills, expecting client-facing confidence to materialize without training. The through-line? Recruiting can't be transactional anymore, because firms get measured by trust and reputation, not résumé counts. Get the full show notes and more resources at CPALifePodcast.com
New Jersey has officially introduced a new pathway to licensure, and we're breaking it all down. This is a significant shift for the profession, focusing on flexibility and accessibility without compromising the prestige of the license. June Toth, CPA, and NJCPA's Aris Nunez discuss the new pathway and what it means for students, educators and employers. Whether you're a firm partner looking to bolster your pipeline or a student mapping out your future, this episode is essential listening. Topics discussed:Overview of the new pathwayWhat we're hearing from students, professionals and educatorsInterstate practice (mobility) concernsWhat employers need to knowApplying for licensure under the new pathwayStatus of pathway legislation in surrounding states Resources:New Jersey State Board of AccountancyCPAmobility.orgDetails about the two pathways to licensureFAQs about becoming a CPA in New JerseyWebinars/Q&A sessions about the new pathway:Additional Pathway to Licensure Update: Navigating Firm and Individual Compliance in New Jersey – March 4, 12-1 p.m.CPA Licensure: Additional Pathway Update for Educators – March 10, 12-1 p.m.CPA License Basics and Additional Pathway Update for Students and CPA Candidates – March 12, 12-1 p.m.
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John Q. Taxpayer is in the home stretch of his career, looking for the best way to catch-up and build his tax-free bucket. Meanwhile, a pair of young financial nerds in Omaha are already strong savers, but they're wondering whether a simple "VOO for life" strategy is enough to help them reach multimillionaire status in retirement. Also, Janine retired unexpectedly. Can her remaining savings support a European retirement lifestyle? From Jonas Grumby's "glitch in the matrix" tax strategy to the potential tax nightmare of Dolly's literal sack of inherited gold coins, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 568, Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. spitball on how folks from different generations with different situations can reach the same ultimate goal: positioning assets today to ensure the most tax-free wealth tomorrow. Plus, the fellas spitball on the "double taxation" trap of retirement plan loans for Pete in North Carolina, and the affordability of 50-year mortgages for Semper Fi in Michigan. Free Financial Resources in This Episode: https://bit.ly/ymyw-568 (full show notes & episode transcript) Why Asset Location Matters - free guide All About Asset Location - more free resources 15 Maneuvers to Duck an Unplanned Early Retirement Knockout - YMYW TV Financial Blueprint (self-guided) Financial Assessment (Meet with an experienced professional) REQUEST your Retirement Spitball Analysis DOWNLOAD more free guides READ financial blogs WATCH educational videos SUBSCRIBE to the YMYW Newsletter Connect With Us: YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation in the comments Podcast apps: subscribe or follow YMYW in your favorite Apple Podcasts: leave your honest reviews and ratings Chapters: 00:00 - Intro: This Week on the YMYW Podcast 01:05 - After-Tax 401(k) Catch-Ups vs Taxable Investing (John Q Taxpayer) 06:16 - Forced Early Retirement: Social Security and Roth Conversion Timing? (Janine, Bothell, WA) 11:30 - Are 50-Year Mortgages Actually Affordable? (Semper Fi, Stevensville, MI) 17:59 - 401(k) Loan vs Mortgage Payoff (Pete, NC) 21:27 - Can You Manufacture a Step-Up in Basis? (Jonas Grumby, The Colony, TX) 25:03 - Inherited Gold Coins and Capital Gains Taxes (Dolly, 63, TN) 29:35 - Spitball for Young Investors Who Don't Have Millions (Young Financial Nerds, Omaha, NE) 42:13 - Outro: Next Week on the YMYW Podcast
Jeremy Keil examines how tax law changes might affect Roth conversion strategies for retirees in 2026. A few years ago, Roth conversions felt like one of those rare financial strategies that was almost too obvious to ignore. Taxes were historically low. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act had put a clear expiration date on those lower brackets. And for many retirees, the logic seemed airtight: pay taxes now at a lower rate so you don't pay more later. Fast forward to today, and that certainty just isn't the same. With new tax legislation making today's lower tax brackets permanent—at least for now—many retirees are asking a very different question: Are Roth conversions still worth it in 2026 and beyond? The short answer is yes. But not for the reasons many people think. The real problem isn't Roth conversions themselves. The problem is the assumptions people make about them. Roth conversions exploded in popularity when it appeared obvious that taxes were about to rise. The assumption was straightforward: convert while rates are low, avoid higher taxes later, and you'll come out ahead. But that assumption rested on two ideas that don't always hold up: That tax rates would definitely rise. That income in retirement would naturally fall. For some people, both are true. For many others, neither is. Markets have been strong. Retirement accounts are larger than expected. Capital gains, pensions, and Social Security stack on top of one another. And suddenly, retirement income isn't as “low tax” as it once looked on paper. The Difference Between Tax Bracket and Tax Cost One of the most common mistakes retirees make is focusing on their tax bracket instead of their tax cost. On a tax return, you might see yourself in the 12% or 22% bracket and assume Roth conversions are inexpensive. But once Social Security enters the picture, the math becomes more complicated. As additional income comes in, Social Security benefits that were once tax-free begin to become taxable—up to 85% of the benefit. In that phase-in range, every dollar withdrawn from a traditional IRA can cause more Social Security to be taxed. The result is an effective tax cost that can be significantly higher than the bracket suggests. This is where many well-intentioned Roth strategies quietly go off track. Medicare Premiums Change the Equation Taxes aren't the only cost that matters. Medicare income-related premium adjustments—often called IRMAA—are triggered when income crosses certain thresholds. These surcharges commonly appear in two situations: when required minimum distributions begin, and when one spouse passes away and income thresholds are suddenly cut in half. A Roth conversion that pushes income just over one of these lines can increase Medicare premiums for years. That added cost has to be weighed alongside any future tax savings the conversion might create. A Cautionary Roth Story This is where a real-world example brings the point home. I once worked with a woman to determine the right amount of Roth conversions to do. We carefully mapped out a plan to spread conversions over three tax years so she could stay within reasonable tax and Medicare thresholds. She was comfortable with the plan. The numbers made sense. We executed the first conversion near the end of the year and agreed to revisit the second one in January. But after our meeting, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Rather than following the plan, she converted everything at once. That single decision pushed her income from a moderate tax bracket into much higher ones, triggered additional Medicare premium costs, and permanently locked in taxes that were far higher than necessary. The intent was good. The outcome was not. The mistake wasn't believing in Roth conversions—it was assuming that “more” was always better. The Real Takeaway for 2026 and Beyond Roth conversions are not dead. But Roth assumptions are. Lower tax rates today don't automatically mean Roth conversions are cheap. A future tax increase isn't guaranteed. And a zero-tax retirement is not always worth the price paid to get there. Roth conversions should always be considered—but never assumed. When done thoughtfully, in the right amounts, and at the right times, they can improve retirement income and flexibility. When done without planning, they can quietly undermine both. And in retirement, the goal isn't to win a tax strategy.The goal is to create a better retirement. Don't forget to leave a rating for the “Retire Today” podcast if you've been enjoying these episodes! Subscribe to Retire Today to get new episodes every Wednesday. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retire-today/id1488769337 Spotify Podcasts: https://bit.ly/RetireTodaySpotify About the Author: Jeremy Keil, CFP®, CFA is a retirement financial advisor with Keil Financial Partners, author of Retire Today: Create Your Retirement Income Plan in 5 Simple Steps, and host of the Retirement Today blog and podcast, as well as the Mr. Retirement YouTube channel. Jeremy is a contributor to Kiplinger and is frequently cited in publications like the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Additional Links: Buy Jeremy's book – Retire Today: Create Your Retirement Master Plan in 5 Simple Steps Are Roth Conversions for Retirees Dead in 2026 Because of the New Tax Law? By Jeremy Keil, Kiplinger.com Connect With Jeremy Keil: Keil Financial Partners LinkedIn: Jeremy Keil Facebook: Jeremy Keil LinkedIn: Keil Financial Partners YouTube: Mr. Retirement Book an Intro Call with Jeremy's Team Media Disclosures: Disclosures This media is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not consider the investment objectives, financial situation, or particular needs of any consumer. Nothing in this program should be construed as investment, legal, or tax advice, nor as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security or to adopt any investment strategy. The views and opinions expressed are those of the host and any guest, current as of the date of recording, and may change without notice as market, political or economic conditions evolve. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Legal & Tax Disclosure Consumers should consult their own qualified attorney, CPA, or other professional advisor regarding their specific legal and tax situations. Advisor Disclosures Alongside, LLC, doing business as Keil Financial Partners, is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or expertise. Advisory services are delivered through the Alongside, LLC platform. Keil Financial Partners is independent, not owned or operated by Alongside, LLC. Additional information about Alongside, LLC – including its services, fees and any material conflicts of interest – can be found at https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/333587 or by requesting Form ADV Part 2A. The content of this media should not be reproduced or redistributed without the firm’s written consent. Any trademarks or service marks mentioned belong to their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. Additional Important Disclosures
The Historic Tax Credit (HTC) is a significant resource for developers hoping to rehabilitate historic properties, but nuances of the incentive, such as eligibility requirements and the closing process, can be intimidating for first-time developers. On this episode of the Tax Credit Tuesday podcast, Michael Novogradac, CPA, and Novogradac partner John DeJovine, CPA, provide listeners a crash course in HTCs. The pair discuss gating issues developers may encounter in deciding whether to use HTCs. Novogradac and DeJovine also discuss various factors to consider throughout an HTC transaction, including how much equity might come from federal HTCs, subordination and non-disturbance agreements (SNDAs) and what counts as qualified rehabilitation expenditures (QREs). Fittingly, the two close the episode by reviewing the process of closing an HTC deal, from deal structuring to the developer's eventual exit.
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Send a textWelcome to this weeks episode. They say death and taxes are the only 2 certainties in life & delaying them seems like a god idea. If you pay your taxes on a quarterly basis, you're going to want to listen to this episode. I sat sown with a CPA with over 40 years experience and he explains the principle and details of getting off the quarterly tax train. He goes on to discuss how to legally wait to pay those taxes at the end of each calendar year. We also discuss, that by doing this, you can invest the ‘tax money' ( in a safe way) ,which then allows you to make money on that money ,in a tax free way. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Mr. Robert Zigman C.P.A..
Money Talks is hosted by Dr Nancy Lottridge Anderson, President of New Perspectives and Ryder Taff, Portfolio Manager at New Perspectives. To email a question to the show, send it to money@mpbonline.org. In this episode, two CPA's from Matthews, Cutrer and Lindsey, Judy Shannon and Michelle Stonestreet answer tax questions from listeners. If you enjoy listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB. https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A lot of investors follow instructions to the letter, work hard, save carefully, and increase their 401(k) or IRA balance. Few people are aware, however, that this well-meaning tactic can covertly result in a retirement tax trap. Today on Financial Detox, Jason and Alex explain how decades of pre-tax saving can lead to higher taxes in retirement, just as required distributions and Social Security begin. The result? Less flexibility, fewer options, and a larger tax bill than expected. What we talk about today:
Do you have to be an extrovert to be a successful business owner? Absolutely not. Let's talk about the real differences between introverts and extroverts. Where they get their energy, how they show up, and why neither style is "better" when it comes to building a business. Being an introvert doesn't mean you can't lead, sell, or grow a profitable business. It just means you may need to stretch outside your comfort zone sometimes. You dont have to become someone you're not. This episode is all about encouragement, practical tips, and reminding introverted business owners that your style works and you can be just as successful as anyone else. ----------------------------- DIVE IN DEEPER & LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR NUMBERS
Investor Fuel Real Estate Investing Mastermind - Audio Version
In this episode of the Real Estate Pros podcast, host Michelle Kesil interviews Jansen Lormand, a CPA and real estate investor from Louisiana. Jansen shares his journey into real estate investing, including his early experiences, the importance of education, and the mistakes he made along the way. He emphasizes the significance of building a reliable team, navigating challenges such as insurance and HOA issues, and his strategies for scaling his business. Jansen also discusses future opportunities in real estate and the importance of customer service in his profession. Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind: Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply Investor Machine Marketing Partnership: Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true 'white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com Coaching with Mike Hambright: Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a "mini-mastermind" with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming "Retreat", either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas "Big H Ranch"? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform! Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/ New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club —--------------------
On this episode of CFO at Home, Vince wraps up his conversation with Albert Butler, CPA, MBA, and author of 'Life:, Truth, Love, Loss, Success, and Failure·. This time around Albert and Vince dive into practical budgeting tips, the value of using Net Worth as a primary measurement of financial success, student loans and education costs and more. Life:, Truth, Love, Loss, Success, and Failure is available now on Amazon. Key Topics: 00:40 Diving into Practical Budgeting Tips 01:52 Understanding Net Income and Financial Goals 03;38 The Power of Personal Financial Statements 05:32 The Importance of Net Worth 10:48 Rethinking Credit Scores and Financial Leverage 20:01 Navigating Student Loans and Education Costs 25:44 Final Thoughts and Resources Key Links: LIFE: Truth, Love, Loss, Success, & Failure @albertbutlercpa - Facebook @albertbutlercpa - Intagram @albertbutlercpa - YouTube Contact the Host - vince@thecfoathome.com Want to be a guest on CFO at Home? Send Vince a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1628643039567x840793309030672500
Send a textSchedule an Rx AssessmentWith TrumpRx officially live, the first major PBM reform in decades signed into law, and the FTC squeezing historic concessions out of Cigna/Express Scripts…Did independent pharmacy just have its “Super Bowl week?”In this bonus episode, Scotty Sykes, CPA, CFP®, Bonnie Bond, CPA, MBA, and Austin Murray break down what these rapid-fire developments actually mean for pharmacy owners.We cover:MFP UpdatesTrumpRx going liveFTC + Cigna/Express Scripts settlementWhat new CMS transparency could mean for pharmacy reimbursementAnd more!Stay connected with us on social media:FacebookTwitterLinkedInScotty Sykes – CPA, CFP® LinkedInMore on this topic:Podcast: Business As Usual...Until It Isn't: MDPNP's Impact on 340BPodcast: Driving Independent Pharmacy Profitability in 2026Podcast - Maximizing Med Sync
On this insightful episode of Business Of The Beat, hosts Kendra Bracken - Ferguson and LaShasta Bell sit down with wellness coach Deon Hall Garriques to unpack why wellness is essential to sustainable leadership — especially for women navigating demanding careers and evolving life stages. Deon shares her powerful pivot from CPA to wellness coach and breaks down the often-overlooked realities of women's health, including menopause, hormonal shifts, and the impact they have on focus, energy, and performance. The conversation centers self-care as a leadership strategy, highlighting the importance of boundaries, education, and self-awareness, while offering practical, real-world steps women can take to protect their health, advocate for their needs, and lead at their best.
This episode features Sharon Lechter, renowned entrepreneur, bestselling author, and global financial literacy advocate. Sharon reflects on the early experiences that shaped her passion for education, her 35‑year career as a CPA, and her mission to equip families and young people with practical financial tools through Pay Your Family First. She shares insights from her work as a national spokeswoman and Presidential Advisor, her leadership on Arizona's Financial Literacy Task Force, and the urgent changes she believes schools must make. A lifelong innovator, Sharon also discusses her pioneering role in educational technology and her current collaboration with IQ Hall, an AI‑powered platform advancing global learning.
Most people think of their 401(k) as their retirement plan. Your 401(k) tells you your balance, but it doesn't answer the questions that actually matter: "When can I retire?" "How much can I safely spend each month?" "What about health insurance before age 65?" This episode breaks down what a comprehensive retirement plan looks like and why having it in writing changes everything.--
This interview breaks down how self-employed first-time homebuyers can use intentional tax strategy to improve mortgage qualification and avoid higher-cost loan options. In this interview, CPA and licensed loan professional Dan Mullen explains why many self-employed first-time homebuyers are incorrectly told they cannot qualify for a mortgage. He breaks down the critical difference between taxable income and mortgage-qualifying income, showing how common write-offs can unintentionally reduce buying power if planned poorly. The discussion walks through legal tax strategies—such as depreciation, mileage, and asset treatment—that can preserve lender-approved income while remaining compliant with tax law. The episode also explains why bank statement loans are more expensive and why early coordination between a CPA and lender can dramatically change a buyer's outcome. “Buying a home is the financial foundation of virtually every American out there.”– Dan Mullen, CPA Highlights How can self-employed buyers legally qualify for a conventional mortgage without paying more in taxes?Why does writing off everything on your tax return often hurt mortgage approval?When does a bank statement loan make sense—and why is it usually the most expensive option?How early should freelancers and business owners involve a CPA if they want to buy a home?Check out our updated 2026 First Time Homebuyer's Episode Guide - Over 100 of our BEST Episodes of Detailed Homebuying Knowledge, Interviews, and MORE! Referenced Episodes:444 - February 2026 is a Buyers Market - What First Time Homebuyers Need to Know367 - Why Financial Advisors Can't Help You Buy a Home - INTERVIEW368 - The Truth About Renting: What You're Really Paying For - INTERVIEW370 - The Truth About Tax Breaks for First-Time Buyers - INTERVIEW408 - How to Buy a Home - Step 8: Using the Internet to Buy a Home392 – New Construction vs. Resale: Which Home Is Right for First-Time Buyers?437 - What Is a Unicorn Realtor? First Time Homebuyer FAQ:340 – Down Payment Assistance, Discovery Calls & Lending Myths (INTERVIEW)426 - Lowering Your Down Payment – Financially Prepare to Buy Your First Home – Pt. 7332 – Home Inspections: What's Normal vs Red Flag? (110 Replay)400 - Introduction: How to Buy a Home Starter Series (START HERE)Connect with me to find a trusted realtor in your area or to answer your burning questions!Subscribe to our YouTube Channel @HowToBuyaHomeInstagram @HowtoBuyAHomePodcastTik Tok @HowToBuyAHomeVisit our Resource Center to "Ask David" AND get your FREE Home Buying Starter Kit!David Sidoni, the "How to Buy a Home Guy," is a seasoned real estate professional and consumer advocate with two decades of experience helping first-time homebuyers navigate the real estate market. His podcast, "How to Buy a Home," is a trusted resource for anyone looking to buy their first home. It offers expert advice, actionable tips, and inspiring stories from real first-time homebuyers. With a focus on making the home-buying process accessible and understandable, David breaks down complex topics into easy-to-follow steps, covering everything from budgeting and financing to finding the right home and making an offer. Subscribe for regular market updates, and leave a review to help us reach more people. Ready for an honest, informed home-buying experience? Viva la Unicorn Revolution - join us!
The holidays are behind us; you know what that means—it's tax season! But before you start gathering your W-2s and receipts, there's an important question: Do you know who will prepare your taxes this year?With a nationwide shortage of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and tax professionals, waiting too long to find a preparer could leave you scrambling—and vulnerable to scams. Here's how to protect yourself and find a trusted tax preparer.Who Can Prepare Your Taxes?When hiring a tax professional, your preparer will likely fall into one of three categories:Certified Public Accountant (CPA): These professionals undergo rigorous education, exams, and licensing requirements. Many specialize in tax preparation and can also provide broader financial guidance.Enrolled Agent (EA): Licensed by the IRS, EAs are tax experts who can prepare and file returns, represent clients before the IRS, and provide tax planning services.Tax Attorney: These legal professionals specialize in tax law and are particularly useful for complex tax situations, audits, or disputes.Each of these professionals is highly qualified—but the problem is there aren't enough of them.There is a growing shortage of CPAs and tax professionals, largely due to fewer young people entering the field. One of the major "Big Four" firms, KPMG, continues to offer high school students internships at $22 an hour to encourage them to become CPAs.What does this mean for you?Longer wait times to book a tax preparerHigher fees due to increased demandGreater risk of falling into the hands of fraudulent preparersWhen people are desperate to file their returns, they can become easy targets for scammers who fake credentials or engage in tax fraud.How to Avoid Tax Scams and Find a Qualified PreparerTo protect yourself, follow these IRS-recommended steps when choosing a tax preparer:1. Choose a Year-Round Tax PreparerA reputable preparer should be available year-round. You don't want your tax preparer to disappear if you get audited.2. Verify Their IRS CredentialsAsk for the IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). All paid tax return preparers must register with the IRS and enter their PTIN on every return they file.Check their status using the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers at IRS.gov.3. Look for Professional CredentialsAsk if the preparer holds a credential such as:CPA (Check with the State Board of Accountancy)Enrolled Agent (Verify at IRS.gov under "Verify Enrolled Agent Status")Tax Attorney (Confirm with their State Bar Association)Additionally, inquire about continuing education, as tax laws change frequently; professionals should stay current.4. Be Cautious About FeesBeware of tax preparers who:Charge fees based on a percentage of your refundClaim they can get you a larger refund than competitorsA legitimate preparer should charge a flat or hourly rate based on the complexity of your return.5. Verify IRS E-File CapabilityMost tax preparers handling more than 10 clients must file electronically. If your preparer refuses to e-file, that's a red flag.6. Ensure Proper DocumentationA trustworthy tax preparer will ask for the following:Your W-2 and 1099 forms (not just a pay stub)Records of deductions and creditsIf a preparer doesn't ask for supporting documents, walk away. The IRS requires proper documentation to verify your return.7. Understand Representation RulesOnly CPAs, Enrolled Agents, and tax attorneys can represent you before the IRS if you're audited. Non-credentialed tax preparers—including your math-savvy cousin Bill—cannot represent you in an audit.8. Never Sign a Blank or Incomplete Tax ReturnPlease review your return carefully before signing. Ensure all information is accurate, and ask questions if anything appears incorrect.9. Your Refund Should Go to You—Not the PreparerCheck the routing and account number on your tax return to ensure your refund is deposited into your own account, not your preparer's.Looking for a Faith-Based Financial Professional?If you want to work with a tax professional who aligns with biblical financial principles, consider finding a CPA, Enrolled Agent, or tax attorney with the Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA®) designation. To find a trusted, faith-based tax professional, visit FindaCKA.com. With tax season here, choosing a reputable, qualified tax preparer is more important than ever. Don't wait until the last minute—start your search today to avoid scams and ensure your taxes are filed accurately and ethically.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I have long-term care insurance and want to know if it covers assisted living, and for how long. Also, how expensive are these policies—what's the range?I'm 45 and looking to buy a house with a 30-year mortgage. Is that a wise move since I'd be nearing retirement by the time it's paid off?I'm remodeling our bathroom for my husband, who has Parkinson's, and it will cost about $25,000–$30,000. Is it better to take the money from my 401(k) or from equity in our paid-off home?My husband is retired, and when he tries to claim disability, they tell him he can't because of my income since we file jointly. Should we be filing separately?My mom may receive a settlement of around $300,000 after my dad passed. She wants to save some for the grandchildren. How will that affect taxes, insurance, and Medicare, since her income would change?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Movement MortgageOur Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful StewardshipWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every workday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode of Fraud Talk, ACFE Communications Director John Duffley welcomes back forensic accountant and consultant Chris Ekimoff, CFE, CPA, for a conversation on career development, personal branding and professional visibility in the anti-fraud field. Drawing on his experience as a practitioner, educator and speaker, Ekimoff shares practical advice on using social media authentically, evaluating opportunities, balancing general expertise with specialization and building meaningful professional relationships both online and in person. Their discussion also explores consulting, managing client expectations, storytelling as a critical skill, and why “dedicate, don't dabble” is key to long-term growth and impact.
Kiera is joined by Alexis Gallati, founder and lead tax strategist at Cerebral Tax Advisors, to talk about tax strategy not just for 2025 success, but 2026 and beyond. They discuss asking your CPA the right questions, shifting income from your higher tax bracket down, the Augusta rule, and a ton more. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today I am super jazzed. I have an incredible guest joining us on the podcast today ⁓ to talk about last minute tax strategies before April 15th. Like why not? I mean, hey, maybe you were like, you're not the early bird. You were like, shoot, I forgot. Like what things can I do? And so I'm super excited. Alexis Gallati, she reached out to us. ⁓ She is founder and lead tax strategist at Cerebral Tax Advisors. Ansari Real Wealth Academy. And I was so excited about this topic because I know you guys know I love to geek out about this and I have it on my vision board of tax expert ahead. Like I hate taxes. I love taxes. I believe that taxes are such a beautiful way for us to pay to be in this incredible country. But you better believe I don't want to pay a penny more than I need to. So really figuring that out just a little bit about her is she is got a dual master's degree in business administration and taxation, which is super rad because Let's be real, she gets the business side of it. She gets the taxation and we were chatting before and she was like, what people make like their top line revenue versus their take home pay are two different things. And I was like, amen sister, preach on. She's enrolled agent, NTPI fellow and certified tax strategist. She also is the author of advanced tax planning for medical professionals. She specializes in high level strategic tax planning and multi-state tax preparation for healthcare professionals and business owners. She's raised in a family of physicians and married to one. She empathizes with the financial challenges medical professionals face. This personal connection inspired her to create accessible, unbiased tax solutions tailored to their busy lives. Driven by passion and guided by cerebral thinking, Alexis forms Cerebral to help professionals keep more of their hard earned money. Amen sister. That's what we want. That's why you're here. Their approach breaks the mold of traditional financial advice, offering a unique perspective for medical professionals and business owners. So while yes, she's not 1000 % dental guys were in the healthcare world and she's so brilliant. So Alexis, welcome to the show today. How are you? Alexis Gallati (01:54) Thank you so much for having me. I'm doing very well. Hope you had a wonderful holiday season. The Dental A Team (01:58) Yes, likewise. And I was so excited when I heard that you would be a guest on our podcast. I geek out about this, Alexis, I know it's like our first day meeting, but ⁓ I just think the world of tax is such the game of monopoly. And I'm like, if you would have just told me that rule, I could have played and won the game better. But I feel like it's always as ever changing, ever evolving. And I know there were some big things that happened in 2025 that are impacting like our our taxes. And so, yeah, definitely a timely and exciting podcast to throw out there. So Alexis, I know I gave you a very welcomed ⁓ bio and intro, but yeah, tell us a little bit about who is Alexis. You're married to a physician. You're in this world of tag. How does one become obsessive about CPA? I'm truly just curious. How do you like, how does this happen? How did you become this? Alexis Gallati (02:49) Yeah, so I love law and I love money. And so when I was in undergrad, I took a tax and accounting class and loved more the tax side than the accounting side, I do admit. And so after meeting my husband in college and us starting to go through that full medical journey, was about a year and a half out from him. The Dental A Team (02:54) you Alexis Gallati (03:18) from him finishing his residency. And I really saw the writing on the wall. Even at that time, with him being in residency, about four months of his salary was going towards taxes. And I was like, that's not right. That's not right. With The Dental A Team (03:36) No. Alexis Gallati (03:38) hard he works and how hard medical community works in general. ⁓ my gosh, that's not right. So that's when I really dedicated myself to finding out, why do the Warren Buffets and the Bill Gates of the world have this really low to sometimes non-existent tax bracket? And I really dove into that tax planning. ⁓ And so, you know, what's very unique about, ⁓ you know, the way that I work and my business is that my husband and I are in the same exact position as majority of our clients. And so, yes, I'm looking for strategies for my clients, but I'm also looking for those strategies for myself. The Dental A Team (04:19) You're like, hey, it's me. I'm going to help myself out. I'm very motivated to do this. Alexis Gallati (04:25) Very motivated. And I love it. I love it. It's like you said, it's ⁓ Congress keeps us on our toes, changing the laws consistently year after year. ⁓ it's like a puzzle. Like, hey, how can I just keep more of what I'm earning? The Dental A Team (04:43) Yeah, and I, this is what I get obsessed about. what I learned, gosh, it's like, I was so naive when I started the company. was like, marketing is marketing. I just need to hire a marketer they can do everything. And then I was like, oh, there's a content marketer. There's a copywriter marketer. There's a strategist. There's a growth marketer. There's like an AEO marketer now. There's an SEO. Like you guys, this thing is like a web. They're a content marketer. And then I started realizing it's similar to CPAs and financial planners that like, I thought you hire a CPA, Alexis. Like I'm so naive to business. I'm shocked that I've made it this far. Like truly I'm proud of like the journey we've been on, but like not all CPAs are created equal. And then I realized like CPAs play by different rules. Like it's the same rule, but there's shades of gray. They're how comfortable are you with this and how uncomfortable are you with it? Like there's one CPA that told me like, here, you can totally go skiing in Tahoe. Just like put your logo on your skis and you can totally ride it off and like put your logo on your boat and you can ride it off. And then there's like the Alexis of the world was like, oh, hard pass. No, you're going to like totally get flagged. But I'm like, what rule is right? And so I realized that there are, like you said, tax strategy and for higher wealth earners. I do believe that there's a game, like you said, how did the Warren Buffett's, how did the Bill Gates, like they're not paying this. And then you get into the real estate game and you get into all these other things. You're like, how can we do this? And so Alexis, I'm just jazz. This is me being nerdy. And I'm going to ask you a bajillion questions and I can't wait. to learn. So let's kind of talk about most of your clients, what's the size of take home net pay that they do. So that way we know like what brackets were in. So that way right clients come to you. I also learned not all financial advisors take all people. I was like, I make 30 grand. They're like, great. So we're going to help you out just a little bit. And then like, when you get to this level, we'll chat with you. ⁓ tell us kind of that. And then let's dig into how do we keep more money, Alexis, legally. Alexis Gallati (06:10) I love it. The Dental A Team (06:39) I'm here for legal advice. I'm willing to go gray, but not go to jail. So that's my line. So as long as we're on the same page, I think we are, I'm here for it. Alexis Gallati (06:40) Yes. Definitely, yeah. I am more than happy to play in the gray areas. We just have to feel comfortable defending it in an audit. And so that's our line in the sand. ⁓ But yeah. The Dental A Team (06:55) Mm-hmm. She's like, this is why I went to law guys. This is why I like the law side and the CPA. I like it. I like your style. It's so unique and I just am excited. So, okay, I'm ready. Alexis Gallati (07:07) Yeah. Yeah. at Cerebral, we work with those that earn at minimum $400,000 per year in taxable income. So we have lots of businesses, which by the way, 99.9 % of our clients are medical professionals. I think we have like maybe two clients that have zero ties to the medical industry. And so the practices we work with, you know, generally range from anywhere from maybe about $700,000 in gross revenue all the way up to eight figures. So we tend to not work with those that are larger practices, that usually over 50 employees. And that's just because once you get above 50 employees, yeah, it changes quite a bit. So we're definitely in there with those smaller to medium sized practices. The Dental A Team (07:56) Tax co-changes. Yep. Amazing. No, that's super helpful. And I know we were talking before, like the average of your clients, about 700,000 like net pay is typical where you guys are at. You have some that are higher, but that minimum of 400,000, which is great because I do think that there are thresholds. ⁓ And I did learn through going through business that who Kiera needed as a tax support and advisor when I was in that 30,000 range compare and as a business owner, I thought it was so funny. Gosh, taxes, like they hurt so bad sometimes. Like, whoa, easy come, easy go. Like I've never, I've always been a W-2. So that was such a fascinating world for me. But yeah, let's dig into some of the things you've seen for the medical world. Cause I know I have friends that were physicians and they're really big on real estate. And like I took the real estate Kool-Aid and I'm just like, is this really real? There's gotta be easier ways than doing this. And so I'm just jazzed to kind of go through what are some of the things we can do now before April 15th. What are things that we can do even past April 15th to set us up for great success for 2026? So Alexis, this is your show. I'm just excited, kind of riffed us through it. Of course, I'm gonna geek out and ask probably about way more questions than you care to even be asked, but I'm really excited to learn more today. Alexis Gallati (09:20) Yeah, great. Well, yeah, I hate to be a little bit of a Debbie Downer in the beginning and that when your past December 31st, ⁓ the number of tax strategies that are available to you are before you actually go to file your tax return are limited. It's just the nature of the code. The Dental A Team (09:37) I agree. was super, when you were like, what are the tech? I was like, I want to know because most of the times like when the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, it's like game over and we start again. But yes, which is why I want to know what are like the small ones, but then also Alexis like, let's set our listeners up for like, what things can they do this year to be better prepared for it in conjunction? So yes, before April 15th, but selfishly I want to know what else can I do this year that maybe I haven't thought of. Alexis Gallati (09:52) Yeah. you The Dental A Team (10:06) because the clock hasn't struck midnight in 2026. So like we've got time. So yeah, for 2025 filing, but also for 2026 as well. Alexis Gallati (10:09) Yeah. Yeah, so let's talk about 2025 filing first. Especially if you're a business owner, there are actually a number of things that you could still put together for yourself that can impact your 2025 financials. ⁓ So even basic things like if you haven't been taking advantage of your home office deduction or ⁓ vehicle expenses ⁓ and unreimbursed business expenses. So those are expenses that you paid personally, but our business expenses. So all of those items, you can still go and report on your 2025 return. So if you haven't taken the time to sit down and say, how much should I pay in my home utilities or insurance, repairs, et cetera, and take the percentage. So let's say your home office is 7%. of your total square footage of your home. Well, then you can write off 7 % of your home expenses on your taxes. the treatment's a little bit different depending upon if you're a sole proprietorship or an S corporation. But in general, you still have that time to take advantage of that. And a lot of you might be like, oh, Alexis, it's such a little amount. I don't even know if it's worth it. Believe me. All these little things can really add up together. And easily, I usually see between $10,000 to $20,000 of really ⁓ easy to grab savings for yourself if you just take even a few hours to gather all the information. ⁓ And you can even use ⁓ personal financial apps like Monarch Money or You Need a Budget, things like that to help. organize that information for you throughout the year so it's a little more automated. The Dental A Team (12:10) Yeah, that's amazing. I do love the YNAB. You're throwing me back to like pharmacy school days of you need a budget. I was like, oh my gosh, got to answer this every time. They have updated so much, but I love that you said like 10 to 20 grand, I think is worthwhile, but more than it being pennies or dollars, I think it's the discipline of having it prepared for next year too. So that way we don't, I think it's like, well, it might not be enough this year, but I'm like, you take that this year and we compound over the next year and the next year and the next year. I think these little things to me at least, Alexis Gallati (12:15) Ha ha ha. The Dental A Team (12:41) Like I said, it's their game of monopoly. And I'm like, okay, maybe I didn't get it that time, but I'm going to take that rule and I'm going to apply it this year and the next year and the next year. So I'm even taking notes over here, guys. So Alexis, if you see me, I'm writing it like, okay, I'm going to check in on that, check in on that. So make sure, make sure that they're being taken into consideration because I don't prep my own taxes. I don't even know half the stuff. Like they just tell me. So I also think being a good steward as well and always double checking your CPA to make sure like, are we maximizing every deduction we can? Alexis Gallati (12:53) Good, I like it. Of course. Yeah. And being proactive is like you said, the number one thing because the IRS can deny deduction if you don't have that itemized receipt or you don't have the proper documentation. And 99 % of any fight with the IRS is that documentation. And I did a three year fellowship in IRS representation. So I'm obviously very focused on that tax savings, but also very focused on making sure that everything's set up properly. So if the IRS were to challenge it or even the state, you're in good hands. then that way, you can just give them the stuff and say, go away. The Dental A Team (13:51) Exactly. And I heard somebody once tell me, they're like, Kiera, it's not a matter of if I'll be audited, it's when. Like every business will most likely be audited at some point. I hope and pray like we're not. I think about that a lot of like cross my T's, dot my I's, make sure that I'm constantly trying to be compliant with things. But your wealth of knowledge on that Alexis of what things and how to become, I mean, shoot three years of IRS. Girl, you got my vote. That's impressive. And like love the love the authority piece that you're bringing to our podcast today. Alexis Gallati (14:20) Thank you. Thank you. So some other things that you're able to do before you file that tax return, and this is a big one, is retirement. So you actually have until the filing of a tax return, and that includes extensions. So for example, if you're an S corporation or a partnership, have the original due date, which is March 15th, or the extended due date, which is September 15th, to go and open and fund that retirement plan. So if you have employees, it can get obviously a little bit more complicated, but you still are able to do it and ⁓ do that employer contribution. And that's obviously really one of the lower hanging fruits when it comes to not only tax savings, but also wealth generation. The Dental A Team (15:12) Yeah, no, I love that. That's a great idea. And I think a lot of people miss that. And again, CPAs, tax strategists, wealth advisors, they're all playing in their own lanes, but how can we make sure all of them are maximizing together? Because you as a human are trying to build that wealth. So I love that. Alexis Gallati (15:30) Yeah. And don't forget as well, you know, kind of in the same vein as retirement is that health savings account. So if you had a high deductible plan throughout the year, but maybe your employer didn't actually provide a ⁓ health savings account, like so if you're a W-2, for example, or even if you're self-employed, you can still go open up your own Health Savings account through, I think Fidelity has some, ⁓ Optum Bank, HSA Bank. So there's a whole bunch of different providers out there. can just Google and find the provider that works best for you. The Dental A Team (16:07) Interesting. And I know like I just wrote that down because a lot of dentists don't have HSA. Like we are the providers for it. But hearing that that might even be a resource to attract people into your business if you were able to like, don't necessarily provide it, but these are some companies that we could help our employees get if they wanted to have an HSA because I know that that's something that my husband works at a hospital. So there's an HSA there, but as sole proprietors and S-Corps, a lot of times they aren't provided. That's actually really like, I think just a great tool and resource to possibly provide to our employees, depending upon what it looks like for your business. Alexis Gallati (16:40) Yeah, definitely. And then one other thing that you ⁓ may be able to do, depending upon your state, ⁓ to help with state taxes, is go and contribute to a 529 plan, which is for education for yourself or other dependent. And some states like Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, South Carolina, there's a number of them. They allow you to make that contribution all the way up to the filing of the tax return. The Dental A Team (17:13) Interesting. I did not know that I wrote that down. That's fascinating. I love this. This is like so fun. Keep going. Alexis Gallati (17:20) Yeah. Yeah. So that, you know, is, a good, especially for, you know, higher earners. ⁓ that's kind of a good summary of what you can be doing before this, ⁓ April 15th or even the extended due date as well. ⁓ but when you start looking into 2026, who, that book, that book opens up, there is. The Dental A Team (17:39) It does, right? It's like the monopoly Bible. Like it's so big. Like how do I play the game of taxes? So I truly, and I think like for all the listeners, like the home office, the HSA, ⁓ retirement, the 529 plan, like there's still time. So go look at those things. And even if you can't contribute or do those things now, having that set up for next year, like, Alexis, truly, I'm like, I'm getting the popcorn. I'm getting my notepad. Like, I am so excited because half these things I haven't heard of. And so it's very fun to just hear different perspectives. And I do love that you've got a legal background too. I love that you're in IRS. I love that you're in medicine and healthcare and like for your own personal savings too. It's like you're the Nancy Drew of like, how can I do the most amount through all of this? It's a very fascinating perspective you bring today. Alexis Gallati (18:27) thank you. I appreciate that. yeah, when obviously when you are a W-2 employee still that your options are not as open for those that have a business. But ⁓ besides obviously retirement HSA that you can do all year, one thing that a lot of W-2 employees forget is to actually check with your employer to see what their reimbursement policy looks like. The Dental A Team (18:29) course. Alexis Gallati (18:55) because if you're maybe in a private practice with a large group, and I mean, these could even be groups that have sometimes hundreds of physicians in it, or even if it's just a hospital system, they'll have actually pretty generous reimbursement policies for things like your CME, your new loops, or going and doing your mileage in between different hospitals or clinics, things like that. So making sure that you are keeping track of those things. Obviously, if you're a business owner, you definitely want to keep track of those. But some of my favorite for those that own their own practices, my absolute favorite is hiring your kids. The Dental A Team (19:36) Of course, yeah. Alexis Gallati (19:48) It seems so basic, but believe me, there are definitely steps in place that have to be done in order to make sure they ⁓ qualify. for me, the ⁓ court tested age is seven. So I usually don't recommend my clients going and hiring their kids until they're at least that age. You can do it younger, but the old my kids are models strategy is kind of ⁓ antiquated now just because ⁓ everybody has these great cameras now on their phones. And so it's kind of devalued, being a model ⁓ for those that aren't professionals basically. ⁓ But that's a really great way to shift income from your higher tax bracket down to their non-existent tax bracket. The Dental A Team (20:21) Totally. Right? Alexis Gallati (20:40) and you can then put that money into a Roth IRA for them. And if you do that, let's say over like a 10 year period in 2026, that amount is 7,500 is the max you can put in. They're easily, by the time they're age 65, gonna have at least 2 million plus dollars in savings. So it's a really great way to create a legacy for your kids and give them a little headstart. The Dental A Team (20:48) Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's amazing. And I think so many people are like, I don't know how to help my kids with college or different things like that. And it's like, these are great ways to prepare them for the future for when they retire for things like that. I mean, how awesome I know a couple of ⁓ doctors because The bulk of our audience, Alexis, are not W-2 earners. They are self-employed, like dental practice owners. ⁓ But I know that there were several that didn't tell their kids that they had done this for them. And then the surprise when they graduated college of, we've been putting this into place for you. I mean, shoot, that money's going to go to the government or to your kids. Why not invest in your children? You're going to pay that money regardless. So ⁓ definitely think that that's such a brilliant idea. And I've heard people, they're like, their real job, like they have to have a real job. They're like a paper shredder. Like they like literally shred the paper or they open the mail or they like pick out the cards or they pick out the toys for the prize boxes, like actual legit jobs that they employ them for. But I think what an amazing gift and legacy to give your kids as well. Alexis Gallati (21:51) they Yeah, exactly. All four of my children are, obviously cerebral isn't a dental practice, but they're hired through cerebral. So that way they are earning enough to put that money into their Roth IRA. ⁓ And a lot of ⁓ my clients are like, man, I don't know what my kids can do. And like you said, there's a lot of admin work that they can do. Even a seven-year-old can. like you said, shred paper, stamp envelopes. They can help with doing their ABCs and filing things away if you're an older ⁓ practice owner and they have ⁓ still the paper file system. ⁓ yeah, it really is a wonderful way to not only teach responsibility, but also to save. ⁓ I highly recommend ⁓ doing that. And even if you have parents that you financially support, you could even The Dental A Team (22:45) Yeah. Yeah. Alexis Gallati (23:02) go and hire your parents through your practice ⁓ and write off their support. Of course, again, they need to also have a legitimate job in the business. with parents, you have to be careful if they have any benefits like social security or Medicare. Then you just want to make sure that you're not pushing them out of those benefits because of their income ⁓ or making any part of their social security taxable. So that takes a little bit more. ⁓ finesse than hiring a child. The Dental A Team (23:36) No, that's great. That's a really good idea too, because I hadn't thought about parents. I have heard about children, but you're right, parents are retired. And if there's ways that you can support and give back rather than like, again, I love the government. I am happy to pay taxes, but if there's ways that I can support my own family, ⁓ I think it's great because I'm going to pay that money anyway, but paying it to people that I love and care about is really a great idea. Alexis Gallati (24:00) Yeah. Another popular one I'm sure that you've seen on TikTok or other social media is the Augusta rule. ⁓ and this is where you're renting your home to your business. ⁓ and this is perfect example where documentation is absolutely critical. ⁓ but basically what happens is you rent your home to your business for 14 days or less. Those days do not have to be consecutive and your business gets to The Dental A Team (24:07) Mm-hmm. Alexis Gallati (24:28) right off the cost of that rent. So obviously lowers your taxes. But then you as the individual do not have to pay tax on that rental income. Now, if you do it for 15 days and you've ruined the strategy and you have to pay tax on all 15 days. So that's really important you do 14 days or less. But this is again a really great way if you have monthly board meetings, that's 12 days right there. Or if you have employee parties, if you have colleagues over in discussing business, though, as long as you have a rental agreement in place between yourself and your business, and you document through meeting minutes everything that occurred during that event, then that is the documentation that the IRS would need in order to substantiate that. strategy. And obviously a reasonable rental rate as well. The Dental A Team (25:27) Yeah, no, didn't realize, I did not realize that you needed a rental agreement. Can you expand more on that? like we check all the Airbnb's and the VRBO's in the area to see what does our house actually go for and like keep that documented every single year and then have an actual agenda and like have it in the calendar. So it's in our Google calendar. It's got an agenda. It's got a PDF didn't attach. But how does the rental agreement work? like, yeah, how do you, I didn't realize that that was a necessary piece to it. Alexis Gallati (25:57) Yeah, so you can even just use ChatGPT to create it. ⁓ But essentially what you do is it's just that agreement between the business and personal. So ⁓ you just want to think about it like any other rental that you would do. If you were to go to a conference room in a hotel, for example, or go rent that Airbnb, you're going to be signing some sort of agreement saying that this can happen. that this event can happen on this date. ⁓ you can either do one agreement for the entire year, spelling out like, here are the days that we're going to be doing these things, ⁓ or you can have an agreement for each time that it happens. The Dental A Team (26:43) Very cool. That's super helpful. Yeah, I do love the addresses for all anything people. And I mean, I've had CPAs and like, don't go crazy. Like that's where I say like check Airbnb, check VRBO like what you think your house is worth versus what market value says your house is worth. Like, let's make sure that we are accurate on that. But yeah, that's definitely an amazing one that I think is great for offices to surely do. Alexis Gallati (26:51) Yes. Yep. Go and get two to three comps. So then that way can just take an average. I feel like that's a very safe way to, ⁓ show reasonableness. You're not just like, Hey, I'm taking the highest one on the block. You know, it's taking a few of them. The Dental A Team (27:21) Totally. No, definitely agree. I love that. Okay, Alexis, what other ideas? know we're, I'm like just like sitting here. I'm like, I love this writing it down. Great ideas. What are some of the ones that like, yeah, anything else that's going to save us? Um, because like taxes are taxes and we are going to pay them, but like, what else can we do to, like you said, Bill Gates or, um, like Warren Buffett, what are the things that you found for like these higher net worth earners? Like, do they need to get into real estate and like use the big, beautiful tax bill or like, Alexis Gallati (27:23) Yeah. Okay. The Dental A Team (27:50) anything else that you've seen that like really moves the noodles or is like, no, just the small consistent things are really going to help them out. Alexis Gallati (27:57) Yes, well, they all help out. ⁓ But if you are looking for more of that, hey, Alexis, what's like Hail Mary that I can be doing to act to really save? ⁓ You can look at real estate. ⁓ That could be a whole podcast by itself. ⁓ But in general, you you tend to ⁓ get into real estate when you're not talking about like reets or things I can do through the stock market. The Dental A Team (28:14) Right. Alexis Gallati (28:26) ⁓ You're either doing like real estate syndications, ⁓ direct ownership, like long-term rentals or short-term rentals. And ⁓ each of those are treated differently and have different ways of making that ⁓ a tax deduction for yourself. So when it comes to, in general, ⁓ real estate syndications, this is where you're The Dental A Team (28:49) Mm-hmm. Alexis Gallati (28:54) buying into a partnership that maybe owns an office building. And you go in with other partners and ⁓ it's syndicated. So it's very passive. There's no way for you to write off any losses in that current year. ⁓ When it comes to direct ownership, the IRS basically says, hey, that real estate is considered passive unless you have real estate professional status or you do that short-term rental deduction or excuse me, short-term rental exclusion. And so what ⁓ happens if you can qualify for the short-term rental exclusion or real estate professional status is that those what would have been passive losses that you can't use against your current income will be considered active losses. And then you can use it against your active income, when I say active income, things like your W-2 or your business. So you're getting a current year deduction from that. And you can do cost segregation study to help accelerate depreciation. ⁓ So this is very, very much in the nutshell sort of explanation. ⁓ But it can really be a great way to lower your taxes if The Dental A Team (29:57) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Alexis Gallati (30:16) you essentially want a second job. Just know that real estate is not as passive as the social media gurus go and ⁓ try to glamorize. It really does take a lot of extra work. You want to make sure that you are following the rules properly so that you can get that tax benefit in the current year. ⁓ But if you The Dental A Team (30:19) Yeah. Alexis Gallati (30:41) do have that prerogative and you want to learn and get do things properly, then it can really save you quite a bit of money. The Dental A Team (30:48) Yeah. Are there any other things, Alexis, that are like real estate that save that much but don't require that much work? I'm asking you for the weight loss drug of taxes, please. What's our easiest way with the most amount of bang for buck that you've seen? These are the big hits that if you want, because agreed, real estate's great. If you do that short-term thing, but it is a lot of work. With the big, beautiful tax bill that came through, that 100 % depreciation is pretty fantastic. But like you said, Alexis Gallati (30:54) Yes. Mm-hmm. The Dental A Team (31:17) got to have it rented out, you got to have the pieces, you got to like reno it like there are and you have to have it done by the end of the year and like it's a stressful zone. ⁓ So are there other things that you've seen that might be like 50 or 100 or 200,000 off taxes that aren't necessary real estate? The Augustus one, yes. Like paying people, there's things but is there anything else you've found that are like some of those bigger chunks that maybe people don't think about they don't recognize? Yes of course they're going to take a little bit more work but... Alexis Gallati (31:17) You gotta work for it. The Dental A Team (31:45) that you found that could be benefits to our audience. Alexis Gallati (31:48) OK, so let's talk about my Hail Mary for tax savings. I love this one towards the end of the year because you're going to want to know, have a good idea of where your tax situation is going to end up. So I use this a lot for year end planning. And this is oil and gas. When you ⁓ invest in oil and gas, again, just like with real estate, there's a lot of different options. But my favorite is our drilling funds and this is where you invest in a partnership that owns oil and gas wells and these this allows you in that first year to Essentially write off usually somewhere between 80 to 95 percent of the investment that you've put in So let's say you invest a hundred thousand dollars Then you're getting about and let's say conservatively an eighty thousand dollar deduction that can go a against your ordinary income. So if you're W2 or your business. usually, a good rule of thumb is that, let's say, if you're putting in $100,000, you're saving $30,000 in tax. You're putting in $200,000, you're saving $60,000 in tax. And then after year one, you're earning overall, during the life of the investment, about a 2x The Dental A Team (33:10) Bye. Alexis Gallati (33:11) you put 100,000, you're getting about 200,000 back. And so it's considered a very conservative investment. And just because the length of the investment, and this is one of the cons of it, is that it's usually about a 10 to 12 year period. So it's generally only about a 7 % return on investment over the life of the investment. the great thing about it is that you let's say if you did put in that hundred thousand, you're getting that 30,000 in savings, and then you can go put that into something else that will earn you even more money. So then this is something that you can do every single year. And, you know, just depends on how much money you want to save and so that how much you put in for that investment. The Dental A Team (33:57) Gosh, that's such a good one. And these are things of like just fun, like tips and topics. Like I said, it's the rules of monopoly. I caught like, how do we play tax strategy better? Alexis, what are any like resources? I feel like you guys have some resources. Like I feel the world of tax is so daunting. And so it's like, we hear from podcasts and we hear snippets and we see TikTok and it's like real estate games. like, where do people go if they like want to dig a little bit deeper and really become like more tax expert and more tax savvy and. like tax strategy, like what are any resources you found or ways for people just to become a little bit more literate in the tax world. Alexis Gallati (34:33) Yes, so ⁓ of course I'm to do a little shameful plug. My book, The ⁓ Advanced Tax Strategies for Medical Professionals, it's really just that it's a brain dump of all different types of strategies, whether it's for your business or W-2 only, charitable, these alternative investments. And so it's really a space. The Dental A Team (34:36) as you should. Alexis Gallati (34:58) for readers to learn more about their options. So then that was the way they can go online and do more research or bring it to their current advisor. So, you know, it's just about opening those possibilities. Otherwise, you know, one resource that is really great for especially medical professionals is the White Coat Investor that Dr. Dali, he has a wonderful, wonderful site and he puts out really good material. The Dental A Team (35:11) Yeah. Alexis Gallati (35:25) when it comes to not only taxes, but also for ⁓ just finances in general. And then, of course, on ⁓ CerebralTaxAdvisors.com, our website has wonderful ⁓ material that I put out all the time. There's lots of goodies there, as well as ⁓ different resources and worksheets and stuff like that. The Dental A Team (35:52) Yeah, no, that's super helpful. But Alexis, what do you find ⁓ as you go through this? Like one, how often are you meeting with your clients? Because I feel like so many CPAs and tax strategists meet with them in like December 1st and they're like, hey, you owe this much money. Is that how you guys plan? Like how should tax planning actually work? or is that normal? Like I'm just trying to find a vibe of how this should work in the industry. Alexis Gallati (36:15) Yeah. Yeah. So when a medical professional first starts working with us, I design a tax plan for them. And that's really critical because right then and there, OK, what can we be doing to dramatically lower your taxes, legally, of course, and set you up for success? And then we meet with our clients at minimum twice a year. So we do a mid-year tax projection and a year-end tax projection. The Dental A Team (36:34) course. Alexis Gallati (36:45) And especially with medical professionals, your income is so variable throughout the year, depending upon insurance reimbursements or seasonality and things like that. And so we really want to make sure that we have a good, clear understanding, good six plus months in advance. Hey, what are you going to be owing tax wise? What does cash flow look like? What quarterly estimated payments do you need to make? All of these things should not be a surprise. So that's why when I built Cerebral in the packages we have, I was really focused around how do we eliminate those surprises. The Dental A Team (37:23) Yeah, no, I love that. that's super helpful because I feel like so many just wait till December and it's like, no, like there's things I could have been doing and if I would have known. So that's super helpful. And then I think the other question is like, okay, you guys are tax strategy. Are you CPA? Are you bookkeeping? Like kind of differentiate. Are you in the financial advisor world? Like what specifically would we say I need you for XYZ, but I'm going to need these people again, like marketing, right? Like what facet of my wealth management are you? and who do I need paired with you? Alexis Gallati (37:54) Yep, so we are your tax compliance, tax planning, your bookkeeping, and CFO services, and also business advising as well. So we're able to set up entities for you ⁓ as well as provide ⁓ just a lot of the years and years of experience that we have in running businesses and seeing different types of practices, et cetera. ⁓ We are not investment advisors, so we won't say, buy Coca-Cola versus Pepsi. But we will introduce you to different investments that have tax benefits. And one very unique quality of Cerebral that's very different from other firms is that we do not take any commissions or kickbacks on any strategies we recommend or vendors we recommend. And we don't sell any products. So we're very education-based. I'm very focused on you understanding your options so you can make a educated decision on what you want to move forward with. And then we are a white glove done for you firm that will implement those strategies on your behalf and make sure they're reported properly on your tax returns. Because that's what we've found being in this industry, especially specializing in medical professionals, is there's a lot of people out there that know about these strategies. but they do not know how to implement them properly. And that honestly is 80 % of the fight when it comes to doing any of these strategies. The Dental A Team (39:26) Yeah, no, that's incredible. So, and again, this is just like naiveness on my side. Do I need a CPA or are you guys the replacement of a CPA? Alexis Gallati (39:35) Yeah, we're the replacement of CPA. We are CPAs. We are EAs. So we are taking care of your tax preparation, so personal and business. We do it all. I try to keep these packages as comprehensive as possible because I hate being nickel and dined. communication's a top priority for us. And so we don't want our clients to hesitate whatsoever to connect with us. And so that's why we don't. The Dental A Team (39:56) Totally. Amazing. Alexis Gallati (40:05) shot like I, my gosh, I just got like a bill from my attorney the other day and it was for stuff that I talked to him about like in August. I'm like, I hate those pop-up bills. So that's yeah, that's, why I try to make it as comprehensive as possible. The Dental A Team (40:10) Yep. Right. Awesome. No, that's fantastic. That's really helpful. And I know a lot of people are very nervous to switch from their CPA. CPAs, feel like we're so embedded and we trust them with our souls. Truly, I see this. ⁓ So is there complementary calls we have with you? how do we start with that? Because I know, honestly, untangling from a CPA is such a pain. It is so annoying. so ⁓ how does that process work if people want to work with you, Alexis? Alexis Gallati (40:46) So the best thing you can do is go to our website and go to the contact page. And you will ⁓ go through a very quick questionnaire to make sure that you're a good fit for us, because we also want to make sure we're a good fit for you. And we will ⁓ have a tax discovery session. And during that session, we will. We'll talk about what your needs are and what it's like to work with us. ⁓ I'm very focused on that return on investment. We actually have a guarantee. with the design of our plans that I will save you at least two times what you pay us in ⁓ tax savings or you get the plan for free. And on average, our clients actually achieve 4.5 multiple with the design of our plans. So again, it doesn't make sense for us to work together if I can't save you more than what you're paying us. The Dental A Team (41:39) That's amazing. No, that's incredible. And that's a great guarantee. And ⁓ then let's say hypothetical, we do get audited. How often do you guys go through audits and like success rate? Like I'm imagining if you were three years in IRS, you're probably pretty fantastic at that. But these are always things that I'm just curious. Like how does that work? And how often are your clients audited? And like, how is your success rate on that? And if you don't want to share this, I hope you do. We're just going to go for it. Like, yeah, I'm just going to ask the weird questions. Why not? Alexis Gallati (42:01) Yeah. I love the weird questions. They're the best. So yeah, that's one thing I can never guarantee that you won't be audited because of course there are always random audits that happen. We've only had three audits since I started Cerebral over 10 years ago. In 2014, I started Cerebral. ⁓ And ⁓ one of them was for the mortgage interest deduction. there's a limitation in that. The Dental A Team (42:18) It's incredible. Alexis Gallati (42:28) Um, and that was just, unfortunately, a client had not provided the correct information. And so we were easily able to just change it and be on our way. Um, and then another two were regarding actually real estate professional status. And that was just New York state saying, Hey, like we don't, we don't think that you're actually qualified for this. we're like, Oh, yeah, we do. Here's the paperwork. And they're like, Oh, okay. See you later. So yeah. The Dental A Team (42:50) Yeah. That's amazing. That's a huge thing. And I'm so glad I asked the question because I think for me, that's something I'm curious on of like, I get it. Like you said, you can't guarantee that, but as long as you back in, do you guys charge extra for those audits or is that part of the plan? Like, nope, we stand behind it. Like, how does that work? Cause I know there's some firms that I have chatted with and if we do get audited, it's like 375 an hour for the audit. And I'm like, okay, like I'll just plan for that. But how does that work for you guys? Alexis Gallati (43:18) Yep, so we back up all of our work and all of our packages. If you do receive a notice for anything that we prepare, you send it to us and we help you take care of it. So yeah, we 100 % back up our work. If you come start working with us and you have some a notice from a year that we didn't handle, like we didn't prepare, we'll still help you handle it. But that would be just. at our hourly rate, depending upon the extensiveness of the notice. But to go back to your original question about making that change, I 100 % get it, especially if you've been with somebody for so long. And so you just have to look at that cost benefit and see, hey, staying with this person, how much is that costing me in tax savings versus The Dental A Team (44:01) Right. Alexis Gallati (44:12) going with somebody like cerebral and we try to go and make that process as seamless as possible when it comes to getting ⁓ up to date in your history and then ⁓ getting access to your bookkeeping and getting your tax returns. ⁓ And so, because I completely understand it can be daunting, but. ⁓ Happy to have a conversation around it when we meet about the discovery session and to see if it's something you'd want to move forward with. The Dental A Team (44:43) Amazing. Alexis, has been such a great podcast and I just love meeting great individuals. I love how much you have a passion for the law and for the tax wealth and it's your own life and your own livelihood. So if people want to reach out, I know you said it before, how do they connect with you? So yeah, they can get started if they're interested. Alexis Gallati (45:01) Yeah. So you can Google us or just go to CerebralTaxAdvisors.com. And which by the way, the reason why I have cerebral is because my husband is a private practice neurosurgeon and my dad's a retired private practice neurologist. hence cerebral in the brain. So if y'all can remember. But yeah, so CerebralTaxAdvisors.com is the best way to get a hold of us. The Dental A Team (45:14) There you go. I love it. Yeah. Alexis Gallati (45:27) ⁓ And I look forward to potentially talking with y'all. The Dental A Team (45:32) Well, Alexis, thank you so much for this. And for all of you listening, I hope you take advantage between now and April 15th. I hope you just like have a conversation. I'm always pro. I love CPAs. My CPA listens to this podcast and I'm always interested in meeting new people like Alexis, chatting with them. Are there different ways that they can benefit me? Because yes, I love my CPA, but I love more than that saving money and learning new strategies that maybe I didn't know about. So Alexis, I really hope a lot of them reach out to you, connect with you and for All of you listening, thank you for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.
Paul Hood, CPA, Personal Financial Specialist, and CEO of PaulHood, joins the show to share a raw and transformative journey from "the wrong side of the tracks" to the helm of the nation's largest single-owner CPA firm. He opens up about the grit required to break generational cycles of addiction and incarceration, and the humbling moment a Christian counselor challenged his entitlement, ultimately saving his 38-year marriage. Listeners will discover how adopting a "Kingdom stewardship" mindset can replace fear-based ambition with profound joy and explosive professional growth.Guest Links:Paul's LinkedInPaulHood94XBook: Roadkill Tastes Like ChickenCredits: Host: Lisa Nichols, Executive Producer: Jenny Heal, Marketing Support: Landon Burke and Joe Szynkowski, Podcast Engineer: Portside Media
1686 Wesley Read - PracticeCFO and Practice Orbit : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran Wesley Read, CPA, CFP®, is the Founder and CEO of PracticeCFO and Practice Orbit, and a nationally recognized financial strategist for dental practice owners. A former Big 4 accountant at Ernst & Young, Wes left corporate accounting to focus exclusively on helping doctors run more profitable practices and build long-term financial independence through CFO-level guidance. Through PracticeCFO, Wes provides dentists with integrated accounting, tax, payroll, and financial planning services, pairing each client with a dedicated CFO Advisor who understands both their business and personal finances. He is also the creator of Associates On Fire, a free financial education platform for dental associates, and the host of The Dental Board Room Podcast and The Dental Practice Sale Podcast. Wes holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in accountancy from Brigham Young University and is Series 65 licensed.
This episode is part of our Client Seat series, where financial coaches get real-time financial coaching from Kelsa. It's a great opportunity to showcase what goes into a financial coaching session. If you're a financial professional, you can apply to be a guest on a future Client Seat episode.Being a financial coach doesn't mean your own money is always perfect. Different seasons of life require different systems, and sometimes what worked beautifully before stops working entirely.Michelle Kopp is a CPA and financial coach living in Guatemala. Before moving from the U.S., her money was completely under control. Then her family relocated internationally, and everything fell apart. Bills are now paid in cash. Day-to-day spending is cash. She went from total control to tracking every dollar in a Google form, which she hates doing.This week's episode is about what happens when your context changes so dramatically that you have to rebuild. Michelle needed someone else to help her see what she couldn't see on her own. That's completely normal, even for financial professionals.You'll hear how we worked through the comparison trap she'd fallen into, identified what was worth keeping from her previous approach, and created a concrete plan that gives her stability without trying to control every dollar. This is what it looks like to help someone stabilize first before trying to optimize everything at once. Needing to rebuild doesn't mean you're failing. It means your season changed.Links & Resources:How to Create Buy-in - Free WorkshopBe on a future Client Seat episodeJoin the Facebook groupMichelle's websiteKey Takeaways:When your context changes, your old system might not fit anymore. Michelle's Plan Ahead Method (now called SpendFirst™) worked perfectly in the U.S. but couldn't translate to Guatemala's cash-based economy. You're not failing if what used to work stops working.Comparison will keep you stuck. Michelle kept measuring her current spending against what she spent before the move, expecting Guatemala to be cheaper. That comparison made her feel like she was failing instead of recognizing she was rebuilding.Stabilize first, optimize later. The goal isn't to create the perfect system immediately. It's to create enough stability that you can work with what you have, then refine from there.Your effort might be scattered, not insufficient. Michelle was putting in tons of effort tracking every dollar, but that effort wasn't getting her anywhere. Sometimes you need to redirect your energy, not add more of it.Cash needs different routines than digital money. When most of your spending is cash, you can't rely on bank statements to tell you where money went. You need a withdrawal schedule that creates predictability.Even financial professionals need outside perspective. Michelle is a CPA and financial coach, but she couldn't see her own patterns clearly. Sometimes you need someone else to ask questions you can't ask yourself.Progress happens in layers. We didn't try to solve every aspect of Michelle's money in one session. We tackled the biggest chaos creators first so she could build from a stable foundation.
Roma Pithadiya is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Affordable Insurance and Financial Services (AIFS), a financial services and insurance advisory firm based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas. She is a seasoned financial professional and entrepreneur with extensive experience in insurance, financial planning, and wealth protection.Roma immigrated to the United States with limited resources and has built her career from the ground up, becoming a respected advisor to individuals, families, and small businesses in matters of health insurance, life insurance, auto and home protection, and long-term financial planning. She has been active in the financial services industry for well over a decade and is known for her deep commitment to client education and advocacy.She is also recognized as a Million Dollar Immigrant, a title reflecting her journey from starting penniless in the U.S. to achieving significant success in the insurance and financial advisory business.In addition to her executive role, Roma engages heavily in community service: she is active with the Lions Club, participates in senior citizen organizations, and serves on committees for cultural and religious groups. She frequently speaks on financial literacy and planning topics at national stages, including events hosted by CNN, the Harvard Club of Boston, New York Life, Nasdaq, and the MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table).Her expertise spans health insurance (including Medicare and individual policies), life and annuity products, retirement planning, and strategies for tax-efficient financial growth. Roma also works to empower clients to manage their finances wisely and protect their financial futures with well-structured, personalized solutions.Learn more: https://aifsgroupbyroma.com/Roma Pithadiya is not an attorney or CPA. Affordable Insurance and Financial Services does not provide legal or tax advice. Any discussion of financial strategies is general in nature and not a recommendation. Insurance and financial products involve risk and may not be suitable for all individuals. Licensing and availability vary by state.Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/roma-pithadiya-president-and-ceo-of-affordable-insurance-and-financial-services-discussing-the-hybrid-approach-to-tax-free-retirement
Roma Pithadiya is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Affordable Insurance and Financial Services (AIFS), a financial services and insurance advisory firm based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas. She is a seasoned financial professional and entrepreneur with extensive experience in insurance, financial planning, and wealth protection.Roma immigrated to the United States with limited resources and has built her career from the ground up, becoming a respected advisor to individuals, families, and small businesses in matters of health insurance, life insurance, auto and home protection, and long-term financial planning. She has been active in the financial services industry for well over a decade and is known for her deep commitment to client education and advocacy.She is also recognized as a Million Dollar Immigrant, a title reflecting her journey from starting penniless in the U.S. to achieving significant success in the insurance and financial advisory business.In addition to her executive role, Roma engages heavily in community service: she is active with the Lions Club, participates in senior citizen organizations, and serves on committees for cultural and religious groups. She frequently speaks on financial literacy and planning topics at national stages, including events hosted by CNN, the Harvard Club of Boston, New York Life, Nasdaq, and the MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table).Her expertise spans health insurance (including Medicare and individual policies), life and annuity products, retirement planning, and strategies for tax-efficient financial growth. Roma also works to empower clients to manage their finances wisely and protect their financial futures with well-structured, personalized solutions.Learn more: https://aifsgroupbyroma.com/Roma Pithadiya is not an attorney or CPA. Affordable Insurance and Financial Services does not provide legal or tax advice. Any discussion of financial strategies is general in nature and not a recommendation. Insurance and financial products involve risk and may not be suitable for all individuals. Licensing and availability vary by state.Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/roma-pithadiya-president-and-ceo-of-affordable-insurance-and-financial-services-discussing-irs-and-insurance