Podcasts about cpas

This Week In Startups is made possible by: Northwest Registered Agent https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twistdomain CLA https://claconnect.com/withyou Rippling https://Rippling.ai/twist Today's show: Hugging Face's $399 Microduck and the art of companies taking on side quests. Then, we get into Dwarkesh Patel's "The Rise and Fall of Agent Civilizations," which blew up online this weekend. Jason calls the "secret AI civilization" framing deliberate PR, and thinks it's inflammatory enough that someone might attack a data center over it. Then, Anders Forslund of Heart Aerospace shows off the X1, a battery-powered electric airliner designed for regional flights that can fly for 30 minutes on just $5 of juice. PLUS, we've got John Yu of Bitsec explaining how his subnet project outperformed Fable 5 in website vulnerability checks. Guests: Anders Forslund on X: https://x.com/AndersForslund1?s=2 Heart Aerospace: https://www.heartaerospace.com/ John Yu on X: https://x.com/yubrew Bitsec: https://sentios.io/ & https://sentios.io/ Relevant Links: MicroDuck: https://pollen-robotics.com/microduck/ Dwarkesh Patel, "The Rise and Fall of Agent Civilizations," https://www.dwarkesh.com/p/openai-huggingface Dwarkesh's launch thread on X: https://x.com/dwarkesh_sp/status/2093833419377815719 METR's independent investigation of the OpenAI/Hugging Face incident: https://metr.org/blog/2026-08-26-openai-hugging-face-incident-investigation/ X1 first flight announcement — https://www.heartaerospace.com/newsroom/heart-aerospace-completes-first-flight-of-world-s-largest-electric-aircraft JSX (JetSuiteX) — https://www.jsx.com/ Pilatus PC-12 —https://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/en/fly/pc-12 Surf Air — https://www.surfair.com/ Zcash → https://z.cash/ Timestamps: 0:00 Is Hugging Face's Microduck the greatest side quest ever? 5:31 Jason puts Clem Delangue and Jensen Huang in charge of AI PR 11:20 Northwest Registered Agent - Got a new business idea? Northwest Registered Agent helps you bring it to life. Get a free domain, email, phone number, and more - with no purchase required! Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistdomain 18:55 Top story: Dwarkesh Patel's "The Rise and Fall of Agent Civilizations" 19:22 Why agents act like people: they were trained on us 19:30 CLA - Innovation takes balance. CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors can help you get from startup to where you want to end up. Get started now at https://www.claconnect.com/withyou 21:49 "I know good PR when I see it" 23:11 The prompt Jason says OpenAI should have written instead 26:44 The data center backlash and the politicians who will flip 30:07 Rippling - Don't settle for AI that's all talk. Head to https://Rippling.ai/twist to get the only AI built to give you full visibility across your startup and take complex actions across your entire business. 33:19 Guest: Anders Forslund, Heart Aerospace, and the X1's first flight 39:40 Turboprops vs. jets and the regional routes America lost 42:33 JSX, Santa Monica Airport, and 5,000 underused airports 44:54 Why Boeing won't build this: the innovator's dilemma 53:14 Guest: John Yu, Bitsec — Bittensor Subnet 60 55:01 How the subnet works: miners, validators, $10K a day 57:17 Bitsec vs. a frontier model: 160+ vulnerabilities to 60 59:37 Was the agent civilization story a pre-IPO PR play? 1:05:10 Sentios.io and continuous coverage Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp   Follow Lon: X: https://x.com/lons   Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/   Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland   Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis   Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Send us Fan MailApparently everybody is country now, including people who probably couldn't identify a cow without Google Lens. This week on Mike & Blaine, we're figuring out how country music went from something people proudly claimed to hate to taking over the charts, stadiums, TikTok dances, and apparently half the closets in New York.We'll argue about whether modern country is actually country, why Luke Combs just had NFL stadiums teasing his tour, and how many cowboy hats you can sell to people who've never touched a horse.Beyond the whiskey songs, belt buckles, and questionable line dancing, there is a serious masterclass in business strategy here. What happens when a hyper-specific niche explodes into a global movement? In this episode, we break down the core business tactics and market dynamics driving this trend.Grab a beer, dust off the boots you bought for one wedding, and saddle up with Cash Flow Mike and Blaine Bertsch!Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0uqIq4roHGcWe want to hear from you! beer@mikeandblaine.comLove the show? Visit mikeandblaine.com to buy us a beer!Thanks to our Beer Sponsors:Karen Hairston from 3S Smart ConsultingCPA Larry Weinstein, the Cash Flow Cowboy from Houston TexasNeighbor PatTrey MiltonListen to all our episodes at mikeandblaine.comLearn about:Cash Flow Mike who trains CPAs to provide effective advisory to their clients at cashflowmike.comDryrun Cash Flow Forecasting for the office of the CFO where they get finance teams out of spreadsheets at dryrun.comWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0uqIq4roHGc#CountryMusic #CountryTok #ChoosinTexas #EllaLangley #LukeCombs #LineDancing #Wrangler #Stetson #Lucchese #Ariat #Spotify #CMT #CMA #MorganWallen #PostMalone #CoorsLight #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusiness #MarketStrategy #BrandPositioning #CashFlow #EntrepreneurshipSupport the showCatch more episodes, see our sponsors and get in touch at https://mikeandblaine.com/

Most real estate investors spend decades building their portfolios. Very few have a plan for what happens when it's time to step back. Whether the goal is passing assets to family, bringing in a successor, or simply having choices later in life, succession is rarely just a financial question. The relationship dynamics, unspoken assumptions, and fear of hard conversations are what cause most transitions to fail. In this episode, Elizabeth Ledoux, founder of The Transition Strategists, breaks down why only about a third of businesses successfully transition to the next generation, what the other two-thirds get wrong, and how to build a transition roadmap that actually works for real estate investors and family business owners. About Elizabeth Ledoux Elizabeth Ledoux is the founder of The Transition Strategists and creator of the Transition 3.0 methodology. She has spent more than 30 years helping family and private business owners navigate succession, with a focus on the relationship challenges that cause most transitions to fail. Her firm's Evolve program has helped clients achieve a succession success rate of over 90%, compared to a national average of roughly 33%. Elizabeth began her career as a petroleum engineer before founding multiple businesses and moving into strategy consulting. She is co-author of three books including the award-winning "It's a Journey: The MUST-HAVE Roadmap to Successful Succession Planning," and host of the Business Transition Roadmap podcast. What We Cover in This Episode Why investors default to lawyers and CPAs first and what they miss by doing so Transition 1.0: building a secret succession plan that no one knows about until the owner dies Transition 2.0: telling people what will happen, but still top-down with no co-creation Transition 3.0: building the roadmap together, with the transitioner always as the driver Why strategies fail when people are not engaged: "Strategies don't work when people don't execute" The fear that keeps owners silent: what happens when you tell people you are thinking about leaving Why outside facilitators unlock conversations that families cannot have on their own The real reason a son said he wanted a job in the family business, and what he actually wanted A real estate disaster: how an undisclosed will nearly destroyed a mother-son relationship, required three separate valuations, and generated enormous legal bills A real estate success: how one developer's family divided a hotel, spa, senior living, and development portfolio equally among three children and built a functioning board together Why "people don't live up to your expectations, they only live up to their commitments" The Evolve program: a 12-month flat-rate roadmap process and what it covers When to start: why earlier is better and how Elizabeth ran her own succession roadmap years before she found her successor The hub model: how The Transition Strategists coordinates with your existing CPA and attorney without replacing them How to set up a board for a family-owned real estate business and why it is a practice, not just a structure What the 73-year-old single-family portfolio owner should do first Key Insight Elizabeth described a father who believed he had everything handled. His son was running the operating company. The will was prepared. In his mind, it was all set. When he died unexpectedly, his wife, who had never been involved in the business, took over out of fear. She was the primary owner and had no context for what the plan was supposed to be. The son had to sue his own mother to preserve the business. He won, and was able to buy her out. But the cost was three separate valuations at roughly $20,000 each, significant legal fees, and a family relationship that took years to partially repair. The father thought he was protecting everyone. What he was actually doing was protecting himself from a difficult conversation. Why This Episode Matters Real estate investors pour years into building portfolios but most have no transition plan that accounts for the human side. The legal and tax structures can be perfectly designed and still fail if the people involved have not agreed to their roles or do not understand the plan. Investors with family members, partners, or staff who will inherit, buy in, or step up need to start this process well before it is urgent. This episode gives a clear framework for doing that, with real examples from real estate families who got it right and families who did not. Find Out More Website: https://www.transitionstrategists.com Sponsors Today's episode is brought to you by Green Property Management, managing everything from single family homes to apartment complexes in the West Michigan area. https://www.livegreenlocal.com And RCB & Associates, helping Michigan-based real estate investors and small business owners navigate the complex world of health insurance and medicare benefits. https://www.rcbassociatesllc.com

Brad Wooten, CPA, joins Steven Jarvis, CPA, to share his firsthand experience opening Trump Accounts for his three children and why he views them as long-term retirement savings. They discuss how the accounts work, what happens when children turn 18, and why future Roth conversions and kiddie tax considerations matter. The conversation then shifts to the relationship between financial advisors and CPAs and how advisors can be appropriately tax-aware without overstepping. Brad shares real-world examples of clients facing unexpected tax bills because financial decisions were made without enough communication about their tax consequences. Steven and Brad emphasize that advisors do not need to become tax experts to improve collaboration with CPAs. Instead, proactive communication and simply recognizing that financial decisions can have tax implications can go a long way. https://zurl.co/R9rb7  

Started your firm to be your own boss? So why does it feel like your firm bosses you around now?More clients, more revenue, more growth may not set you free. Often, it just builds a nicer cage.This episode maps the slow slide from freedom to feeling trapped, and hands you one question that changes everything downstream. Stop asking how to grow your firm. Start asking how to become a high-freedom CPA. Listen, then decide what you actually want.…Link to full shownotes: https://www.businessstrategyforcpas.com/399…Want the skinny on pricing?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 to hear what works, from 57+ clients?Check out the Client Success Stories podcast: LISTEN »

Steven Phillips, CPA, is a financial professional with a background in public accounting and extensive experience in tax planning, retirement strategies. He works with individuals, families, and business owners to develop coordinated financial strategies focused on tax efficiency, sustainable retirement income, and long-term wealth preservation. Steven is known for combining his accounting expertise with practical financial experience to help clients make informed decisions and build greater financial confidence.Lear More: https://www.ccgcpas.com/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-steve-phillips-managing-partner-of-ccg-cpas

What if some of your best real estate opportunities aren't traditional leads—they're people with problems you can actually solve?In this solo episode, Chris shares how he went from making $25,000 a year in ministry to finding his first real estate deals by literally knocking on the doors of homeowners facing foreclosure. He explains how massive imperfect action helped him get started, why distressed properties became a foundation of his real estate business, and how agents can apply the same principles today.Chris breaks down two major sources of opportunity: building deep referral relationships with professionals like estate attorneys, financial planners, divorce attorneys, and CPAs, and using curated data to identify homeowners who may be more likely to need real estate help. He also explains why better lists, better tools, and consistent follow-up can dramatically improve the effectiveness of your prospecting.In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why massive imperfect action can beat waiting until you know exactly what you're doing How distressed-property opportunities helped Chris build his real estate business How to build referral relationships with estate attorneys, financial planners, divorce attorneys, and CPAs How curated data can help you “hunt where the ducks are” instead of blindly cold callingHow to prioritize an existing database based on which contacts are most likely to sell The simple combination Chris recommends: referral partners + targeted data + working the list consistentlyConnect with Chris:Instagram: @craddrockFacebook: Chris Craddock BusinessRESOURCES: 

Advanced Financial BasicsSuccess is boring. That's not a knock — it's the whole point. The best tennis players in the world don't win with highlight-reel shots; they win by making almost every easy shot and missing almost nothing. Wealth-building works the same way. This week, David Chudyk, CFP®, breaks down BASICS — a six-letter framework covering the unglamorous, "advanced" fundamentals that actually move the needle for people who are already building real wealth.What BASICS Actually Stands ForB — Budget. Not a lecture about canceling subscriptions. The real question isn't "can I afford this," it's "is this appropriate for my current situation." For some listeners — especially those with a solid nest egg — an appropriate spending plan means spending more, not less.A — Allocation. Where should your money actually live — checking, real estate, retirement accounts, an emergency fund, speculative positions? "Should I buy the hot new IPO?" is really an allocation question in disguise, and there's no universal right answer without knowing the full picture.S — Systems. We don't rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems. This segment covers the financial habits — recurring money check-ins, subscription audits, auto-pay, systematic investing — that quietly determine whether goals actually happen.I — Insurance. Insurance isn't exciting, and David doesn't pretend otherwise — but its job is simple: it protects your money, nothing more, nothing less. Includes a breakdown of life insurance, liability coverage, and why finding a great local independent insurance agent is real advice, not a throwaway line.C — Caring. Tying back to David's core philosophy — how we handle our money should positively impact our lives and the lives of those around us — this segment covers generosity beyond the tax-deductible check, and a candid look at whether your spending actually reflects what you say you value.S — Support. Borrowing from Dr. Benjamin Hardy's Who Not How, David makes the case that the right question isn't "how do I figure this out myself," it's "who already knows how to do this." Financial advisors, CPAs, attorneys, fractional CFOs, and mastermind groups all make the list.Bonus Content: Allocation, Round TwoStick around after the outro for a bonus deep-dive on allocation: why the goal of investing isn't always the highest possible return, how David solves for the required rate of return needed to hit a goal, and why a 79-year-old getting a lucky 40% return doesn't mean their money was allocated correctly.Resources MentionedFree E-Book: The Rainmaker's Dilemma — for business owners stuck as the primary revenue driver in their own companyBook Referenced: Who Not How by Dr. Benjamin HardyRelated Episode: "The Richest Corpse in the Graveyard" (referenced in the Budget segment)Where Are You Strong? Where Are You Weak?Leave David a voicemail at weeklywealthpodcast.com and tell him which of the six basics you need to work on. Or skip straight to a conversation: Book your free Vision Call.

Denise Givan, a seasoned tax strategist and CEO of CoachMe2Life Financial Consultancy, shares her insights on tax planning, business structuring, and real estate investment strategies. This episode offers valuable tips for high-income earners and real estate investors looking to optimize their financial strategies and grow their businesses.   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   —--------------------

Welcome to the 9Innings Podcast where we Educate, Empower and Engage. In this episode of Facts of Our Feelings, tKevin breaks down key differences between tax professionals-CPAs, Enrolled Agents (EAs), and PTIN holders. We clarify that not all CPAs specialize in taxes, while EAs are federally authorized specifically for taxation and IRS representation. PTIN holders can prepare returns but lack equivalent credentials or representation rights. The episode also distinguishes tax preparation (backward-looking) from tax planning (forward-looking), emphasizing that many preparers don't offer proactive planning. Listeners are encouraged to ask the right questions when hiring a tax professional based on their individual financial complexity. Understanding the CPA (Certified Public Accountant)- (00:01:39) The Enrolled Agent (EA) Designation- (00:04:37) Representation Rights of CPAs and EAs- (00:06:09) The PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number) Holder (00:07:41) Tax Planning vs. Tax Preparation (00:09:05) Who Should You Hire? (00:10:17) Key Questions to Ask Your Tax Professional (00:11:33) NEWSLETTER (WHAT NOW): https://substack.com/@9icapital?r=2eig6s&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page Follow Us: youtube: / @9icap Linkedin: / kevin-thompson-ricp%c2%ae-cfp%c2%ae-74964428 facebook: / mlb2cfp Buy MLB2CFP Here: https://www.amazon.com/MLB-CFP%C2%AE-90-Feet-Counting-ebook/dp/B0BLJPYNS4 Website: http://www.9icapitalgroup.com Hit the subscribe button to get new content notifications. Corrections: Editing by http://SwoleNerdProductions.com Disclosure: https://sites.google.com/view/9idisclosure/disclosure

Keith breaks down why global crises, geopolitical shocks, and nonstop "doom" headlines haven't stopped stocks and real estate from reaching near all-time highs, and what that means for investors focused on inflation-resistant assets.  He also discusses Memphis as a surprising cash-flow market poised to benefit from the AI boom, sharing details on an upcoming webinar with Mid South Homebuyers.  Keith is joined by real estate investor and educator Jared Garfield to unpack the "Seven-Figure Solution," a strategy that combines cash-flowing rentals with tax-advantaged life insurance to create liquidity, reduce risk, and support long-term retirement income.  Together, they explore how disciplined portfolio growth, smart leverage, and coordinated tax planning can help real estate investors better align their assets with their long-term financial goals. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/619 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  FAMILY to 66866  Join Mid South Home Buyers' one-time, free live webinar featuring Keith Weinhold on September 30 at GetRichEducation.com/MidSouth to learn how Memphis' economic expansion could create new real estate investment opportunities, and have your questions answered in real time. Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com  Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript: Keith Weinhold  0:02   Welcome to GRE. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. The world is about to end again. It's the economic disaster that never arrives. I'll break it down. Then you've been earning money and investing well all these years. How does it all go together? It can culminate in the seven-figure solution, it's about seeing your future today on Get Rich Education. What if I told you that one of America's strongest cash flow real estate markets is also becoming the new brains and brawn behind AI? That city is Memphis, believe it or not. And September 30th, we're going to show you why the smart money is paying attention now, along with an investing opportunity you won't want to miss. Join me, Terry Kerr and Matthew Van Horn of Mid South Homebuyers, the largest turnkey company in Memphis with more than 6,000 homes under management, for a free live webinar, the likes of which I've never done before, we're going to look at what billions in new investment could mean for jobs, housing demand, neighborhood appreciation, and your portfolio. Everyone who attends live will also get exclusive access to the best deal terms Mid South has ever offered. Reserve your free seat at getricheducation.com/midsouth again that september 30. Don't say we didn't tell you. Save your spot at getricheducation.com/midsouth.   Speaker 1  1:39   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is Get Rich Education.   Keith Weinhold  1:55   Welcome to GRE from Kankakee, Illinois, to Cherokee, Iowa, and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold. This is Get Recid Education, and the world is about to end. Even if you survive, your portfolio surely won't. Oh, jeez. At least that's the impression you get from mass media and what I'll call the Doom Scroll Industrial Complex. Fear creates urgency. Urgency attracts eyeballs. Eyeballs attract ad dollars. And I guess that using a slogan like "everything will probably be fine" well, that's never been a great ratings strategy. Now, can what has happened since 2020. Just this cheery little sequence: COVID, then Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, tariffs, and then the war in Iran. All that just since 2020. I mean, that right there sounds less like an economic timeline and more like a movie plot, or that the world is repeatedly spinning the wheel of misfortune. Yet after all of that, what is the result? Both stocks and residential real estate are near all-time highs. Apparently, the apocalypse has been postponed yet again-at least economically speaking. Now let's zoom out and break down these threats and a few more, all just since 2020, because 2020 is the year where, of course, you had the COVID-19 pandemic, economic shutdowns, the fastest major stock bear market in history, supply chain breakdown. You saw empty shelves, and there was unprecedented government intervention from the Paycheck Protection Program to stimulus checks to mortgage loan forbearance. Then, in 2021 and 2022, you had post-COVID inflation and supply shortages. Now, this was more of a result, not strictly geopolitical, but a major investment threat, and that led to aggressive interest rate hikes. From 2022 to the present, you have Russia's invasion of Ukraine, energy and food shocks came from that, sanctions, instability over in Europe, and really a heightened nuclear risk in 2023. You had the U.S. regional banking crisis. Remember SVB, yes, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, First Republic. They raised fears of a financial contagion that would spread like fat. Than a secret in a small town, it actually made me buy some gold. From 2023 to the present, you had the Israel-Hamas war and this broad Middle East instability, Hezbollah attacks, Houthi attacks, Red Sea shipping disruptions. It's almost like a geopolitical group project. And then from 2025 to the present, you have renewed U.S. tariffs and a global trade war, and this year you have the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz disruption. That is the biggest current geopolitical investment threat because it combines all of these things: war, oil disruption, inflation, higher interest rates, and a recession risk. So it's a lot like this particularly unpleasant smoothie that's been blended together.   Keith Weinhold  5:55   All right. Well, all of that-that is just an absurd amount of uncertainty and disruption only since 2020, and though major markets are at all-time highs in the face of this, let's acknowledge that some were hurt here, like apartment building owners vulnerable to interest rate resets, and certain commercial sectors like office. Even worse, let's be sensitive to the fact that COVID in wars have resulted in a real loss of life. GRE's enduring strategy of primarily owning long-term residential rentals with fixed-rate debt has been comparatively really resilient. In fact, these calamities-they probably made you better off from the inflation that it has spurred. More people work from home. Well, that means that they're consuming our product while higher inflation debased our debt and jacked up our property values and our rents. And you know somehow every. single generation thinks that their collection of crises is uniquely terrifying, and it is not. And what do I mean by this? Well, in the 1980s, people feared war with the Soviet Union, the Cold War. A global population explosion so bad that millions or billions of people would surely die from hunger. You had the AIDS crisis. You had a hole in the ozone layer. Well, all those things. Virtually zero investors make decisions based on that stuff: an imminent Soviet attack or mass starvation from overpopulation. There is one thing that is 100% certain here, and that is that more shocks are coming. In case you don't want to sleep well, you can get worked up over the certainty of future calamities, artificial intelligence is making cyber attacks faster and more scalable. AI has even created entirely novel viruses. A confrontation between China and Taiwan that could create risk in the semiconductor space.   Keith Weinhold  8:18   A blockade that might disrupt the world's advanced chip supply, creating more inflation and more uncertainty. Here is what's changed, though, for what investors care about. You know what has changed with today's set of calamities versus those of the 1980s and earlier, because there is something, and it's a big deal for investors. Here's what's changed: recent history shows that the government does more to intervene during disasters, stimulus checks, liquidity programs where they're printing trillions, bailouts, pushing interest rates down to almost zero, quantitative easing. How about a foreclosure moratorium? Anything you know during COVID, it was a lot of these things, and it was the CARES Act, and it was a student loan payment pause. I mean, the Federal Reserve even set up emergency credit facilities. We now know that when the economic building catches fire, policymakers they rarely stand around admiring the flames. They just flood the place with currency. So the best investors they keep prudently building real estate portfolios in the face of risk, not the absence of risk, because the latter does not exist. This incessant government intervention, whether you agree with it or not, it gives you more safety cushions the next time that things fall apart. That's why what appears risk. Is still risky, but less so. So there is more incentive to take on prudent risk than I've ever seen. You know, no politician wants America to fall apart under their watch. So increasingly, they'll just paper over the problem by printing, printing, printing, and then, therefore, the resultant inflation, the consequence of this, that can be dealt with under the next president's watch, not theirs. In fact, future calamities they almost make you want to own scarce real assets that benefit from inflation, not a hedge, a benefit. Trying to time every war, election, banking crisis, tariff announcement, virus, and Fed decision. Trying to time all of those things-that is usually ineffective. You either own more assets, or you get left behind in everything that's happened since 2020. That just underscores this. In fact, Berkshire Hathaway, the closely watched company that Warren Buffett ran for a long time, but he still has influence in.   Keith Weinhold  11:16   You know, they recently began moving out of cash and into assets, they ended their long net selling stretch. In fact, in the latest quarter ended, they've now done the most buying that they've done since early 2022. They have jumped back in the game. It appears that Berkshire Hathaway got tired of sitting on the sidelines and seeing others make gains, and they're pretty bullish on housing too. They bought a home builder. The bottom line here is that shocks are going to keep arriving, and yet productive assets and well-financed residential real estate has repeatedly survived them and just continued appreciating. Don't wait for a risk-free world because you'll wait forever. When you evaluate all these calamities, just since 2020, again, COVID, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, tariffs, and war in Iran, and then you realize that both real estate and stocks are near all-time highs anyway, and the government keeps backstopping asset owners like never before. This is just a fresh angle on how much better off you are when you prudently own more inflation-benefiting assets sooner. I want to tell you about something called the seven-figure solution. You've been here listening to me weekly since 2014. You've been earning money. You've been investing well, and now you're going to see how it all goes together. It's about making sure that your real estate and your other assets appropriately fund your retirement in a way that gives you protection against market downturns, a tax advantage pool of liquidity, the death benefit of a life insurance policy, and actually introduces you to a new form of leverage all at the same time. Now the liquidity here is key because this is where a 401(k) or IRA limit you, they have taxes and penalties if you want to use those funds early. This doesn't, but the seven-figure solution-it's not just for retirees. In fact, our own in-house investment coach Narayish uses something like this, and he is in his 30s. Let's discuss it, and then you'll see where I have an invitation for you, where you can get involved. I'd like to welcome in a guest we last had on the show a few years ago.   Keith Weinhold  13:54   He's a frequent guest on popular shows, including our friends over at the Real Estate Guys Radio Show, and this guest has also been a terrestrial radio show host himself. He's a long-time real estate educator and an active investor, just like you and I. So he speaks from experience and not a textbook. He's the creator of what we'll discuss today, called the Seven Figure Solution. Welcome back to the show, Jared Garfield.   Jared Garfield  14:21   Hey, it's great to be with you again. Thanks for having me.   Keith Weinhold  14:25   It's so good. Now you're with the Haven Bridge Group, and you help people, especially real estate investors, with what's called the seven-figure solution. Tell us about it.   Jared Garfield  14:37   it. Well, Haven Bridge, we get the name for that because people are really looking for a haven of safety, and the bridge is kind of what crosses the gaps that could kind of destroy your wealth, and it's the path to get there. So we want to take people on a path to safety, and the seven-figure solution is the idea that if you're going to be drawing out even 4% per year to not outlive your money, because people are living now. To 8590, 95 years old, and so that means you could have 35 years in retirement. And with inflation and different things like that, you really have to have a lot bigger nest egg than what most people realize. So a seven-figure solution is how to get to more than a million dollars liquid that you can draw on in a tax advantaged manner for the rest of your life, while also having living benefits. And we pull real estate in with it because we want people to have 10 or 15 or 20 rental properties by the time they retired. That they 1031 exchange regularly, so that they're always keeping tax advantages. So that even in retirement you have strong tax advantages, and ultimately we think that when you're 65 or 70, you might want to go from 30 single-family houses to 1031 exchange into one institutional asset that's a little bit less management intensive.   Keith Weinhold  15:57   Okay, so this is a tax advantage vehicle that real estate investors can use during their investing career, and those tax advantages then really convert into something that you can use in retirement as well.   Jared Garfield  16:11   Yes, what it does is it's a vehicle that instead of saving the money from your cash flow from your rental properties in the bank, we say, well, why wouldn't you rather invest in something where it grows tax-free, number one, and then number two, you don't have the penalties like you would with a 401k, where you get taxed and you get penalized 10% if you pull it out. It's liquid, usually about 80 to 90% liquid, so you can pull from it whenever you like, and you can use it for down payments to grow your real estate portfolio. But you can earn sometimes between five and even seven or 8% in a tax advantaged manner where you're not taxed on it, but you're earning a much higher return than if you put the cash flow into a bank.   Keith Weinhold  16:51   All right, so you're building this tax advantage pool of capital that grows over time, and this is important to have some liquidity. You know, Jared, I've often talked to our audience, about three to 5% of your portfolio value ought to be kept liquid. Maybe with a vehicle like this, you would want to put in more of that because real estate investors we have expenses, so you have this liquidity to cover things like vacancies and major repairs, or perhaps you could even use this account for future down payments on additional investment properties. Is that how it's utilized?   Jared Garfield  17:27   Yeah, absolutely. And I get it partially this way because in my early 20s, I got up to where I had about six rentals, and at the time, I also owned a real estate brokerage, and I was doing very well. I was making a six-figure income and things. And what happened is, I back when a   Keith Weinhold  17:41   six-figure income was a big deal.   Jared Garfield  17:43   Yeah, back in the early 2000s, it was a little bit better money. But the funny thing was, I had four rental properties that all went vacant at the same exact time, and so now all of a sudden, I was paying like 4500 bucks a month in mortgages, not counting the house I lived in, but I had to cover four mortgages on four of my rental properties all at the same time, and I hadn't saved the cash flow, so I didn't have a huge emergency fund. All my liquid capital went into down payments and into renovation money to rehab the properties. Okay, and so it put me in a real bind, and I was out driving a Volvo S80 around throwing two paper routes in the mornings, and then going to my real estate brokerage after my paper routes to cover those rental properties. And so this was basically meant as a way to say, okay, this is a way that I have the liquidity. I'm getting a higher return, but now my tenants are not only buying me the houses, but they're also giving me a couple million dollars in life insurance, and they're wrapping my investment component or the cash value of that, the cash value part of the policy. They're wrapping that in a way that it grows tax-free, so it just accomplishes a lot of things. But the other thing that's a beautiful thing about it is there's a lot of things that we call living benefits.   Keith Weinhold  19:02   All right, so you have the living benefits and the tax advantages, and I know how you have pointed out that this can save an investor 10s of 1000s of dollars in taxes per year and hundreds of 1000s or more over time. Can you tell us more about that?   Jared Garfield  19:20   Yeah, because what happens is the money that goes in is growing tax-free, so you don't get taxed on any of the growth. But what we really like about it is, let's say that you're cash-flowing $2,000 a month off your rental properties, and you're putting 2000 a month into this policy. Usually, after the first year, if you're max funding, 80 to 90% of that's liquid. So if you've got 24,000 sitting in there, you've got access to 89 to 90% of the money. So it's pretty liquid. But what happens is over a 20 or 30 year period, that money could turn into three or 400,000 a year that you can pull out in the form of policy loans. And by doing that, it's not taxed. And you can pull that out throughout your retirement tax-free. So if you were paying 25% in taxes and you're pulling out 200 grand a year, that's $50,000 a year in retirement that you're saving in taxes. But that could be over a 20 or 30-year period. So over 20 years, that 50,000 could end up being a lot of money. I mean, 500,000 over 10 years, a million over 20, and so that means you don't have to accumulate as much. But a lot of our investors love it because they'll save it up with discipline, and then that way it's there if the furnace blows. So it makes your real estate safer, but it also becomes your down payment funds to expand your portfolio.   Keith Weinhold  20:40   Okay, the seven-figure solution is the vehicle that we're talking about here, and what part of the IRS code, just briefly, is it that gives this tax advantage?   Jared Garfield  20:51   It's Internal Revenue Code Section 79 that allows it to grow tax-free. In the 1980 s, doctors and a lot of very wealthy people were using this to the point that IRS changed the laws. They went and sued the insurance companies because doctors would go in and dump $2 million in, and they would buy a $2 million life insurance policy. So they were self-insured, which meant that they didn't have any cost of mortality on it. So they basically got all the benefits of the tax-free growth and the tax-free pullout. And the IRS said, "Wait a minute! We think you're doing tax evasion. So what they did is they came around and they said, "We're not going to let you use this loophole anymore for the very wealthiest people to have this. So they came to a compromise, and the compromise was that if you wanted to put in 2 million, you had to maintain a corridor where there had to be a little bit higher amount of life insurance. So you might have to buy a $2.3 million policy, but then you could still dump, say, $2 million in and have all the tax advantages. It's a strategy that's been used for over 100 years by families like the Rockefellers and the Hunts and J.P. Morgan. The very wealthiest families have always used these strategies to grow and protect their wealth.   Keith Weinhold  21:59   Okay, so it's a part of the tax code that allows cash value to accumulate within and be withdrawn from a life insurance policy tax-free.   Jared Garfield  22:11   Correct, and it gives you living benefits, which I alluded to a minute ago. And the living benefits are if if you end up having to go through things like long-term care, disability, if you can't perform, you know certain functions for a certain period of time, chronic illness, critical illness, terminal illness. If any of those things happen to you, you can borrow against the policy and have access to money during those things that would normally decimate your wealth, because you can actually access the death benefit in advance.   Keith Weinhold  22:42   Now I know a little about the six risks. Tell us about that.   Jared Garfield  22:47   Well, Keith, there are six risks that all investors face regularly. The first one is inflation erosion, and that means that your purchasing power often ends up leaking out of your balance. And the balance might look fine, but inflation can eat away at it. So even if you've raised a lot of money, if inflation means that you can buy half as much five or 10 years from now, then you know your wealth isn't as big as you thought. The second is the volatility setback, and that's sequence of return risk. That means that if you retire on a bad year where things really bad, stock market drops, you could end up using your money at a time where it really weakens your wealth because it may have dropped by 50% So if you had a million, now you have a half a million, and you're spending 100,000 a year. At the end of year one, you might only have 400,000 left. So sequence of of return risks from volatility setback, tax drain. That's just the compounding cost of an uncoordinated tax picture can really be a problem, and then the next one is liquidity. If you don't have liquidity and you've locked up all your money and you can't access it until you're 59 and a half without significant taxation and 10% penalties, the liquidity lock is a problem. There's the longevity paradox. What happens if you outlive your money, you know. So living longer is a benefit, but it exposes you to where you might not have enough money to live on in your latter years. The last two are care avalanche, and that is if an unexpected health event happens at the wrong time, it could really destroy your wealth because medical costs have spiraled out of control, and then the last one is the line to land, and that's only one of the six that's really about growth.   Keith Weinhold  24:28   Right, only one of the six of those was about growth. I can't stand the longevity paradox. Yeah, we think we all want to live a long time, but then it's more difficult to fund living a long time, and if you outlive everybody, nobody shows up at your funeral either. The longevity paradox-one of the six risks that the seven-figure solution can really help you with. Now, tell us more about funding it, so you can get a good cash value balance in. There, I know that one way you do it is actually with short-term rentals instead of a paycheck.   Jared Garfield  25:06   We love short-term rentals, especially for our highest net worth clients, because the reason is is the bonus depreciation of the big beautiful bill. Oh, right! You could take up to like 150 or even $200,000 in year one, they take that depreciation that they used to spread out over a whole lot of years, and they make it to where if you get with your CPA and you analyze your short-term rental, you could potentially take all of the furnishings, all of the artwork, all of the dishes and things that are in the property. Sometimes they'll let you take components like the appliances, the air conditioning unit, the furnace, and they'll let you take it all in year one instead of having to line item it and spread it out over you know 27 and a half years. So what this means is, if you have a short term rental, then you you might get like 150 to 200,000 tax break in the first year on the right property, but it's better than that because instead of having to have like 750 hours to hit full-time real estate professional status, it cuts the hours that you have to have significantly down. I think it's more like 150 hours or something like that, or 300. It's like half the hours, and so you can hit the benefits of taking unlimited passive loss much easier if you have a couple of short-term rentals.   Keith Weinhold  26:24   You're listening to Get Rich Education. We're talking with Jared Garfield about the seven-figure solution, something that takes some time to understand, but it can give you a tax-advantaged pool of capital that grows over time, and it also creates this overall tailwind, not just during your investor life, but then it provides tax advantaged retirement income at the same time. More on this when we come back. You're listening to Get Rich Education. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. What if you got your mortgage loans the same place I get mine? You sure can at Ridge Lending Group and MLS 42056. They provided GRE listeners with more loans than anyone because Ridge specializes in investment property. They'll help you build a long-term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequal and even chat directly with President Caeli Ridge while it's on your mind. Start at ridgelendinggroup.com, that's ridgelendinggroup.com.   Keith Weinhold  27:25   Let me ask you something: If you've worked hard to build wealth, is your money positioned to actually support your goals? A lot of accredited investors leave capital sitting in cash because it feels safe, but inflation and missed income opportunities can quietly erode its value. Freedom Family Investments offers freedom notes for investors seeking structured income backed by real estate. It's a straightforward approach built on real assets, not speculation. And full disclosure, I'm an investor myself. What I like is that their team walks you through how it all works, so you can decide if it aligns with your portfolio and income goals. Every investment carries risk, and nothing is guaranteed. But with a track record of consistent, on-time investor payouts, they built real credibility. Go to freedomfamilyinvestments.com to book a clarity call, or text family to 66866. That's family 266866. This is the   Speaker 2  28:28   Real Wealth Network's Kathy Betke, and you are listening to the Always Valuable Get Rich Education with Keith Weinhold.   Keith Weinhold  28:46   Welcome back to Get Rich Education. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. We're talking about the seven-figure solution with Jared Garfield. Something that can be a particular benefit to real estate investors both during your investing career and then once you're in retirement as well, and this can take the form of either an indexed universal life policy or a whole life policy. There are a lot of wrong ways to do this and wrong things to get into. We're talking about the right way. Part of that is funding it as best you can. Can you tell us more about that?   Jared Garfield  29:20   Well, there's a lot of different ways to fund it. A lot of our clients will come in. We have some people who will use rollovers if they're nearing the end of retirement. Some people will roll over a 401k into a cash value life insurance policy because they can do it over a five or seven year period, and they pay the taxes when they roll it over, so their taxes go up a little bit for five or seven years of retirement, but then what happens is that means that during their retirement they're not taxed on the income all the way through retirement, so that can save really significantly. But a lot of our clients will do a flip and dump 40 or 50,000 a year in by just saying I'm going to do one flip a year and use that to. Fund the whole thing, or they'll take the cash flow and dump the cash flow into here instead of the bank, just so that they get the living benefits and they get the much higher return with still 80 to 90% liquidity. So could be cash flow from rentals, could be money from a flip, or sometimes some of these short-term rentals can make 20 to $30,000 a year, and if you get $100,000 tax break, you have more money that's not going to Uncle Sam, and then because that's your discretionary income now, because of the tax break, you could use that money to for down payments to grow your portfolio or to do a flip.   Keith Weinhold  30:35   Now, Jared, I sort of think of the cash value that you're accumulating in this policy as safe money that grows at a slow to moderate steady rate, but if it rarely or ever loses value, can you tell us more about that and the rate of return expected in the policy?   Jared Garfield  30:52   Yeah, absolutely. With the IULs, it's going to depend a little bit upon the carriers and stuff like that, and whether you go with a mutual company and stuff like that. It can vary, but a lot of times people are going with things that are what we call indexed. So you can actually index it to the S and p5 100 if you think that we're going to have a bull market and the market's going to really go up strongly. You can index it to the market, and sometimes they'll have a participation rate where they'll say, "Okay, you can participate up to 12% So if the stock market does 17% the most you can make is 12% So you're giving up a little bit of upside, but that's still not nothing. I mean, that's not three or 4% You can still make you know 10 or 12% that year, but you're giving up the part above the participation rate. And the reason that you do that is if the market tanks and drops by 30 or 40% The worst you can do is 0% return. Zero is my hero because you didn't lose anything. So if you had a half a million sitting there, you don't go down to 250 and then wait eight years to get back to break even. Instead, you're still at half a million. And if the market goes up next year by 20% and you had a 10% cap. Then your half a million, you know, is now at 550,000. When everybody else, if it went up by 10% they're at half the amount that they had.   Keith Weinhold  32:13   You have a story or example of how you've helped somebody with this, because I know a lot of investors that are passionate about utilizing the cash value inside an insurance policy tell us.   Jared Garfield  32:28   Well, I've got one friend who's a developer, and he did like a $5 million policy. And every time he flip a subdivision or flip a house, and let's back   Keith Weinhold  32:36   up. Does a $5 million policy mean that's the death benefit?   Jared Garfield  32:40   Yeah, that's the death benefit. Thanks for catching that. That's the death benefit, but that also has a correlation to how much money you can dump into it. So if you have a $5 million policy, you can dump a lot more money in for the tax free growth. And the quicker you hit that death benefit amount, at that point you're self-insured, and so at that point you really don't have cost of insurance on administering the policy hardly at all, and so at that point, when you're what we call self-insured, the return on the investment becomes a lot better. But this particular developer was able to use this policy because he had so much cash value in, and if he sold a house, he'd take 40,000. If he sold 10 a year, he might take you know 400,000 and dump it into this policy, and so it made him bankable. And he was able to use the money to go out and do new subdivision developments because the bank would actually use the policy as the collateral to be able to give him loans at much lower interest rates.   Keith Weinhold  33:38   That's valuable. Tell us about that. I don't want to use the wrong words here, but then effectively with this example, are you borrowing against the funds in the policy? So therefore, you can get those dollars working for you somewhere else, all while simultaneously the cash value continues to compound and grow. Sort of another form of leverage.   Jared Garfield  34:01   Correct. What they basically do is they basically freeze part of the amount and say, okay, we're using this as the collateral and stuff like that to be able to do the loan. But if it grows and and makes 7% you're still making the money off of the money that's sitting in there. It's just collateralized as part of the loan. And some people will even use it to like go buy a car, like instead of buying a car and going getting a bank loan and paying 7% to the bank, they might borrow money out, go pay cash for the car from the life insurance policy loan, and pay 2% instead of 7% But they're paying it to themselves, and as long as they're paying the interest to themselves, if the money that they borrow out could potentially still earn the same money and earn 7% even though you had borrowed out. So it's doing two things for you at the same time, as long as you're paying that loan interest. But and that depends on the option that you take when you do your loan.   Keith Weinhold  34:54   We love leverage around here. Leverage trumps compound interest. In so many ways. Oh, I'm really glad that you told us some more about that using the funds in more than one way at the same time. Tell us more about what it costs for the investor, the costs of setting this up, and then what some of those trade-offs are, Jared.   Jared Garfield  35:18   Well, that really depends on the individual. I mean, everybody has to sit down and be able to decide what is acceptable for them. You know, a lot of times people will want to max fund the 401k that they're doing at least just to the amount that's matched. But then after that, this could be a great place instead of putting a whole bunch more money into a 401k. Some people will elect to say, "I'm going to put the matching portion into my 401k, but then I'm going to take my cash flow from my real estate and money that I could have contributed to other alternatives and put it into this because I want the liquidity. I want to be able to leverage this money and pull it out without any restrictions. That as long as I can pull out 80 to 90 percent, I could go buy a car wash, or I could invest in a business, or I could, you know, do whatever I wanted to. I could loan it to my kids for their college and make them pay me loans back to my policy. There gives you a lot of flexibility to do it. But the thing that we love about it is we'll do what's called an illustration, and it may end up if you start at the right time, it could be a six-figure passive income stream at retirement, and then if you have the real estate, because this helped you grow your portfolio, where without doing the strategy, you might have ended up with say 10 properties. We might be able to get you to 20 or 30 properties working together as a team with your real estate coaches and stuff like that. Then we can potentially grow your real estate portfolio, and what we want to do is 1031 exchange every seven to eight years. I don't believe in holding properties for 30 years.   Jared Garfield  36:47   I believe in exchanging them every seven to eight years because when the tax benefits have been used up, if you exchange to twice the size portfolio, you have better appreciation on a portfolio worth twice as much. But that new value, you still get the depreciation advantages, where the old value that was half, you know, the depreciation is used up. So you're you're getting new depreciation on the higher value assets, and then our goal would be that by the time you don't want to be involved in managing the property managers, that at some point you're going to have a 200 unit apartment complex with on-site management, and at that point you don't have any financial worries really because you're 1031 exchanging into those apartment complexes, but you have so much equity that you're still maintaining depreciation during your retirement years. When most people who have lesser plans don't have the tax advantages,   Keith Weinhold  37:41   I love that you said so much of that, and to you, the listener, Jared is licensed to do this, and our own in-house investment coach. You mentioned coaching. Naresh has the proper licensing as well to holistically help integrate this into your investor life. And for example, yes, we are rarely of the mindset that you would hold a property for all 30 years because after seven to 10 years, your leverage ratio gets worn down, and then additionally, if you're buying turnkey properties, oftentimes that's when capex expenditures start to enter into the picture. So yes, oftentimes we do these seven to 10 year holds.    Jared Garfield  38:23   I love that. Yeah, that's a really really good strategy, and and it always makes it to where you can grow so much bigger portfolio by not being taxed through that exchange. And you know, believe it or not, there's actually even ways when you have extra cash boot, they do allow if you notify them in advance. Sometimes you can take some of the cash boot on the exchange and roll it into some of the products that we utilize.   Keith Weinhold  38:47   For more specifics, I know you said it's based on one's individual situation, but how much does it cost to set up a policy? And then, are there any ongoing maintenance fees? Can you give us more specifics there?   Jared Garfield  38:59   So, there's small fees to administer the policy because you have people who are trading and doing different things and working within the policy for the funds. But usually, you can set policies up as low as 100 or even $200 a month. We don't usually recommend that because you want to max fund it. Usually, when you're doing these strategies, if you're just doing $100 or $200 a month, you're basically buying life insurance, but you're missing a lot of the benefits because what you want to do is to be able to max fund it. So what we like people to do is get as minimum life insurance. That's not in our advantage because we get paid based on the premium of the amount of life insurance you get. But you get the smallest amount of life insurance for the amount that you can max fund. I would much rather have somebody get a $500 a month policy that, let's say, they could put you know a thousanmd a month in or something like that, than to have somebody get $1,000 a month policy where they're paying a thousand a month but they can't max fund it because by max funding it you're maximizing the growth component of the cash. Value, and so it depends on how much you want. But you can go anywhere from $100 or $200 a month to we have clients that will dump $20,000 a month in because they really want to shield as much money as they can from tax growth.   Keith Weinhold  40:15   Tell us more about who the seven-figure solution is for and who it's not for.   Jared Garfield  40:20   Well, if you're living month to month and you don't have discretionary income, it's probably not a good solution. In that situation, you probably want to get term insurance and just make sure that you cover catastrophic things. But if you've got discretionary income and you've got an extra four to $500 a month that you could use to max fund, we figure most people need life insurance anyway, and the way that we teach it, when you mix it with real estate, rather than pulling it from your monthly budget, doesn't it make a lot more sense to let your tenants buy the houses for you, but also pay for a half a million or a million dollar life insurance policy for you, where the tenants are covering the savings for anything that happens at the property with capex or vacancy or damage, and at the same time covering life insurance and potentially a six-figure passive income that's tax advantaged at retirement. So I pull the money out from other assets and let the assets cover this asset.   Keith Weinhold  41:18   Oh well, Jared, this has been great. Before I ask you if you have any last things to tell the audience about the seven-figure solution, I invite you, the audience, to join us. It's going to be Jared and our own in-house investment coach, Nareesh, bringing you a live online event that you can join from the comfort of your own home next Thursday, the 27th at 8 PM Eastern. You can register now; it's free at grewebinars.com because there are a lot of moving parts, and it does take some time to wrap your head around this, benefiting from the cash value of an insurance policy. And this way you can have a Q and A, and you can get answers in real time at this event. It's called the Seven Figure Solution: Build wealth, reduce risk, and create tax advantage retirement income through real estate. Again, it is next Thursday, the 27th at 8p.m. Eastern, you probably have generated some questions inside your head while you're listening to this, and you can sure have them answered there as you're going to learn a whole lot more about it next Thursday. This could help a lot of people. Jared, do you have any last thoughts?    Jared Garfield  42:38   I think the only thing is that we like to work with the team. We like to work with your CPA. We like to work with your real estate investment coach. I used to be a coach and trainer for Robert Kiyosaki, who wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad, and he always talked about power teams. And so we want to be able to be a part of your power team and work with your other advisors to help you implement something. We're not here to give you tax advice. We want you to be able to work with your investment advisors and your CPAs, and just be a part of the team. But I would point out that over my career, I've owned hundreds and hundreds of single-family cash flow rentals, duplexes, fourplexes, apartment complexes. I've done some land development, and I implement these strategies myself. I had 17 Airbnbs, and so these are the strategies that I implemented as a full-time real estate professional. I felt like that this strategy of having a seven-figure solution could help you to avoid some of the pitfalls that I experienced in my 20s.   Keith Weinhold  43:32   So much all comes together for one pretty comprehensive solution. It's the intersection of growing your portfolio, getting tax advantages and having the death benefits of insurance and more all coming together next Thursday, so that you can learn more. Jared, it's been great having you back on the show.   Jared Garfield  43:52   Thanks, Keith. Always glad to join you.   Keith Weinhold  44:00   Integrate the seven-figure solution the GRE way, where we have this conscientiousness about leverage and cash flow. In this case, it's how to prudently leverage a life insurance policy. When it's time to tap your cash value, you take what is a policy loan, not a withdrawal, because you're borrowing against your cash value, hence using the funds in more than one place, and the IRS does not tax loan proceeds. This reminds me of a billionaire and how they borrow against the value of their stock. That way, they don't have to sell their assets. This is similar to what you can do with this. Another thing is that you know real estate investors are not used to a volatile ride because our asset values stay stable. You heard Jared mention the acronym IUL there. That's an indexed universal life policy. It's a real benefit. That says you tie yours to the S and P five hundred. Well, that index was down 18% in 2022, and that your cash value can have an upside ceiling and loss protection on the downside-an option that you'll care more about as you get toward retirement. In 2008, the S&P was down 37% so the math is cruel on value losses. In fact, it's even worse than it sounds because if you're down 30%, then you need a 43% gain just to get back to even. That is just math.   Keith Weinhold  45:39   There are some mistakes to avoid here, and you don't just want to set up your seven-figure solution off of a website. And it is based on products that you might have heard of from companies like Nationwide and Mass Mutual. I strongly encourage you learn more, see how it all goes together, learn how the seven-figure solution compares to other vehicles like a Roth IRA, 401k, 721 exchange, and 1031 exchange. This is very much about seeing your future. You've been listening to me here every week for almost 12 years, earning money from your day job, building your real estate portfolio, either from our investment coaching or on your own. This is how it all goes together. Next week with Jared and GRE investment coach Naresh. By attending live, you can have your questions answered in real time. One last time, you can sign up for the event for next Thursday, the 27th at 8 PM. Eastern, 5 PM. Pacific. Learn about something that's potentially really valuable to you: the seven-figure solution at grewebinars.com. Until next week, I'm your host Keith Weinhold. Don't quit your daydream.   Speaker 2  46:59   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal, or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial, or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of Get Rich Education LLC exclusively.   Keith Weinhold  47:26   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building, getricheducation.com  

In this episode, Steven Jarvis, CPA, is joined by Brian Beck to discuss how financial professionals can build a practice around proactive tax planning. Brian shares how his firm has incorporated taxes into every client conversation for more than 30 years and why tax planning should begin immediately after tax season ends rather than waiting until year-end. They discuss the benefits of a subscription-based model, how it encourages clients to stay engaged with their financial planning, and how advisors can create stronger relationships with CPAs through collaboration instead of competition. Brian also explains how his firm structures CPA partnerships, handles tax preparation through outside providers, and the importance of understanding compliance requirements when adding tax services. The conversation highlights practical steps advisors can take to become more comfortable with tax conversations, including reviewing tax returns and learning the language of tax professionals. https://zurl.co/1MQqn

Zane Keller, CEO of Ducere Wealth Management, is driven to Lead, Guide, & Educate clients and employees by helping them solve meaningful problems and achieve their goals. Through personalized financial guidance and a culture of empowerment, Zane supports clients with complex financial needs while giving employees the tools, trust, and opportunities they need to grow professionally. In this conversation, Zane introduces The Turn the Ship Around Framework—Delegate Decisions to the Source of Information, Put the Right People in the Right Seats, and Remove Friction That Impedes Performance. He explains why informed employees should have the authority to make decisions, how leaders can remove barriers instead of controlling daily operations, and why culture must remain a priority as a company scales. Zane also discusses macro patience and micro speed, creating opportunities for employee ownership, encouraging intrapreneurship, and helping multigenerational families coordinate their investments, tax planning, estate planning, and financial legacies. — Lead, Guide, & Educate with Zane Keller  Good day. Steve Preda here with the Management Blueprint Podcast, and my guest today is Zane Keller, CEO of Ducere Wealth Management, with a vision to be the leading provider of tech-driven, tax-optimized wealth management services for clients through their advisory support, that every client’s assets, time, and relationships are prioritized. Zane, welcome to the show.  Thanks, Steve. Appreciate you having me.  So, Zane, before we jump in and talk about Ducere Wealth, I’m very curious about your personal why, and how are you manifesting it in the company through the company’s business?  Sure. Well, early on, I knew I liked—one of my biggest passions was helping people solve problems. And one of the amazing things about being in the wealth management industry is you get to help people solve a lot of problems that are personal for them, and that’s their finances. It tends to be a personal subject for them, and allowing them guidance, support, understanding, and being a listening ear is what I find to be extremely rewarding in the business we have. But starting a company and having a team, and building that team, and building all the infrastructure and support and all of that, to me, the employees are as much clients as our clients are clients.  And so it’s an interesting position that I’m in, where it’s a dual role of both looking at it from a standpoint of how do we help our clients with the day-to-day or yearly challenges they face, but also how do I make sure that our employees are empowered to deliver the right client service and feel that they can continue to grow and expand in their careers. So I just like helping people, and I get to do it every day.Share on X  Yeah. Okay. That’s great. So when you talk about solving problems, obviously finance is a mirror for all an individual’s life aspirations, problems, challenges, opportunities, all that stuff. Your people are also humans, individuals, and they probably have similar challenges, so that’s a really neat mosaic there. So what is most challenging in building a wealth management firm like that?  I think the most challenging thing is all of the decisions are on you. And when I talk to other business leaders, there isn’t a roadmap, there isn’t a manual in terms of how people build their businesses, build their teams, and a lot of it is a balance of both trusting your instinct and what your background and lessons have been, as well as trusting those that you have brought in to help build the enterprise.  I was fortunate that I get to work with my dad, who had gone through this venture before, and we’ve gotten a chance to partner together and build it from the ground up. We went from a year ago, I had to order two laptops on Amazon, get a URL from GoDaddy, and start from scratch. And, you know, a year later, we find ourselves with 14 employees, an office in Newport, an office in Las Vegas, $600 million in assets under management, and continuing to want to grow, and being fortunate that we have a tremendous client base who trusts us.  But we’ve been able to attract and retain top-quality employees and team members who we rely on every day to continue building out the vision.  Well, I mean, building $600 million in assets under management in a year in a business like wealth management sounds almost like an impossible goal. Did you have a portfolio that you kind of imported into this business, or was that completely from scratch?  No. We had clients that we had worked with previously. We had left a big bank.  Okay.  And so some of those clients came over with us, but a lot of it was growing organically through COIs, through other marketing efforts, and bringing on other advisors who wanted to leverage our platform to provide a better service for their clients.  That’s fantastic. So how does one start a wealth management business? It sounds like one of the hardest businesses to start because it’s a trust-based business, from what I see, and it’s a very slow-burn kind of business. How do you actually grow a business like that?  Well, I think first is, in our industry, what’s interesting is there’s a lot of different business types. You have the wirehouses, the broker-dealers. There are people that are very successful just being anchored to a Wells Fargo or a J.P. Morgan or Merrill Lynch and building within that. Then you have folks who have gone to the roll-ups. Private equity has become pretty involved in our industry—a lot of roll-ups, a lot of consolidation.  Their value proposition is defined platforms that you can just plug in. And then you have what I consider the true independents, ourselves included, where we had a vision of we didn’t want to be held back or bogged down by two areas. One, as things get larger and larger and larger, the wheels turn slower and slower. And I think we're in a unique area from a business evolution cycle that leveraging AI, leveraging the technology, being able to make decisions quickly is going to be a substantial differentiator over the next several years.Share on X  And we didn’t want to have the conflicts that inherently come when you are backed by investors, and the focus is how do you maximize revenue, even if it may be at the expense of clients or at the expense of employees or at the expense of growth that you don’t see the return on investment for several years. So we decided that we were going to do it from scratch. Luckily, I had a background in—at the previous firm, I had helped build out all of the tech stack.  I’d worn almost every hat you can have at an RIA, and I had the experience from my father having gone through this, that between the two of us, there was enough goodwill or brand equity to build it out. But the other thing that we decided to do is there’s a reason it’s not called Keller Wealth or Keller Investments. The goal was never to have it be about ourselves. It was about creating a brand and a vision where others feel like they can be a part of.  357: Lead, Guide, & Educate with Zane KellerShare on X So as we brought on employees, I’ve challenged them that they have a responsibility to make an impact on the organization, and we start with culture. People have to be a culture fit first. We will not sacrifice culture for all the money on God’s green earth because I can confidently say that I don’t know how much business or revenue we’re missing out on if the team is not functioning at the highest level possible. So the first and foremost is a cultural fit. Then we look at the skills, the competencies, the ability to grow. But for us, culture is number one.  Yeah, love it. So what does it take to grow a wealth management firm? What drives growth in your business?  I think it takes three kind of main pieces. One is understanding that there’s a term GaryVee uses called “macro patience, micro speed.” And what we had set out initially is I knew that there were several steps between SEC registration, getting relationships with a custodian, getting relationships with tech vendors, finding office space, all of that that needs to be done just from a basic business foundation standpoint. What I needed to do, when we needed to do it, and logging every week.  I actually would send emails to myself and my dad for the first two months before we had employees of everything that got done the previous week, and what we needed to get done the next week, and what our blockers were if things couldn’t get done. Then that kind of grew into, as we had employees, becoming a consistent weekly check-in as we were heading towards what I consider our launch date, which was July 28th, because that’s when we actually received SEC approval.  So the first two months was just building the architecture, building up where we’re going to work, what we’re going to work with, all of those decisions being put in place. I’m fortunate enough that I’ve been involved with a lot of different companies in the industry over the years. So I had people who had done this before, people who had worked with large RIAs, small RIAs, and everything in between to lean on as advisors.  I think one of the things that I was more than surprised by was the amount of outpouring of support. “I’m happy to help you. What do you need? What can we do to make you successful? I know someone that I can connect you to.” And I think that's kind of the unique thing about our industry, is that there is a lot of camaraderie and willingness to help each other, even if you may be competitors in some aspects.Share on X  That’s interesting. So when you say “macro patience, micro speed,” what do you mean by that exactly?  So our goal is to get to a billion or more in AUM. And while I’d love to do that overnight, it takes time, both from bringing in clients, market performance. I’d love everything to be fully integrated from an AI standpoint, but again, those things take time. So a lot of the times, I think leaders have an issue with wanting to get to the destination as quickly as possible and not thinking through all the steps they need to get there.  So each step along the way, or what I consider the day-to-day, I try to get as much done in the hours that I have during the day, and that’s where the speed lies. And eventually that compounds, just like investing, into where we want to go from an overall firm standpoint. But me saying, “I just want to be at a billion dollars,” that’s great. But you’re going to say, “Well, what are you doing every day to get there?” I can go, “Well, I’ve had this many prospect meetings.  I’ve had this many client meetings. We’ve reviewed this much market information. We’ve decided to put money towards these investments.” It’s the day-to-day decision-making and being quick in doing that that I think is imperative for us to get to where our goal is going to be.  Okay. So this is a podcast called Management Blueprint, and it’s a podcast of frameworks. We are 350-plus episodes in, and every episode is a different framework. So I wonder, what’s a framework that you have come across, or maybe your did or you guys refined it, invented it, or improved it, that helps you build this business, that helps you do something more effectively, maybe getting new clients, maybe building your team members or training them, maybe getting the word out, whatever part of business it is that can be explained in three to five steps?  Sure. So there’s a book called Turn the Ship Around! by David Marquet, and that, from a leadership standpoint, is the mentality that I have taken since day one. To boil it down into one sentence, it’s this: The people with the information make the decisions. And so if the team is coming to me all the time for every possible decision in order to move this business along, there’s no way that we’re going to grow at the rate or grow, arguably, period, the way that we want to succeed.  So when I sit down with the team, one, the first question needs to be, if you’re running an enterprise like this, do you have the right people in the positions they’re at? Do they have the competencies, the understanding, and the cooperation with others to effectively make decisions in their role? And then the second thing that I spend the majority of my time on is, are there things inhibiting them from doing their role? So things such as, do they not know what their budget is? Do they not know who the decision-makers on the other end are? Do they not know that they are responsible or allowed to make those decisions?  So my goal is to make sure that they understand that if they have the information and we have built what the, I guess, framework or the bumpers are in bowling, that it's their decision to make and to inform me why they made the decisionShare on X not for them to come to me and say, “Do we do A or do we do B?” When we have a team, the expectation is there’s a lot of moving pieces. To your point earlier, it’s a lot to run an RIA. It’s a lot to run a wealth management firm.  There’s several things happening all at once, several things that are intertwined, and you can’t have one person that is reasonable as you grow in scale to be aware or understanding of the pros and cons of every decision. So we’ve brought people on. We have a full investment team. They are responsible for making the investment decisions. I listen in, but I’m not doing the due diligence. I’m not meeting with the managers. I’m not doing all of that. We have folks that are responsible from an operations side, making sure things day-to-day happen. I’m not the one making the decisions on that.  But if they come to me and say, “Hey, this is becoming difficult,” or, “We can’t get ahold of so-and-so,” then I step in. But the whole point of it is making sure that they feel empowered. The people with the information make the decisions. You get the right people in place, you should have, from a leadership standpoint, very few decisions you have to make on a day-to-day basis.Share on X Yeah, that’s great. So basically, you share your contextual understanding of your business with the people who work for you so that they can connect the dots as well, make decisions, and you can focus on the strategic part of the business. What do you and your dad focus on?  Yeah. I’d say it’s two parts. One is focusing on the more complex client issues, as we have multi-generational, multi-family clients, and also where we want the business to go. And it’s not one-dimensional. It’s bringing on more clients, plus bringing on additional advisors, plus looking at things from a national standpoint. After COVID, Zoom has become very useful, and people have become comfortable with having what I consider tele-wealth.  So their advisor may be in a different state, and they’re completely comfortable with that. And so it’s pursuing all of these various growth avenues because the day-to-day is being taken care of. So my focus is just that. It’s focusing on strategy. Where does the next $600 million come from? What about the $600 million after that? And how do we continue to grow in a manner where we don’t sacrifice some of the things that make us unique? As an example, our team constantly talks, interacts all day long, not just on “This is the work that needs to be done,” but people genuinely like working together.  I don’t have a strict in-office policy. The entire team’s here five days a week. I’ve not asked them to do that. I’ve not said they need to do that, but they genuinely enjoy working here. So when we open up a second office, how do we keep that kind of consistency? When we open up a third office or fourth? It's those kinds of areas that I think I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out and see how we grow without sacrificing some of the core values that we have.Share on X  Yeah. So what are your core values?  Probably three big ones. One is, I don’t know if I’m allowed to say it on the podcast here, but we have a no-assh*le policy. You have to be a genuinely good person to work here. You have to genuinely care about other people, and that is the first test. Two, we want, just like the firm grows, we expect the team to grow personally and professionally.  So if you’re going to be here when we do a review, I’m going to ask you: How are you better at contributing to the organization, to your team, and to your coworkers than you were a year ago, and what do you expect to do better a year from now? And then the third thing is: How are you defending our culture? We may have new people come in. What are you doing to set the tone as to how we work here at Ducere? Because, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not just about me and my dad. It’s about the collective organization, each individual playing their part to enhance and protect our culture.  Yeah. So it’s very clear that you talk about culture repeatedly. It sounds like it’s a really big part of your identity and how you want to build this firm.  Absolutely.  So what’s one thing that you’re actively trying to figure out in this business right now?  I think one of the big things is: How do we effectively bring on an advisor where we understand they have a book of business, and we understand they have a certain way of doing things, integrating them into our platform, but allowing them to operate with their own unique style. One of the challenges with scale is sometimes you scale and you give up originality or a unique way that, Steve, you may do something, then I do it a little differently, but it ultimately gets the same goal.  And really looking at what are the goals or deliverables that an advisor wants to bring to their clients, and can we allow them flexibility to get there in their own way? And I’ll give you a good example. So what we do from an asset management standpoint is we have what I call an open architecture. So for any given portfolio, there can be a number of combinations and permutations that give you a similar risk profile or result, and we leave that up, if the advisor wants to, for them to decide what that makeup looks like, as long as it’s within the parameters that we’ve set from a risk standpoint.  So as an example, Steve, you say, “I’m aggressive,” and I go, “Great. I’m not going to put you in one stock if you’re retired. That’s too aggressive.” But we do have several things that are approved on the platform, and we do continuous due diligence where we can say, “Steve, here’s two or three options. Which best serves your client? Which is going to be something that your client understands and feels comfortable with?” So that’s one area that we’ve really been trying to focus on and figure out how we express that differentiator in a way that it actually resonates with those advisors.  Yeah. That’s great. So basically, you want to build an organization where people can stay entrepreneurial. They don’t have to just live in a box that is given to them. So you capture more creativity and more personality in your business so that you can grow in a more nimble way. Is this what you’re trying to do here?  Yeah. I think the official term they’ve called it is intrapreneurship instead of entrepreneurship. But yes, the goal is: How do we get the team to come and say, “Hey, I think we have this issue, and here’s the solution I want to have, and it’s a little different than what we do, but I think there’s a way to make it happen”? And again, the people with the information make the decisions. How do I remove as many blockers as possible so they can continue to pursue that avenue? But the big thing is, some folks sometimes get sidetracked.  They go down rabbit holes or they veer off on projects that may not be going towards what our goal is, right? Growing, adding more revenue, adding more clients. And so as long as there’s a tieback to what our goals are as a firm, then we’re all for empowering them to be able to pursue those passions.  How do you maintain that structure in a family-started business? That can be a tricky one. People might feel that there’s a glass ceiling or they’re always going to stay an outsider. How do you resolve this tension?  That’s a great question, and it’s something that verbally hasn’t come up to me, but I can certainly see people’s perspective on it. And so my dad and I tend to be pretty transparent as to what's going on, what we're dealing with, getting feedback from the team.Share on X And while this is a 40-plus-year venture for me, for my dad, it’s probably about another 10-year venture for him.  And so we’ve stated that our goal is to get to the point where we can be 100% employee-owned, but we can have multiple employees who are owners of the firm. I’m a strong believer in giving people the opportunity to earn their equity. And if we do get to the point where we sell the organization one day, I want to brag about how many millionaires I created.  I don’t think anyone will ever care how many millions someone makes for themselves. And so we’ve, from day one, been very vocal and communicative to the team that the expectation is that as many of the employees as it makes sense, and that they’ve earned it, can earn equity. We plan on doing that, but it’s probably not going to be until about year three where we actually start putting that together from a formal standpoint.  Yeah. That’s fascinating. So who is an ideal client for you? So if someone is listening to this and they think, “Ah, maybe I should talk to Ducere,” how do they know whether they are in the sweet spot of what you’re looking for and who you can serve the most?  Sure. Well, our best clients are ones that tend to be multi-generational, so they’re families that are looking to pass on the management of the wealth from maybe the matriarch or the patriarch to the next generation, and they have more complex investments, partnerships, family limited partnerships. They have an interest in private or alternative investments, and they’re looking for someone to help with that transition and possibly help with the next generational transition, and a partnership that’s another 20 to 30 years.  So folks that are qualified investors that tend to have complex tax and estate needs and really want someone who’s a quarterback between all the other professionals that they work with—CPAs, attorneys, et cetera—that’s who our ideal client is. There are firms out there that offer everything in-house, right? We do your taxes, we do everything. And the analogy I like to use with clients is that’s like going to a buffet. Buffets, for some people, are great, but I’ve never had my greatest meal at a buffet.  Usually, it’s fine dining, where it’s a specific niche that they are looking to serve. And so if they’re happy with the other professionals that they work with, our job is to fill in that gap to make sure that things get coordinated, they get an understanding of what their financial picture is, it’s clear-cut as to how to get to those goals. And I think the biggest and most successful clients we’ve had are ones who want to learn. They want to be educated clients. They want to be educated investors. And so those are the type of clients that would be ideal: multi-generational, complex financial needs from a tax, estate planning, and private investment standpoint.  They’re also looking to work with a firm that may not have some of the conflicts that the Merrill Lynches and Wells Fargos, who may sell you their own proprietary products, because we don’t make any commission. We’re fee-only. Or some of the PE firms who are looking to figure out how to maximize profit off each client. And that’s not the way that we look at it either.  Yeah, I think a lot of people are waking up to the idea that if the owners are super profit-oriented, then it means someone will have to pay the bill. And if there’s a huge imbalance between the motivations of the company and the individuals, then it can create tensions down the road. When I look for home services, I always look for, okay, which company is the one that maybe is a locally owned one, genuinely locally owned with real people that I can talk to and who I can trust, rather than a faceless institution that essentially dictates the policies that may not always be in my interest.  So I appreciate the independence. So if the listeners would like to learn more and figure out whether they have enough complexity or whether you are the right fit for them, where can they find out more, and how can they connect with you?  Sure. We have our website, ducerewealth.com. We’re actually, for our one-year anniversary in about two weeks, revamping it, and so there’s going to be a lot of resources for all the various niche types of clients that we work with, and there are several forms out there. You can contact me, zane@ducerewealth.com. I’m a principal, but I talk to our prospects and clients, and we just want to do what’s best for the client. So, ducerewealth.com, and we welcome any and all of those interested.  Okay. So if you have complex financial needs, or you just want to think about your legacy and transition maybe to the next generation and how to maximize your wealth, check out Ducere Wealth Management and reach out to Zane Keller on LinkedIn. And if you enjoyed the show, then make sure you follow us on YouTube, give us a review on Apple Podcasts, and stay tuned because every week we have a couple of exciting entrepreneurial leaders who come to the show and share their most secret frameworks. So Zane, thanks for coming, and thanks for listening.  Thank you, Steve. I appreciate it. Important Links: Zane's LinkedIn: Zane's website: Zane's email: zane@ducerewealth.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by: PayPal Open https://paypalopen.com CLA https://claconnect.com/withyou Odoo https://Odoo.com/twist Today's show: *Anthropic is likely headed for the largest IPO in history. A reported 2-3 trillion October debut would blow past SpaceX's recent record. Jason breaks down why the. numbers matter less than what they'll reveal about the entire AI economy. Then, chats with a pair of founders: one who's selling subscription water filtration systems that will keep microplastics out of your brain (and other body parts), and another who's building the AI software that powers automated solar panel installation. Guests Sami Khoreibi: https://x.com/samikhoreibi Wisewell: https://www.wisewell.com/ Puneet Puri: https://x.com/puneetp Gritt Robotics: https://www.gritt.ai/ Relevant Links Fortune: Anthropic reportedly plans $2T IPO in October: https://fortune.com/2026/08/13/anthropic-ipo-2-trillion-october-largest-ever-spacex/ Ramp AI Index: August update: https://ramp.com/data/ai-index-august-2026 Decart: https://decart.ai/ Bloomberg: Anthropic in talks to buy Decart: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/anthropic-said-in-talks-to-buy-ai-startup-decart-for-6-billion Nat Geo: Profile of water sommelier Martin Riese: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/water-sommelier-martin-riese Mailman School of Public Health: Nanoplastics study: https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/bottled-water-can-contain-hundreds-thousands-nanoplastics Bryan Johnson microplastics post: https://x.com/bryan_johnson/status/1937194358027190637?lang=en Topo Chico: https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/topo-chico San Pellegrino: https://www.sanpellegrino.com/ Acqua Panna: https://www.acquapanna.com/intl/ Evian: https://www.evian.com/ Mountain Valley Spring Water: https://mountainvalleyspring.com Fiji Water: https://www.fijiwater.com/ TechCrunch: Gritt exits stealth: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/21/gritt-exits-stealth-with-34-million-for-robots-to-build-solar-plants-then-everything-else/ Our World in Data: Solar panel prices: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/solar-pv-prices Our World in Data: Solar module prices vs. cumulative capacity: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/solar-pv-prices-vs-cumulative-capacity NYT: Do your emojis make you look old? https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/12/upshot/emoji-generations.html DJI Mic 3: https://www.dji.com/mic-3 Ted Lasso S4 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk1KdTMhFs8 Lanterns trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UIBOsuUwc4 Furious trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBSqPDxmNZs The Shards trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpm9HUOrZIc Sporked: What are Tim Tams? https://sporked.com/article/what-are-tim-tams/ Timestamps: 0:00 New Segment: "Enough Already!" 3:36 Anthropic's record-breaking IPO plans 9:59 Why it's "Springtime for Trump and M&A" 10:39 PayPal - Built for payments, growth, and agentic. Paypal Open, built for all business. Visit https://paypalopen.com to get started 16:00 Sami Khoreibi of Wisewell joins 17:30 Hiring a water sommelier 20:23 CLA - Innovation takes balance. CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors can help you get from startup to where you want to end up. Get started now at https://www.claconnect.com/withyou 29:00 The problems with tap and bottled water 30:34 Odoo - The all-in-one business platform. Get started for free at https://Odoo.com/twist 49:58 Puneet Puri of Gritt Robotics joins 54:35 Solar's version of "Moore's Law" 1:05:08 Are you using the Boomer emojis? 1:09:02 Why Jason loves the DJI Mic 3 1:11:36 Jason & Lon's streaming recommendations Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp   Follow Lon: X: https://x.com/lons   Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis   Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/   Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland   Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis   Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

In this episode, John continues his conversation with John Ray, diving into how genuine relationship-building — through remembering the small details, sending handwritten notes, and giving without expecting anything back — sets you apart in business. They also discuss the role faith plays in leadership and business, the real definition of success, and how joy differs from happiness. About John Ray: After a successful career in investment banking, investment management, and strategic advisory, John Ray left the corporate world in 2013 to build his own business. It didn't take long to find the gap nobody had prepared him for: he routinely undervalued his own expertise, struggled to set prices that matched the outcomes he delivered, and watched his clients do the exact same thing. He spent the next several years figuring out how to fix it, for himself first, then for the consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, fractional executives, and other expert practitioners who hire him today to gain clarity, confidence, and profitability through positioning, pricing, and value-based business development. That work became his first book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices (2023). His second book is set for release in the first quarter of 2027. Listen to this episode to learn more: [00:00] - Why knowing your client (and the "Rendezvous barbecue" story) matters [01:42] - Building real relationships through meaningful, family-focused check-ins [06:32] - The power of handwritten notes and tracking your gratitude [09:41] - How John Ray's faith shapes his business and leadership [17:01] - The Generosity Mindset: giving people dignity, not just money [19:37] - What success really looks like to John Ray [22:10] - Inside John Ray's podcast, The Price and Value Journey [24:18] - The traits of a great leader (and lessons from bad ones) [28:01] - How John Ray invests in his own growth [31:38] - What the people who annoy us can teach us about ourselves [34:05] - How John Ray invests in his marriage [37:05] - Happiness vs joy  [39:18] - How to connect with John Ray [39:52] - Final Four quick-fire questions [40:38] - Books recommended [43:24] - Wrap-up NOTABLE QUOTES: "You gotta know your client." "It's little things like that mean the world to people." "When you gamify it, it makes it important." "Business is not just about the profit. It's about the impact you make." "Actions do speak louder than words ... it ought to show up in your actions first." "It's not mine to begin with. I'm just a steward of it." "You're giving them the dignity. You're giving them their sense that they're a child of God." "We all die without anything ... so the question is, what do you leave?" "It's a journey, folks. Give yourself grace." "It could be that you recognize those shortcomings because you share them." "We see ourselves in all our complexity, and we see others as something of a flattened cartoon character." "I'm interested in joy, because joy is an active choice to stay positive ... regardless of what's happening." "We will all suffer. The only question is how." BOOKS MENTIONED: How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks (https://a.co/d/07EkM1WP) The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann (https://a.co/d/0iXKbOny) USEFUL LINKS: https://www.johnray.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnray1/ www.amazon.com/author/johnray The Generosity Mindset (book site) - https://thegenerositymindset.com The Price and Value Journey - https://tinyurl.com/PriceAndValueJourneyPodcast North Fulton Business Radio - https://tinyurl.com/NorthFultonBusinessRadio The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success By Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices - https://a.co/d/09DYp6Gs CONNECT WITH JOHN Website - https://iamjohnhulen.com LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhulen Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnhulen Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/johnhulen X - https://x.com/johnhulen YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@iamjohnhulen EPISODE CREDITS Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/

Send us Fan MailWe invented a device that does almost everything, became hopelessly attached to it, and have now created an entire industry devoted to taking it away from us. In this episode of Mike & Blaine, we dive deep into the booming economy of "disconnection." From phone-free bars, restaurants, concerts, and schools to high-end digital detox retreats, we analyze whether any of us can survive a simple dinner without checking a notification—and more importantly, how entrepreneurs are turning our collective lack of discipline into a profitable business model.We debate whether locking up smartphones creates richer customer conversations or merely turns bartenders and venue staff into middle-school principals. Beyond the behavioral economics, we explore the strategic business tactics behind selling silence, privacy, and borrowed self-control.Business & Strategy Key Takeaways:Monetizing Friction: How forcing customers to unplug creates a high-value, premium experience people will pay extra for.Customer Dwell Time: Why removing digital distractions increases engagement, lengthens visits, and boosts total spend in hospitality and retail.Differentiation in a Noisy Market: Using phone-free policies as a unique selling proposition (USP) to build intense brand loyalty.Operational Reality: Managing the fine line between policy enforcement and delivering top-tier customer service.Grab a beer, hide your screen time report, and join us before one of us gets distracted halfway through the episode!Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/s___KWkcQQALove the show? Visit mikeandblaine.com to buy us a beer and keep the taps running!We want to hear from you! beer@mikeandblaine.comListen to all our episodes at mikeandblaine.comLearn about:Cash Flow Mike who trains CPAs to provide effective advisory to their clients at cashflowmike.comDryrun Cash Flow Forecasting for the office of the CFO where they get finance teams out of spreadsheets at dryrun.comThanks to our Beer Sponsors:Karen Hairston from 3S Smart ConsultingCPA Larry Weinstein, the Cash Flow Cowboy from Houston TexasNeighbor PatDevinTrey Milton#PhoneFree #DigitalDetox #Smartphones #CustomerExperience #DigitalWellness #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #CustomerLoyalty #Monetization #BehavioralEconomics #Apple #Samsung #Google #Meta #Verizon #ATT #Yondr #MikeAndBlaineSupport the showCatch more episodes, see our sponsors and get in touch at https://mikeandblaine.com/

What does episode 500 reveal about where accounting is headed? Blake Oliver and David Leary celebrate the milestone with CFO.com's Adam Zaki and Going Concern's Adrienne Gonzalez. They unpack AI's pressure on billable hours, shrinking entry-level pathways, the changing route to CFO, and PwC's canceled Disney intern event. Plus, Blake shares what happened after NASBA challenged his CPE comments.SponsorsOnPay - http://accountingpodcast.promo/onpayCanopy - http://accountingpodcast.promo/canopyThomson Reuters - http://accountingpodcast.promo/taxautomationCloud Accountant Staffing - http://accountingpodcast.promo/casChapters(00:00) - ‌ (00:20) - Episode 500 Kickoff (02:59) - Origin Story Live Chat (07:22) - Billable Hour Fading (13:36) - AI Knowledge vs Data Risk (16:21) - PwC Intern Disney Cut (24:31) - Pyramid to Diamond Firms (34:29) - CFO Pathway Disrupted (37:25) - AI Without Apprenticeship (38:55) - Would You Work for AI (39:47) - CFO Pipeline Shrinking (41:11) - Skipping Entry Level (43:15) - Simulations vs Real Work (45:05) - Metaverse Training Fail (47:35) - Crypto Fraud Irony (49:10) - Listener Milestones (51:58) - Billable Hour Debate (01:01:21) - AI Auditing Future (01:02:33) - NASBA Speech Clash (01:11:48) - Wrap Up and Thanks  Show NotesCrossCountry Consulting's new co-CEOs say billable hour is 'waning'https://www.cfo.com/news/crosscountry-consulting-new-co-ceo-amy-bjarnason-neil-smith-discuss-their-industrys-future/826266/Diamonds May Be a Firm's Best Strategy: How AI Is Rewriting the Structure of Modern Practicehttps://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/08/05/diamonds-may-be-a-firms-best-strategy-how-ai-is-rewriting-the-structure-of-modern-practice/188060/Teikametrics CFO Brian Beaupre says the career path he took is disappearinghttps://www.cfo.com/news/teikametrics-cfo-brian-beaupre-says-the-career-path-he-took-is-disappearing-cfo-leadership-council-/824716/The Age of Artificial Intelligence: Quinnipiac University Poll on AIhttps://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3955We Went to the Boot Camp Where KPMG Teaches Auditors to Think Criticallyhttps://www.wsj.com/business/kpmg-summer-interns-auditing-ai-training-941ad5ccIn Case You Didn't Hear, PwC Interns Won't Be Swarming Disney World This Yearhttps://www.goingconcern.com/in-case-you-didnt-hear-pwc-interns-wont-be-swarming-disney-world-this-year/Bitquery CEO Faces $5M Theft Claim, 194 Records Deletedhttps://www.analyticsinsight.net/news/bitquery-ceo-faces-5m-theft-claim-194-records-deletedNeed CPE?Get CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark: https://earmarkcpe.comSubscribe to the Earmark Podcast: https://podcast.earmarkcpe.comGet in TouchThanks for listening and the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser. Call us and leave a voicemail; maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040.SponsorshipsAre you interested in sponsoring The Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus.Need Accounting Conference Info? Check out our new website - accountingconferences.comLimited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessitiesTeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merchSubscribeApple Podcasts: http://cloudacctpod.link/ApplePodcastsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAccountingPodcastSpotify: http://cloudacctpod.link/SpotifyPodchaser: http://cloudacctpod.link/podchaserStitcher: http://cloudacctpod.link/StitcherOvercast: http://cloudacctpod.link/OvercastClassifieds REFRAME 2026 - http://accountingpodcast.promo/reframe2026Flowglad - https://cal.com/team/flowglad/flowgladWant to get the word out about your newsletter, webinar, party, Facebook group, podcast, e-book, job posting, or that fancy Excel macro you just created? Let the listeners of The Accounting Podcast know by running a classified ad. Go here to create your classified ad: https://cloudacctpod.link/RunClassifiedAdTranscriptsThe full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page

Tales from the last two years.

How do you start getting paid for advice you've always given away for free? You give it a name, a price, and a deliverable, and make it a thing. Kathy Hayden did exactly that, then went further and built a digital product that's now for sale straight off her website. In this episode, hear how "making it a thing" works, why the ancillary benefits matter more than any sale, and how niching into retirees keeps tax season peaceful and prices going up.…Link to full shownotes: https://www.businessstrategyforcpas.com/398…Want the skinny on pricing?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 to hear what works, from 57+ clients?Check out the Client Success Stories podcast: LISTEN »

Businesses have dealt with customers not paying their invoices over the years, and this is putting additional stress on business owners like you.  As a business owner, you know that you need to receive payment on your customer's invoices to continue to have the cash flow you need for your business to survive.  Do you have any customer invoices that you are still waiting to collect payment on, or are you one of those business owners who have been lucky enough so far in your business that you have been able to receive payments on all your invoices?  If you have invoices that have been unpaid or are overdue, collecting on these accounts receivable amounts are very important for you.  Make sure you track and ensure you are still collecting on money that is due to your business.  In today's episode, I am going to talk about how you can manage your customer invoices as well as the best practices to ensure you are receiving payments on time.  You may not even believe what the top reasons are that most customers have to say about not paying invoices and the simple steps you can take to get those payments on time.  Whether you are getting ready to start your small business, you're a solopreneur, entrepreneur, small business owner, virtual online bookkeeper or virtual assistant you are going to want to listen in to today's episode so that you stay on top of your accounts receivable game.  I even have tips for you about how you can eliminate the stress of tracking and receiving payments from your customers in the first place… Join us in a community built specifically for accountants and high-stress professionals.  You'll receive support, accountability, and a community that understands what you're going through. We focus on stress reduction, increasing productivity, time management, goal achievement, health, happiness, and desired lifestyle:  https://www.financialadventure.com/community Schedule your Complimentary Stress Audit And Clarity Session, where we'll work together to create a clear and focused plan and overcome the obstacles that stand in your way so that you can move forward and immediately start enjoying your life with less stress, increased productivity, and more time to spend doing what you love with the people you care about: https://www.financialadventure.com/work-with-me Accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, Tax Preparers & Financial Professionals, sign up here to get updates on upcoming opportunities & grab the Audit Of Your Well-Being & Balance Guide here: https://www.financialadventure.com/accountant Ready to set up your business?  I have a program to help you get your business set up so that you can start making money.  Sign up for this program here: https://www.financialadventure.com/start Are you ready to try coaching?  Schedule an Introductory Coaching Session today.  You'll have the opportunity to see how you like coaching with an Introductory Coaching Session: https://www.financialadventure.com/intro Join us in the Mastering Your Small Business Finances PROFIT LAB if you are ready to take control of your business finances and create the profitable business you are striving for.  Are you ready to generate revenues and increase the profit in your business: https://www.financialadventure.com/profit If You Are Ready To Choose, Start Or Grow Your Side Hustle, Get Your Free Checklist And Assessment Here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sidehustle Grab Your FREE guide:  5 Essential Strategies For Stress-Free Bookkeeping: https://www.financialadventure.com/5essentials Your FREE Online Virtual Bookkeeping Business Starter Guide & Success Path Is Waiting For You: https://www.financialadventure.com/starterguide Join Our Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbusinessownersultimatediybookkeepingboutique The Strategic Bookkeeping Academy, including Bookkeeping Basics, is open for registration!  You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sba Looking for a payroll solution for your business?  You can get an exclusive 15% discount on your payroll services when you sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/adp QuickBooks Online - Save 30% Your First 6 Months: https://www.financialadventure.com/quickbooks Sign up for a virtual coffee chat to see if starting a Bookkeeping Business is right for you: https://www.financialadventure.com/discovery Show Notes:  https://www.financialadventure.com This podcast is sponsored by Financial Adventure, LLC ~ visit https://www.financialadventure.com for additional information and free resources.

Here's a question most practice owners don't ask their accountant: Do I actually owe this much? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski talks with Rachel Michaelov, an Enrolled Agent and tax strategist who works exclusively with high-earning healthcare professionals. Rachel is the founder of Empire Tax Advisors and Practice Wealth Partners, and she has one mission: help doctors and dentists stop overpaying their taxes.  Rachel shares why most healthcare providers work with reactive CPAs instead of proactive tax strategists, the three most expensive mistakes she sees practice owners making, and strategies like cost segregation and R&D credits that could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. She walks through a real example: a doctor with a $1.2 million tax liability who ended up with a $24,000 refund.  If you've ever felt like financial stress is stealing your time, your peace of mind, or your ability to reward your team, this conversation is for you. Rachel gets real about why this matters for your life, not just your spreadsheet.    Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy's LinkedIn 

A mortgage, investment portfolio, tax strategy, and real estate plan can each look great on their own, but the real opportunity comes when the professionals behind them work together.In this episode, we break down how lenders, Realtors, CPAs, and financial advisors can collaborate to create smarter short- and long-term strategies for their clients — and why that collaboration can be a game-changer for both the client and the professionals serving them.If you're a real estate or financial professional who wants to deliver more value, uncover opportunities others might miss, and become a true strategic partner to your clients, this episode is for you.Because the goal isn't just to finance a home or close a transaction. It's to help clients make smarter decisions with their biggest financial assets.

Most bar owners don't think about financing until they need money—and by then, the decisions they've already made can determine whether a lender says yes or no. In this episode, I'm joined by Matt Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca to break down what actually makes a bar or restaurant lendable, why your financial foundation matters long before you apply, and where owners get themselves into trouble with the wrong types of financing. We get into clean books, business structure, bank accounts, personal and business credit, CPAs, merchant cash advances, equipment financing, lines of credit, SBA loans, and why the money you borrow should match exactly what you're using it for. Because getting access to capital isn't just about finding the right lender. It's about building a business a lender can actually understand and confidently lend to. CreditBanc.io — Check their website and learn moreCreditbanc.io/business-credit-builder — Learn how to build business credit www.youtube.com/@Credit_Banc — Watch their business finance videos https://www.youtube.com/@theliquidlunchproject—  Get small business and finance insights @MatthewRMeehan — Follow Matt on social media @LuigiRosabianca — Follow Luigi on social media

What role can a book play in helping a financial advisory firm build credibility, strengthen trust, and convert more prospects into clients?In this episode of the Top 50 Most Innovative Voices in Advisor Growth series, Jon Kuttin joins Paul G. McManus and Gabe McManus for a candid conversation about authority, organic growth, client acquisition, and how financial advisors can use books and media to become more influential in their markets.You'll learn how financial advisors can:• Use a book to build credibility before the first meeting• Stop relying exclusively on cold leads and chasing prospects• Turn referrals into stronger trust-based conversations• Integrate a book into seminars, CPA relationships, client events, and acquisitions• Differentiate themselves when prospects are comparing multiple advisors• Use stories to show ideal clients that they understand their concerns• Build authority through books, podcasts, YouTube, and other media• Transfer the founder's ideas and credibility to other members of the team• Turn a book into a playbook for clients, prospects, and employees• Use authority marketing to strengthen existing business development activities• Accelerate the speed of trust during the sales process• Build visibility that continues working even when the founder is not in the roomOne of Jon's most powerful observations is that the book does not work because it sits on Amazon. Its value comes from consistently putting it into the hands of prospects, clients, centers of influence, and people evaluating the firm.Jon describes his book as a credibility piece and differentiator. When two advisors appear equally capable, being the advisor who has clearly articulated a point of view in a book can help tilt the decision in your favor.The larger opportunity is not simply becoming an author. It is using the ideas inside the book as the foundation for a broader authority system that supports referrals, seminars, acquisitions, media, team growth, and better client conversations.ABOUT JON KUTTINJon Kuttin is a Barron's Hall of Fame Advisor and longtime financial services leader with more than 25 years of experience building and growing advisory businesses.Since beginning his career in 1994, Jon has been recognized among Barron's Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors and has also received recognition from Forbes and the Financial Times.In addition to leading his financial advisory practice, Jon founded Kuttin Consulting Group to help financial advisors and financial professionals grow through leadership, acquisitions, professional alliances, recruiting, organic growth, and other strategic initiatives.Over the course of his career, he has helped more than 1,000 CPAs and financial professionals rethink and grow their practices.ABOUT INFLUENTIAL ADVISOR MEDIAThe Influential Advisor Podcast, hosted by Paul G. McManus, features conversations with leading voices shaping the future of financial advisor growth, marketing, authority, media, and business development.Subscribe for more strategies on financial advisor marketing, authority building, books, referrals, AI search visibility, advisor growth, and building a more influential advisory business.https://influentialadvisor.com/Support the show

Wake Forest University professor Jim Willis joins the show to discuss how accounting programs are adapting to AI and what future CPAs are looking for in an employer.

In this episode of Bliss to Abundance, Cyndi welcomes Rhonda from Strategic Taxes, a certified travel professional and certified travel agency owner, for an in-depth conversation about accounting, tax planning, and financial strategies for travel advisors.Rhonda and Cyndi break down what new business owners need to know when setting up their travel business, from choosing the right business entity and separating personal and business finances to maintaining accurate records and working with qualified tax professionals. They also explore common deductions travel advisors may be able to take, including home office expenses, business travel, mileage, equipment, healthcare, and other costs associated with running a travel business.The conversation goes beyond deductions to explore the importance of thinking like a business owner. Rhonda shares how proper financial planning can support business growth, future purchases, and long-term financial goals while helping advisors become better stewards of their businesses.Resources Mentioned:Wanderlust CampusWander Beyond AfricaKey Topics Covered:Choosing the right business entity for your travel businessWhy separating personal and business finances mattersRecord keeping and staying organized for tax timeThe difference between being a contractor and operating as a business ownerCommon business deductions for travel advisorsHome office and business-use-of-home deductionsUnderstanding business travel deductionsHealthcare expenses and business structure considerationsPlanning deductions around major financial goalsWhy showing a profit can matter when preparing for major purchasesHow to use financial numbers to plan for the rest of the yearBuilding better financial habits and business-owner mindsetWorking with accountants, CPAs, tax professionals, and other financial professionals

How much frustration are you currently experiencing in your life?  Do you find most of this frustration stems from your professional life, or do you have just as much frustration or more in your personal life?  This has been coming up quite a bit with my clients lately, and I thought it would be good to dig a little deeper into the reasons why you are feeling so much frustration in your life.  There may be times in your life when you are okay with feeling frustrated, but I want to provide some help for you when you would really rather be feeling something other than frustration.  Ready to find out just how much frustration you are willing to put up with in your life?  Let's dive in…   Join us in a community built specifically for accountants and high-stress professionals.  You'll receive support, accountability, and a community that understands what you're going through. We focus on stress reduction, increasing productivity, time management, goal achievement, health, happiness, and desired lifestyle:  https://www.financialadventure.com/community I'm inviting you to sign up for the free private podcast where I do a deeper dive into this topic on the Mastering Your Mindset Moments podcast for high-stress professionals: https://www.financialadventure.com/private Schedule your Complimentary Stress Audit and Clarity Session, where we'll work together to create a clear and focused plan for you to move forward so you'll immediately start enjoying your life with less stress, increased productivity, and more time to spend doing what you love with the people you care about: https://www.financialadventure.com/work-with-me Accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, Tax Preparers & Financial Professionals, sign up here to get updates on upcoming opportunities & grab the Audit Of Your Well-Being & Balance Guide here: https://www.financialadventure.com/accountant Ready to set up your business?  I have a program to help you get your business set up so that you can start making money.  Sign up for this program here: https://www.financialadventure.com/start Are you ready to try coaching?  Schedule an Introductory Coaching Session today.  You'll have the opportunity to see how you like coaching with an Introductory Coaching Session: https://www.financialadventure.com/intro Join us in the Mastering Your Small Business Finances PROFIT LAB if you are ready to take control of your business finances and create the profitable business you are striving for.  Are you ready to generate revenues and increase the profit in your business: https://www.financialadventure.com/profit If You Are Ready To Choose, Start Or Grow Your Side Hustle, Get Your Free Checklist And Assessment Here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sidehustle Grab Your FREE guide:  5 Essential Strategies For Stress-Free Bookkeeping: https://www.financialadventure.com/5essentials Your FREE Online Virtual Bookkeeping Business Starter Guide & Success Path Is Waiting For You: https://www.financialadventure.com/starterguide Join Our Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbusinessownersultimatediybookkeepingboutique The Strategic Bookkeeping Academy, including Bookkeeping Basics, is open for registration!  You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sba Looking for a payroll solution for your business?  You can get an exclusive 15% discount on your payroll services when you sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/adp QuickBooks Online - Save 30% Your First 6 Months: https://www.financialadventure.com/quickbooks Sign up for a virtual coffee chat to see if starting a Bookkeeping Business is right for you: https://www.financialadventure.com/discovery Show Notes:  https://www.financialadventure.com This podcast is sponsored by Financial Adventure, LLC ~ visit https://www.financialadventure.com for additional information and free resources.

Thinking about growing your financial advisory practice beyond one office? In this episode we sit down with a financial advisor who scaled her holistic planning firm to five offices across North Dakota (plus a remote base in Florida) with clients in over 40 states.She breaks down what it actually takes to scale a financial advisory business: building a collaborative team with CPAs and attorneys, hiring advisors who fit your culture, holding teammates and outside partners accountable, running a multi-office practice on consistent systems, and leading with vulnerability instead of ego.In this episode:Building a collaborative "surgical team" of CPAs, attorneys, and advisors around every clientVetting and onboarding outside professionals without creating adversariesWhat actually motivates a CPA vs. an attorney to work with youA five-word framework for accountability: roles, goals, timelines, deadlines, expectationsBuilding systems and processes so every office delivers the same client experienceHaving hard conversations with underperforming team members and partnersOne advisor's journey from a one-woman shop in her basement to a multi-state holistic planning firmWhether you're a solo advisor considering your first hire or already running multiple locations, this conversation is packed with practical frameworks for scaling leadership, team culture, and client experience without losing what makes your firm yours.

Today's guest is Gene King, an Access Architect and founder of Atlas Strategic Access, based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. With over 50 years in business, Gene has founded, scaled, and successfully exited 10 companies and currently operates six active businesses, including Sequence Real Estate, Invest America (an EB-5 immigration investment firm), and Twist Elbow. Roy and Gene, friends of over 12 years since meeting at a Darren Hardy event, dig into the origin story of Gene's very first business at military school, the lesson that reshaped how he handles bullies and pressure for the rest of his life, and why being diagnosed with ADHD at 65 explained a career pattern of exiting companies too early. Gene shares his philosophy on partnerships, why he's never had a verbal argument with a business partner in 22 companies, how he handles conflict at home versus in business, and the mentor's advice that shaped his obsession with knowing his cash position at all times. The conversation closes with the role Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich has played in Gene's life since his early twenties, and his belief that the universe, not active pursuit, brings him his best opportunities.   ⏱️ TIMESTAMP 0:02 - Welcome to the Speaking Podcast, intro to Gene King 0:48 - Gene's background: 10 exits, six active companies, and 12+ years of friendship with Roy 1:31 - Gene's first business: protecting freshmen from hazing at The Citadel 3:50 - The lesson that changed everything: "you can't kill me, sir" 5:14 - Navigating good and bad business partners over 22 companies 5:57 - Discovering ADHD at 65 and why he exited companies too early 7:14 - How Gene structures his day across five to six companies 9:38 - Expanding Invest America's EB-5 program into Canada and Nigeria 11:11 - Why tracking everything matters, and the wealth found in awkward conversations 13:22 - How Gene handles conflict with business partners 16:59 - "Money solves all problems" and a mentor's advice on what really matters 18:10 - Terminating partners and employees with humanity and honesty 19:36 - The five P's: people, process, planning, prayer, passion 20:50 - Balancing patience and persistence as an entrepreneur 21:37 - Resolving disagreements in 50/50 and unequal partnerships 23:34 - Why "cash is king" became Gene's guiding financial principle 25:33 - How Gene decides which businesses to pursue next 27:12 - Discovering Think and Grow Rich in his early twenties 29:34 - Napoleon Hill's mastermind principle and never asking for something for nothing 31:13 - Where to find Gene King and his companies   About Gene King Gene King is an Access Architect, founder of Atlas Strategic Access, and founder of Sequence Holdings, based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. With over 50 years in business, Gene has founded, scaled, and successfully exited 10 companies and currently operates six active businesses, including Sequence Real Estate, Invest America (an EB-5 immigration investment firm), and Twist Elbow. He specializes in engineering access, positioning companies into enterprise, government, and investor opportunities they couldn't reach on their own. Gene is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Harbor Entrepreneur Center in Mount Pleasant, home to over 100 early-stage businesses, and has extensive experience training sales teams and CPAs on structured deals. Connect with Gene King

In this episode of Talk Law Radio, host Todd Marquardt breaks down how well-intentioned legal and financial choices can turn into expensive family nightmares. Joined by financial planning expert Jacob Warren, the discussion explores why successful financial outcomes require coordinated leadership, clear communication, and an understanding of the hidden tax and legal blind spots that catch many families off guard. Whether you are giving a house to a child, helping a parent plan for long-term care, or appointing a power of attorney, this episode provides essential strategies to protect your family's fortune and legacy. Key Highlights & Main Topics The Need for Financial Leadership: Jacob Warren from Financial Planning HQ joins the show to discuss why having multiple experts (CPAs, attorneys, advisors) isn't enough without a centralized leader coordinating your overall strategy—just like a general contractor on a home build. The Lifetime Gifting & Capital Gains Trap: Discover why gifting appreciated property (like a family house or stocks) during your lifetime can strip away the valuable "step-up in basis," exposing your children to massive capital gains tax bills when they sell. Medicaid’s 5-Year Look-Back vs. IRS Gift Limits: Todd clears up a major misconception: the IRS $19,000 annual gift tax exclusion does not protect you from Medicaid’s 5-year look-back rule for long-term care eligibility. Power of Attorney: Saints vs. Sinners: Learn why birth order or caregiving roles shouldn't dictate who you choose as your legal agent. Todd uncovers common myths surrounding Durable Powers of Attorney and explains what to look for when choosing a trustworthy fiduciary. Real-World Case Study (Family Limited Partnerships): A look at the 2026 Fifth Circuit Court ruling involving the Estate of Anne Milner Fields, demonstrating why last-minute "deathbed" entity creations fail to secure tax discounts without a legitimate non-tax business purpose. Listener Call-In: A Texas funeral director calls in to discuss what happens to a Power of Attorney upon death and why a separate Appointment for Disposition of Remains form is crucial for final arrangements. Key Takeaways Coordinate Your Experts: Ensure your CPA and financial advisor project taxes before executing major financial moves, such as Roth conversions. Inheritance Over Lifetime Gifts: For highly appreciated assets, waiting to transfer them upon death often yields a better tax result due to the stepped-up basis. Medicaid Rules Are Separate: Medicaid treats all uncompensated gifts made within 5 years as potential penalties, regardless of IRS gift tax thresholds. Choose Competence Over Tradition: Appoint a Power of Attorney based on integrity, financial responsibility, and emotional stability—not birth order or guilt. Plan Ahead for Entities: Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs) must be established early with genuine non-tax motivations to withstand IRS scrutiny. Connect & Resources Mentioned Marquardt Law Firm: Call 210-530-4278 or visit marquardtlawfirm.com for estate planning and legal guidance. Financial Planning HQ: Call 210-685-2722 to schedule a Financial Roadmap meeting. Subscribe: Search "Talk Law Radio" on YouTube, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app to catch every segment. -Sponsored by Marquardt Law Firm and Financial Planning HQ -Go to marquardtlawfirm.com and financialplanninghq.net If you found this episode valuable, please Subscribe and hit the Notification Bell on YouTube. Sharing this podcast with other parents, grandparents, and caregivers helps raise vital awareness to protect the children in our communitiesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, John talks with John Ray about how our mindset about money, value, and ourselves shapes our business. They also discuss why pricing your expertise is so hard, how to deal with imposter syndrome, and why confidence must come before clarity. About John Ray: After a successful career in investment banking, investment management, and strategic advisory, John Ray left the corporate world in 2013 to build his own business. It didn't take long to find the gap nobody had prepared him for: he routinely undervalued his own expertise, struggled to set prices that matched the outcomes he delivered, and watched his clients do the exact same thing. He spent the next several years figuring out how to fix it for himself first, then for the consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, fractional executives, and other expert practitioners who hire him today to gain clarity, confidence, and profitability through positioning, pricing, and value-based business development. That work became his first book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices (2023). His second book is set for release in the first quarter of 2027. Listen to this episode to learn more: [00:00] - Intro [01:00] - The story behind starting Relationships & Revenue Podcast [04:50] - Using beta readers when writing a book [07:17] - Who John Ray serves and what he does [10:42] - John's journey from investment banking to coaching entrepreneurs [13:45] - Pricing  your  expertise & the "Bad  Neighbor" mindset [15:50] - How imposter syndrome affects pricing and confidence [17:14] - Why knowing your ideal client changes everything [20:25] - Helping entrepreneurs who keep waiting for the perfect time to start [24:18] - Why some entrepreneurs struggle with clarity, confidence, & profitability [27:36] - Helping someone with a scarcity, cutthroat view of business [31:04] - Serving vs. giving everything away [32:06] - The Generosity Mindset book [33:29] - The challenge of selling expertise in a DIY world [36:48] - Pricing for outcomes vs.pricing for deliverables [37:33] - Best barbecue spots across the U.S NOTABLE  QUOTES: "Everybody has a story to tell, and unfortunately, most people die with their stories inside them." "Your expertise is up there between your ears, and guess who's right next door, shouting out the window? It's all the mindsets that hold you back." "Lack of confidence equals lack of clarity." "You don't want to start a business with no plan. You don't want to start a business with too good of a plan." "Your playbook changed over time, and that's the way it is for every business." "If you grew up in a scarcity mindset because of your family of origin, or an abundance mindset, you've got two totally different views of the world." "Our clients see more value in us than we see ourselves." "It's not about you, per se. It is about those you serve." "Clients buy for their own reasons, not for the reasons that we come up with." "Your personal brand is not what you think it is. It's what others say about you when you're not in the room." "If you have a mindset that revolves around others and their hopes, wants, needs, desires, anxieties, fears, and serving them, then it changes a lot about your business." "If you really want to serve people, you've got to be in business by definition. You can't run the business up on the rocks, give everything away, and be sustainable and serve people." USEFUL LINKS: https://www.johnray.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnray1/ www.amazon.com/author/johnray   The Price and Value Journey - https://tinyurl.com/PriceAndValueJourneyPodcast North Fulton Business Radio - https://tinyurl.com/NorthFultonBusinessRadio The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success By Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices - https://a.co/d/09DYp6Gs CONNECT WITH JOHN Website - https://iamjohnhulen.com    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhulen Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnhulen    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/johnhulen    X - https://x.com/johnhulen    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@iamjohnhulen    EPISODE CREDITS Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/ 

If you want to operate in the private client and high-net-worth space, you cannot afford to just be "the insurance guy." Sophisticated buyers, ranging from $100 million to $29 billion in net worth, can smell a product pitch from a mile away. To win these relationships, you must master the art of leading with planning, embracing complexity, and speaking the language of their CPAs, attorneys, and family offices.My guest, Dan Bergen, Managing Director of Private Client at Higginbotham and former Head of Insurance at Goldman Sachs, joins me to discuss what it takes to operate at the absolute highest level of the industry. Dan breaks down his journey from the Northwestern Mutual internship and semi-pro hockey to quarterbacking complex strategies like Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI). We discuss the difference between needs and wants for the ultra-wealthy, the exact formula for a "zeroed-out estate tax plan," and why the most powerful thing an advisor can say is, "You are actually not a good fit for what we do."▶▶ Sign Up For Your Free Discovery Callhttps://completegameu.com/request-a-callTimestamped Outline(00:00) Lead with Planning, Not Insurance: Introducing Dan Bergen(01:29) Earning Your Stripes: The Northwestern Mutual Experience and the Power of 10-3-1(04:31) Evolving to Private Wealth: Merrill Lynch, Lincoln Financial, and Goldman Sachs(05:29) The "Thanksgiving Day Rule": Why Culture Matters at Higginbotham(07:45) Failing Quickly: How Curiosity and the "Ready, Fire, Aim" Mentality Drives Success(10:19) The Semi-Pro Hockey Injury: Breaking a Neck and the Dangers of the OHL(13:08) Learning from the Losses: The Importance of the Post-Loss Debrief Email(15:03) Needs vs. Wants: Changing Your Approach for Ultra-Wealthy Clients(16:42) The Power of "No": Why You Must Tell Prospects When They Aren't a Fit(17:56) Speaking the Language: Understanding Complex Estate Planning Tactics (SLATs, FLPs, IDGTs)(20:01) Kids, IRS, or Charity: The "Zeroed-Out" Estate Tax Plan(22:32) The Complexity of Sophistication: Upgrading Your Game for the Billionaire Buyer(26:34) Dealing with Egos: How to Collaborate with Wealth Managers Who Hate Insurance(29:00) Turning Down the Sale: Why Pushing Premium Finance Can Be a Trap(31:15) Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI): Exploiting IRC 7702 for "Structural Alpha"(38:15) Taxes for the Fee and Not for Me: Amplifying Yields and Eliminating Tax Drag(41:36) Turning a Loss into a Win: Sourcing SpaceX Pre-IPO Shares for a Client(43:59) Dan's Lightning Round: Saunas, Cold Plunges, and Functional Patterns BiomechanicsCONNECT WITH ANDY NEARY

Hey there, I'm Chris Panek, Certified Public Accountant and Certified Coach, and I have something that will definitely make a difference in your life within the first 30 days of joining.  I know if you're listening to this podcast, you're someone who makes big decisions and solves hard problems, and I have a resource that I'm excited to share with you. If today's topic about why so many people are trying to find confidence resonates with you, I'd love for you to join me in The RE*INVENTION™ Process Private Coaching Program.  This is your next step toward feeling more in control, less overwhelmed, and finally enjoying a more integrated and balanced lifestyle again, and you can join today for just $297 per month.  Email Info@FinancialAdventure.com and I'll personally answer any questions you have and send you all the details.  Join us in a community built specifically for accountants and high-stress professionals.  You'll receive support, accountability, and a community that understands what you're going through. We focus on stress reduction, increasing productivity, time management, goal achievement, health, happiness, and desired lifestyle:  https://www.financialadventure.com/community I'm inviting you to sign up for the free private podcast where I do a deeper dive into this topic on the Mastering Your Mindset Moments podcast for high-stress professionals: https://www.financialadventure.com/private Schedule your Complimentary Stress Audit and Clarity Session, where we'll work together to create a clear and focused plan for you to move forward so you'll immediately start enjoying your life with less stress, increased productivity, and more time to spend doing what you love with the people you care about: https://www.financialadventure.com/work-with-me Accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, Tax Preparers & Financial Professionals, sign up here to get updates on upcoming opportunities & grab the Audit Of Your Well-Being & Balance Guide here: https://www.financialadventure.com/accountant Ready to set up your business?  I have a program to help you get your business set up so that you can start making money.  Sign up for this program here: https://www.financialadventure.com/start Are you ready to try coaching?  Schedule an Introductory Coaching Session today.  You'll have the opportunity to see how you like coaching with an Introductory Coaching Session: https://www.financialadventure.com/intro Join us in the Mastering Your Small Business Finances PROFIT LAB if you are ready to take control of your business finances and create the profitable business you are striving for.  Are you ready to generate revenues and increase the profit in your business: https://www.financialadventure.com/profit If You Are Ready To Choose, Start Or Grow Your Side Hustle, Get Your Free Checklist And Assessment Here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sidehustle Grab Your FREE guide:  5 Essential Strategies For Stress-Free Bookkeeping: https://www.financialadventure.com/5essentials Your FREE Online Virtual Bookkeeping Business Starter Guide & Success Path Is Waiting For You: https://www.financialadventure.com/starterguide Join Our Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbusinessownersultimatediybookkeepingboutique The Strategic Bookkeeping Academy, including Bookkeeping Basics, is open for registration!  You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sba Looking for a payroll solution for your business?  You can get an exclusive 15% discount on your payroll services when you sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/adp QuickBooks Online - Save 30% Your First 6 Months: https://www.financialadventure.com/quickbooks Sign up for a virtual coffee chat to see if starting a Bookkeeping Business is right for you: https://www.financialadventure.com/discovery Show Notes:  https://www.financialadventure.com This podcast is sponsored by Financial Adventure, LLC ~ visit https://www.financialadventure.com for additional information and free resources.

Technical expertise may earn a client's confidence, but human connection earns their trust. In this episode of the PFP Podcast, Cary Sinnett continues his conversation with Dr. Brian Portnoy, author of The Geometry of Wealth, exploring how CPA financial planners can move beyond numbers and into the conversations that truly matter. Together they discuss why "funded contentment" should be at the center of financial planning, how advisors can uncover what clients truly want their wealth to accomplish, and why emotional intelligence may become one of the profession's greatest competitive advantages. What you'll learn: Why funded contentment starts with defining what "enough" means. Questions that help clients move beyond financial goals to purpose and values. How empathy, active listening, and emotional intelligence strengthen client relationships. A simple communication technique that creates deeper, more meaningful conversations. Why the human side of financial planning is becoming more valuable in the age of AI. Key takeaway: As technical planning becomes increasingly automated, an advisor's greatest value may no longer be producing the right answer but helping clients discover the right questions. Financial planning is ultimately about funding a meaningful life, not simply accumulating wealth. Resources Article: Why EQ is the future of personal financial planning Resource: Personal Financial Planning Body of Knowledge (BOK) Podcast: Andrea Millar, From Financial Expert to Trusted Guide This episode is brought to you by the AICPA's Personal Financial Planning Section, the premier provider of information, tools, advocacy, and guidance for professionals who specialize in providing tax, estate, retirement, risk management and investment planning advice. Also, by the CPA/PFS credential program, which allows CPAs to demonstrate competence and confidence in providing these services to their clients. Visit us online to join our community, gain access to valuable member-only benefits or learn about our PFP certificate program. Subscribe to the PFP Podcast channel at Libsyn to find all the latest episodes or search "AICPA Personal Financial Planning" on your favorite podcast app.

Ready To Buy Real Estate Without Banks, Credit, Or Large Down Payments? Apply To Learn More:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativefinanceplaybook.com/⁠⁠⁠Most people think they need perfect credit, huge down payments, or years of experience before investing in real estate.Ryan and Alyssa thought the same thing.Fast forward to today...✅ Ryan quit his W-2 job.✅ They buy houses creatively.✅ They help families become homeowners through rent-to-own.✅ They invest across New York without using traditional financing.In this episode, they break down exactly how they bought a $215,000 property with only $100 down, how networking led to another six-figure opportunity, and why creative finance completely changed their lives.Whether you're working a full-time job, struggling to find deals, or wondering if creative finance actually works...This episode is for you.In this episode you'll learn:✅ How they became W-2 free✅ Buying houses with seller financing✅ How rent-to-own creates win-win deals✅ Finding off-market deals✅ Networking that leads to six-figure opportunities✅ Why consistency beats talentComment PLAYBOOK if you're ready to learn creative finance.► Come to our next Free Live Workshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativefinanceplaybook.com/liveworkshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠► Learn How To Generate Free Off Market Leads & Talk To Sellers (Free Guide)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativefinanceplaybook.com/score-free-leads?utm_source=zoom&utm_campaign=freeleads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠► Join Our Free Facebook Group & Connect with Us and Our Community:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/creativefinanceplaybook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠► Follow Us on Instagram for Real-Time Tips & Updates:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/creativefinanceplaybook/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠► Like Our Facebook Page to Stay Updated:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/CFPlaybook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠► Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@creativefinanceplaybook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The FICPA's "The Practitioner's Edge" delivers practical insights for CPAs and professionals in small firms. Each episode explores strategies, trends and real-world solutions to help you run a stronger practice, serve clients better and stay ahead in a changing profession. This month, we're joined by Eric Cohen, CEO and founder of Merchant Advocate, to explore how payment processing reviews can become a powerful value-added service for accounting firms. Cohen explains why credit card processing fees are often one of a business's largest—and least understood—expenses, revealing how hidden rate increases and complex fee structures can quietly erode profitability. He shares practical strategies for helping clients uncover savings without changing providers, while positioning your firm as a trusted advisor that proactively protects clients' bottom lines. From navigating evolving payment regulations to monitoring ongoing fee increases, Cohen demonstrates how this often-overlooked service can strengthen client relationships and create lasting value.    "If you do the right thing, your business will grow naturally." Eric Cohen | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-cohen-merchantadvocate/

Send us Fan MailIn this special episode of Insight in Indian Country, REDW HR Consulting Business Partner Jessica Goodfox sits down with Senior HR Consultant Taryn Reynolds to revisit their session at the 2026 WEWIN National Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma — "Breaking the Need to Explain Yourself: Confidence, Boundaries, and Voice for Indigenous Women." What started as a breakout session filled to standing room only became a candid, packed-room conversation about the pressure many Indigenous women feel to over-explain, soften their message, or justify their boundaries in professional and community spaces. Jessica and Taryn share what stood out from the room, walk through their "Rewrite the Script" exercise for turning over-apologetic responses into clear, respectful ones, and unpack how cultural values of humility and respect can coexist with self-advocacy and a clear voice.Grab your companion permission slips and worksheet HERE and get ready to build a healthier communication culture in your organization with REDW's HR Consulting team.REDW Advisors and CPAs is proud to bring you the Insight in Indian Country Podcast, covering important advisory, accounting, and finance topics that impact Tribal Nations and business affairs. Thanks for listening!

How do you manage money more effectively? How can you stop being surprised by taxes? How do you turn your cashflow into something predictable? Kiera answers these questions and more, with three monthly habits you can build to create profitability. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Kiera Dent- Dental A Team (00:01) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera. And today's topic is one of my favorite. It's money, taxes, and making a money-making machine. Yeah. Yay. Let's talk money and taxes. Because honestly, this is what everybody hates. And I'm not a CPA. I'm not a financial advisor. I'm none of those things. I'm just a girl who loves to help practices be more profitable. Help dentists like make and keep the money that they deserve, but doing it in an ethical way as a smart business owner. Because honestly, do you know how many people come to me and they're Kiera, I just want to become the CEO of my business because I don't get it, I don't know how. And I love   Helping people become competent running their businesses through systems, team, vision, you name it. I love to do it with you. So what I found is like a lot of times doctors don't have a production problem. They have a money management problem because you don't freaking know how to do it. You learned how to drop that box. You learned how to make that. This one was funny, guys. Like, why in dental school did they tell you you're doing an I L F filling? Like, come on. Like I remember seeing that and I was like, wow, dentistry. Or like I love when there's new people and they're like, Yeah, doc, we need a B O. And I'm like,   All right, or we could do like an OB, like it's fine, whatever. Or like I remember someone was like, What's a do? A DO I was like, my gosh, that's hilarious. So there's so many things like you've learned all that, but you didn't learn how to like manage your money and talk about it. So I have seen so many practices where they're a multi-million dollar office, but guess what? They're strapped for cash, they're not able to do these things. And the goal is not to like just produce more, it's to build a practice that creates consistent wealth for you. Now, team members listening, I want you to know you want your doctor.   To be insanely wealthy. Like you do. You want the practice to be wealthy because you want it to be cash flowing positive. Because if it is, you're happy. It's more stable, it's more confident. And I'm not saying like, I want your doctor to be wealthy. I want them to do well. You do too. Because guess what? If they're doing great, that means you're doing great. So I want you guys to walk like, how do we manage money money monthly? How do we stop getting surprised by taxes? And this is Kiera's tactical way of doing it. Talk to your CPAs. I'm not able to be that person, but I'm gonna give you some quick tips that work really well.   And then make sure your CPA validates and does it that's best for you. And then also, like, how can we turn this into predictable cash flow? Like that's what you're looking for. So let's do it. And to me, this is where I just see so many. We work with hundreds of offices across the nation. We're Dental A Team, we're experts in dental consulting. We work with dentists and teams. We either are virtual or in person, we're obsessed with making your life better. We call it the yes success model, where it's focused on you, your vision, your team, getting that organized, business fundamentals, earnings and profitability.   And then system structure and scalability. Like, how do we take it and turn it into that? That's what you're looking for. You want to make more money, you want to have less time that's spent in the office, you want to have more efficiencies. Like, let's do that together. That's what we're about. And really, today I get jazzed about this because so many offices are like, Kiera, I don't know where my money went. Guess what? I was that way too. Like, truly, it's so obnoxious. Because I know you are producing it. You need to just make it. Like, and how scary. I think about poor dentists. Like,   You go out, you do your fillings, you don't know if you're gonna get paid for it. You hope and pray that someone's collecting that money, but you will literally have no idea. Then the next thing is you get slapped with taxes, and you're like, my gosh, I have no money. Let's get you money. Like you went to dental school, you have so much debt on you, like you deserve to be a profitable business owner. So, like I said, just three things. Sorry about that. I'm just gonna yank this. Three things that you can do that are monthly habits to create profitability. You good with that? Let's get profitability.   cash flow and financial confidence. Here we go. So number one, dun dun dun dun, it's super sexy and not. All you gotta do, you gotta review your numbers every single month. Not when you're nervous, but as a consistent thing. You can join me. I've talked about it so many times. I call it the MMs. It's morning money meditation. That's it. Just do it. Like roll over. I turn on the call map or I'm into Joe Dispenser right now. there was another one I was listening to for a hot minute. I think it was called I don't even remember.   Was called. I can't even tell you guys. I don't remember. It was like this activations, I think is what it was called. That one was a fun one. It was like manifesting like multiple millions, like whatever you want do. but I meditate, I get my mind right, and then I look at my bank account. So join me on it. But I feel like a lot of times people just they don't know it, they don't get it, they just hope their CPA does it. my financial advisor will get it. I don't need to look at this. I'm just gonna do dentistry. Like, no, pull your head out of the sand. You are a business owner, you've got to look at it. So   We review our numbers before there's a problem, not when something fills off. So things to be looking at on a constant basis. What is our collection and production ratio? And I'm talking production in net, not gross. We got to be able to make sure, like, I don't care. I know Delta Dental's terrible. Guess what? That's all you can collect. So stop feeding your ego. Let's feed the family. Let's look at real numbers. What is that percentage? It needs to be at 98%. Half of you have a money issue, not because you have a money issue, it's because your team's not collecting. Teams, collect the money. We did the work.   Collect the money, fight with insurance, fight, fight, fight, get that money. Like you've got to. So we need to know what those two numbers are and you need to be at 98% collections. Okay. That's number one on your money. Number two is what's your overhead? Should be at 50% or less, 20% doctor pay. You gotta do this. What are we spending in those categories? So I like to look at our payroll percentage. I like to look at our supplies, labs. those are like the main big ticket items within that 50%. Doctor should pay should be sitting between 20 and 30%. All right, let's look at that.   Then beyond that, there's also probably money sitting in your AR. We should never have more than one month's worth of AR sitting there. So if you're producing $200,000, your total AR should never be more than $200,000. That's just the way the game works. So those are things we're gonna look at. All right. You gotta look at did we hit our goals, production, collection? What's our overhead? Did we overspend? Why? What improved and what did it? So we're gonna look at our PL. So I look at.   All of our team, all of our clients, they're on add it to analytics. So you usually have an online analytic. We build a KPI scorecard for all of our clients. Every client has it. So we're looking at what's our goal? What's our production? Is it red or green for that week or that month? Is it red or green for the collections? What's our collection percentage this month? What's our collection percentage year today? Because some months are gonna be low, some months are gonna be high. That's normal business. But we got to make sure we're collecting enough for our BAM, our bare ace minimum. And if not, we need to have savings for that. All right, so we have all that.   Then we also have an overhead calculator. I love the overhead calculator. I'm obsessed with it. We finally nailed this overhead calculator. Like it is, it's dreamy. Because what we do, I like to see this. It's a rolling month. So for those of you watching, great. I'm gonna share a screen. For those of you who are listening to the podcast, I'll explain it. Don't worry. So on here we have a scorecard. So this is one of my favorites. It's the overhead one. So what we do is we have our goals. So we set in our goals.   Like payrolls 30%, supplies are 5%, labs 7%, facility and equipment 8%, advertising 2%, less you're in growth mode, office supplies less than 1%, insurance half a percentage, professional services. We put in there your consulting fee. You're welcome. I want you to see that you can pay for consulting and be profitable. Bank charges and fees, I hope and pray they're less than 3%. They should be lower. And if not, you can get with Moolah. Phone internet utilities, less than 5% or 0.5, excuse me. And then other is usually 1%.   All that totals up to 60%. That means our doctor pay is probably gonna be sitting in at 20% or 30%. How can we trim this? A lot of people can produce more and have less payroll. We can outsource different things. Could we get our supplies lower? Can we order things differently? Labs, like let's look at that facility and equipment. Can we get that lower? Can we reduce our rent? Advertising, office supplies, could we get that down to a half a percentage? Professional services, like what if we got it to 1%? Or one of the fastest, easiest ways is we boost our production.   And it's gonna actually offset it and get it to a 50% overhead. Then what's amazing is we have our year to date. So what is it? What's our collection amount? We always want watch that. Year to date, and then we do a difference. So what's amazing is as you scroll through, we do January, February, March, April, we have our total overhead. What's our doctor W2? What's our doctor distribution, doctor salary? I want to see what percentage it is. This really quickly shows you what's my overhead, what's my doctorate, and then what's my EBITDA or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.   What's our total expenses, not including debt services? What's that? We want that to be sitting at 80% or less. And it gives us a dollar amount. So we're able to see it month over month and then year to date where we sit. What's the net profit? So in this practice, because they're at 60%, their net profit can only be at 10% unless our doctor pays lower. I don't really care how you do it because distributions are distributions. So if you want to take the profit, you want to leave it in the business, you got to make sure that the practice is paying for your life. Then we have all of our debt services. This is usually where people get stuck on cash. You're stuck on cash.   Because you have your profit, but then your profit doesn't pay for your debt services. And then after your debt services, those debt services a lot of times are not tax deductible. So then you're getting whipped on the other side with your taxes. It's really just this like yin and yang back and forth. Then we look at it. Now, taxes, we put it at 37%. Talks to your CPA. That's the highest tax bracket. You might not be there based on what your profitability is. But we have all this. So this way everything's dialed in. Every single month we're looking it over. I'm obsessed with this because I love it. I made my CPA make one of these.   What's our difference? How is this? What's our year to date? We go over this every single freaking month. Give the PL. Let's fill this in. Let's teach you how to do it this way. The more intimate you are with the numbers. I know people are like, I don't want to fill this in. Can you do it for me? No. I'll teach you one time, but then you're gonna fill this in. Why? Because if you look at this every month, think you're gonna get better? Yes, because what you track and measure improves. Okay. So that's what we're looking at. When we talk about our numbers, when we talk about these different things.   This is how you review your numbers monthly. I kid you not. Now, my gym trainer, I'm gonna talk about her a lot. You guys, I went on a really incredible gym training. All right. I decided when I turned 40, which I'm still like anybody who's got some good tips for like I'm halfway to 80. Do you guys realize that? Like, shoot, that's a moment, okay? Like, that's a moment that I'm still processing. Anyway, I decided I was going to be fit and 40.   And I was like, I'm gonna be the best shape of my life. So my trainer and I have been working out with her for about two years. We set a goal. I hired this incredible photographer. His name is Kai York. He's out of Spain. Go check him out. His photography is absolutely incredible. And I was like, I'm gonna do this incredible fitness journey. And I'll tell you, she was like, Kiera, you've been working out for two years with me. She said, if you want to get to what you want, you've got to start tracking your metrics. And I was like, Yeah, yeah, yeah. Food, food, food. Daddy daddy da.   I'm so busy, blah, blah, blah, blah. Then I was like, fine. So she made me do this like intake form again. And the intake form said, How committed are you? And I remember writing, I'm 100% committed. How committed are you? So I went back to the coach. He guys, I'm a little sassy. My coach and I have come to like this really good place with each other. we have a very great relationship, and I'm super thankful for her. And what was crazy is I went all in. I am on 80 days of tracking my macros 100%.   I usually hit it right on track every single time. I'm not perfect, but I am consistent. I weigh in every single day that I'm home. So we weigh in, measure, do all the measurements every single day consistently. We were like three months into this journey. And I was a girl who was anorexic as a girl who was like never gonna get on a scale. I was like, I don't track it. And she said, Kiera, like we worked a lot on this of anorexia things. And if it ever got to a spot where I felt like it was trickling back.   It was a no-go. But she helped me see that like I'm just using this information to be able to make changes in my life. I was using this information to see, okay, if I ate certain things, how does that impact my weight? I wasn't going after a certain number on the scale. Our ultimate goal, because my my vision is that when I'm 90, I can freaking run faster than my grandkids or people younger than me. I want to be this like freaking ripped 90-year-old lady with cotton candy pink hair. Like that's that's really the vision.   I don't want to be frail. I don't want to be feeble. Yes, I'll sit there and like crochet and knit. I'm still gonna do like some like granny things. I wanna do that. That like feels exciting for me. But I want to be like so strong. So it wasn't about a number on the scale, it wasn't about a body fat percentage. It was truly I want to be in the best shape of my life that's physically strong. Like I wanna be strong. I want to be strong, like not skinny. Like I used to be going after being super skinny. now it's a how can I have like the strongest and take care of my body?   The whole reason I bring this up is because when I track and measure, I got the results I wanted. The first time in my life, I've said, I want a six-pack, I want a six pack, but she's like, Kiera, you've got to track and you gotta measure and you've got to look at it. We use it as data and we make decisions based on that. I bring that up because I feel like your metrics and your numbers, looking at them monthly, looking at them daily, looking at them weekly are the same thing. We don't get obsessive. Like for me, I could have gotten very obsessive and gotten right back into habits of anorexia. That's not the path. The path is to be my strongest, most fit self for you.   Your path is we're gonna be the most profitable fit practice that you can have. We gotta track it, we gotta measure it, and we gotta look at it constantly. But that way we make decisions based on it. So I want you looking at this. This is how you're going to be able to be financially free. This is how you're gonna have money. You're gonna be able to be like into that predictable money-making machine for you that's profitable. You're gonna have profitability, you're gonna have cash flow, and you're gonna have financial confidence. You've got to track and measure, otherwise it will never improve. And I'm just saying, like.   So we have a KPI scorecard that's gonna track your collections, your production, your payroll, your overhead, your profitability, our AR. Then we're gonna have like if one of those is off, then we can dig deeper. But if you look at those at a high level, just like I'm tracking my metrics, I promise you you will improve. What gets measured, like improves. So let's do it. Let's do it together. and I believe your story tells, like your numbers will tell a story long before your bank account does. And it's a way for you to track and measure, it's a way for you to validate. so   Put it on your calendar, have a nice little financial date with yourself. also have this in leadership. Our leadership team looks at our KPIs every single week. Every week, non-negotiable. That's what we do. And some people are like, well, I don't want my team to know numbers. Yeah, it freaks me out sometimes. But guess what? This is part of the game of business. And if I can't trust my leadership team to know my numbers, they might not be the right leadership team for me. Leadership team members, your doctors need to have profit. They've got to pay taxes on that. They got to be able to take care of themselves. And guess what? They work hard. Let them have big dreams and visions.   Just like you have big dreams and visions. Let's make sure we make both come true. Kate, now number two. I'm off my rant. I hope you guys loved it because I loved it. Number two is we got to do whatever your CPA tells you. I'm not a CPA. I can't really like get into that lane. And I'm not trying to get into that lane. I'm just saying for me, taxes were my biggest enemy. At the end of the year, I had a huge tax bill that I had not been saving for. And I know my was like, but Kiera, it's great. You get all this money. And I'm like, yay, but I don't have that money. I spent it.   Like, I don't know, people spend their paychecks. It's just like mystery. And I don't like living in this like, can I spend the money? Can I not spend the money? That never feels good to me. So what I decided to do with my CPA is we put it together and every single month I was like, this is a freaking equation, guys. Whatever my profit is, I need to just save that much money. Like that's it. Why do we like wait up for a quarter or wait up for six months or wait till the end of the year? And then I'm like, shoot, you want me to pay how much? Like, where's that money?   To me, I'm very proactive. I hate being reactive. So I had my CPA work with me. You can talk to your CPA. They can do this for you. Say, I don't like the quarterlies. I like to save it. For me, I personally put mine over an ally, A-L-L-Y. I know their interest rates are not as good as they used to be, dang it. But I'm still making money on that. And then I've got the money set aside. So when they ask me for my quarterly, they ask me for my end of year. I'm not freaking out about this money, but non-negotiable for cure dent before the end of the month, every single month, that money moves. Non-negoti, I don't care what it is.   I move away a distribution. So I have put money, it's profit first model. I do money for taxes. I do money for our BAM for our company to make sure we have that. And then I do our profit moves every single month, non-negotiable. I don't care if it's a good month. I don't care if it's a bad month. But what that does is it forces me to make sure our collections are in place. Do this. You guys are totally able to do this. Okay. So what happens is every single month, my CPA tells me, Kiera, this is where you were. This is your profit. This is how much money you need to put away for taxes.   Is it technically retroactive? Yes. So in June, I'll be moving money for May. Okay. So some months you're going to have a really high month. Then you get September. That's really fun. You still got to find the money because guess what? It doesn't change. You have to go find that money. I move that money out of my bank account into a third party account. So it sits over an ally. It does accrue interest over there, but it sits there. I don't touch it. It only is paid for taxes and I have them labeled into buckets. So it's my taxes, what's my company? Bam. And it moves. This is a disciplined skill.   You do not need to have this hard. For me, I also realized it was taxes, it was tithing or charitable contributions. And then like 401k. So when I used to do a SEP IRA, that was a fun throw because I had to pay that money too. Then I also have end of year bonuses. I hate doing this in December. Like I hated December. I used to dread December. I'd cry every December. Let's stop that. Whatever money you're paying out, if you know you're paying bonuses at the end of the year, let's figure out what it is divided by 12. Let's set that money aside every single month. That way you have it available.   I will tell you this will reduce your financial stress faster than anything else. So let's just do it. And for me, taxes, it's just an operating expense. For me, like that's just part of doing business. I don't, it's not, it's not like money lost. It's just a line item. Like I just need to put it in the bank account. What I also love is because I save every single month. So I kid you not, this is what Care does. I'm happy to put you on my like, I don't really have a text thread, but pretend I do. If you want to be a part of it, great.   By the end of the month, every month before the calendar flips to the next month, my money has moved. Non-negotiable, it will move. So I do have a doctor where we like text at the end of the month to make sure we're both moving money. and so what I do is I move it. What happens is at the end of the year, typically we're making expenses or doing corporate expenses, things like that, capital expenses, excuse me. And when that happens, from there, what we're able to do is we're then able to determine what our tax bill is going to be at the end of the year.   Every year that I have done this, where I save every month, I do 37%, like or whatever your tax bracket is, talk to your CPA. At the end of the year, every year, I'm eight years strong on this. So I feel like it's a pretty good track record to be sharing information. Every single year, I've saved more money than I actually need to pay for taxes. How many of you have done that? Like, that's it, because I put it on my goalboard. I said, That's it. I'm gonna become a freaking tax expert. I read tax books, I like talked to my CPA. I was like, I am sick of crying in December. We're gonna resolve this forever.   Now every single year I have more money than what I used to have. And I say that that's my tax refund. It's been a very long time since as a business owner actually get a tax refund, but that's the way I'm able to have a tax refund. And then I use that money for whatever because it's free. Like I don't have to be worried. I can spend it. And what we do is we make sure the business has enough to pay for my partial life. We have enough to save for taxes. And then whatever's left over to me, that's your like, it's your tax refund. Enjoy that, baby. Like have a good time. I also always have money for quarterlies. I have money set aside for that. So I've never stressed out.   So when the CPA says carry you owe X amount, I'm like, yep, here we go. Off it goes. And I accrued interest on So I feel even happier because I've been accruing interest on that money and I've been saving it. So tax planning is cash flow planning because most of the time I've noticed that business owners get stuck on their taxes. It's cash flow and it's very stressful. So I genuinely believe like your IRS bill should never be your largest surprise. Like, guys, you can do this. So   I set up a meeting with my financial my CPA and my financial advisors. I meet with them every single month. And then I do usually mid year. So it's coming up right now. I'll be meeting with my CPA. Where am I at? What have I paid? What do I still need to have? Where are we projected? Am I high? Am I low? What do we have that at? Every single month they tell me how much I need to save for taxes. Your CPA works for you. Make them work for you. So reserve it. Now, if we're behind, because a few years I've been behind. But guess what? If I'm doing that meeting in June or July,   I have six months to make up that cash. Or if you guys have like some of you are paying back taxes and it just breaks my heart and I'm sorry. So what we do is we just pay a little extra every single month and we just set that. So whatever they tell me, tack on 10% of my debt, we're gonna pay that down, we're gonna pay that back. There's ways that you can do this, and I'm happy to work through any of it. This is what we talk about in our mastermind. Like, pick my brain because I got so sick of crying. Like I said, I'm not a CPA. Your CPAs tell you all that. I'll just tell you I'm a   I'm an entrepreneur over here and a true business owner. It's had to figure out how to make money not be stressful and actually have a cash flow. All right. Number three is how do we make this like predictable cash flow for you? So I think for you, next is going to be like this is all dentistry. So how do we convert like production into profit? So being a good dentist. So we're gonna have strong case acceptance. Make sure patients are saying yes to your dentistry, collections percentage at 98%. Make sure overhead's where it needs to be. Let's make sure our schedule is scheduled efficiently.   Let's make sure that we've got consistent patient and team retention. two practices honestly can collect the exact same amount. One's gonna have profit and wealth, the other one's gonna have stress and overhead. Like the difference is our systems and are we staying consistent? What's our morning huddle? Like I was just in a practice, they're doing so well. And I was like, hey, we're not talking a huddle about how we win. Like let's let's add that in. So they're prepping. I promise you their production's gonna go up every single time I'm in office, their production spikes. It's just that's a little Dental A Team magic because people get excited, their production goes up.   But you've got to have those. Like you've got to have consistent systems. We've got to have consistent case acceptance, consistent schedules, consistent collections. Like those things have to be there. We have to control our overhead and see it. Consistency is not sexy, but it's how you get results. I hope you heard that. Consistency is not sexy, but it's how you get results. It's not perfection. I did not say you have be perfect. You guys, when I'm doing my cut, I was in the best shape of my life. I'm still so proud of myself. I wasn't perfect.   You better believe I still ate Reese's Easter eggs, guys. I freaking love those. You want to make me happy? Ship me those. Please. Like, I love them. they have to be the big eggs, not the little ones. The peanut butter to chocolate ratio is very different. And I peel off all the chocolate. I just want the peanut butter. Like, I'm there for it. I still ate those. I wasn't perfect. At the end, I was perfect. I was literally just eating chicken, rice, and almonds. Like, ugh, chicken for breakfast. Yeah, that was the next level moment. but I was perfect for two weeks.   But I was consistent. I wasn't perfect. You don't have to be perfect. You do need to be consistent. So having those systems, and I want you guys to just look to see in your practice where is one money, like where is it leaking in your practice? Is it in our case acceptance? Is it in our scheduling? Is it in our collections? Is it in us not looking at our overhead? And let's fix it this quarter. Let's set that as a quarterly rock. Let's get it fixed. So, as a quick review, I've ranted on this. I hope you guys loved it. But like truly, I want this to be like money and taxes. And how do you get out of the rut? And how do you stop crying?   How do you actually have cash flow, not cash slow? Like, let's get the cash flow, guys. you gotta review your numbers monthly. I'd recommend it's actually weekly, but start with monthly. You gotta plan for taxes every single month. And then we gotta build systems that turn it production into profit. Like just focus on those ones that are gonna put money on your books. You've got to be able to have this financial confidence. Like it's not a hope, a wish, a prayer. It's by being consistent. It's about being stable. I know that I'm gonna always have money for taxes. Always. Like that's just a discipline. That's a standard, and I will not go below that.   I will not ever go below. Like that's just my standard. We gotta cut, we gotta figure it out. And I love it because it forces me to innovate, forces me to squeeze the juice. Like I will pay myself. I'm not gonna sit here and not like you people just need to live below their means. Like, save 10%. I've always paid 10% to charitable contributions. I'll tell you if you don't do that, I'm not saying you gotta do charitable contributions, but they have shown that people that do save and don't live on everything that they spend.   Actually, you're able to be like the most successful people. That was a great study. I didn't even know it. And I heard it and I was like, wow. But I think it's because it forces us to see that you don't have to live on every single penny that comes through. You're actually able to live below your means, set these as standards, make them and be disciplined. And if you're not great at this, reach out. I love to help people with this. Like you don't have to have this be unpredictable anymore. We can get it to where it's cash flow confident. And I want you to be confident. So reach out.   I do believe that financial success is not good luck. It is just having systems and consistency. That's all it is. So reach out. I'd love to help you understand your numbers. I'd love to help you improve this. I'd love to have you have a practice that really does create genuine true wealth for you. I've got doctors that are asking me for a private mastermind where it's like, how do we wealth generate beyond? So first step is to stabilize, next step is to have structure, next step is to scale. So reach out. I'd love to help you. I'd love to help you guys create real wealth.   Your practices should be assets, not liabilities. So let's get it to where it's cash flowing positive. again, it can really truly be yours. I went from crying all the time to feeling confident as a business owner and I love to share that with people. So reach out Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, thanks for listening, and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast.

Financial advisors can deepen client relationships by turning tax preparation into an integrated source of insight, strategy, and year-round value.In this episode of The Registered Investment Advisor Podcast, host Seth Greene interviews Richard Lavina, Co-Founder and CEO of Taxfyle, who shares how his experience as a CPA inspired him to co-found Taxfyle, a digital platform connecting individuals, businesses, and financial firms with licensed tax professionals. He explains how wealth managers and RIAs can integrate tax preparation into their existing services, access valuable client data, and provide more coordinated financial guidance without acquiring a traditional accounting practice. Richard also discusses the accounting talent shortage, the growth of fractional CPA work, the impact of AI, and the importance of preserving human connection as technology handles more administrative tasks. Key Takeaways: Taxfyle was inspired by the flexibility of the gig economy and the idea that CPAs should have greater control over when and how they work.The platform connects clients and financial firms with a network of licensed CPAs and IRS-enrolled agents.Wealth management firms can embed and white-label tax services without purchasing or operating a separate CPA practice.Tax information can help advisors better understand a client's financial position, investment needs, estate planning concerns, and overall financial wellness.Integrating tax services allows advisors to maintain greater visibility and control over the client relationship. Richard Lavina is Co-Founder and CEO of Taxfyle, an AI-powered tax preparation and planning platform that simplifies tax services for financial advisors, fintech companies, fractional CFOs, and their clients. With nearly a decade of experience leading Taxfyle's growth, Richard brings expertise in both technology and finance. Taxfyle is the United States' largest human-in-the-loop AI tax platform, with 7,200 CPAs and IRS Enrolled Agents in its network. Connect With Richard: Website: https://www.taxfyle.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taxfyle/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Taxfyle/X: https://x.com/TaxfyleYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzodnNvli_8Wip0rT6v6_lA

The excitement of starting a small business can fuel the flame for your business for quite a while, but when you stop taking care of yourself and let your business pull you in various directions, burnout can start to set in, and you may find the passion you once had for your business start to smolder.  You want to be proactive in this area so that you don't find yourself with these feelings of burnout and potentially wanting to walk away from your business after you have put so much effort into getting it up and running.  After all, you had a good reason that you wanted to start your business in the first place, right?  Avoiding burnout can be done easily if you follow the tips referenced in today's podcast.  Each tip will help make sure you stay passionate about your business, which will allow your business to thrive and survive.  Whether you are getting ready to start your small business, you're a solopreneur, entrepreneur, small business owner, virtual online bookkeeper, or virtual assistant, make sure you take these tips to heart.  Burnout can happen easily and could happen at any time while starting or running your business.  Being aware of what causes burnout and what you can do to avoid it will not only benefit you, but your business will reap the benefits as well.  Listen in and find out what you can do to avoid burnout in your business…           Join us in a community built specifically for accountants and high-stress professionals.  You'll receive support, accountability, and a community that understands what you're going through. We focus on stress reduction, increasing productivity, time management, goal achievement, health, happiness, and desired lifestyle:  https://www.financialadventure.com/community Schedule your Complimentary Stress Audit And Clarity Session, where we'll work together to create a clear and focused plan and overcome the obstacles that stand in your way so that you can move forward and immediately start enjoying your life with less stress, increased productivity, and more time to spend doing what you love with the people you care about: https://www.financialadventure.com/work-with-me Accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, Tax Preparers & Financial Professionals, sign up here to get updates on upcoming opportunities & grab the Audit Of Your Well-Being & Balance Guide here: https://www.financialadventure.com/accountant Ready to set up your business?  I have a program to help you get your business set up so that you can start making money.  Sign up for this program here: https://www.financialadventure.com/start Are you ready to try coaching?  Schedule an Introductory Coaching Session today.  You'll have the opportunity to see how you like coaching with an Introductory Coaching Session: https://www.financialadventure.com/intro Join us in the Mastering Your Small Business Finances PROFIT LAB if you are ready to take control of your business finances and create the profitable business you are striving for.  Are you ready to generate revenues and increase the profit in your business: https://www.financialadventure.com/profit If You Are Ready To Choose, Start Or Grow Your Side Hustle, Get Your Free Checklist And Assessment Here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sidehustle Grab Your FREE guide:  5 Essential Strategies For Stress-Free Bookkeeping: https://www.financialadventure.com/5essentials Your FREE Online Virtual Bookkeeping Business Starter Guide & Success Path Is Waiting For You: https://www.financialadventure.com/starterguide Join Our Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbusinessownersultimatediybookkeepingboutique The Strategic Bookkeeping Academy, including Bookkeeping Basics, is open for registration!  You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sba Looking for a payroll solution for your business?  You can get an exclusive 15% discount on your payroll services when you sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/adp QuickBooks Online - Save 30% Your First 6 Months: https://www.financialadventure.com/quickbooks Sign up for a virtual coffee chat to see if starting a Bookkeeping Business is right for you: https://www.financialadventure.com/discovery Show Notes:  https://www.financialadventure.com This podcast is sponsored by Financial Adventure, LLC ~ visit https://www.financialadventure.com for additional information and free resources.

Is it really possible to pay almost zero in taxes, legally? In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, I sit down with Bronson Hill, founder and CEO of Bronson Equity and author of Fire Yourself, to discuss how high earners legally reduce their taxes, the real estate professional designation, oil and gas investing, and why most CPAs never find these strategies. Episode highlights: How a couple cut a $2M tax bill to $125K after selling their business  The real estate professional designation — and how a spouse can qualify Why oil and gas drilling can deduct 80–90% against any income The difference between a CPA and a real tax strategist How to measure success beyond the next financial milestone Watch the full episode and ask yourself: how much of your income are you losing to taxes you could legally defer? Connect with Bronson: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronson-hill-b4843910/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bronson.hill.37 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bronsondavidhill/ Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/BronsonHill6 Website: https://bronsonequity.com Book: Fire Yourself: Replace Your Working Income with Passive Income in 3 Years or Less Book https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Yourself-Replace-Working-Passive/dp/B0CLFG4P83

Many real estate investors spend years building a portfolio but never think about how they will eventually step away from it. Brandon Bruckman explains why having an exit strategy is just as important as building the portfolio in the first place. Description For many investors, rental properties become a full time business. Brandon Bruckman believes there comes a point when investors should understand all of their options before health, burnout, or family circumstances force difficult decisions. In this conversation, Brandon explains how Delaware Statutory Trusts can help qualifying investors move from active property management into passive real estate ownership through a 1031 exchange. He also shares the story of a client who sold a large portfolio, deferred taxes, improved his health, and gained the freedom to enjoy retirement on his own terms. Key Topics Why many real estate investors never create an exit strategy How Delaware Statutary Trusts work with a 1031 exchange Why passive ownership can replace active management Planning for heirs before retirement Working with CPAs, trust attorneys, and commercial brokers Guest Information Brandon Bruckman helps long standing real estate investors understand retirement planning options, tax deferral strategies, and passive real estate investing. Website: investwithinsight.com Podcast: The Retiring Real Estate Investor Call to Action Visit investwithinsight.com to learn more about retirement planning options for real estate investors and connect with Brandon for additional educational resources.

Do you find yourself people-pleasing?  Do you understand what people-pleasing actually means and how doing it impacts your life?  If you find yourself constantly putting yourself last or putting other people's needs before your own, it's likely you are people-pleasing in your life.  Understanding people-pleasing and why you might be doing it in your life can bring such an awareness for you to begin making changes.  When you stop people-pleasing, you can literally change your life.  Let's dive in…   Join us in a community built specifically for accountants and high-stress professionals.  You'll receive support, accountability, and a community that understands what you're going through. We focus on stress reduction, increasing productivity, time management, goal achievement, health, happiness, and desired lifestyle:  https://www.financialadventure.com/community I'm inviting you to sign up for the free private podcast where I do a deeper dive into this topic on the Mastering Your Mindset Moments podcast for high-stress professionals: https://www.financialadventure.com/private Schedule your Complimentary Stress Audit and Clarity Session, where we'll work together to create a clear and focused plan for you to move forward so you'll immediately start enjoying your life with less stress, increased productivity, and more time to spend doing what you love with the people you care about: https://www.financialadventure.com/work-with-me Accountants, CPAs, Bookkeepers, Tax Preparers & Financial Professionals, sign up here to get updates on upcoming opportunities & grab the Audit Of Your Well-Being & Balance Guide here: https://www.financialadventure.com/accountant Ready to set up your business?  I have a program to help you get your business set up so that you can start making money.  Sign up for this program here: https://www.financialadventure.com/start Are you ready to try coaching?  Schedule an Introductory Coaching Session today.  You'll have the opportunity to see how you like coaching with an Introductory Coaching Session: https://www.financialadventure.com/intro Join us in the Mastering Your Small Business Finances PROFIT LAB if you are ready to take control of your business finances and create the profitable business you are striving for.  Are you ready to generate revenues and increase the profit in your business: https://www.financialadventure.com/profit If You Are Ready To Choose, Start Or Grow Your Side Hustle, Get Your Free Checklist And Assessment Here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sidehustle Grab Your FREE guide:  5 Essential Strategies For Stress-Free Bookkeeping: https://www.financialadventure.com/5essentials Your FREE Online Virtual Bookkeeping Business Starter Guide & Success Path Is Waiting For You: https://www.financialadventure.com/starterguide Join Our Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenbusinessownersultimatediybookkeepingboutique The Strategic Bookkeeping Academy, including Bookkeeping Basics, is open for registration!  You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/sba Looking for a payroll solution for your business?  You can get an exclusive 15% discount on your payroll services when you sign up here: https://www.financialadventure.com/adp QuickBooks Online - Save 30% Your First 6 Months: https://www.financialadventure.com/quickbooks Sign up for a virtual coffee chat to see if starting a Bookkeeping Business is right for you: https://www.financialadventure.com/discovery Show Notes:  https://www.financialadventure.com This podcast is sponsored by Financial Adventure, LLC ~ visit https://www.financialadventure.com for additional information and free resources.

Building a multifamily investment team is one of the most important steps in growing a successful real estate portfolio. In this Strategy Saturday episode, Charles Carillo explains how to build a multifamily investment team, which professionals you need at each stage, and when it makes sense to expand your operation. Whether you are self-managing your first apartment property or building a full-scale real estate investment firm, the right team can help you manage daily operations, evaluate deals, raise capital, and acquire more properties. In this episode, Charles discusses: • The foundational team every multifamily investor needs • How brokers, lenders, attorneys, and CPAs support your investments • Why your property manager may be your most important team member • When to hire bookkeepers, contractors, handymen, and insurance brokers • How virtual assistants can save you hours every week • The roles needed to build a true real estate investment firm • When to add asset management, investor relations, marketing, and underwriting • Why hiring part-time and using a 90-day trial can reduce hiring risk • How specialized team members free you to focus on finding and buying properties Multifamily investing is a team sport. As your portfolio grows, surrounding yourself with experienced professionals allows you to scale without becoming an expert in every area of the business. Links Referenced in Episode: SS44: How Do You Build A Real Estate Team? - https://youtu.be/ofBnnnomKGc Connect with the Global Investors Show, Charles Carillo and Harborside Partners: ◾ Setup a FREE 30 Minute Strategy Call with Charles: http://ScheduleCharles.com ◾ Learn How To Invest In Real Estate: https://www.SyndicationSuperstars.com/  ◾ FREE Passive Investing Guide: http://www.HSPguide.com ◾ Join Our Weekly Email Newsletter: http://www.HSPsignup.com ◾ Passively Invest in Real Estate: http://www.InvestHSP.com ◾ Global Investors Web Page: http://GlobalInvestorsPodcast.com/

Stop Thinking About Taxes Only at Filing Time Most investors think about taxes after the year is over. Terry Judge explains why the biggest opportunities happen long before tax season arrives. In this conversation, Terry shares how paying high taxes pushed him from being a passive real estate investor into becoming an active partner in development projects. He explains how that transition created new tax planning opportunities while helping him gain valuable experience in real estate. The discussion also covers cost segregation, real estate professional status, bonus depreciation, and how specialty tax planning can uncover savings that many investors never realize are available. Terry also shares examples from his own development projects and explains why working with tax specialists alongside your CPA can make a meaningful difference. Key Topics Why Terry moved from passive investing into active development How cost segregation creates accelerated depreciation Material participation and active investing Real estate professional status Current hotel and daycare development projects Working alongside CPAs for proactive tax planning R&D tax credits for qualifying businesses Guest Information Terry Judge is the owner of Core Advisors, a nationwide specialty tax firm focused on cost segregation studies and R&D tax credits. He also actively invests in real estate development projects while helping investors identify tax saving opportunities discussed in the episode. Website: coreadvisors.net Email: TerryJudge@CoreAdvisors.net Call to Action Visit Core Advisors for a free savings analysis or reach out to Terry directly by email to discuss your investment or business tax strategy.

The Wealth Preservation Architecture: Deferring Capital Gains Tax and Maximizing Exit Equity with Brett SwartsIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Brett Swarts, the Founder and CEO of Capital Gains Tax Solutions, to examine the severe tax liabilities that threaten high-net-worth business exits and real estate transactions. Brett, a leading wealth preservation strategist, commercial real estate expert, and author of Building a Capital Gains Tax Exit Plan, details how traditional tax-deferral mechanisms like the 1031 exchange frequently limit investor flexibility and expose assets to market volatility. This conversation provides a comprehensive, data-backed operational guide for founders, real estate investors, and M&A advisors who want to legally defer 33% to 40% in combined capital gains taxes, retain capital compounding power, and construct flexible, long-term estate planning frameworks using the Deferred Sales Trust (DST).The Asset Preservation Paradigm: Unlocking Compound Growth and Flexible Liquidity Through Deferred Sales TrustsThe primary operational oversight committed by founders and real estate investors during an asset liquidity event is delaying tax-deferral architecture until after a transaction closes. In high-tax jurisdictions where combined federal, state, and depreciation recapture taxes routinely consume 33% to 40% of net profits, selling an appreciated asset without an established exit structure results in an immediate, permanent destruction of capital. While many investors default to a traditional 1031 exchange to defer real estate taxes, this rigid framework forces buyers into strict 45-day identification windows and 180-day closing deadlines, often compelling them to overpay for replacement properties in inflated markets. Implementing an installment sale framework via a Deferred Sales Trust before closing removes these rigid timelines entirely, allowing the full proceeds of a business or real estate sale to be reinvested into diversified stocks, bonds, or new entrepreneurial ventures tax-deferred.Executing a Deferred Sales Trust requires a disciplined structural pivot where the seller transfers ownership of the business or real estate asset to an irrevocable third-party trust in exchange for a customized promissory note. The trust subsequently executes the final transaction with the end buyer, receiving cash proceeds while issuing structured, tax-deferred note payments to the original seller over a multi-year horizon. Because capital gains taxes are triggered only on the principal payments actually received by the seller, the remaining capital inside the trust compounds tax-deferred at its full value. This strategic separation of asset ownership from liquidity streams allows high-net-worth founders to secure predictable passive income, diversify their wealth out of concentrated positions, and maintain strategic influence over investment allocations without incurring immediate tax penalties.Furthermore, leveraging specialized trust structures provides enterprise leaders with critical ancillary benefits, including robust asset protection against future litigation and the systematic reduction of estate tax liabilities. As the global market prepares for unprecedented multi-trillion-dollar wealth transfers driven by retiring business owners, financial advisors, brokers, and CPAs who master advanced capital gains tax-deferral strategies gain a massive competitive advantage. By offering clients viable alternatives to strict 1031 exchanges or immediate tax hits, advisors can unlock trapped equity, preserve multi-generational wealth, and build long-term client retention. When early tax planning, rigorous legal compliance, and flexible trust administration are synthesized into a single exit architecture, business owners eliminate transactional drag, shield their capital, and predictably maximize their enterprise equity.About Brett SwartsBrett Swarts is the Founder and CEO of Capital Gains Tax Solutions, a commercial real estate veteran, an international speaker, and an expert in capital gains tax-deferral frameworks. Drawing from years of hands-on experience facilitating complex real estate transactions and business exits, Brett specializes in helping high-net-worth individuals navigate tax traps and preserve wealth. He is the author of Building a Capital Gains Tax Exit Plan (featuring a foreword by Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington) and host of the Capital Gains Tax Solutions Podcast, dedicated to helping business owners and advisors unlock financial freedom through advanced trust structures.About Capital Gains Tax SolutionsCapital Gains Tax Solutions is an elite corporate tax advisory firm and wealth preservation agency engineered to help real estate investors, business founders, and high-net-worth individuals legally defer capital gains taxes. The company specializes in delivering customized Deferred Sales Trust (DST) frameworks, exit strategy coaching, estate tax planning, and advisor partnership programs. Through structured legal compliance, third-party trust administration, and comprehensive wealth strategy blueprints, Capital Gains Tax Solutions enables sellers across complex asset classes to eliminate tax friction and maximize their net-worth compounding potential.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeCapital Gains Tax Solutions Official Website: capitalgainstaxsolutions.comBrett Swarts on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brett-swartsKey Episode HighlightsThe Pre-Close Timing Rule: Why exit planning must be executed prior to closing a transaction to legally defer capital gains liabilities and protect wealth.Overcoming the 1031 Exchange Bottleneck: Utilizing the Deferred Sales Trust to bypass strict 45-day identification windows and reinvest in non-real estate asset classes.The Installment Sale Mechanics: Deferring 33% to 40% in combined federal and state taxes by selling assets to a trust in exchange for a structured promissory note.Multi-Generational Estate Tax Protection: Shielding large transaction proceeds from estate taxes and creditors while setting up seamless inheritance structures for heirs.The $124 Trillion Advisory Opportunity: Equipping financial advisors, M&A brokers, and CPAs with advanced tax-deferral strategies to win high-net-worth B2B clients.ConclusionThe conversation with Brett Swarts underscores that maximizing the value of a business exit or real estate sale is an intentional architectural process rather than a post-transaction accounting exercise. By standardizing internal exit governance, replacing rigid exchange models with flexible trust structures, and acting well before the deal closes, business leaders can transform a massive tax burden into a highly structured, self-sustaining wealth preservation engine.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Send us Fan MailApparently, caring is cool again, which is unfortunate because some of us just got really good at pretending not to care. On this episode of Mike & Blaine, we're talking about why effort, enthusiasm, and actually giving a damn are making a massive comeback after years of “too cool to try” corporate apathy, detachment, and fake indifference.We take a deep dive into cringe culture, modern workplace apathy, terrible dating advice, and businesses that act like returning a customer's phone call would somehow ruin their mystique. But beyond the banter, there is a powerful business strategy hidden here: radical effort is your ultimate competitive advantage.In today's crowded market, standard "professionalism" without personality is just boredom wearing a collared shirt. Companies that hide behind slow responses, generic corporate speak, and passive customer service are rapidly losing market share to competitors who demonstrate genuine enthusiasm and care.In this episode, we break down key business tactics and strategic takeaways:Customer Experience (CX) as a Differentiator: Why over-delivering and relentless responsiveness beat playing "hard to get" every single time.Building Authentic Brand Loyalty: How injecting real personality into your marketing turns passive buyers into brand advocates.Culture & Employee Engagement: How to combat disengagement and quiet quitting by building a work environment where taking pride in performance is celebrated.Sales & Strategic Execution: Why caring about your client's outcomes creates trust faster than any polished sales pitch.Grab a cold beer and join us as we ask whether trying hard was ever really the embarrassing part—or if caring is actually the secret weapon your business strategy has been missing.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LouDPrRM9YYLove the show? Head over to mikeandblaine.com to buy us a beer and support the podcast!We want to hear from you! beer@mikeandblaine.comListen to all our episodes at mikeandblaine.comLearn about:Cash Flow Mike who trains CPAs to provide effective advisory to their clients at cashflowmike.comDryrun Cash Flow Forecasting for the office of the CFO where they get finance teams out of spreadsheets at dryrun.comThanks to our Beer Sponsors:Karen Hairston from 3S Smart Consulting CPA Larry Weinstein, the Cash Flow Cowboy from Houston Texas Neighbor Pat Devin Trey MiltonWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LouDPrRM9YY#TryingIsCool #CringeCulture #CustomerExperience #Chalant #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship #CustomerService #Leadership #SmallBusiness #BusinessGrowth #SalesStrategy #CorporateCulture #MikeAndBlaine #Podcasting #Apple #Nike #Starbucks #HubSpot #Salesforce #Shopify #HarvardBusinessReview #IncMagazine #ForbesSupport the showCatch more episodes, see our sponsors and get in touch at https://mikeandblaine.com/

Catrina M. Craft, a top-tier tax strategist, shares essential insights on avoiding common tax mistakes, structuring your business effectively, and the importance of proactive planning to protect your assets and maximize wealth.“Inaction is really dangerous because what happens is it just builds up, it compounds.”Chapters00:00 Risks of Asset Seizure and Frozen Accounts01:09 Introduction of Katrina Kraft and Episode Overview02:21 Misconception: Tax Professionals Save You Money03:44 The Role of a Tax Strategist in Planning05:07 Importance of Business Structure and Goals07:20 Holistic Approach to Business Formation and Strategy09:57 Common Frustrations of Entrepreneurs11:16 The Limitations of AI and the Importance of Human Expertise13:21 Using AI Tools Responsibly in Tax Planning15:45 The Dangers of Paralyzing Fear and Not Filing17:08 Consequences of Not Filing Taxes and Asset Seizure18:36 How to Connect with Katrina for Tax Strategies“If you need help, pay for that because it's cheaper to pay for help than to pay the IRS those penalties and interests.”Additional Key Takeaways*Differences between bookkeepers, CPAs, and tax strategists*Avoiding Tax Seizures: Protect Your Assets Now*The importance of proactive tax planning*Risks of not filing taxes and how to avoid penaltiesEPISODE #1/10: Unlocking Tax Strategies for Entrepreneurs: January 26, 2026: https://thatentrepreneurshow.buzzsprout.com/737252/episodes/18570362-unlocking-tax-strategies-for-entrepreneursEPISODE #2/10: Unlocking Home Office Deductions February 9, 2026: https://thatentrepreneurshow.buzzsprout.com/737252/episodes/18646020-unlocking-home-office-deductionsEPISODE #3/10: Hidden Tax Strategies Revealed: March 9, 2026: https://thatentrepreneurshow.buzzsprout.com/737252/episodes/18814431-hidden-tax-strategies-revealedEPISODE #4/10: Strategic Family Travel & Tax Benefits: June 10, 2026: https://thatentrepreneurshow.buzzsprout.com/737252/episodes/18814431-hidden-tax-strategies-revealedSend us Fan MailSupport the showRemember to subscribe for the next episode. Show Sponsor: ComingAlive PodcastProduction.com (Download your Podcast Launch Checklist for only $1 here)Music Credits: Copyright Free Music from Adventure by MusicbyAden.

Lens #09: My Best Investment Surprised Everyone - It Wasn't a DealJustin's best investment wasn't a deal. It's worth $13 million, and it's not what you'd think.Episode SummaryIn this episode of The Lifestyle Investor Podcast, host Justin Donald breaks down why tax strategy, not deal-making, has been his best investment ever - and how $30K a year in savings compounds to $13 million over a lifetime.You'll learn the litmus test for spotting a real tax strategist versus a compliance CPA, why tax elimination beats deferral, and how one community member found $800K in missed depreciation just by switching CPAs.Question of the Day

A former OpenAI researcher went on Diary of a CEO and said there's a 70% chance AI ends badly for humanity, told his wife they shouldn't have more children because they'd never enter the workforce, and gave up $2 million by refusing to sign a non-disparagement clause to say it publicly. Joe asks Paula Pant, OG, and Jesse Cramer to react -- not as AI experts, but as people who've watched the internet, robots, computers, and cars all supposedly end the economy, and as people who actually know what to do with your money when the world feels uncertain.What You'll Walk Away WithPaula's case for being a negative 10 on the worry scale: why 60% of jobs that exist today didn't exist in 1940, and why AI is more likely to create new categories of work than eliminate work entirelyJesse's case for a four: why knowledge is being commoditized the same way gasoline was -- and what that means if your competitive advantage has always been what you knowOG's framework for separating the parts of your job AI will gladly take from the parts it never will -- and why that distinction is more useful than panicking about either halfThe Jevons Paradox: why making something cheaper almost always creates more demand for it, not less -- and why that applies to patents, legal filings, and every other knowledge-work category people think AI will eliminateSafe, evolving, or replaced: the roundtable verdict on CPAs, software engineers, and customer service reps -- and the Capital One research that reveals why some people actually prefer talking to a machineWhy learning the AI tools right now -- even if you're 58 and four years from retirement -- is the modern equivalent of learning email in 1993JL Collins' line that applies to careers just as much as portfolios: flexibility is the only true securityShould you buy an AI sector fund? OG, Paula, and Jesse each answer -- and the answer that surprised everyone is probably not the one you'd expectWhy OG's Triple Bypass bike race analogy is the best career advice in the episode: if you're always ready, you never have to get readyThe window tax trivia that AI got spectacularly wrong -- proving, on an episode about AI taking all our jobs, that it can't even count windows yetWhy This Matters NowThe fear is real. The timeline is uncertain. And the people most likely to be okay are the ones who are building flexibility into their finances and their careers right now -- not because AI is definitely coming, but because it's always smart to be ready for the thing that might come.From the BasementPaula Pant, OG, and Jesse Cramer react to a former OpenAI researcher's apocalyptic Diary of a CEO interview -- and spend most of the episode arguing about whether to panic, which jobs survive, whether to buy the AI sector fund, and what OG's fighting robot would do to Jesse's house. Doug arrives with window tax trivia that AI generated incorrectly -- which Joe caught just before air -- and handing one of our contributors a huge win. Financial Action Month is coming next week: five episodes, a bingo sheet, and more to come.Resources MentionedDiary of a CEO -- Steven Bartlett interview with Daniel Kokotajlo, former OpenAI researcherTony Robbins interview with Ray Kurzweil -- referenced for additional AI perspective; linked at stackingbenjamins.comAfford Anything episode 693 -- Paula Pant interview with Dr. Ben Zweig on AI and the workforce; affordanything.com/episode693Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors (PFLTI) -- Jesse Cramer; upcoming AMA episode 19 and episode 150 personal AMAAnthropic Skill Jar -- free AI training; referenced by Paula for learning Claude featuresDelivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh -- referenced for the Zappos customer service modelOG financial planning calendar -- stackingbenjamins.com/ogStacking Benjamins Newsletter (The 201) -- stackingbenjamins.com/201Stacking Benjamins Community -- stackingbenjamins.com/basementSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.