On this week's episode: two people can have the exact same income and still land tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars apart at tax time — and the IRS will never tell you why.

Four things we unpack this week:
Two employees with identical stock option packages can land 31 points apart on their effective tax rate. One paid under 1%. The other paid over 32%. Same income, same year, same opportunity.
Sell "non-covered" stock without documenting what you originally paid for it, and the IRS doesn't ask — it assumes your basis is zero and bills you as if the entire sale was pure profit.
Fall behind on filing for a few years, and the IRS assumes you had zero deductions and a 100% profit margin on every dollar reported to them — even after 50 years of clean returns.
An $80,000 vacation, taken past your tax-plan deadline, can quietly become a $600,000 line item once you count what the delay actually cost.

Chapters
[00:00] Introduction — Why two neighbors with the same income pay wildly different tax
[00:01] The IRS default: guilty until you prove yourself innocent
[00:04] Same income, same options, two Nvidia employees — one pays under 1%, one pays 32%
[00:08] Why the IRS actually helped fund Mike and Kevin's own commercial property purchase
[00:12] The $600,000 vacation — what it really costs to skip your tax plan
[00:15] Covered vs. non-covered stock transactions — why the IRS assumes your basis is zero
[00:17] The dementia case — five years of unfiled 1099s and the IRS's worst-case-by-default rule
[00:20] Why the IRS "works for us," and what that means when you push back
[00:23] Take control: don't let the IRS write your story for you
[00:24] Revo is hiring

Get in touch: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e26-the-irs-doesnt-care-about-fair&utm_content=show-notes#contact-1

Take our 5 minute tax assessment: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e26-the-irs-doesnt-care-about-fair&utm_content=show-notes#taxassistant

Connect with us:
• Website: https://www.kontek.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kontek-systems
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konteksystems/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/konteksystems
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KontekSystemsDurham

On this week's episode: owners focus on their personal return and never ask what could be done inside the business itself.

Four things we constantly see missed:
1. Your spouse already approves every big decision you make. They can be on the company 401(k) too — one business, two maxed-out retirements.
2. Twenty percent of your income, deductible, without spending a dollar. Most owners get a fraction of it and never find out why.
3. A swimming pool that was 100% deductible and the home office rule that made it hold up.
4. 76 cents a mile for driving you already do. Many people leave it on the table because they don't want an app on their phone.

Get in touch: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e25-tax-planning-in-business&utm_content=show-notes#contact-1

Take our 5 minute tax assessment: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e25-tax-planning-in-business&utm_content=show-notes#taxassistant

Chapters
[00:00] Why business owners plan on the wrong return
[04:20] Your spouse is an officer: doubling 401(k) contributions through the business
[07:00] "Have you strategized your QBI deduction with your CPA?"
[09:40] How QBI works: twenty percent, without spending a dollar
[11:00] The wage limit, and why contractor pay doesn't count
[12:00] The S corp advice that reversed in 2017
[15:50] The home office deduction without the red flag form
[17:50] What a red flag actually is
[21:50] The pool builder whose backyard was a showroom
[26:00] Business mileage, the new rate, and Big Brother
[30:40] Be proactive — tell us before, not after

Connect with us:
• Website: https://www.kontek.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kontek-systems
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konteksystems/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/konteksystems
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KontekSystemsDurham

On this week's episode we turn it on the taxpayer. We look at the habits, assumptions, and easy shortcuts that quietly cost people money.

Along the way: a client who rated us three out of five over a strategy that saved her $150,000, a man paying $780,000 a year in tax who said "it is what it is," and a state tax cliff that cut a family's charitable deduction in half.

Get in touch: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e24-what-taxpayers-are-missing&utm_content=show-notes#contact-1

Take our 5 minute tax assessment: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e24-what-taxpayers-are-missing&utm_content=show-notes#taxassistant

Chapters
[00:00] Truth with love — turning last week's episode on the taxpayer
[01:00] Why easy is expensive: $2,000 a year over thirty years
[04:20] The LLC that should have gone inside the S corp
[07:00] Don't assume your CPA is your advocate
[09:20] The Lamborghini, $2 million a year, and $780,000 in tax
[13:30] The tried and true: 401(k) match, HSAs, Trump accounts
[16:00] Bunching deductions, and the one-day timing difference
[18:00] A client who rated us three out of five — refund is not savings
[21:40] The state that halves your charitable deduction over $1 million
[27:30] Making more money doesn't mean paying more tax

Connect With Us
• Website: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revotaxpayer/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revotaxpayer/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revo-taxpayer-advocacy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenMoneyPodcast

Why do so many CPAs never explore the gray areas the tax code explicitly allows, or understand what that conservatism costs their clients?

In this episode we show you why we do and how it gives you the advantage. Along the way we talk about a $3 million savings killed by the other side's accountants, a nursery depreciation question nobody had asked before, and a Florida eye surgeon who won an audit three levels of IRS "no" deep.

Get in touch: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e23-what-cpas-are-missing&utm_content=show-notes#contact-1

Take our 5 minute tax assessment: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e23-what-cpas-are-missing&utm_content=show-notes#taxassistant

Connect With Us
• Website: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e23-what-cpas-are-missing&utm_content=show-notes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revotaxpayer/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revotaxpayer/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revo-taxpayer-advocacy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenMoneyPodcast

Chapters
[00:00] Housekeeping: partnership and S corp filings are due in about six weeks 
[00:45] "I never knew you could do that" — the sentence new clients always say 
[01:30] Why most CPAs stay in the safe box, and why that's a choice about risk 
[02:00] The rule that proves the tax code is gray 
[02:45] Where the profession lost its advocacy for clients 
[03:15] You can't live in the gray area without knowing your client's business 
[04:30] Discovery calls: the free service every Revo prep client gets 
[05:30] 110 years of conditioning since the 16th Amendment 
[06:15] When a position is only 55% likely  and the client says no anyway 
[07:15] The revenue model problem: ten fast returns versus one good one 
[08:20] "It's partly the taxpayer's fault" — $500 versus $5,000 
[09:50] What a strategist should actually save you for what you pay 
[10:30] Kevin's 15 to 20 returns a week, five client meetings a day 
[12:30] Seventeen returns across ten professionals — the 10x difference 
[13:30] Where AI actually helps: data mining, not preparing returns 
[14:20] The $3 million deal killed by the seller's CPAs 
[17:20] Big-firm fiefdoms and why the in-house experts go unused 
[18:40] The nursery depreciation question nobody had researched 
[21:00] CPA PTSD: burned once, never going back 
[21:50] Two leased vehicles, a golf cart, and an audit we won at appeals 
[25:00] What's actually printed in an IRS audit technique guide 
[26:30] Closing thoughts 
[27:00] Revo is hiring advisors who want to add value

Revo, and our clients, thrive on partnership. Mike Pine and Kevin Schneider are back, this time to unpack what it actually means to be a tax planning partner instead of a vendor; including how they judge the partnerships they choose.

Then Vodyssey Founder and CEO, Shawn Moore, joins to talk about Revo and Vodyssey's newly formalized partnership, what Vodyssey does for short-term rental investors, and how material participation actually works.

Get In Touch → https://www.revotaxpayer.com/consultation?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=s4e22-partnerships&utm_content=show-notes

Connect With Us

• Website: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revotaxpayer/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revotaxpayer/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revo-taxpayer-advocacy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenMoneyPodcast

Connect with Shawn and Vodyssey

• Website: https://vodyssey.com/
• Podcast: https://vodyssey.com/podcast/
• Book a Call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/4GzPFnMOAsW9ZCXDioZU?utm_source=vodcom

Chapters
[00:00] Why Revo Calls Itself A Partner, Not A Vendor
[00:04] Partnership Is A Two-Way Street
[00:09] Profit For Clients, Profit For Partners — None For The IRS
[00:11] Introducing Shawn Moore And The New Vodyssey Partnership
[00:15] What Vodyssey Does: One Leg Of The Investment Stool
[00:19] Vodyssey's White-Glove Service For Busy High Earners
[00:21] How Material Participation Actually Works
[00:25] The Sum Of Two Parts: What Makes A Partnership Work
[00:26] How Shawn Moore Judges A Partnership
[00:31] What Vodyssey Offers And How To Learn More

Kevin and Mike turn the mic on their own firm: the four values behind the Revo name, the staffing model built on excess capacity and a 50-hour ceiling, why half of revenue goes to the team, and the new Grapevine, Texas headquarters. If you’re a CPA who thinks outside the box, this episode is the job posting.

Careers page: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/careers?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-s4e21-careers-at-revo&utm_content=show-notes

Connect With Us

• Website: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-s4e21-careers-at-revo&utm_content=show-notes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revotaxpayer/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revotaxpayer/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revo-taxpayer-advocacy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenMoneyPodcast

Chapters
[00:00] Introduction
[00:30] A revolutionary history
[02:50] R is for Relationship
[05:00] E is for Excellence
[05:45] V is for Values
[07:00] The hiring bar
[08:15] O is for Out-of-the-box
[10:30] The new Grapevine HQ
[11:30] Why in-person to start
[14:45] The staffing philosophy
[16:45] The attrition trap
[19:45] Excess capacity by design
[21:15] Where the money goes
[24:00] The mission
[25:25] Family first
[26:45] The insurance decision
[28:30] Above-market pay, smaller-firm life
[29:30] Who should apply
[30:30] How to apply

Mike and Kevin sit down with Jake Jordan for a practical conversation about AI: what it actually is, how to use the tools you already own, and how to chain them into systems that work for you. Along the way they uncover the tax angle, R&D credits that help pay for AI adoption, and the cautions every taxpayer needs around accuracy and data security.

Get in touch: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-s4e20-tax-and-ai&utm_content=show-notes#contact-1
Take our 5 minute tax assessment: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-s4e20-tax-and-ai&utm_content=show-notes#taxassistant

Connect With Jake
• Website: https://lamplightcircle.com
• Contact: [email protected]

Connect With Us

• Website: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-s4e20-tax-and-ai&utm_content=show-notes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revotaxpayer/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revotaxpayer/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revo-taxpayer-advocacy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenMoneyPodcast

Chapters
[00:00] Welcome + deadline reminders
[01:00] The Irish farmer and the Industrial Revolution
[04:00] What AI actually is
[05:30] General intelligence, and the AI already inside your tools
[07:00] Kevin's experiment: AI watched five years of presentations to find the most-asked questions
[08:30] The "Kevin bot" idea: turning years of content into a client-facing assistant
[09:30] Why AI gets things wrong
[11:00] Google is AI-first now 
[13:00] Your inbox is an underused tax tool 
[14:30] From queries to systems
[19:30] The caution 
[20:30] The hidden money
[23:30] Jake's advice: "vibe coding" and why there's no excuse not to try something
[24:30] AI and healthcare
[25:30] Clients running tax returns through AI
[27:30] Security
[30:30] Wrap-up + how to connect with Jake Jordan

On this episode Mike and Kevin take a time machine back to their own early investing years and lay out, in specific dollar terms, everything they'd do differently, from the house Mike was too scared to buy to the oil and gas deal that turned out to be a Ponzi scheme. Along the way they break down fixed vs. variable debt, tax-advantaged real estate, and why the tax code rewards people willing to take a calculated risk.

Get in touch: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-s4e19-young-investor-self&utm_content=show-notes#contact
Take our 5 minute tax assessment: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/?utm_source=revo-taxpayer&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep-s4e19-young-investor-self&utm_content=show-notes#resources

Connect With Us

• Website: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revotaxpayer/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revotaxpayer/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revo-taxpayer-advocacy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenMoneyPodcast

Chapters
[00:00] Introduction 
[00:02] Real estate regrets begin
[00:05] Don't try to time the market 
[00:07] Kevin's first home and the first-time buyer credit 
[00:09] Buying a commercial property against their own tax practice
[00:11] Debt is dessert
[00:12] The 10X leverage example
[00:13] Fixed vs. variable debt
[00:15] The oil and gas investment that became a Ponzi scheme 
[00:17] Kevin's grandfather's investing rule
[00:19] Why CPAs are bad at following their own advice 
[00:21] Tax-advantaged real estate vs. stock dividends
[00:23] Maxing your 401(k) match
[00:24] Don't be scared
[00:27] The oil and gas tax math
[00:28] Why the tax incentive exists
[00:31] Closing thoughts

In this episode Mike and Kevin walk through one of the most misunderstood lines in the tax code: business travel. Using real trips from their own year, a due diligence seminar in Cancún, a partner retreat in Colorado, and a scouting trip for a short-term rental in Maine, they break down exactly what makes travel ordinary and necessary, where the line is between managing a business and merely dreaming about one, and how much of your next trip the IRS actually ends up paying for.

Get in touch → https://www.revotaxpayer.com/consultation?utm_medium=podcast

Connect With Us

• Website: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revotaxpayer/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revotaxpayer/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revo-taxpayer-advocacy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenMoneyPodcast

Chapters
[00:00] Introduction
[00:01] The Cancún trip
[00:04] The partner retreat
[00:07] Managing rental property
[00:08] Expanding a short-term rental business
[00:09] The line that matters
[00:10] Where the IRS looks hardest
[00:12] How much the IRS actually "pays" for your trip
[00:13] Vehicles count too
[00:14] Legal, legitimate, and a form of good stewardship

Most people hand their CPA a stack of documents once a year and call it done. But there are actually two separate conversations that should be happening, and most high earners are only having one of them.

In this episode of the Hidden Money Podcast, Mike Pine and Kevin Schneider use an Elon Musk clip as a jumping-off point to break down the real difference between tax preparation (filing what already happened) and tax planning (strategic decisions made before the tax event).

Whether you're a business owner, a W-2 exec, or someone who's always assumed their big tax bill was just the price of success: this one's for you.

Get in touch → https://www.revotaxpayer.com/consultation?utm_medium=podcast

Connect With Us

• Website: https://www.revotaxpayer.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/revotaxpayer/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revotaxpayer/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/revo-taxpayer-advocacy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HiddenMoneyPodcast

Chapters
[00:00] Introduction
[01:01] The Elon Musk Clip
[04:03] Tax Shelters vs. the Tax Code
[08:34] Planning vs. Preparation Defined
[11:00] The 90% Problem
[13:00] ROBS
[14:30] The Power of Compounding
[15:33] Start Early
[18:00] Catching Up
[20:45] Next Steps