This week is special, it might be the best episode of the year, and it has nothing to do with taxes. Joining Steven this week is Capacity Expert RaQuell Hopkins. RaQuell will be joining the Summit this year as a keynote speaker to help attendees overcome mindset limitations and expand their capacity. This interview is just a sneak peek of the great things to come. RaQuell has an incredible ability to articulate complex topics related to mental health and mindfulness and help successful professionals push for even more. She has helped challenge the beliefs that hold us back and has a much nicer (and probably more helpful) way to say "nobody cares, work harder!"

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In this week's episode, Steven is joined by two of our good friends at Carson Group: Liam and Michael. Liam and Michael are part of the M&A team and get to see behind the curtains of some of the most successful practices in the country and share what they've learned about the ones doing the best work. Steven discusses the role of tax planning in firms that consistently grow, and they all share insight on why tax planning continues to be such a great opportunity for advisors who lean into it. Listen to the end as Steven shares an opportunity to gain insight into your own practices, true growth, and overall health by visiting retirementtaxservices.com/carson.

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Eric Negron joins Steven on the podcast this week to talk all things growth and how tax planning can be a super power for advisors serious about scaling. Steven and Eric whole heartedly agree that the most important thing an advisor can do is rolling up their sleeves and doing the hard work. Ignore the hype, ignore the tech, ignore the designations, do the work. They both share clear examples of how this works and why it's so important in general and how it applies to tax planning specifically. Listen through to the end as Eric shares yet another place you can catch Steven live and on stage.

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Steven is joined this week by Kyle Willis, VP of Growth at BELAY, as they discuss the power of delegating in their own lives and the value an EA can bring to a team. Steven, of course, draws plenty of parallels to tax planning and how delegation can help in that process, but Kyle joins in to give us yet another reminder of some of the things that are, in fact, more important than taxes. Listen in as they share best practices and pitfalls to avoid when it comes to delegation and leveling up in 2026

https://zurl.co/fJ1CD

Rejoining Steven on the show this week is Eric Brotman to discuss his own personal tax planning, along with best practices when it comes to talking taxes with clients. Eric is planning ahead for an eventual business exit and is already working through the math on how where he lives impacts the tax bill he'll pay. Steven and Eric share real client experiences and how they navigate keeping goals aligned with tax planning to make sure clients make great life decisions that are also tax efficient, where possible.

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This week, Steven is joined by Derrick Kinney to talk about the opportunity AI creates for advisors, and it might not be what you think. Derrick's emphasis is on communication, and Steven, as always, is the tax nerd in the room, but they both share their experiences with the importance of creating connections with clients to truly deliver value. Listen in as they share insight into what really delivers value in a client relationship and how AI might accelerate issues that have really been there all along.

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Steven is once again joined by none other than Micah Shilanski, CFP®, to share real-world examples of tax planning that matters. Steven and Micah share recent client experiences highlighting how the "simple" things on a tax return can make all the difference to a client, and the reality that most taxpayers aren't getting tax planning help unless a financial advisor is providing it. They share best practices for learning and leveling up when it comes to understanding what's on a tax return and what an advisor can do to partner with a tax preparer for the best possible outcomes.

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The internet is all about attention; advisors who care about their clients are all about action. Steven is rejoined this week by Matthew Jarvis to talk about the power of doing "simple" things consistently over time. They use required minimum distributions as an example of what the best advisors do to create valuable experiences for their clients around a topic that will impact almost everyone at some point. It's not enough to send a white paper or mention it the year a client turns 73; to deliver massive value, you need a system that can be consistently executed over time.

Happy New Year! Steven kicks off the year by sharing his takeaways from year-end tax planning meetings and giving important reminders you need to hear as we head into another tax filing season. It may feel like the calendar just turned over, so tax planning can go on holiday, but listen in as Steven explains what you should be focused on to help your clients navigate their tax filing and beyond. You may have gotten sick of hearing about O3BA this last year, but it hasn't gone away, so Steven also recaps some critical areas you need to keep in mind, as well as reviewing a new IRS form that covers several of the new provisions that came out of the new bill last year. And of course, he had to talk about Summit 2026, including a sneak preview of some of the incredible speakers we will be adding to our lineup this year.

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One of the most common questions Steven hears from financial advisors is "What software can I use to help with that?". In this week's episode, Steven is joined by Nitrogen's Chief Product Officer, Justin Boatman, to discuss the latest entry into the tax software category: Nitrogen's AI Tax Center. Justin shares the background of why Nitrogen picked taxes as the topic for their newest tool and shares how they have designed the tool to enhance the client experience, not simply do math. Steven and Justin discuss the importance of taxes in any financial planning conversation and the overlap of needing great operators regardless of how great a tool something is.