In this episode, Steven is joined by fellow Spokane native and tax pro turned financial advisor, Mary McDirmid. Mary has extensive experience both doing tax preparation and in her current role as a financial advisor. Mary shares what she learned and how she is a better financial planner because of the time she spent preparing taxes early in her career. Steven and Mary both discuss some of the things that can only be learned from getting your hands "dirty" and doing the hard work of preparing tax returns and how that knowledge can help all financial advisors. Mary's area of focus now is on helping families who are supporting loved ones with rare diseases and disabilities navigate the financial and emotional challenges that can bring (this is also a service she provides to other financial advisors).

https://zurl.co/5HmUJ

This week, Steven Jarvis, CPA, and Matthew Jarvis, CFP®, delve into the world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), examining the role of audits, the intricacies of EBITDA, and the potential red flags that can emerge during the due diligence process. Steven emphasizes the importance of financial advisors maintaining clean books and being transparent about their financials, as this can significantly impact the valuation of their practice during a sale. The conversation also touches on the buyer’s perspective, the consequences of misleading information, and best practices for running a business effectively.

https://zurl.co/CBQ5y

This week, Steven is joined by Steven Lee, an educator and expert witness with an extensive background in the financial services world. They discuss why advisors need to focus on quality client outcomes instead of just clever marketing and why someone might call an expert witness when those lines get blurred. Steven and Steven share some of their favorite analogies for explaining tax concepts and the importance of prioritizing effective communication with clients, especially on tax topics.

https://zurl.co/MVWsS

This week, Steven is joined by Shelby Nicholl, founder of Muriel Consulting, to provide insight on how advisors can think about the firm structure they find themselves in and the key factors to consider when confronted with the question "should I stay or should I go". Like so many other areas, taxes is "a" consideration, not "the" consideration, so Shelby and Steven discuss the realities of tax planning in different-sized firms and what advisors can do to advocate for change without making a move. Shelby is also a sponsor for the 2025 Summit and has generously offered all of our listeners a free self-evaluation that can help identify the pros and cons of their current setup, which can be downloaded at retirementtaxservices.com/shelby.

https://zurl.co/Lga3r

This week, we take a break from technical tax and dive into a question that Steven gets all the time: "How do I use tax topics to get new clients?". Joining Steven to cover this topic is Hilary Gale, founder of Moneta Copy, a marketing agency focused on helping financial advisors. Steven and Hilary discuss how their own marketing efforts produce results and give tangible suggestions that advisors can put into practice to accelerate growth and get stuff done in the real world.

We are all about consistently applying the simple things over time, but that doesn't stop clients from asking, "What else"? In this episode, Steven is joined by Steve Blackwell, CEO of Invito Energy Partners, who shares his experience and expertise in the oil and gas industry and the investment and tax planning opportunities that the industry presents. This discussion is a combination of technical learning on an important topic, along with the ever-important piece: "How do I explain this to a client?" Listen to the end as Steve provides opportunities to learn more and get resources on this important topic.

https://zurl.co/0k473

Steven is once again joined by Brian Smith, representing our partners at Foundational Income Associates. In this episode, Steven and Brian cover some of the basics on annuities because in spite of some of the headlines on social media, just in the last few years, the amount of money going into these products is at the trillion mark. Brian shares key definitions and meaningful ways to break down complex topics, while Steven highlights how these products will show up on a client's tax return at various stages of the annuity life cycle. Whether you actively recommend annuities or simply have clients who come to you with them already in place, this episode will deliver valuable information you can put in action.

https://zurl.co/Qc2tM

In this episode, Steven is joined by Russell Kroeger, Founder and CEO of Trayecto. As a financial advisor and tax professional, Russell has seen firsthand the complexities, pitfalls, and planning opportunities that arise for employees receiving equity-based compensation. Steven and Russell both share examples of what can go wrong (aka clients getting killed on taxes) and what to be on the lookout for so listeners can create better outcomes for their clients. Russell also shares resources available to advisors, including what he has built at Trayecto, specific to planning around equity compensation.

https://zurl.co/rFMTY

In this episode, Steven is joined by the CEO of Altruist, Jason Wenk, to talk about a reporting issue that happened at multiple custodians this last tax filing season. Jason openly shares what happened, how it happened, how Altruist responded, and shares a little insight along the way of what it's like to build a tech-forward custodian platform. This episode is a must listen as Jason gives an incredible example of how to be a leader in spite of challenges and shares some of the exciting things that Altruist has in store in the future. Be sure and listen to the full episode and be ready to take notes as Jason shares clear action steps any leader can take when faced with challenges.

https://zurl.co/5iyi5

This week, Steven is joined by George Stefanou to talk tax planning and book writing. George is part of a growing group of advisors who have written books around financial planning to build credibility and to bolster their marketing. George shares the process he went through to become a published author and the reason tax planning features so heavily in that book, even though he is not a CPA or Enrolled Agent. Check out George's LinkedIn profile and his background so you can finally let go of any notion that compliance has to be a limiting factor.

https://zurl.co/BmsPS