The Mark Perlberg CPA Podcast

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Learn more on how this and other charitable tax strategies may help you at: https://www.prosperlcpa.com/apply

A tax strategy that feels like it should be more famous: a retirement plan design where you can deduct contributions now, grow the account tax-deferred, and later pull funds tax-free for qualified medical expenses. That is the promise of the 401H, and it is exactly why we brought back 401H specialist David Podell to walk through how it actually works in the real world, where the rules are, and who it truly fits.

We dig into the core structure: the 401H is not a standalone plan and it is not an HSA. It is a component inside a cash balance plan or defined benefit plan, often built for profitable business owners who want to contribute far more than a standard 401(k) limit. We talk contribution ranges, how the “pooled” investments and accounting work, and why this approach can be a “hidden gem” for high-income entrepreneurs who have run out of obvious write-offs but still want to build long-term wealth.

Then we get practical. We cover when you can access 401H money, what counts as qualified healthcare spending (premiums, copays, long-term care, and more), what happens if you do not use every dollar for medical, and why employee vesting and forfeitures often tilt the benefit toward ownership. We also connect it to holistic tax planning: using large deductions to manage AGI, unlock other thresholds, and eventually coordinate Roth conversions after a plan winds down.

If you want to stop guessing and start using the same levers high earners use, subscribe, share this with a business owner friend, and leave a review so more people can find the strategy. What would you use a tax-free healthcare bucket for first?

CONNECT WITH DAVID PODELL
Business Benefits Consultants: https://businessbenefitsconsultants.com

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*Learn more on how this an other charitable tax strategies may help you at: https://www.prosperlcpa.com/apply

We break down how donor-advised funds help high-income earners give more to the causes they love while reducing taxes through smarter asset selection and better timing. We also share real examples of using appreciated stock, real estate, and even business interests to fund philanthropy without creating unnecessary capital gains.
• why donating cash is often the least tax-efficient option
• how a donor-advised fund works and why it separates deduction timing from grant timing
• donating appreciated assets to avoid capital gains while still getting a fair market value deduction
• using a DAF to simplify giving when a charity cannot accept complex assets
• charitable bunching to turn yearly giving into a larger itemized deduction
• planning around a high-income year or liquidity event by donating before a sale
• what the gift agreement and third-party appraisal process looks like for non-cash assets
• creative strategies including impact investing and donating hard-to-sell assets
• fiscal sponsorship as a faster alternative to starting a new 501(c)(3)

Connect w/ Phoenix at: https://www.uicharitable.org

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*Learn what kind of potential tax savings exist for you at https://www.prosperlcpa.com/apply

We break down why making more money can still leave you with less take-home pay once tax brackets jump and key credits and deductions start phasing out. We walk through the “sweet spot” concept and how to time write offs so one move can unlock multiple tax incentives without drifting into wasteful over-planning. 
• why the $200K single and $400K married thresholds matter most 
• how marginal brackets jump and create a bigger tax bite 
• qualified business income deduction phaseouts for business owners and service pros 
• child tax credit phaseout math and why credits vanish fast 
• SALT deduction phaseout ranges and why AGI matters 
• an example of stacking deductions to reopen lost incentives 
• when tax strategy becomes overkill and creates future problems 
• “use it or lose it” deductions and why zero income can hurt 
• low tax year plays like Roth conversions and capital gains planning 
• strategy stacking for very high income earners using multiple tools 
If by any chance you find that this is a little bit too challenging for you to grasp and implement, I strongly suggest you go to prosperocpa.com slash apply, and we will help you understand how this could potentially come together to you and what other types of advanced tax reduction strategies can help you in winning the tax code. 

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Your business is not worth what your revenue says it’s worth. It’s worth what a buyer believes will keep working after you’re gone and they’re willing to pay up or discount hard based on risk.

We sit down with Tom McElwrath of Kandem Services Group (KSG) to unpack what actually drives business valuation and enterprise value for high-income business owners. We talk through the risks that quietly destroy a sale price: founder dependence, customer concentration, undocumented processes, weak bench depth, and relationships that live only in the owner’s head. Tom explains why the smartest move is starting three to five years before a sale, because once an LOI shows up, diligence begins and negotiating power shrinks fast.

We also connect operations to financial clarity and tax planning. If you don’t trust your books, you can’t forecast cash flow, manage EBITDA, or plan taxes with confidence. We dig into why a fractional CFO can be a game-changer, how clean financials make buyers more comfortable, and how tax savings can create liquidity to reinvest in systems and growth. Then we get tactical on valuation multiples, deal terms beyond purchase price, and one overlooked concept that can add real money at closing: adbacks.

If you’re building toward an exit or simply want a company that runs without you, listen through and take notes. Subscribe, share this with a fellow owner, and leave a review with the biggest risk you’re going to de-risk first.

Next Steps: for a free assessment of how advanced tax reduction can help build your wealth, go to:https://prosperlcpa.com/apply

Connect with Tom at:[email protected] 

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We break down why one “big” tax move rarely solves the tax problem for high-income earners, especially when legal limits cap how much any single strategy can do. We lay out how tax strategy stacking works so we can cut taxes now, manage risk, and keep layering savings year after year.

• the hidden limits behind popular write-off strategies like cost segregation and business losses
• the excess business loss limitation and why W-2 earners hit ceilings fast
• attacking AGI first with practical moves like entity structuring and legitimate family payroll
• layering charitable deduction strategies to reduce taxable income after other tactics max out
• using capital loss harvesting to offset major capital gains events
• diversifying tax strategies to hedge audit risk and law changes
• layering year-two upgrades like solar credits on a short-term rental
• deciding what to do with tax savings and adjusting W-2 withholding sooner

Now, if any of this sounds interesting and applicable to you and you're interested on how this may apply, I strongly encourage you to go to https://www.prosperalcpa.com/apply. And there you'll fill out a quick survey, have a conversation with someone on the team, and we will personally share with you what may be possible for you based on your situation when we utilize advanced tax reduction strategies.

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Why does the intangible drilling cost deduction makes oil and gas investing so attractive for high-income earners?  Faster write-offs and more control over timing. Learn about the rules, limits, and risks so you can weigh tax savings against real-world investment economics.
• defining IDC versus tangible drilling costs with clear examples
• why prepaid IDC can create a current-year deduction before a well produces
• how working interest can make losses non-passive and usable against W-2 and other income
• why Congress designed these incentives for domestic energy production and jobs
• a $100,000 example showing how year-one deductions can translate into tax savings
• the importance of binding drilling obligations, economic performance, and ethical operators
• why you should not invest for tax savings alone
• how oil and gas can complement real estate loss planning
• future-year tax impact, profit timing, and the depletion allowance
• state conformity differences, including California limits
• potential constraints from AMT and the excess business loss limitation
• year-end planning in Q4 and using deductions to target a better bracket
If at any time you would like to get personalized insight on how this may apply to you and how we could help, I suggest you go to https://www.prosperalcpa.com/apply. 

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We break down how certain convenience store and gas station real estate investments can produce a massive first-year tax deduction using 100% bonus depreciation and fund-level leverage. We also map out who can use the losses, what returns can look like, and how to plan for depreciation recapture with smart exit options like DSTs and 1031 exchanges. 
• how C-stores can qualify for 100% bonus depreciation when gasoline revenue meets the threshold 
• why leverage inside the fund can turn $100,000 of equity into a much larger K-1 tax loss 
• how rental losses can offset passive real estate income and other passive income streams 
• when Real Estate Professional Status can open up active income and portfolio income planning 
• how failed 1031 exchanges and boot can be partially neutralized with the right loss strategy 
• what to expect in years two through exit, including projected hold periods and cash-on-cash returns 
• how depreciation recapture works and why rolling into a DST can help manage the tax hit 
• why DSTs can make sense for passive investors, debt replacement, and diversification by hold period 
The way to get a hold of me is first my email is Larry at 1031financial.com. 
The firm is 1031financial.com. 
And the way to get a hold of Lary directly is 516-350-2643. 

*Go to https://www.prosperlcpa.com/apply, and I will send you a personalized video illustrating what may be possible based on your situation. 

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We break down depletion allowance, the oil and gas version of depreciation, and show how it can reduce taxes on production income without reducing your actual cash distributions. We also explain why many high-income investors use depletion to improve after-tax yield while keeping an eye on the rules and the real-world limits.
• depletion allowance defined as a deduction tied to shrinking natural resources
• why depletion can increase after-tax cash flow through paper losses
• cost depletion basics using units produced and remaining reserves
• percentage depletion explained as a revenue-based formula
• why percentage depletion can continue beyond original investment
• key limitations in loss years plus rolling unused depletion forward
• working interest versus royalty interest as different investing paths
• what investors see on a K-1 and where it lands on the 1040
• IDC versus depletion, upfront deduction versus ongoing deduction
• example math showing why the effective tax benefit can exceed 15% of cash received
• combining depletion with broader tax planning like real estate losses, charitable planning, cost segregation, Roth timing, and state planning
If you’re interested, you can go to https://www.prosperlcpa.com/apply to learn more. 

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Real estate can create cash flow and wealth while lowering taxable income through depreciation, cost segregation, and smarter classification of rental activity. We also flag the traps that hurt first-time investors, especially when chasing write-offs instead of solid deal fundamentals.

• why rental income can avoid FICA while W-2 income cannot
• how depreciation works and why cost segregation accelerates deductions
• what bonus depreciation is and how it can front-load year-one write-offs
• why passive loss rules block many W-2 investors from using losses
• how the 7-day average stay rule can turn short-term rentals into non-passive activity
• what material participation means and how to track hours credibly
• when real estate professional status applies and why it matters for long-term rentals
• a real client example where accelerated depreciation wipes out a large tax bill
• warnings about buying cash-flow negative properties just for tax savings
• entity myths, LLC vs personal ownership, and why deductions are about the business purpose
• S-corp complexity in Tennessee and the impact of franchise and excise tax
• the Augusta rule and self-rental basics for legitimate business use

To see if anything in this podcase or any other tax strategies may apply to you go to https://www.prosperlcpa.com/apply

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Paying almost nothing in taxes sounds like clickbait until you hear how full-time real estate investors actually operate. We sit down with Richard Gamble, a full-time investor with a wide portfolio across rentals, multifamily, and commercial assets, to talk about the real work behind “low tax” results and why the bigger win is building a repeatable system that scales.

We get into the difference between basic tax preparation and real estate tax strategy: year-round planning, constant deal-structure conversations, and the compliance grind that shows up when you have multiple entities, partnership returns, and hundreds of units worth of reporting. We also break down key real estate investing tax tools like Real Estate Professional Status, accelerated depreciation and cost segregation studies, and why you sometimes hold depreciation back so you can use it when it matters most.

Then we go deep on 1031 exchanges and the stress investors feel around hard deadlines, qualified intermediaries, and what can derail a great plan if you start too late. We also talk partnership realities: why you need everything in writing, how to choose partners you can actually work with, and how taxes and state policy can shape where you invest (including lessons from moving out of California and navigating Tennessee nuances). To wrap up, Richard shares what he’s most excited about next in development and how to connect with his My Tribe community.

Subscribe for more practical tax planning and real estate investing conversations, share this with an investor friend, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you’re applying next.

To learn more about how this topic or any tax reduction strategies may apply go to https://www.prosperlcpa.com/opportunityreport for a free consultation 

Or if you're interested in a free tax planning course go to https://www.taxplanningchecklist.com