This Time Is Different

As anyone who has ever bought and sold any sort of digital asset in the last couple years can attest, the rules and regulations around reporting those transactions to the IRS can be very fuzzy. Coupled with the lack of information made available by the IRS itself, and the lack of general knowledge and adoption of crypto by the accounting community, it can be very tough for investors to make heads or tails of it all. 

At best, you manage to stumble across a couple of really helpful twitter posts or youtube explainer videos offering solid tidbits of information that may or may not be directly applicable to your individual circumstances. But at worst, you make a mistake in reporting your transactions in one year, that ultimately opens up your returns from previous years to scrutiny, and you find yourself in the middle of a full-blown audit with no idea how you got there.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge speaks with Micah Fraim, CPA and crypto enthusiast, about the taxation of crypto. Micah shares his knowledge about how crypto and NFTs are taxed, how to save money on taxes when investing in crypto, why you should stay up to date on the ever-changing IRS taxation policies about crypto, and how to track activity across multiple digital wallets without using a platform like Coinbase.

Micah discusses: 

Resources: 

Connect With Micah Fraim:

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About Our Guest:

Micah Fraim is the founder of Fraim Cawley & Company. Micah is a certified public accountant who works with small business owners on preparing tax returns and offers more advanced tax planning. In addition, he is also a self-proclaimed crypto enthusiast and has recently published the book, Decryptifying Crypto Taxes.

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A stock option is the right to buy a specific number of shares of either a stock or an index at a preset price. These options allow traders to speculate on the directional performance of a stock or index without owning the shares outright. For better or worse, options trading has now been democratized and made available to just about anyone, regardless of their individual risk tolerance, risk capacity, and overall understanding of the inner workings of options contracts.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge speaks with Todd Rampe, author of “Get Paid, Learn To Trade” and founder of the Wealth Builders Institute. Todd is a trading educator who teaches individuals how to trade options using the software he built. He shares the advantages of trading options, what dollar amount makes trading options worth the benefit, why he chooses to teach people instead of selling his software, and what his 3 golden rules of options trading are.

Todd discusses: 

Resources: 

• Get Paid Learn To Trade by Todd Rampe – ebook

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About Our Guest:

Todd Rampe is the founder of the Wealth Builders Institute in Las Vegas, NV. Todd Rampe is one of the very few trading educators that actually trades his own account using the exact method he teaches both new and experienced traders. The secret to his success lies in his proprietary software, Triple Sync Logic. Using this unique software allows Todd and his students to spot Market Reversals, which are widely considered to be the single best time to enter a trade, because, at that stage, you will get in the trade right before the price changes direction.

Todd was very fortunate to learn how to trade in 1998, from someone he calls his “7-Figure Mentor,” because of how successful his mentor was, and of course, the amount of money he made. So, after well over 2 decades of trading, developing software and the methods that go with them, Todd is able to teach virtually anyone how to use his incredibly dependable Triple Sync Software, regardless of their experience. Todd Rampe built the Wealth Builders Institute to ensure that anyone that wants to learn to trade effectively, will have the best possible tools and knowledge at their fingertips, to accomplish that goal, in a very short period of time.

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In the simplest terms, a mentor is anyone who possesses more experience and knowledge than you in a given industry. They have skills you want to master in order to thrive. And you’d rather lean on their experience and expertise and learn from their mistakes, rather than having to go and make those same mistakes on your own.

Entrepreneurs need mentors especially, and perhaps more than other professionals, simply because it is nearly impossible to formally teach entrepreneurship in any controlled setting. There are just too many variables that will inevitably change from entrepreneur to entrepreneur and business to business.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge speaks with Ron Bauer, a venture capitalist and the founder of Theseus Capital, about the role mentorship plays in the success of a startup founder. Ron shares his roadmap to success for entrepreneurs, talks about mentoring entrepreneurs, and how founders can find the right mentor for the right moment.

Ron discusses: 

Connect With Ron Bauer:

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About Our Guest:

Ron Bauer is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur with over 20 years of financing businesses. He is focused on the Life Sciences, Technology, EdTech, and Natural Resources sectors, where he has created a number of exciting ventures side by side with some of the world’s leading entrepreneurs and scientists, as well as world-class academic institutions that include Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, Cornell, and Hebrew University to name a few. He is the Founder of Theseus Capital Ltd, the family office investment vehicle for his portfolio companies.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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We’ve all heard the popular saying “it’s not what you know, but who you know.” But when you hear the word “networking,” how many of the feelings that start to bubble up are negative ones, such as anxiety, discomfort, and maybe even fear? And that word can be especially triggering for those who consider themselves introverts.

And while there have been several social media platforms and other tech tools built over the last couple decades designed to help make networking and building relationships easier for both introverts and extroverts alike, there will never be any true substitute for the authentic human connection felt by sharing a meal together face-to-face. 

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge speaks with Nick Gray, the author of The Two Hour Cocktail Party, about how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Nick shares his secret formula for becoming the best host, how to become a natural conversationalist, why networking in person is better than online, and some advice on how and when to host.

Nick discusses: 

Resources: 

Connect With Nick Gray:

Connect With Malcolm Ethridge:

About Our Guest:

Nick Gray is the founder and owner of Museum Hack. After growing it into a multi-million dollar business and being featured in a TEDx talk, he sold Museum Hack. Nick published The Two Hour Cocktail Party, sharing his formula for growing big relationships by hosting small gatherings. He also writes a popular newsletter for business owners and entrepreneurs called “Friends Newsletter,” because he originally wrote it just for his friends.

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Historically, gold and other precious metals have been how we trade with one another across borders and globally. Gold bars were the original store value before there was such a thing as the US dollar. The gold standard was so consistent in its ability to maintain its value through varying economic cycles that we backed up our dollars with it. Incorporating precious metals into a diversified portfolio as a hedge against the volatility in both the stock and bond markets sounds like a good idea.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge speaks with Patrick Yip from APMEX about diversifying investment portfolios with precious metals. Patrick explains why precious metals are a favorable investment during hyperinflation and why so many Americans continue to put their money toward gold and silver despite the approaching cashless society. Patrick then discusses how his company, OneGold, allows people to invest in gold and silver effortlessly through their credit card rewards.

Patrick discusses: 

Resources: 

Connect With Patrick Yip:

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About Our Guest:

Patrick Yip is the Director of Business Development at APMEX, and currently manages One Gold, a digital precious metal platform. Mr. Yip joined APMEX in 2011 and held roles in merchandising, sales, project management, and business development. Before APMEX, Patrick worked for asset management companies, and at Fortune 500s, such as Disney and Twentieth Century Fox. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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One of the biggest problems that need to be solved almost immediately after launch is making some noise to let the public know you and your product or service exist. If not, no matter how good that product or service is, you likely won’t be in business for very long. And as daunting as it might sound, blitzscaling your content creation can be done; especially with the use of social media.

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Mark Lachance, CEO of Maxy Media, and author of “The Lucky Formula.” Mark gives us the critical takeaway about how you can create your own luck through creating magnetism. He also explains his work in blitzscaling businesses by adopting social media; emphasizing why every business should prioritize content creation.

Mark discusses: 

Resources: 

Connect With March Lachance:

Connect With Malcolm Ethridge:

Download the Tech Money Guide to RSUs

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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For those who have thought of an idea for a tech startup in a crowded space, it can be tempting to think that your idea must be completely brand new and inventive. Especially when you consider the seemingly ubiquitous announcements that so-and-so big name venture capital investor has chosen to back so-and-so startup looking to go where no one has gone before, which tend to dominate the headlines. However, if done right, there can also be room for those who have built a better mouse trap to enter into a crowded space and make a name for themselves. 

In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with the CEO and co-founder of Battery Xchange, Desmond Wiggan, to discuss what it was like starting his own tech company, a few of the hurdles he has encountered along the way, and how one small tweak to their target market has made a big impact on their success.

Desmond discusses: 

Resources: 

Connect With Desmond Wiggan:

Connect With Malcolm Ethridge:

About Our Guest:

Desmond Wiggan is the CEO and co-founder of Battery Xchange, a sharing economy platform providing device charging on the go. Prior to founding Battery Xchange, Desmond spent time as an account manager for Pepsi corporate and spent time as a cross-border technology consultant working in Guanxi. He is a highly motivated innovator who aspires to emulate leaders, such as the Rockefellers and the Carnegies for his generation. During Desmond’s early career in cross-border technology, he learned the importance of relationships and networking, which has now made him a relationship seeker and networking junky. He wishes to leave a legacy for himself and his family. Demond’s goal is to gain as much exposure, experience, and knowledge as he can.

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The banking and payments industry is in a period of rapid change, with new technologies and services emerging all the time. It can be hard to keep up.  In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge speaks with Aaron Wollner, the Chief Marketing Officer of Quontic. They discuss how Quontic is changing the narrative of traditional banking by … Continue reading 53. The Evolution Of Contactless Payments With Aaron Wollner →

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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While they may sound like the same thing to those outside of the financial services profession, there are several key differences between the terms tax planning, and tax preparation. In short, one takes place once per year and is more transactional in nature, while the other likely happens multiple times each year in stages and … Continue reading 52. Tax Planning vs Tax Preparation with Christina Lael →

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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Women in tech often face unique financial planning challenges that are not usually taken into account by traditional financial advice firms or FinTech solutions. For women working in tech, it can be hard to find a financial planner who understands the nuances of the gender pay gap and its limits on taking risks, the need … Continue reading 51. Managing Your Finances as a Woman Working in Tech with Danika Waddell →

Mentioned in this episode:

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

Capital Area Tax Consultants - www.capgllc.com

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