The Ignorance Tax
There is an idea that floated its way into my headspace the other day. Bear with me here. This is good. This idea begins with the concept that, as entrepreneurs, we reach for the stars by setting big hairy audacious goals for ourselves. A speaker at a seminar asked for a volunteer from his audience, […]
Your Responsibility to Pay Less Tax
We started this business a little over five years ago on one guiding principle. People pay enough tax as it is, and legally avoiding tax is not only desirable but really, a responsibility of the taxpayer. Oh, really? It’s MY responsibility to pay less? Why yes, it is. If you can legally pay several thousand […]
House Flipping Labor Write-Offs
I get a question from time to time, in various forms, about write-offs on investment real estate. For people just getting into the game, the answer is yes, you are in business, and you do get to write off the ordinary and necessary expenses of a business when reporting income to our favorite Uncle. The […]
Another Running – Business – Life Allegory
I run for my mental health. I run for fun. I run long distances partly because I get to eat more on those days without (much) guilt. I run because it’s become a solid part of my identity. Plus, there’s the whole “blood-pumping fuels the brain” thing. Oh, and I read my books on Audible […]
Milestones of Success
I’m going to go out on a limb here, and risk possibly looking a little conceited. They say you’re supposed to celebrate your wins, and be proud of the little moments. So…here goes… Today is a huge moment for us here. Five years ago today, June 26, 2017, I registered this business with the State […]
Tax Considerations in Lousy Market Times
I have been hovering my pointer finger over the unsubscribe button on my Marketwatch emails for the past several weeks. Why? I keep getting this ugly subject line: XYZ hits its 52-week low at “blah-blah-blah.” When you’ve been preaching the gospel of index funds for years, and all of a sudden down down down they […]
The Trail Race – Business Success Allegory
I like to run. We’ve talked about this before. My time running is my own, and I usually spend the time in familiar accustomed solitude, enjoying the exercise and my mildly-elevated heartbeat while listening to a book. Extra added bonus: it’s also my classroom, because I always listen to business or self-development books. I run […]
It’s Not a Sprint it’s A Marathon
WARNING: Overused-clichè alert. When someone says that to me as a response to something I’ve said, I inwardly cringe. I’m thinking about a specific example. It was about 10 years ago, and I was talking to my then-financial advisor. One of the kind of advisors that makes his living selling mutual funds, and keeping over […]
Summer Nights
I don’t know about you, but I’m in love with the whole seasonal rotation thing. The implacable dawning of the world in spring after the cold of winter, everything waking up and coming alive. Nature’s reminder that everything comes back. I really love the evenings in the warm part of the year, too. Whether you […]
The Cost of Confusion
Where, pray tell, does confusion rear its ugly head on your profit & loss statement? Simple! Under advertising (you may call it marketing, same thing in IRS terms). If The Message is cloudy, how can you reasonably expect anyone to see through it? We’re looking for crystalline transparency here. What is it that you do? […]