WealthChannel Academy

Tens of millions of Americans rely on Social Security checks for a substantial portion of their retirement income. Yet the outlook for this program is uncertain, due to shifting U.S. demographics. Is it true that Social Security is running out of cash? And what happens if it does?

One of the most important financial decisions of your life happens in your early 60s, when you need to decide when to start receiving Social Security benefit payments. You have lots of options, and the difference between them could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Social Security is a key component of a retirement plan for virtually every American. And yet there's a lot of confusion and bad information out there about how this benefit payment actually works -- and what you can do to maximize it.

Planning for retirement can feel impossible if you're not sure what exactly you're working towards. This episode will induce a couple of "aha moments" as a look at retirement from a different perspective dramatically simplifies the objective.

One of the first steps in planning for a worry-free retirement is figuring out your "endgame" -- what you'll be spending money on after you stop working. A big component of many retirement budgets is healthcare, so it's important to be realistic about what your health insurance and out-of-pocket costs will be.

The first step towards a worry-free retirement: figuring out what you'd like to spend each year once you're done working. This can be a simple and straightforward process, as long as investors avoid a couple of common mistakes.

The sad reality is that most Americans find retirement planning to be completely overwhelming -- and with good reason. The problem isn't that there's too little information out there -- it's that there's too much. Lots of folks feel like they need to understand a million different things to be successful. But that's just not the case. They need to understand 7 basic concepts. Understand those, and...

The premise behind WealthChannel Academy is pretty basic: most Americans find investing and retirement planning to be incredibly complex and overwhelming. We're launching WealthChannel Academy to help investors achieve financial independence by radically simplifying retirement planning and investing.

A big announcement from Michael Johnston, the creator of Tax Efficient Investor.

While there are plenty of strategies available for W-2 employees, the U.S. tax code is really written to benefit business owners.  Jacob Turner, co-founder at Moment Private Wealth, joins Michael to discuss tax savings strategies available to many business owners.

The restricted property trust (RPT) is a tax strategy for business owners with predictable cash flows that can generate significant tax-advantaged holdings.  Rhett Grimes and Ken Crabb join Michael to discuss the ins and outs of this strategy.

College tuition and related expenses will be significant expenditures for most families. Fortunately, there are some significant tax advantages to incentivize savings. Brad Baldridge joins Michael to discuss the ins and outs of the 529 plan, including a discussion of “cycling” and other advanced techniques.

When used correctly, life insurance can be an incredibly powerful tool in a tax efficient investing strategy. When used incorrectly, it can be a big mistake that results in excessive fees and disappointing returns.  Wallis Tsai joins Michael to discuss the ugly side of the insurance industry, and how investors can get the insurance policy that is actually right for them.

High earners in high income states may have seen their tax bill increase significantly as a result of the SALT deduction caps introduced with the Tax Cuts & Job Act (TCJA). Amy Sandlin joins Michael to discuss the workarounds that several states have implemented, and the complexities around these solutions.

Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) can be a powerful tax deferral tool for investors who are facing a significant capital gain event and are looking to diversify and take a more passive rule. Drew Reynolds of Realized joins Michael to walk through the DST process and explain the questions that investors should be asking about like kind exchanges.

Restricted stock units (RSUs) are an increasingly popular form of compensation, especially in the tech industry. Since RSU vesting is a taxable event, it's important for employees to understand the ramifications of this compensation. Isaac Presley joins Michael to discuss the basics of RSU taxation and several strategies that can be used by investors facing a vesting event.

Electing to be taxed as an S-Corp can be a smart tax move for some companies, and a bad one for others. Nate Yesner joins Michael to discuss the ins and outs of S Corp elections, including the tax ramifications and other considerations for business owners to evaluate.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) introduced significant incentives for both individuals and companies to make investments that improve the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings.  Larry Pon joins Michael to discuss the various credits that are available for taxpayers who have invested in solar panels, electric appliances, and even energy efficient doors and windows.

State tax consequences often don't get the consideration they deserve, due to the sheer number of different frameworks that exist. Yet state income tax rates can have a major impact on investors' tax bills.  Manish Bhatt, Senior Policy Analyst with the Center for State Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation, joins Michael to discuss what makes a sound state tax policy and how poorly structured states ca...

Cost segregation is one of the most straightforward ways for real estate developers and investors to accelerate depreciation and maximize the tax efficiency of their project.  Erik Oliver joins Michael to explain how cost segregation studies are completed and discuss other underutilized tax credits available to real estate investors.

Section 1202 contains one of the most substantial tax incentives out there, but many investors and founders are unaware that it even exists. Dan Mayo, leader of Withum's National Tax Services Group, joins Michael to discuss the ins and outs of Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS).

For real estate developers, there can be significant advantages associated with how gains on their transactions are classified from a tax perspective. Gerry Reihsen joins Michael Johnston to discuss creative strategies for ensuring that real estate transactions generate capital gains and not ordinary income.

Real estate can offer significant tax efficiencies when added to a long-term portfolio. But there are lots of nuances that can create headaches if not handled properly.  Whitney Elkins-Hutten joins Michael to discuss five ways that real estate can generate tax efficiencies for investors.

Setting up a Roth IRA is a great retirement planning move. But many investors could get a lot more out of their Roth by venturing beyond the "big box" providers. Carrie Cook, CEO at Preferred Trust, joins Michael Johnston to discuss the opportunities that exist with self directed IRAs, and the specific restrictions around shares of a startup company.

The 1031 exchange is one of the most powerful tax savings opportunities available to U.S investors. But it's also one of the easiest to screw up. Marc Hershberg, Managing Partner and CEO at Topaz Capital Group, joins Michael Johnston to discuss the important milestones in a 1031 exchange and how investors can avoid running afoul of the regulations.