James Walters, CIMA®, CRPC® and Brandon West, CPA

15 Minutes of Finance

Business EN ↓ 215 episodes

15 Minutes of Finance is your quick, easy to understand take on markets, taxes, and making smarter financial decisions! The show is produced by West and Walters Tax and Wealth Management, an RIA and tax firm based in Carlsbad, California. Hosted by James Walters, CIMA®, CRPC®, and Brandon West, CPA, co-owners of West and Walters, each episode gives you clear, honest, and actionable financial talk in the time it takes to drink your morning coffee!

Author

James Walters, CIMA®, CRPC® and Brandon West, CPA

Episodes

Why I think financial planners are a SCAM, Why YOU need to be excited about the next few years, AND, Do you know what a penny stock is?! 06.12.2024 22:50

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Let's celebrate the Holidays with the best ways to give 04.12.2024 31:17

Send us a text Brandon West, CPA and James Walters, CRPC discuss weekly topics surrounding personal finance, small businesses, investing, tax strategy, and retirement planning. In this episode we get in the spirit of the Holidays with a dive into the ways to give to others. From tax-sheltered contributions to invested charitable gifts, we break down how to better compound your generosity!

The Tax Plan: Let's be thankful for family this week and talk about the child tax credit 25.11.2024 17:49

Send us a text The Tax Plan walks you through various tax planning strategies to help you keep more of your hard earned money. Today, we focus on family and talk about the Child Tax Credit. Learn about what your income needs to be to earn the full amount of the credit, how to claim the credit, who qualifies, and how much this could help you at tax time. Plus, learn the basics of the Childcare Tax...

Investment news, WAIT THE MARKET IS GOING TO CRASH, 34 Trillion in DEBT?!!?! "Relax Dawg" - James 22.11.2024 16:43

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Let's recap our stock picks and see how the market is performing 20.11.2024 58:48

Send us a text Brandon West, CPA and James Walters, CRPC discuss weekly topics surrounding personal finance, small businesses, investing, tax strategy, and retirement planning. In this episode we take an honest look at some of our stocks we've been watching this year to see how they've performed. Subscribers to the newsletter will recognize many of these stocks. And, let's talk about our investmen...

The Tax Plan: Are my charitable contributions ACTUALLY going to be deductible?? 19.11.2024 17:18

Send us a text The Tax Plan walks you through various tax planning strategies to help you keep more of your hard earned money. Today, we discuss charitable contributions. Spend 15 minutes learning what contributions are deductible and why you might not be getting the tax deduction you think you are! Plus, learn a tip for what to do if your contributions in any given year aren't deductible.

Wait, I should invest in Domino's!!?!?! the Market performance for the week, AND why you should consider a green thumb! 16.11.2024 22:46

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The Great Wealth Transfer will pass on 84 TRILLION dollars in the next 20 years: will you build generational wealth or be unprepared? 14.11.2024 57:13

Send us a text Brandon West, CPA and James Walters, CRPC discuss weekly topics surrounding personal finance, small businesses, investing, tax strategy, and retirement planning. In this episode we talk about one of the most important market factors in recent history: the upcoming "Great Wealth Transfer" that will pass over 80 TRILLION dollars to younger generations. Statistics say most people are n...

EVERYTHING is to the MOON! Veterans Day, and, how high can this bull market go?!?! 11.11.2024 17:31

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The Tax Plan: Save $7,5000 with the electric vehicle tax credit! 05.11.2024 19:04

Send us a text The Tax Plan walks you through various tax planning strategies to help you keep more of your hard earned money. Today, we discuss the EV tax credit! Learn if you qualify, how to claim it, and some tips designed to maximize your taxes saved with this credit. Do everything right, and get up to $7,500 back on your taxes this year!

October snaps a 5 month streak! Nvidia gets a cool little nod, And, the creepy Aunt from James in the Giant peach!!!! 01.11.2024 22:15

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Market news, performance up up up and.... still up? And, How to learn if your advisor is hiding dirty secrets from you! 25.10.2024 14:44

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When is it time for insurance? 23.10.2024 25:37

Send us a text Brandon West, CPA and James Walters, CRPC discuss weekly topics surrounding personal finance, small businesses, investing, tax strategy, and retirement planning. In this episode we talk about insurance :when you should get it, what type of insurance you need, and why insurance as an investment is a terrible option.

The Tax Plan: Rental real estate taxation and how to legitimize your rental as a business activity 21.10.2024 23:44

Send us a text The Tax Plan walks you through various tax planning strategies to help you keep more of your hard earned money. Today, we discuss rental real estate. Learn some key concepts to understand if you rent out your personal residence during the year. And, learn the IRS rules for treating rental properties as business activities, qualifying you for the QBI deduction, more write offs, and a...

Wait a second, how high could the S and P Go?!?! what are trumps economic plans for Tariffs? and, Historical election year performance! 18.10.2024 20:45

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When is it time to sell? 16.10.2024 32:46

Send us a text Brandon West, CPA and James Walters, CRPC discuss weekly topics surrounding personal finance, small businesses, investing, tax strategy, and retirement planning. In this episode we talk about a constant worry of investors, "is it time to sell?" Let's dive into how different investors answer this question and whether or not any investor can beat the market and perfectly time their in...

The Tax Plan: Traditional vs "Roth" retirement accounts and how to choose which is best for you 15.10.2024 20:16

Send us a text The Tax Plan walks you through various tax planning strategies to help you keep more of your hard earned money. Today, we discuss "traditional" vs "roth" contributions to retirement accounts, such as 401(k)'s and IRA's. Learn how both contributions to and withdrawals from these accounts differ, and gain the knowledge necessary to make the right account choice for your situation! Plu...

What is risk tolerance, and how do you design a portfolio to lower risk 09.10.2024 33:29

Send us a text Brandon West, CPA and James Walters, CRPC discuss weekly topics surrounding personal finance, small businesses, investing, tax strategy, and retirement planning. In this episode we talk about the concept of "risk tolerance." Let's explore investment strategies that can lower risk in your portfolio.

The Tax Plan: Debunking the myth of "moving up a tax bracket" and mastering timing of income recognition to lower taxes 07.10.2024 25:34

Send us a text The Tax Plan walks you through various tax planning strategies to help you keep more of your hard earned money. Today, we discuss the myth of how earning more money can "bump you up a tax bracket." Learn how marginal tax rates ACTUALLY work, and learn tips on how to time income recognition of bonuses, investments, etc to lower your tax bill!

How does the stock market react during war time and other geopolitical events and what is the difference between fundamental and technical analysis!? 05.10.2024 22:51

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Incorporating tax strategy into your retirement account 02.10.2024 30:20

Send us a text Brandon West, CPA and James Walters, CRPC discuss weekly topics surrounding personal finance, small businesses, investing, tax strategy, and retirement planning. In this episode we discuss the often "false promise" of creating tax sheltered income in retirement. Learn when it IS important to incorporate tax strategy into your investments and the imapct it can make!

The Tax Plan: How to avoid taxes when selling your real estate 30.09.2024 39:14

Send us a text The Tax Plan walks you through various tax planning strategies to help you keep more of your hard earned money. Today, we discuss the powerful tools available to real estate investors to avoid ALL capital gains taxes on the sale of real estate! Learn about 1031 exchanges, inheritances with a "step up" in basis, and the potential benefits of underutilized Delaware Statutory Trusts!

MARKETS CONTINUE TO RISE!!! Our top five factors in a successful portfolio! AND, what is the Beta of a portfolio?! 28.09.2024 20:41

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Do you know what type of advisor you're working with? Learn how that affects YOUR investments! 25.09.2024 53:33

Send us a text Brandon West, CPA and James Walters, CRPC discuss weekly topics surrounding personal finance, small businesses, investing, tax strategy, and retirement planning. In this episode we peak behind the curtain. What type of advisors are there, what fees do they charge, how do their potentially conflicted incentives affect their investment recommendations, and how can you use this informa...

The Tax Plan: Maximizing your home office deduction to save thousands every year on taxes 24.09.2024 26:00

Send us a text The Tax Plan walks you through various tax planning strategies to help you keep more of your hard earned money. Today, we discuss home offices. Come learn how there are actually multiple ways to calculate your home office deduction, how to maximize this right off for your business, and how the clickbait "Augusta Rule" is not as good as it sounds!