Stephen Lee, CPA, CPWA®

If you're a physician wondering how to start investing for your children, you'll usually hear three recommendations: open a 529, open a Roth IRA, or invest in a taxable brokerage account. The truth is, there's no single best answer because these three accounts solve three completely different problems. In this episode, Stephen Lee, CPA and certified private wealth advisor, breaks down:...

If you're a 1099 physician making $350K, $500K, or over $1 million this year, the next few months could have a bigger impact on your tax bill than anything you do next April. Once December 31st passes, many of your best tax planning opportunities disappear. In this episode, Stephen Lee, CPA and certified private wealth advisor, walks through a 7-item year-end tax planning checklist specificall...

Should high-income physicians put everything into Roth? Many doctors earning $400K, $1M+ hear the same advice: pay taxes now, let it grow tax-free, and never worry again. But for many high-income physicians, maxing out Roth could actually mean paying more tax over your lifetime. In this episode of The Locum CPA, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor Stephen Lee breaks down when Roth makes sense...

Navigating the financial side of locum tenens work can feel overwhelming. The Locum CPA Podcast is here to change that. Hosted by a CPA who understands the unique challenges of locum tenens professionals, this show breaks down everything from taxes and retirement planning to entity structuring and contract considerations, all in plain language. Whether you're a physician, CRNA, NP, or PA doing...

Welcome to The Locum CPA podcast, your go-to resource for tax strategies, financial planning, and business insights tailored specifically for locum tenens healthcare professionals. Navigating the financial side of locum work can be overwhelming. Between multiple assignments, varying state tax filings, self-employment considerations, and retirement planning, you need guidance from someone who truly...

If you're a 1099 physician earning $350,000 or more, tax deductions are only the beginning. The real opportunity is in how your entire tax structure works together, your entity, your S-Corp salary, your retirement plan, your quarterly estimated payments, your state tax footprint, and how money actually flows through your business. Hosted by Stephen Lee, CPA and founder of The Locum CPA, this s...

If you're a 1099 physician earning $350K or more, you've probably heard advice like "just write it off" or "put the car through the business." But that's not how the tax code actually works. In this episode, CPA Stephen Lee, founder of The Locum CPA, breaks down what self-employed physicians can legitimately deduct, what usually isn't deductible, and the gray ar...

If your S-Corp earns $500,000 as a 1099 physician, someone will tell you to pay yourself $80,000 and take the rest in distributions. The IRS disagrees. Your salary must be reasonable . So what should it actually be, and can you defend it in an audit? In this episode, CPA and certified private wealth advisor Stephen Lee walks through a real-world case study of a 1099 radiologist making $500,000. He...

Someone told you that as a 1099 physician, you need an S-Corp — but is that actually true? In this episode, Stephen Lee, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor at The Locum CPA, breaks down a real-world case study with Dr. Swanson, an anesthesiologist transitioning to full-time locums work, to reveal the exact income threshold where an S-Corp election actually starts making financial sense. You&...

If you're a physician earning 1099 income, your tax strategy involves much more than finding deductions. In this episode, Stephen Lee, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor, breaks down The 1099 Physician Tax Playbook —a six-part framework for building a coordinated tax strategy around your income, business structure, tax payments, deductions, retirement, and year-round planning. You'll...

If you're a 1099 physician earning $500,000 or more, you've probably heard plenty of aggressive advice about tax write-offs: write off your car, your house, every meal, or just put it on the business credit card. But being 1099 doesn't make everything deductible. In this episode of The Locum CPA, Stephen Lee, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor, breaks down the most important dedu...

If you're a 1099 or locum tenens physician working in more than one state, your home state's tax rules may not be the whole story. In this episode, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor Stephen Lee explains one of the most overlooked tax issues facing locums physicians: multi-state taxation. You'll learn why living in a no-income-tax state doesn't necessarily make your locums in...

W-2 income doesn't exist in a vacuum, and neither does your 1099 income. If you're a physician earning both, your tax strategy is more connected than many people realize. In this episode, Stephen Lee, CPA, explains five tax rules that physicians with both W-2 and 1099 income frequently get wrong. Learn how your hospital salary can affect self-employment tax, why an S corporation isn't...

If you're a 1099 physician, one of the biggest financial mistakes you can make is treating every dollar that hits your bank account as money you can spend. Unlike W-2 employees, no one is withholding taxes for you, which means a surprise tax bill can quickly turn a great income into financial stress. In this episode, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor Stephen Lee explains a practical tax...

Is an S corporation the right tax strategy for your 1099 physician income? The answer isn't based on gross income alone—it depends on your net profit, reasonable compensation, and whether the tax savings outweigh the added costs and compliance. In this episode, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor Stephen Lee breaks down a practical framework for evaluating an S corp election at three common i...

If this is your first year as a 1099 physician, tax season can feel completely different. No automatic withholding, no employer payroll department, no simple W-2 return, and no clear roadmap for taxes, retirement planning, quarterly payments, or entity structure decisions. In this episode, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor Stephen Lee walks through the 7 essential steps every first-year 109...

Are you a 1099 physician relying on random tax tips like forming an LLC, electing an S Corp, opening a SEP IRA, or saving 30% for taxes? In this episode, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor Stephen Lee breaks down the complete 1099 physician tax system—a six-part framework designed to help independent physicians stop guessing and start planning. You'll learn how to build a coordinated str...

Most 1099 physicians are told the same basic retirement advice: open a SEP IRA, max out a Solo 401(k), and track your deductions. While that's a good start, high-income physicians earning $400,000, $800,000, or more may be missing significantly larger opportunities. In this episode, Stephen Lee, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor, breaks down how some 1099 physicians may be able to contr...

A 1099 physician saved $42,000 in taxes, without buying a luxury SUV, creating questionable write-offs, or using aggressive tax loopholes. In this episode, CPA and Certified Wealth Advisor Stephen Lee breaks down a real-world case study of a physician earning approximately $575,000 as a 1099 contractor and the step-by-step strategy that helped create significant tax savings while staying compliant...

Most 1099 physicians are calculating quarterly taxes the wrong way, and it can lead to penalties, cash flow problems, and massive surprises at tax time. In this episode, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor Stephen Lee breaks down how high-income 1099 physicians should actually calculate quarterly estimated taxes. You'll learn the difference between safe harbor payments and true tax projec...

If you're a 1099 physician wondering whether an S corp can actually save you serious money or if it's just overhyped tax advice, this episode is for you. In this episode, Stephen Lee, CPA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor, breaks down the real S corp conversation for high-income independent physicians. You’ll learn when an S corp can potentially save $30K+ per year in taxes, when the sa...

5 Costly Money Mistakes 1099 Physicians Make (And How to Fix Them) In this episode, I explain why many high-earning 1099 physicians still feel financially stressed—not because they don’t make enough, but because they haven’t built the business systems needed to manage taxes, cash flow, and bookkeeping. Payment workflow made smarter by Melio - https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/... The exact fram...

1099 Physician Tax Strategy: Stop Overpaying the IRS (QBI, Retirement Plans, S-Corp) Special Xero offer: Get 90% off for 6 months using this link - https://referrals.xero.com/StephenLee... Terms & Conditions apply.* The exact framework I walk through with new clients and how to structure your entity, what to track, which retirement accounts to use, and how to stop leaving money on the table. F...

10 Things to Do After Filing Your Taxes (Avoid Penalties & Keep More Money) CPA and certified private wealth advisor Stephen Lee explains that filing taxes is only the starting point and outlines 10 actions to take after filing to avoid penalties and optimize next year’s taxes: track your refund using the IRS “Where’s My Refund” tool, review your return for errors and save all supporting docum...

Common Tax Mistakes That Make Business Owners Overpay (And How to Fix Them) Special Xero offer: Get 90% off for 6 months using this link - https://referrals.xero.com/StephenLee... Terms & Conditions apply.* CPA Stephen Lee explains that many business owners legally overpay taxes by missing strategies allowed by the tax code, then walks through 15 common issues and how to fix them. He covers fa...