Wealth Actually

Philanthropy is one of the most important tools for families to strengthen their communities, establish their legacy and communicate their values – both inwardly and outwardly. What happens when the organizations that receive family resources don’t fulfill the donor’s intent? What if the charities mean well, but aren’t effective? What if the charities use the resources for...

This episode is a little different. I’m going to talk about the importance of balance and health. This time I’m the example. I’m hitting the half century mark this year. After 3 years of COVID disrepair and neglect, I knew I needed a change. In this episode, I’m going to describe those changes and what it’s done for me. I’ll also be commenting on the significant...

“Venture Capital” is a small subset of private equity surrounded in mystique and fable. In reality, the world of start-ups is filled with the highs and lows of hard work, loneliness, crushing disappointment and, sometimes, unbelievable success. The bold founders usually have a vision to disrupt the status quo and build a new world around that idea. The VC community is a unique culture...

Real Estate investing is seen as the holy grail of passive income and wealth independence. One of the popular facets of real estate investing is the tax advantage that much of the IRS code provides to the owner/operator. High on the list of cocktail party chatter topics is the concept of COST SEGREGATION . It is a way to deconstruct the components of real estate developments, depreciate them faste...

One of America’s best (and most quotable) judges, Learned Hand said, “Any one may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the Treasury; there is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes.” What happens when the IRS disagrees with the way you’ve arranged your affairs? What do you do...

“Behavioral Finance” is all the rage. BeFi (as the not-so-cool kids in the financial world call it) is the next phase in guiding individuals, teams, boards, companies, and leaders to better decision-making. There is plenty of material telling us where people get it wrong. Even the best brains get deceived by a litany of behavioral biases. These biases cause peo...

The Corporate Transparency Act is legislation that is going to touch all high net worth clients in 2024.  This is like KYC procedures on steroids and investors need to be aware of it. Attorney, STEPHEN LISS helps us understand the scope of the developing new regime. The financial reporting system currently makes it cumbersome for regulators and law enforcement to track the asset ownershi...

State Estate Taxes – State Estate taxes can be a nasty surprise- especially with the disconnect between State and Federal Exclusions. Currently, the Federal Exemption stands at $12.92mm per person. 17 states have and estate or inheritance tax and it’s often uncoupled from the Federal exemptions. In New York, the state estate tax exclusion stands at $6.58mm per person- and that exclusio...

Crisis Management in the Wealth Space Lawyers, Accountants, Wealth Advisers and other advisers – are used to dealing with difficult situations all at the heart of their specialty.  But often, the advice the clients need goes past the wealth arena . . . . How do you help them when you hear situations like this? My son shows no drive and won’t get up from bed- My daughter is cutting herself- My...

Why Do You Podcast? And How Does It Help in the Wealth/Law Space? Why do I do it? What’s involved?  How does it interact with your career? Should I do it? (YES- At least try it) How did you get started and how much does it cost? Do you make money on it? Is your ROI on the show different? Do you use it for research or marketing (or both)? Do you enjoy it? Two Advisor Podcast Experiences I thought I...

In this episode, I recount my experience in taking the plunge and jumping from a stable, large bank job to swim in some different waters. “Funding the Pivot” was written a few years ago as I was doing the post-mortem on my post-book experience. I think the lessons I learned can help a lot of people. This format a bit of an experiment for me in non-interview podcasting- let me know what...

The FAMILY OFFICE – a term that is surrounded by mystique. It conjures notions of massive wealth, mahogany infused offices, private jets and money that has reached escape velocity. When one probes deeper, it connotes secrecy, exotic opportunities and risks, mixed with rigid control and discretion. But what is the reality behind the term “family office”?  At what level of wealth do families br...

We are now into 2023 and it’s turning into is a unique wealth planning environment Families are dealing with volatility and depressed asset values. We have extremely generous Federal Estate Tax Exemption levels for the next couple of years (we think!)- Most intriguingly, we are witnessing rising interest rates which are bouncing hard off of generational interest rate low. Since interest rate...

Casual investors understand that states approach taxation of its citizens differently and can have different approaches to raising revenue. However, in the last month, there has been a shift in the directionality of state tax policy. Seven states (including NY and CA) released aggressive (and interrelated) proposals to increase taxes. Some of these proposals center around forms of the controversia...

We are all familiar with the labyrinth of the healthcare system:  The paperwork, the confusion and the cost can be overwhelming. One of the blind spots in wealth management at all levels is the advice for the most significant liability most families will face: healthcare.  I spoke to JOHN SAMUELS , founder of Better Health Advisors, to get smarter on the topic of how to better advise peo...

With the end of the year approaching, the focus of HNW and Family Office Space has turned to intergenerational planning. One of the ideas on the minds of many families is providing for future generations. It would be natural to make gifts to future generations to avoid the estate tax. However, Congress figured that out and implemented the Generation Skipping Transfer Tax back in 1976.  It’s n...

Dating apps combine many controversial concepts: technology, sex, societal change, economic intrigue . . . and the law. We are in the early stages of understanding how dating apps are affecting the way people interact. Our legal system is just now grappling with how to deal with bad actors in a world where accountability is scarce. To lay the ground work on these concepts is Irina Manta. IRINA D....

If you are a casual sports fan, the emergence of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour and its enormous sums of money has been a major story. It has all the elements of a classic drama: Famous Athletes Outsized Personalities Big, almost infinite, money International Intrigue Internal workings and politics of powerful organizations We are lucky to hear from Joe Ogilvie, a PGA Tour Player for 15 years, abo...

Private Jets are on the minds of all successful people. The time savings, security, convenience and prestige appeal to the everyone. However private aviation is so much more. It can be complicated and it’s definitely expensive. To help us survey the issues around flying private, I spoke with DAVID CLARK . David has developed expertise from over 30 years in the private aviation industry through sev...

MARQUES OGDEN is a former NFL Lineman who has parlayed his football experience, lessons learned in the rise and fall of his construction company into a growing public speaking and media career. His podcast recently featured Brett Favre: PODCAST We talk about his background, his playing days and his career path. But we really focus on the perils of success, the importance of teamwork, delegation, a...

It is a common saying that wealth in families is built and lost in three generations. However, this “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves” phenomenon is on the minds of most wealthy families. There is constant demand for advice from families of wealth on how to raise productive and kind children. However, there is also a sentiment that the education and preparation of wealthy kids solely stays within the...

Golf legend, JAY SIGEL joins us on this episode of “Wealth Actually.” In United States Amateur Golf, there are three names: Bobby Jones, Tiger Woods and Jay Sigel. Jay is one of the most accomplished amateur golfers in American history. After growing in Pennsylvania, Jay played his college golf at Wake Forest. Afterwards, he embarked on a successful career in insurance and focused on t...

Two years after its onset, the world’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic will be generational event studied for years. It is a reminder that tail risk events happen more frequently than we think. Pandemics have been a feature (not a bug?) throughout the American experience. POLLY PRICE’s new book sheds light on the US government’s response to epidemics throughout history- with la...

Today, I have a challenging discussion with Dr. CHRIS HEYE, PhD , founder of WHEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS . We talk about the issues of older age on decision-making and how that affects an individual’s retirement. We go through data on aging and explore diminished mental capacity in detail.  Advisers will learn what to look out for in clients who may be suffering from cognitive decline or even Alzheimers...

For advisers dealing with wealth management clients, cybersecurity is a necessary conversation. The wealthy are clamoring for digital protection. Advice on the defense against social media attacks, the selling of information on the Dark Web, online security breaches and asset theft are a part of the advice that most wealth management clients have come to expect from their advisors. How do you get...