530: A Tax Attorney Talks Tax Mitigation with Buck

This week’s Wealth Formula Podcast features an interview with a tax attorney. While I’m not a tax professional myself, I want to drill down on something we touched on briefly that is incredibly relevant to many of you: the so-called short-term rental loophole. If I were a high-earning W-2 wage earner, this would be at the top of my list to implement—and I know many of you are already doing it. The short-term rental loophole is one of those quirks in the tax code that most people don’t even know exists, but once you do, it can be a total game-changer. Here’s why. Normally, when you buy a rental property, depreciation losses can’t offset your W-2 income. They’re considered passive, and they stay stuck in that bucket. But short-term rentals—Airbnb, VRBO, whatever—work differently. If the average stay is seven days or less and you materially participate, the IRS doesn’t classify it as passive. It becomes an active business.  That means the paper losses you generate can offset your ordinary income, even from your day job. Normally, you’d need a real estate professional status to get that benefit. This is the one situation where you don’t. So let’s walk through how it works. When you buy a residential property, the IRS requires you to depreciate the structure—the walls, roof, foundation—over 27½ years. On a million-dollar property, that’s about $36,000 a year. It’s a slow drip. A cost segregation study changes that. Instead of treating the property as one block of concrete and wood, it carves out the parts that don’t last 27 years. Furniture, carpet, appliances, cabinets, and even ceiling fans—those are considered 5-year property. In other words, you can depreciate them much faster. Now add bonus depreciation. Instead of spreading those 5-year assets out over five years, the current rules let you write off most of them all at once in year one. Here’s the example. You buy a $1,000,000 short-term rental and finance it at 70 percent loan-to-value. That means you put in $300,000 cash and borrow $700,000. A cost seg often shows about 30 percent of the property—roughly $300,000—is 5-year personal property. Thanks to bonus depreciation, you deduct that entire $300,000 immediately. So you put in $300,000 cash, and you got a $300,000 paper loss in the same year. In practical terms, you just deducted your entire down payment against your taxable income. This is what real estate professionals do all the time and why they often end up with no tax liability at all. In this case, it works for you as a W2 wage earner. And for that reason, I think its one of the most powerful tools out there for high paid professionals that is grossly underutilized. Remember, the biggest expense for most people is the amount of tax they pay—especially W2 wage earners. This strategy lets you use money you would otherwise pay the IRS to build a cash-flowing asset for yourself.  Listen to this week’s Wealth Formula Podcast to learn other ways to legally pay less tax! Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at [email protected].  In general, W2 income is hard to defer and you can do things when you're self-employed or when you have a company or when you have stock gains or investment gains, real estate, those kinds of things. But I think wages, I think you're pretty much stuck with. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula Podcast coming to you from Montecito, California today. Before we begin, I wanna remind you that there is a website associated with this podcast called wealth formula.com. Go check it out. And, uh, one of the things on there that I wanna draw your attention to is the, uh, accredited investor club, otherwise just known as. Investor club. Uh, this is where if you qualify as an accredit investor, basically that is not something you apply for,

Bitcoin is definitely volatile. If you told me it was going to go down by 50 percent next year, I would hesitantly believe you. However, there is no way you can convince me that Bitcoin will not hit $500,000 at some point within the next five years. Think about what’s happening: ETFs are everywhere, treasury companies are holding Bitcoin, there are rumors of central banks buying it, and even an American Bitcoin reserve. It is an asset that will go up. But it may go down before that, and that is unnerving. You should not put money into Bitcoin unless you commit to not touching it for 5–10 years. But then you face another problem—Bitcoin is like gold. Unlike apartment buildings, there is no rent, no cashflow. Other coins like Ethereum and Solana have mechanisms called staking that allow for yield. Bitcoin does not. Its beauty is that there are not a lot of moving parts. It’s a vault of security, and that’s pretty much it. Again, just like gold. There have been companies like BlockFi and Celsius—which are, indeed, traditional finance companies—that lost people’s Bitcoin when they went insolvent. But now there may be a way to get yield from Bitcoin while keeping it in your custody. That’s what we talk about on this week’s Wealth Formula Podcast, in addition to covering recent news and making predictions about Bitcoin’s price. Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at [email protected].  When you're time locking your Bitcoin, it's fully self custodial, so you're never giving up those keys at any point, and that's what's so critical. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey, the Wealth Formula podcast. Coming to you from Montecito, California today. Before we begin, I wanna remind you there is a website associated with this podcast. It is called wealth formula.com. Lots of resources there, including the opportunity to join our accredited investor club. Uh, take the opportunity if you, um, are, you know, if you do make over $300,000 per year and, um. And, uh, have a net worth over a million dollars outside of your personal residence to join the club. It's free to join and it basically just allows you to see deal flow. That's pretty much it. That deal flow is not seen outside of, uh, the network because, uh, it's private. Private placements you've probably heard of. Right? So anyway, go to wealth formula.com, sign up for investor Club today we're gonna talk. About Bitcoin. Again, I know a lot of you still probably are seeing on the sidelines with this lately. The, uh, the price of Bitcoin has been extremely volatile. Well, it's not volatile compared to what it historically has been, but it's been volatile. But listen, I will say this, um, if you told me Bitcoin was going down by 50% next year. I would hesitantly believe you. Okay. But there is no way that you can convince me that Bitcoin will not at some point be worth $500,000 per Bitcoin at some point within the next five years. I mean, that could happen in two years, and then you could end up coming back. To a hundred thousand dollars. But I, I'm, I'm convinced that it ends up there. I mean, think about what's happening. ETFs everywhere, treasury companies holding Bitcoin, rumors of central banks buying it. An American Bitcoin reserve is on the table. It's already exists. It's just are they gonna actively buy it or they just going to confiscate it and hold it. Um, now that being said, you know. The volatility is a real thing. And so what I, I think is really important is that you should not put money into Bitcoin unless you commit to it for five to 10 years. Just buy it and forget it. Don't look at the price. Don't look at the price. I mean, what I will say is, you know, say a couple years down the line, if all of a sudden you're hearing people talking about how Bitcoin went crazy and it's, you know,

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about Wealth Formula Banking in detail, and I know we have a lot of new listeners who may not have heard about it yet. So today, I want to share a webinar that explains why I think this strategy is such a no-brainer. First off—what is Wealth Formula Banking? You may have heard of something called “infinite banking.” It’s a similar concept, but instead of focusing on paying your bills, Wealth Formula Banking is specifically designed to amplify your investments. My introduction to this idea came the same way you’re hearing it now—through a podcast. I kept hearing the phrase “be your own bank.” Honestly, I didn’t know what that meant, and I tuned it out until a friend finally broke it down for me. That’s when I had my aha moment. Here’s why. Normally, when you want to invest in a cash-flowing asset, you park money in a checking or savings account first. The problem? Those accounts pay you almost nothing—well under 1 percent. Meanwhile, inflation is running at 2–3 percent, so you’re guaranteed to lose money. That’s why my friend Robert Kiyosaki always says, “savers are losers.” Wealth Formula Banking flips that script. You’re essentially creating a special kind of cash value life insurance policy, where the money you put in grows at a virtually bulletproof 5–6 percent compounding rate per year. Not that sexy on its own, BUT…here’s the kicker: you don’t have to pull that money out to invest in your deal. Instead, you borrow against it from the insurance company’s general ledger at a simple interest rate. That means your original money keeps compounding inside the policy at 5–6 percent—even while you’ve borrowed against it to invest in cash-flowing assets like real estate. That’s the key. With a HELOC, when you borrow, your money stops working for you. With Wealth Formula Banking, your money never stops growing. So now you’ve got the same dollars doing two jobs at once: earning safe, compounding growth inside your policy and generating income from your investments outside of it. By simply routing your money through Wealth Formula Banking, you’re supercharging your returns. And here’s what makes it even more powerful: tax-free growth within the insurance account, real asset protection to shield your wealth from lawsuits and creditors. Plus, it includes a permanent death benefit, which means that in addition to building wealth today, you’re also creating a lasting legacy for your family tomorrow. It’s not magic—it’s math. And it’s the kind of smart arbitrage that can turn ordinary investments into extraordinary ones. Schedule a FREE consultation: https://wealthformulabanking.com

Most people picture investing as a game of chess. Everything is visible on the board, the rules are clear, and if you’re sharp enough, you can see ten moves ahead. But markets don’t work like that. They shift in real time—rates change, policies flip, black swan events crash the party. That’s why I think investing looks a lot more like poker. In poker, you never know all the cards. You play with incomplete information, and even the best players lose hands. What separates them isn’t luck—it’s process. Over time, making slightly better decisions than everyone else compounds into big wins. That’s the same discipline great investors use. They don’t wait for certainty—it never comes. They weigh probabilities, manage risk, and swing hard when the odds line up. Risk isn’t the enemy. Fold every hand and you’ll bleed out. To win, you’ve got to put chips in the pot—wisely. Wealthy investors do the same. They protect the downside, but when they see an asymmetric bet—small risk, huge upside—they lean in. That’s what early Bitcoin adopters did. That’s what smart money did in real estate after 2008. And just like poker, investing is about knowing when to quit. Ego and sunk costs can trap you in bad hands, but the pros know when to fold and move their chips to a better table. In the end, both games reward patience, discipline, and emotional control. You don’t need to win every hand. You just need to stay in the game long enough for compounding to do its work. The amateurs play for excitement. The pros play for longevity. That’s the mindset you need as an investor and the reason I interviewed a former professional poker player on this week's Wealth Formula Podcast! Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at [email protected].   One of the things that we feel like when we decide to make a bet on a thesis and we're thinking about, well, wait, what, what if it's like this? Or what if it's like this or whatever, is that we, we do have this sense that we get caught in those decisions, right? That we start something and that, uh, it's very hard for us to get out of that position. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula Podcast. Coming to you from Montecito, California. Before we begin today, I wanna remind you that there is a website associated with this podcast called wealth formula.com. Lots of resources there, including the ability to sign up for our accredited investor club. Now, of course, that is a, uh, also known as a investor club and, um, basically you sign up there. And, uh, you get onboarded and you get an opportunity to see private deal flow that you will not see anywhere else. So go check that out. Wealth formula.com. Topic of today's show's a little different. Um, it's, uh, a little bit more, uh, about the cognitive side of. Of, uh, investing. So, you know, most people picture investing as sort of a game of chess, right? Everything is visible on the board. The rules are clear, and if you're sharp enough, you can see 10 moves ahead. But in reality, the markets don't really work like that. They shift in real time. You know, you got rate changes, policy flips, black swan events, all these things can crash to party. Uh, and that's why I think investing actually looks a lot more like poker and poker. You know, you never know all the cards you play with incomplete information. And guess what? Even the best players lose hand, you do lose in investing. That's something you have to understand. Now, over time, making slightly better decisions than everyone else compounds into big wins. And that's what makes a, you know, difference between like professional investors and people who lose money in the market. That's the same discipline. Great investors use. They don't wait for certainty because the reality is it never comes. They weigh probabilities, manage risk,

If you look at the wealthiest people in the world, they almost always get there through business ownership or real estate. The only real exceptions are athletes and entertainers—and let’s be honest, that’s not a realistic path for most of us. We talk about real estate a lot here and through deal flow in our investor club. But today I want to focus more on business ownership. One way in is to start a business from scratch. I’ve done that a few times—sometimes it worked out really well, other times it was a total disaster. That’s the reality of startups. They require a certain wiring, an appetite for risk, and the ability to move forward without much of a safety net. It’s harder to do when you’re 52, have three kids heading to college and alimony to pay. Another option is to buy an existing business. The advantage here is that you’re stepping into something that has already worked, which gives you confidence in the viability of the business. But it’s not without risks. Some businesses depend heavily on key people or relationships that don’t transfer, and the ones that truly run themselves tend to be very expensive and often out of reach. The third option is franchising. It’s not risk-free either, but it does give you a roadmap. If you’re the type who can follow a proven system, your chances of success go way up. You’re not starting from scratch—you’re plugging into a model that’s already been tested and supported. For people who don’t necessarily have the renegade startup personality but want more than just a paycheck and index funds, franchising can be a great fit. We’ve talked about franchises before, but this week’s episode brings a fresh perspective from someone focusing on non-food franchises. I think you’ll find it really interesting. Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at [email protected].  We've seen so many real estate investors saying, where's another tax advantaged alternative investment that I could participate in? More and more of them are migrating over to franchising. So that's been a huge trend I would say. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula Podcast. Coming to you from Montecito, California. And, uh, before I begin, I wanna remind you that there is something called wealth formula.com. It is the home base of the Wealth Formula Podcast. So if you want to, uh, go check that out, check out the resources. One of the things you can do there is sign up for the, uh, credit investor club, AKA investor club. See, uh, opportunities gill flow that you might not otherwise see because they are private. As we get here later in the year, more and more opportunities particularly for, uh, potential tax mitigation, lots of real estate, uh, some other, uh, real asset funds that I think you may want to, you may wanna learn about. So go to wealth formula.com, sign up and um, get onboarded. This is a little building a little bit on, uh, last week, uh, when we talked about, you know, how the wealthiest people in the world. Typically, unless you're like an entertainer or a professional athlete or whatever, uh, you're typically going to get there through business ownership or real estate. Right? Of course, we talk about real estate here a lot and we have a lot of opportunities coming through on, um, on uh, investor club. But you know, today I wanna focus more on that whole business ownership concept because I think it's something that probably more people could be involved with. Um, you know, but if you do wanna be in business, so there are a few different options, right? So one is to start a business from scratch. I've done that a few times and I'll tell you sometimes it's worked out really, really well. And other times it was a total disaster. But that's a reality of startups. Um, they require certain. Wiring too.

If there’s one thing that separates the truly wealthy from everyone else, it’s their relationship with risk. Not blind risk. I’m talking about conviction — the ability to see an opportunity before everyone else does, to lean into it while others are frozen, and to hold through the storm until the payoff is undeniable. The extreme example is Bitcoin. In 2012, when it was trading for less than the price of a cup of coffee, most people laughed it off as internet monopoly money. But a handful of people had conviction.  They understood the asymmetric nature of the bet — the downside was capped at the small amount they put in, while the upside was exponential. Those early adopters didn’t just make returns; many became billionaires. Of course, most people hadn’t even heard of Bitcoin in 2012, so that might not have even been an option for you. So let’s take another example that you almost certainly did live through. Real estate after the Great Recession in 2008 was radioactive. Nobody wanted to touch it. Yet those who bought when fear was at its peak ended up riding one of the longest real estate bull markets in U.S. history.  Data from the National Association of Realtors shows that home prices more than doubled from 2012 to 2022 in many markets. Imagine the rewards of being on the buy side in 2012. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I believe we are in a similar scenario with real estate right now as we head into a descending rate environment following a real estate bloodbath.  Properties are severely discounted, and values are almost certain to go up as rates fall. But you have to see the big picture and not be scared. That’s not easy to do when everyone else is.  Real estate moguls and business owners are the ones most likely to take their wealth to the next level. Real estate is accessible to you — and so is business ownership.  Look at the Forbes billionaire list and you’ll see a pattern: nearly 70% of the world’s wealthiest people are business founders or owners. They didn’t get rich clipping coupons from the S&P 500.  They got there by creating or buying businesses that became valuable, saleable assets. The risk was obvious: most startups fail. But the payoff for the ones that succeed dwarfs anything you’ll ever get in your brokerage account. Now, the reality is that most high-paid professionals never play in this arena. They’re comfortable and don’t want to rock the boat. Some call it the “golden handcuffs” — you make enough money to feel comfortable, but that same comfort prevents you from ever taking risk. And you know what? That’s totally fine. Just know that doing your 9-to-5 and investing into your 401(k) is not going to create life-changing money. If all you’re looking for is life-sustaining money, keep doing what you’re doing. But ask yourself this question: What’s the life you dream about? If it’s the life you already have, then congratulations. If not, are you on a trajectory that even makes it possible to get there? If not, you’ve got to change course. My guest this week on Wealth Formula Podcast has done a great deal of research on the wealthy and has written a book based on what he has learned. Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at [email protected].  An s and p 500 index fund would've outperformed like, you know, 75% of active managers. These are people who, it's their job, they're paid and compensated to try and beat the market, and they can't. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula Podcast, coming to you from Montecito, California. And, uh, before we begin today, wanna remind you. There is a website associated with this podcast. It's called wealth formula.com. Go check it out. There's lots of resources there for you, uh, including, uh, a chance to join our credit investor group.

Something big is happening in Washington right now, and it has the potential to reshape everything you and I do as investors. A few weeks ago, the Trump administration attempted to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook, only to have an appeals court block the move on legal grounds.  At almost the same time, Stephen Miran—one of Trump’s economic advisers—was confirmed by the Senate to the Fed’s Board of Governors by a razor-thin margin.  On one side, an attempted subtraction. On the other, a confirmed addition. All of this is happening right before a major policy meeting, and it’s not hard to see the writing on the wall. Trump’s takeover of the Fed is not a question of if—it’s a question of when. Whether it unfolds in a matter of weeks or drags out over the next few months, the direction is set and the outcome is inevitable.  The endgame is to bring interest rates down and, if necessary, use quantitative easing to drive bond yields even lower. That kind of policy would flood the system with liquidity, and the immediate effect would be a booming economy. Asset prices would rip higher—stocks, real estate, gold, Bitcoin—you name it. If you own assets, you’d feel wealthier almost overnight. But of course, there’s another side to this coin. A dollar that weakens under the weight of easy money. A gap between the asset-rich and the asset-poor that grows even wider. Rising inequality, rising tensions, and perhaps a long-term cost to the credibility of the U.S. financial system. So is this takeover of the Fed a good thing? That depends entirely on where you sit. If you’re a wage earner with no meaningful assets, it’s bad news. If you’re an investor, it’s a reminder that ignoring policy shifts like this is done at your own peril.  The time to prepare is now, not later. Don’t wait for rates to drop before acting. History shows that buying assets in a descending rate environment has been one of the most powerful wealth-creation maneuvers in the United States.  Think back to 2008. The Fed responded to the financial crisis with unprecedented rate cuts and waves of quantitative easing. What followed was more than a decade of explosive gains in stocks, real estate, and other assets.  Those who bought while rates were falling built extraordinary wealth. Those who stood on the sidelines missed out. But don’t take my word. Listen to noted economist Richard Duncan explain the dynamics of this situation in this week’s episode of Wealth Forula Podcast.  Learn more about Richard Duncan: richardduncaneconomics.com Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at [email protected]. By devaluing the dollar by 50% against the end of the mark by 1990, the trade deficit that had come back into balance. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula Podcast. Coming to you from Montecito, California. Uh, today before I begin, just a reminder. Go to wealth formula.com. If you haven't done so and you are an accredited investor, join the Accredited Investor club. Lots of things coming in there in Q4. Lots of tax mitigation, strategy related investments, that kind of thing take advantage a hundred percent. Bonus depreciation, take advantage of discounted assets and so on. So again, wealth formula.com. Now, uh, let's talk about today's show. Interesting one. Um, it's with, uh, Richard Duncan again. Uh, and, uh, he's an interesting guy, uh, and I wanted to talk to him because something big is happening in Washington right now, as you know, and it has the potential to reshape everything you and I do as investors. As you may know, and as I am sure you probably know, a few, a few weeks ago, Trump administration attempted to remove, uh, fed Governor Lisa Cook, only to have appeals. Courts block, uh, and, uh, uh, move block the move on legal grounds. And at almost the same time, Stephen Moran,

When we think about investing, our minds usually go straight to stocks, bonds, and real estate. But some of the best opportunities come when you stop thinking of investing as something separate from your everyday life. What do I mean by this? A lot of the things we buy are treated as expenses when they could be investments. You might wear a watch or jewelry simply because you like them, but you avoid spending too much because it feels frivolous.  Yet what’s better—paying $250 for a decent watch that will be worthless in 10 years, or $5,000 for a Rolex that could be worth twice as much over the same period? The same idea applies to cars and even furniture. I have a good friend who lives by this philosophy. For decades, he’s chosen to invest in the finer things rather than the ordinary, and it has become a cornerstone of his personal investment strategy. It’s about thinking differently—turning what most people see as expenses into assets. Art falls into that same category. I’m not a huge art guy myself. Sometimes I’ll buy a piece off the street because I’ve never thought of art as an investment. Yet for centuries, people have purchased art for its beauty, cultural value, and emotional impact—and often made a financial killing in the process. Today, art is recognized as a legitimate asset class—something that not only enriches your life on the wall but also diversifies and strengthens your portfolio. This week on Wealth Formula Podcast, we’re going to explore how fine art has evolved into an investment category in its own right, and how you might think about incorporating it into your wealth strategy. Learn more about Philip Hoffman and The Fine Art Group: www.fineartgroup.com Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at [email protected].  If you donate a hundred million dollars of art, you can probably get a tax rebate for the full amount of the donation. Welcome, everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula Podcast. Coming to you from Montecito, California. Uh, today before we begin, I wanna remind you again, there's, um, a website called wealth formula.com that you should check out. Um, one of the things on there is, uh, the ability to sign up for our accredited investor club now really do, um, suggest you check it out if you are an accredit investor and potentially get onboarded, uh, with our team. Uh, because as we enter into this fourth quarter here, we have a number of, uh, potentially interesting opportunities, um, that involve significant tax, uh, tax mitigating type investments. Usually using depreciation, whether that's, uh, related to, you know, apartment buildings, sometimes in commercial aircraft, things like that. But if you are an accredit investor, I think you should at least get onboarded so that you can check out the opportunities that are out there that are coming your way. This is, of course, a private group, so that. Um, you will not get access to these, uh, opportunities unless you are part of investor clubs. So go to wealth formula.com and sign up for our credit investor club if you, uh, if you are one. Uh, let's talk today a little bit about a shift, uh, in thinking. Uh, you know, we, when we think about investing, you know, of course we're usually going straight to. Whatever it is that we're typically thinking about, whether that's real estate, stocks, bonds, whatever. But some of the best opportunities come when you stop thinking about investing as something separate from your everyday life and you start thinking about the things that are in your everyday life. So what do I mean by all of this? Well, a lot of things, uh, we buy, um, are treated as expenses. When if you kind of shift your mindset a little bit, they could be thought of as investments rather than expenses. So here's an example that's kind of obvious, right?

We all know technology and geopolitics shape the world, but there’s a quieter, less obvious force that dictates the flow of wealth and opportunity: demographics. Where people live, where they move, and how populations grow or shrink — these are the currents that ultimately drive economic gravity. That’s why all of the multifamily investments you see through Investor Club focus on areas where there is job creation. Where there is job creation, there is population growth, and people have to live somewhere. Scale that concept up to a global level, and you start to see why migration, climate, and demographics are the real megatrends of the century. Take China — decades of the one-child policy have created a demographic cliff. Contrast that with parts of Africa and South Asia, where populations are booming. Add to this the wildcard of AI, which could either amplify the advantages of youthful nations or offset aging ones. For investors, entrepreneurs, and anyone thinking long term, the key isn’t where the puck is today — it’s where the puck is going. That’s the topic of this week’s Wealth Formula Podcast. Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at [email protected].  If a place is attracting young people, it must be doing something right. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula Podcast. Coming to you from Montecito, California. Before we begin, I wanna remind you that there is a website associated with this podcast is called wealth formula.com. Go there and uh, check out some of the resources we have, including the opportunity. To join our accredited investor club. Uh, this is a. A group, uh, for a credit investors to see a potential deal flow that you wouldn't see otherwise, uh, because they are private, uh, private nature. So the process is easy. If you are an accredit investor, go ahead and sign up and get onboarded. Then basically wait to see what kind of deals are out there and see if you're interested. Check it out. Wealth formula.com. Okay, so let's start. Uh, let's talk a little bit today about something that's really important, maybe not appreciated as much. You know, we know that technology and geopolitics shape the world, but there's a quieter, sort of less obvious force that dictates the flow of wealth and opportunities. And that is demographics, um, where people live, where they move, and how populations grow or shrink. These are the currents that ultimately drive economic gravity. And that's why all of the multifamily investment you see through say investor club, uh, focus on areas where there's job creation. Why? Because where there is job creation, there is population growth. And guess what? People have to live somewhere, right? So that's something that you might be familiar with already, but scale that concept up to a global level and you start to see why migration. Climate demographics, they're really the sort of mega trends of the century. All you have to do is take a look at China, right? Decades of one child policy have created essentially a demographic cliff for them. And you contrast that with parts of Africa and South Asia where populations are booming. And then you add to this, the wild card of ai, which could either amplify the advantages of youthful nations or, or potentially offset. Aging ones like China, as we mentioned. So for investors, entrepreneurs, and anyone really thinking long, uh, term, the key isn't necessarily where the Pak is today, as the Great Gretzky once said. It's where the puck is going, and that is the topic of this Week's Wealth Formula podcast, and we will have that for you right after these messages. Wealth Formula banking is an ingenious concept powered by whole life insurance, but instead of acting just as a safety net, the strategy supercharges your investment. First,

One of the realities of building wealth is that the more you have, the more you have to lose. Asset protection and estate planning aren’t just legal technicalities—they’re essential parts of safeguarding everything you’ve worked for.  The worst time to plan is when you actually need it. If you wait until you’re facing a lawsuit, a creditor, or a sudden death in the family, it’s already too late. Think of asset protection like insurance. Most of us wouldn’t drive without auto insurance or own a home without homeowners' insurance. Yet many wealthy people operate businesses, hold investments, and build family wealth without putting legal structures in place to shield those assets. One lawsuit or one major life event can undo decades of hard work. On the estate side, not having a proper plan doesn’t just cost money—it creates stress and hardship for your loved ones. Without a solid estate plan, your family could end up tied up in probate courts, fighting over assets, and losing valuable time and resources.  We’ve talked on this show before about basic steps everyone should take—like forming entities to protect your business or making sure you have not only a will, but also a living trust. Those are the starting points. But as your wealth continues to grow, your planning needs to grow with it. High-net-worth families have to think about more robust strategies—things like dynasty trusts, asset protection trusts, and the best jurisdictions to set them up.  These aren’t just technical details. They’re the difference between wealth that gets preserved and multiplies across generations and wealth that gets chipped away by taxes, lawsuits, and poor planning. To help us understand these tools at the highest level, I’ve invited perhaps the most respected attorney in this space—someone who is seen by other attorneys as the thought leader in asset protection and estate planning—Steve Oshins. Steve has pioneered strategies that are now industry standards, and his work has shaped how families across the country protect and grow their wealth. You’re going to want to pay attention this conversation closely. Transcript Disclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI and may not be 100% accurate. If you notice any errors or corrections, please email us at [email protected].  If your trust is drafted really well at the inception or via the first decanting, you probably will never have to decant the trust again simply because you've already built the flexibilities into the trust. Welcome everybody. This is Buck Joffrey with the Wealth Formula Podcast coming to you from Montecito, California. Before we begin, reminder. There is a website associated with this podcast called wealth formula.com. Go check it out for the latest resources there. And also, uh, remember that if you are an accredited investor and you would like to potentially see deal flow, uh, go to wealth formula.com and sign up for the investor club. You'll get onboarded. At that point, potentially, uh, see opportunities that you wouldn't otherwise see that are limited for accredit investors. Again, that's wealth formula.com. Sign up for investor club. Now let's, uh, let's talk a little bit about issues, uh, related to, uh, building of wealth. One of the realities of building wealth is that the more you have, the more you have to lose asset protection and estate planning Art. Just legal technicalities. They're really an essential part of safeguarding everything you've worked for. You know, the worst time to plan this stuff is when you actually need it. So if you wait until you're facing a lawsuit, a creditor or a sudden death in the family, it's already too late. Right? Think of asset protection like insurance. That's basically what it is. Most of us would drive without auto insurance or own a home without homeowner's insurance yet. Many wealthy people operate businesses, hold investments, build family wealth without putting legal structure...