The 3 Tax Strategies Your CPA Isn’t Using
#1: Cost Segregation (Real Estate Owners)
Potential Savings: $35K-$150K+ in year one
What it is: An engineering study that reclassifies parts of your property (carpet, lighting, landscaping) to depreciate in 5-7 years instead of 27.5 years.
Real example: One WealthOS member bought a $500K rental property. Normal depreciation would give him $18K/year in deductions. After a cost segregation study ($5K-$8K investment), he accelerated $150K in depreciation to year one—wiping out his entire W-2 income tax that year.
Who this works for:
Commercial property owners ($400K+ property value)
Residential investors with multiple properties
Business owners who own their building
Anyone who sold crypto/stocks and needs to offset gains
Cost segregation expert Isaac Downing (WOS Member) puts it this way:
“This isn’t new. It’s just that before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, only ultra-wealthy commercial investors could use it. Now, anyone with a property over $400K can accelerate $100K-$200K in deductions.”
#2: The Augusta Rule (Section 280G)
Potential Savings: $7K-$50K annually
What it is: Rent your home to your business for up to 14 days per year. The rental income is 100% tax-free to you, and it’s a business deduction.
Real example: Garrett Gunderson (our wealth strategist) has an 8,000 sq ft mountain home. He hosts client retreats there for 14 days/year and charges his business $5K-$10K per day (comparable Airbnb rates). That’s $50K-$140K in tax-free income annually.
Don’t have a giant mansion? No problem.
If your home could rent for $500/night on Airbnb, that’s still $7,000 tax-free (14 nights × $500).
How to use it:
Host quarterly team meetings at your home
Run client workshops or masterminds there
Hold annual planning sessions during high-demand periods (Super Bowl weekend, major conventions)
Pro tip: Do this during weeks when hotel rates spike in your area. Charge comparable rates. Document everything.
#3: Paying Your Kids (Legitimate Work)
Potential Savings: $3K-$13K per child annually
What it is: If your kids do REAL work for your business (social media, filing, bookkeeping, modeling for content), you can pay them up to the standard deduction ($13,850 in 2024) completely tax-free.
Why it works:
Your business gets a tax deduction (at your 30-40% rate)
Your kids pay $0 tax (under standard deduction)
You still control the money (open a custodial account, invest it)
Real example: Garrett pays his kids to help with his podcast, social media, and testing products. He deposits 50% into whole life insurance and 50% into Bitcoin for them.
At a 35% tax rate, paying 2 kids $13K each saves $9,100 annually in taxes—while building your kids’ financial foundation.
Important: They must do ACTUAL work. Keep timesheets. Pay a reasonable rate for the work performed. This is 100% legal and in the tax code.
Quick Math: What This Could Mean For You
Let’s say you implement just 3 of these strategies:
Cost seg one property: $35K yr 1 / $350k 10-yr savings
Augusta Rule (14 days): $7K yr 1 / $70k 10-yr savings
Paying Your Kids (2 @ $13K): $9K yr 1 / $90k 10-yr savings
Total Savings: $51k 1-yr / $511k 10-yr
That’s $51K back in your pocket to reinvest, pay down debt, or accelerate wealth building.
Over 10 years? That’s $511,000+ (not counting compound growth if you invest it).
Why Your CPA Isn’t Telling You This
Most CPAs are trained in compliance, not optimization.
Their job is to file your returns accurately and keep you out of trouble.
That's it.
Your CPA = Historian (tells you what happened last year)
Your tax strategist = Architect (designs your future tax savings)
You need both on your team.
The Biggest Mistake I See Professionals Make
They wait until December to think about taxes.
By then, it’s too late. You can’t retroactively implement cost segregation, S-Corp elections, or Real Estate Professional status.
Tax strategy happens in January-March, not December.
The wealthy think about taxes QUARTERLY.
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P.S. If you’re thinking “this sounds too good to be true,” I get it. I thought the same thing when my tax advisor quoted me $60K and said “If we don’t save you double that, we charge you nothing.”
They saved me $247K that first year.
These aren’t “loopholes.” They’re government incentives. The IRS WANTS you to invest in real estate, hire employees, and grow businesses. They literally wrote these into the tax code.
You’re just not using them because nobody told you they exist.
P.P.S. Hit reply and tell me: Which of these strategies could save you the most? I read every response.
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