PODCAST

Proactive Tax Planning: You Can't Control the Tax Code, But You Can Control This

Tax season just wrapped, and the next one is closer than you think. In this Perennial Pride Podcast episode, Tom Suvansri applies the Stoic idea of focusing on what you ...can control to proactive tax planning, so you can stop stressing over the forces outside your hands and take action on the levers you actually own.

Tom separates what you can't control, including the tax code, law changes, tax rates, and markets, from what you can: the type and timing of your income, deductions, entity structure, retirement plans, charitable gifting, record keeping, and the team of advisors around you. He explains why a big tax bill is often a sign of success, why a law change or liquidity event is the moment to revisit your plan, and why you should never let the tax tail wag the dog. The episode closes with a simple two-column exercise and a challenge to act on one or two controllable items before year-end.

This episode is general education only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Talk with your own professionals before acting.

Resources mentioned:

Wealth Beyond the Numbers by Tom Suvansri: https://perennialpride.com/books/

Connect with Perennial Pride:
Website: https://www.perennialpride.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@perennialpride7448
Facebook and LinkedIn: search Perennial Pride
Email: info@perennialpride.com
Phone: (203) 918-6424

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Welcome: Tax Season Is Over, the Next One Is Coming
00:03:00 - The Stoic Idea That Changes How You Handle Taxes
00:05:00 - What You Control: Choice, Effort, Judgment, and Response
00:06:50 - What You Can't Control: Tax Code, Law Changes, Rates, and Markets
00:08:45 - Two Common Reactions: Resign or Chase the Next Fad
00:09:30 - What You Can Control: Income, Deductions, Timing, and Structure
00:10:40 - Retirement Plans, Charitable Gifting, and Record Keeping
00:12:10 - Build Your Team and Own Your Response
00:14:30 - The Obstacle Is the Way
00:17:10 - Your Tax Bill Is a Sign of Success
00:18:10 - Don't Let the Tax Tail Wag the Dog
00:19:40 - The Two-Column Exercise
00:21:00 - Take Action Before Year-End

#taxplanning #businessowners #wealthstrategy #financialfreedom #perennialprideShow More

Proactive Tax Planning: You Can't Control the Tax Code, But You Can Control This

Tax season just wrapped, and the next ...

The Other Side of the Table": What the Person Raising the Money Wishes You'd Ask

What does the person raising money for a ...

What does the person raising money for a real estate syndication wish investors would ask? In Part 2 of this Perennial Pride Podcast series on becoming a more empowered investor, ...Tom Suvansri sits down with Jeremy Dyer, VP of Capital Formation at Rise48 Equity. Jeremy spent a decade as a passive limited partner in 75 projects before moving to the operator's side of the table, so he's seen this conversation from both chairs.

Tom and Jeremy cover how to evaluate a real estate syndication operator, from the size and structure of the team to why Regulation D 506(b) deals can't be advertised. Jeremy explains why you're investing in the jockey, not the horse, and walks through the three risks every investor should solve for: operational, execution, and market risk. You'll hear why an operator who only shares good news is a red flag, what institutional-level investor reporting looks like, and how yield on cost shapes renovation spending.

Jeremy also shares the question most investors never ask, what the operator bought at the peak of the market cycle, along with how to pressure test occupancy, property taxes, insurance, concessions, and future supply. They get candid about who these illiquid, two to five year investments are not for, how cost segregation and bonus depreciation affect your K-1, and why education and an early CPA conversation should come before any investment.

Disclosure: Tom has invested with Rise48 Equity. This episode is educational only and is not investment, tax, or financial advice.

Resources mentioned:

Rise48 Equity: http://rise48equity.com/
The Fundamental Investor by Jeremy Dyer (Amazon)
The Hands-Off Investor by Brian Burke (Amazon)
Wealth Beyond the Numbers by Tom Suvansri: https://perennialpride.com/
Part 1: Real Estate Syndication Due Diligence: How I Actually Decided to Invest

Connect with Perennial Pride:

Website: https://perennialpride.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@perennialpride7448
Facebook and LinkedIn: search Perennial Pride
Email: info@perennialpride.com
Phone: (203) 918-6424

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Welcome to Part 2: the operator's side of the table
00:01:00 - Jeremy Dyer's backwards path from passive investor to operator
00:02:15 - Disclosure and why private deals work differently
00:03:00 - Is Wall Street the real alternative?
00:04:00 - Inside an operator: acquisitions, asset management, and capital
00:05:15 - Who invests and how much
00:06:00 - Regulation D 506(b) and why you can't find these deals online
00:07:00 - Why meeting the team in person matters
00:08:30 - Market tours: going beyond the pitch deck
00:10:00 - Invest in the jockey, not the horse
00:11:30 - Operational, execution, and market risk
00:13:45 - When curveballs hit: how operators communicate
00:15:00 - What institutional-level investor reporting looks like
00:16:00 - Yield on cost: when to accelerate and when to pump the brakes
00:17:15 - Red flag: an operator who only shares good news
00:18:45 - Lessons from the financial crisis and COVID
00:19:45 - Why an operator's own data can beat the data providers
00:21:00 - The same transparency the senior lender gets
00:22:00 - What prepared investors do differently
00:23:00 - Invest in yourself first: Jeremy's passive investing journey
00:24:45 - Analysis paralysis vs. FOMO
00:26:00 - The question most investors never ask: peak-cycle acquisitions
00:27:45 - Occupancy, property taxes, insurance, and concessions
00:29:00 - Future supply and why it compounds
00:30:30 - Buy at a good basis, execute, and know when to sell
00:32:15 - Who these investments are not for
00:33:45 - Illiquidity, owner benefits, and the hold period
00:35:00 - Where it fits in your broader financial plan
00:36:15 - Wall Street to Main Street: why investors diversify
00:38:00 - Tax surprises: cost segregation and bonus depreciation
00:40:15 - Bring your CPA in before tax season
00:41:15 - Where to connect with Jeremy and Rise48 Equity
00:42:00 - Closing thoughts

#RealEstateSyndication #PassiveInvesting #AlternativeInvesting #WealthStrategy #PerennialPrideShow More

Real Estate Syndication Due Diligence: How I Actually Decided to Invest, Start to Finish (Part 1)

How do you actually decide whether to ...

How do you actually decide whether to invest in a real estate syndication? In Part 1 of this two-part series on the Perennial Pride Podcast, Tom Suvansri walks through his ...own due diligence process, start to finish, on a multifamily syndication he invested in for his family.

Tom isn't pitching a specific deal. He's sharing how he evaluates alternative investments, including the mistakes that shaped his process. The deal came to him through another advisor he trusts, and Tom explains why a trusted referral is where due diligence starts, not where it ends. You'll hear how he uses his network to find the right questions and red flags, what he asks investors from an operator's prior deals, and why he spends most of his time with the operator talking about their worst year instead of their projections.

Tom also takes you on the site visit, where his decision was already made and he went for the 10% no spreadsheet can show you: the integrity of the people, how they treat staff and investors, and what other investors saw in the deal. He shares why he brought his college-age son along, how to prepare your CPA for the K-1 you'll receive as a limited partner, and six questions to pressure test any new investment.

In Part 2, we turn the chair around and hear from an operator who fields investor questions for a living.

Educational only, not investment, tax, or financial advice.

Resources mentioned:

Perennial Pride: https://perennialpride.com/
Wealth Beyond the Numbers by Tom Suvansri: https://perennialpride.com/

Connect with Perennial Pride:
Website: https://perennialpride.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@perennialpride7448
Facebook and LinkedIn: search Perennial Pride
Email: info@perennialpride.com
Phone: (203) 918-6424

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Welcome and the question I get most: where should I invest?
00:01:00 - Why evaluating investments goes beyond the spreadsheet
00:02:30 - A trusted introduction: trust, but verify
00:03:00 - The 10% you can't get any other way
00:04:00 - How new investments land on your radar
00:05:45 - The mistake of letting a referral be the whole decision
00:07:00 - Using online research and AI as a starting point
00:09:00 - Asking people you trust what to watch for, not whether it's good
00:11:00 - Talking to advisors and prior investors who know the operator
00:12:30 - The questions to ask past investors
00:14:00 - Why track record only tells part of the story
00:15:00 - How operators behave when things go poorly
00:17:00 - Asking the operator about the bad years
00:19:00 - Visiting the property and meeting the team in person
00:22:00 - What a spreadsheet can't tell you about integrity
00:24:00 - Bringing my son along: passing on an investment lens
00:25:30 - What other investors taught me on the trip
00:28:00 - Bringing your CPA in before you invest: K-1s and tax planning
00:30:00 - Recap: the broader due diligence process
00:31:30 - Six questions to ask before any new investment
00:33:00 - Don't go this alone, and you're investing in people
00:34:30 - Coming up in Part 2 and closing thoughts

#realestatesyndication #duediligence #alternativeinvesting #wealthstrategy #PerennialPrideShow More

"I Want to Pay Less Taxes": Turning That One Statement Into a Full Wealth Plan

Every year around this time, Tom hears ...

Charitable Giving Strategies: DAFs and Charitable Trusts Explained

Most people want to give. What stops ...

Most people want to give. What stops them usually isn't generosity, it's not knowing where to start or what the tax side actually looks like. In this episode, Tom Suvansri ...walks through the charitable giving landscape from the simplest entry point to the most scrutinized.

He starts with donor-advised funds, where you can take the deduction now and decide on the causes later. He moves into charitable trusts, how a remainder trust can sell an appreciated asset without triggering the gain, pay you income while you're living, and leave the balance to charity, and how a lead trust reverses that order. He covers the acronyms, CRAT, CRUT, CLT, the ten percent rule of thumb, and why irrevocable means what it says.

He closes on leveraged giving, where a donated asset is appraised well above what it cost, why the IRS has tightened rules on things like conservation easements, and how to tell a legitimate structure from an inflated appraisal.

Educational only, not tax or financial advice.

Resources mentioned:

Perennial Pride:
https://perennialpride.com/

Wealth Beyond the Numbers by Tom Suvansri: https://perennialpride.com/books/

Connect with Perennial Pride:

Website: https://perennialpride.com
Email: info@perennialpride.com
Phone: (203) 918-6424

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Welcome and introducing today's topic, charitable giving
00:01:00 - Where people stumble: where to donate, how to do it, and the tax side of it
00:03:00 - The simplest starting point: donating cash to causes you care about
00:03:30 - What a donor-advised fund is and why people use one
00:06:30 - Why charitable trusts exist: income needs versus giving needs
00:08:52 - The charitable remainder trust: income now, charity later
00:10:52 - The charitable lead trust: charity first, beneficiaries later
00:13:24 - Leveraged giving: donating an appreciated asset above its cost
00:18:34 - Why the IRS tightened the rules on conservation easements
00:22:00 - The two things that matter most: your why and your team

#charitablegiving #WealthStrategy #TaxPlanning #EstatePlanning #PerennialPrideShow More

Cash Balance Plans: Beyond the 401(k) for Business Owners

If you're a business owner who's already ...

If you're a business owner who's already maxing out your 401(k), SEP, or IRA and still facing a growing tax bill, this episode is for you. Tom Suvansri breaks down ...cash balance plans and defined benefit plans, the modern version of the corporate pension, and how business owners can design, own, and control one for their own retirement planning.

Depending on your age and income, a properly designed cash balance plan could let you defer three, four, even five times what a SEP allows, each year. Tom covers how these plans work, why they aren't just for big corporations, what the real tradeoffs are, and why coordinating with your CPA, investment advisor, and attorney matters just as much as the plan itself.

This episode is also for high-income attorneys, physicians, and anyone building a side business who may not realize these strategies could apply to them too.

Topics covered: cash balance plans, defined benefit plans, proactive tax planning, retirement planning for business owners, coordinated wealth strategy, and building a Virtual Family Office around your financial life.

This is general education, not personalized financial advice. Every situation is unique, so use this as a starting point for questions to bring to your own advisory team.

Resources mentioned:

Perennial Pride:
https://perennialpride.com/
Wealth Beyond the Numbers by Tom Suvansri: https://perennialpride.com/books/

Connect with Perennial Pride:

Website: https://perennialpride.com
Email: info@perennialpride.com
Phone: (203) 918-6424

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Welcome and why retirement planning looks different for business owners
00:01:23 - Why most retirement advice is built for W2 workers, not owners
00:03:12 - When maxing out your 401(k), SEP, or IRA still isn't enough
00:04:14 - What cash balance and pension plans actually are
00:05:52 - How much more you can defer compared to a SEP
00:07:52 - Why a cash balance plan can't be built in isolation
00:09:52 - The myth that pension plans are only for big corporations
00:11:25 - Why your CPA, investment advisor, and attorney need to coordinate
00:14:47 - Why this also applies to attorneys, physicians, and side business owners
00:18:57 - Tom's invitation to explore further and reach out to the team

#CashBalancePlan #FinancialFreedom #WealthStrategy #BusinessOwners #PerennialPrideShow More

Trusts Aren't Just for the Rich: What Business Owners Get Wrong About Estate Planning

Trusts Aren't Just for the Rich: What ...

Trusts Aren't Just for the Rich: What Business Owners Get Wrong About Estate Planning | Perennial Pride Podcast.

Most successful people spend all their time thinking about what they're building ...and almost no time thinking about what happens to it after they're gone. In this episode, I break down one of the most misunderstood tools in wealth building: the trust.

I start by clearing up the biggest myth out there, that trusts are only for the ultra-wealthy. They're not. If you have a business, a home, a retirement account, or any assets you'd want handled a certain way if you weren't here to manage them, this episode is for you.

I walk through the basics of revocable versus irrevocable trusts, why so many estate plans quietly go stale as life gets more complicated, and why business owners in particular carry extra urgency around succession planning and buy-sell agreements.

I also get into a disconnect I see constantly: your estate attorney, your CPA, and your financial advisor working in silos instead of coordinating together. Using the analogy of building a home, I explain why you need someone architecting the whole blueprint, not just a collection of good advisors working independently.

If today's conversation surfaces a gap in your own estate plan, tax strategy, or investments, reach out to me at perennialpride.com.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction: What Happens to Your Wealth at the End
00:00:34 - Why Most People Never Plan for the End
00:02:10 - This Is Not Legal, Tax, or Financial Advice
00:04:00 - A Trust Is a Structure, Not Just a Legal Document
00:05:00 - Who Receives Your Assets, When, and How
00:06:00 - Planning Ahead vs. Leaving Your Family to Figure It Out
00:06:50 - Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trusts Explained
00:08:00 - Myth: Trusts Are Only for the Ultra-Wealthy
00:09:00 - Growing Into the Structure You Set Up Today
00:10:00 - Why Most Estate Plans Are Outdated
00:11:00 - The Medical School Example: Life Changes, Your Plan Doesn't
00:12:00 - Where Estate Planning and Tax Planning Disconnect
00:13:00 - Making Wealth Transfer Tax Efficient
00:14:00 - Why Your Advisors Are Working in Silos
00:15:00 - The Home-Building Analogy: You Need an Architect
00:16:00 - Why Business Owners Have More at Stake
00:17:00 - Succession Planning and Buy-Sell Agreements
00:18:00 - Two Questions to Ask Yourself Right Now
00:19:00 - How to Reach Tom and Closing Thoughts

Resources mentioned:

Perennial Pride:
https://perennialpride.com
Wealth Beyond the Numbers by Tom Suvansri: https://perennialpride.com/books/
Book a strategy conversation:
https://www.perennialpride.com/contact-us/

Connect with Tom:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@perennialpride7448
Facebook: Search Perennial Pride
LinkedIn: Search Tom Suvansri
Email: info@perennialpride.com
Phone: (203) 918-6424

The information and opinions expressed herein are obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, no representation is made as to, and no responsibility or liability is accepted for, the accuracy or completeness of the information. The information is provided as general information and is not intended to be specific financial guidance. Providing personal information may result in contact from an insurance agent.

#PerennialPride #EstatePlanning #Trusts #WealthStrategy #FinancialFreedom #BusinessOwners #TomSuvansri #LegacyPlanning #ProactiveFinancialPlanning #TakeControlShow More

Selling a Business? The Tax Moves That Decide What You Keep

Most business owners spend years ...

Most business owners spend years building their company and almost no time planning how they'll eventually leave it. In this episode, I break down why that gap is so expensive, ...and what to do about it.

I walk through three levers every business owner should understand well before they're ready to sell: timing, deal structure, and advanced tax strategy. You'll hear why roughly half of all business sales are forced rather than chosen, why sophisticated owners negotiate the structure of a deal and not just the price, and how tools like qualified small business stock and qualified opportunity zones can protect millions of dollars in gains if you start planning years in advance.

This isn't legal or financial advice. It's a framework to help you start the conversation with your own CPA, attorney, and advisor team, whether you're years from selling or closer than you think.

Resources from this episode:

Perennial Pride Podcast:
https://perennialpride.com
Wealth Beyond the Numbers by Tom Suvansri: https://perennialpride.com/books/

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction: Why Every Business Owner Needs an Exit Plan
00:02:10 - This Is Not Legal or Financial Advice
00:03:35 - Imagining Your Business 20 Years From Now
00:04:35 - Your Business Is Likely Your Biggest Asset
00:05:05 - Why Taxes Are the Biggest Cost of Selling
00:07:35 - Lever One: Timing Your Exit
00:08:05 - Factoring In Your Full Financial Picture
00:09:35 - Installment Sales: Spreading the Sale Over Time
00:11:05 - Why Half of Business Sales Are Forced
00:12:05 - The Cost of Selling While Exhausted
00:14:20 - Lever Two: Structuring the Deal
00:15:05 - Price Isn't the Only Thing That Matters
00:15:50 - Asset Sale vs. Equity Sale
00:16:35 - Using Earn-Outs to Structure a Sale
00:18:20 - Owner Financing and Installment Payments
00:20:35 - Lever Three: Advanced Tax Strategies
00:22:20 - Introducing Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS)
00:23:05 - QSBS Requirements: C Corps, Size Limits, and the 5-Year Rule
00:24:20 - Planning Five-Plus Years Ahead for QSBS
00:25:05 - Qualified Opportunity Zones Explained
00:26:05 - How Opportunity Zone Gains Can Become Tax-Free
00:30:20 - Building Your Advisor Team
00:31:20 - Why Estate Planning and Insurance Belong in the Conversation
00:32:05 - What Comes After the Sale: Designing Your Next Chapter
00:33:15 - Closing Thoughts

Connect:

Website: https://perennialpride.com
Email: info@perennialpride.com
Phone: (203) 918-6424
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@perennialpride7448
Facebook: Perennial Pride
LinkedIn: Perennial PrideShow More

The Tax Drag Nobody Talks About

Most people chase investment alpha, ...

Most people chase investment alpha, better returns, smarter allocations, the next great opportunity. Almost nobody chases tax alpha, and it might be the single biggest opportunity sitting in your financial ...life right now.

In this episode, Tom Suvansri breaks down tax drag: the quiet, ongoing cost of taxes that erodes your wealth every year without ever showing up as a line item you'd notice. It hides in your withholding. It hides inside your 401(k). And for most successful business owners and professionals, it's the biggest expense they've never actually measured.

Tom walks through a real example: a business owner earning $500,000 a year might pay over $100,000 in federal taxes with zero planning. Save just 15% of that bill through proactive tax planning, about $15,000 a year, and compound it at 7% for 30 years. That's over $1.4 million in additional wealth, built from money that was already yours.

You'll also learn why tax deferral through a 401(k) or IRA is only half the strategy, why most CPAs are built for compliance instead of proactive planning, and why mid-year, not December, is the smartest time to start building your own tax-efficient structure.

Timestamps

00:00:00 - Welcome to Perennial Pride
00:00:19 - Investment Alpha vs. Tax Alpha
00:01:19 - Taxes: Your Number One Expense
00:02:00 - The Invisible Tax Drag of Withholding
00:04:19 - Why Tax Deferral Isn't a Full Strategy
00:05:19 - In Partnership With the IRS
00:07:41 - The Math: $500K Income, $100K Tax Bill
00:08:19 - Saving 15% Compounds to $1.4 Million
00:11:00 - Your CPA's Rearview Mirror Problem
00:12:19 - The Tax Code Is an Incentive Structure
00:14:00 - Why Mid-Year Is the Best Time to Plan
00:16:00 - How to Get Started

Links

Learn more and connect with Tom's team:
https://perennialpride.com/

Get the book, Wealth Beyond the Numbers: https://perennialpride.com/books/

Subscribe on YouTube: @perennialpride7448

#TaxAlpha #TaxPlanning #WealthStrategy #FinancialFreedom #ProactiveTaxPlanning #InfiniteBanking #BusinessOwners #PerennialPrideShow More