With any tax debt comes an awkward and unwelcome house guest: A federal tax lien.This tax lien exists as a matter of federal law, even if you only owe the IRS one dollar. For many people, it has no impact at all on their lives. But for a small percentage of Southern...

It's understandable if things might feel a little bit ... shaky right now for you. If you pay attention to the media, you are seeing trade wars with China, uncertain stock markets, apocalyptic elections rumbling in the future, even the Apple juggernaut is seeing its...

With the passing of Justice Ginsburg 45 days before the election, we have officially entered the political crazy season.This -- on top of so much conflict surrounding public health measures. It is also in addition to all of the conversation around racial pain, the...

Four Keys to Achieving Financial Freedom by David Barnes "You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor." -James Allen Often, as we strive to keep our heads above water in these culturally crazy times,...

Maybe it's true that having $1m+ these days isn't as impressive as it used to be. But it's still a measure that we continue to use as a marker of financial "arriving".What's further interesting is that even in the midst of ongoing economic gyrations, the numbers of...

These weeks are disjointed, these holiday weeks. As of this writing, there are only three days left in 2020, and this week contains New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.So if you want to make ANY 2020 moves (outside of IRA things, which can be retroactively applied after...

Before I get to your tax dollars, and where they went, I have a couple thoughts for you.We're still settling down from the flurry of last week and the passing of the April 15th deadline. There were MANY more procrastinators this year than in years past, in my opinion...

When it comes to your money, you're either spending, saving, giving or investing. I know that many of my Southern California clients are doing all four, which is always wonderful to see.The last one, investing, is the one I want to focus on today. I talk a great deal...

It’s easy for Southern California taxpayers to fall on the wrong side of tax debt when things are tough economically. But what about consistent negligence even when you have the money? Well, that’s another case altogether. And the IRS isn’t prone to playing nice or...

We hear from clients, Southern California business owners and families all the time who are facing a MOUNTAIN of stress over their finances.Because the fact of the matter is that when you are facing IRS debt, you're likely also facing many other kinds of debt.But the...