Derrel Allen and Kris O’Connor welcome back Jeff Goold, Enrolled Agent and founder of Element Ledger. With tax season on the horizon, Jeff makes the case that tax planning shouldn’t be a fourth quarter panic. It should be a 12 month conversation, and it starts with books that are actually clean. He breaks down what that means, clears up the most common 1099 myths, and gives small business owners a practical way to keep more of what they earn and stay audit ready.

Jeff also takes on the growing habit of handing tax prep and bookkeeping to AI. He explains the difference between a software algorithm and accredited professional judgment, and why it matters who is sitting across the table from you in an IRS audit.

Topics covered:

The 12 month tax strategy: why waiting until Q4 or year end leaves money on the table, and how ongoing bookkeeping keeps your tax savings in play all year.

What “clean books” really means: proper transaction categorization, monthly bank reconciliations, and how misclassifying expenses in depreciation or equity accounts wrecks your balance sheet.

Receipts at the moment of purchase: how capturing documentation with cloud apps like QuickBooks Online or Xero meets IRS requirements and ends shoebox season for good.

W-9 and 1099 demystified: the year end rules for independent contractors, plus the dangerous myth that income under $600, or income without a 1099, doesn’t need to be reported.

The risks of AI tax prep: why AI tools lack contextual judgment, get tax law nuances wrong, put sensitive financial data at risk, and can’t represent you in front of an IRS auditor.

Sales tax misconceptions: why sales tax collected from customers is a liability on your books, not revenue or an expense, and how getting that wrong skews your financial picture.

Fractional CFO services: how Element Ledger works with businesses under $2M in revenue, with monthly financial dashboards, KPI tracking, and peace of mind.

Bonus fact: why Dallas Cowboys season tickets are no longer a business write off under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Connect with Jeff Goold: element-ledger.com, or info@element-ledger.com.

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC. This episode is general information, not tax advice for your specific situation.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing
www.totalmagic.com

Kris O’Connor -- Kris O’Connor Marketing Gems
bttom.com/url/kris

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O’Connor catch up with Jeromie Ryan of Specialize Plumbing, a regular networking partner and the plumber who recently replaced Derrel’s water heater. Jeromie’s path to the trade ran through the military, SMU, and a two week stint working for a Washington politician before he realized a cubicle wasn’t for him. Thirteen years ago he left another plumbing company with zero clients and built Specialize Plumbing word of mouth from there, with a side hobby of flying his own plane between job sites across North Texas.

Topics covered:

Why the trades are wide open right now: the average age of a master plumber has climbed from the mid-40s to around 65, and Jeromie makes the case for checking out a trade before writing it off, including his take on why AI won’t be replacing the person holding the wrench anytime soon.

Grassroots over big ad spend: Jeromie’s marketing has always leaned on networking, symbiotic relationships with general contractors, and word of mouth rather than throwing money at ads, though he’s eyeing Google Ads as the business scales.

The responsible master plumber distinction: what separates a master plumber from a responsible master plumber, why that license number is legally required on every truck, invoice, and website, and why checking a plumber’s license with the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners matters before hiring anyone.

Reaching a younger demographic: Derrel and Kris quiz Jeromie on why his next generation of customers is finding plumbers on TikTok, and make the case for short EIEIO-style videos (educate, inspire, entertain, inform, offer) as the way to meet that shift without needing to be a full time content creator.

Specialists, not generalists: how Jeromie built his team around specialists, a dedicated camera guy, a dedicated leak detection guy, rather than trying to do everything in house, and why he believes everybody doing what they do best makes everybody more money.

Educate, don’t decide for the customer: Jeromie’s approach to giving customers the full picture on a repair versus replace decision and letting them choose, rather than pushing one option.

Connect with Jeromie Ryan: specializeplumbing.com, or office@specializeplumbing.com.

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing
www.totalmagic.com

Kris O’Connor -- Kris O’Connor Marketing Gems
bttom.com/url/kris

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor welcome Grayson Rogers, a financial advisor with Raymond James, a guest they met through Lone Star Business Builders and someone Derrel trusted enough to become his own client. Grayson's path into the industry started with watching his grandparents lose a secure retirement to a handful of preventable mistakes, a dot-com bust, a pension issue, and the 2008 financial crisis hitting in close succession, and that experience shapes how he works with clients today.

Customized planning, not cookie cutter advice: Grayson walks through how two very different clients, one managing a Parkinson's diagnosis, one in his thirties making $700K a year, need completely different strategies, and why generic investment advice misses what actually matters.

What a fiduciary actually means: a clear breakdown of why this standard matters, acting in a client's best interest even when it costs the advisor money, and why that's rarer in the financial industry than people assume.

Planning for a longer life than you expect: why Grayson defaults to projecting a long retirement window instead of a short one, and how that single assumption changes whether a plan actually holds up.

The onboarding process: how Grayson builds trust before ever talking numbers, starting with getting to know a client as a person, then gathering the full financial picture, then building a plan together before anyone commits.

Why relationship beats pitch: Derrel and Kris talk about how rare it is to find a financial advisor who doesn't feel salesy, and why Grayson's approach, no quotas, no product pushing, is exactly what builds the kind of trust that earns referrals.

Connect with Grayson Rogers: search "Grayson Rogers Raymond James" (a popular musician shares his name, so include "financial advisor" or "Raymond James" in your search).

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC. Nothing in this episode should be taken as personalized financial or investment advice.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing
www.totalmagic.com

Kris O'Connor -- Kris O'Connor Marketing Gems
bttom.com/url/kris

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod