iPlan

10/10/2026

A slower revenue year doesn’t always mean something went wrong. Sometimes it creates an opportunity.
The question isn’t simply, “Should I convert to Roth?” It’s whether today’s lower income creates a tax window that may not be available once business revenue rebounds.
Good planning isn’t about maximizing a strategy. It’s about recognizing when the timing makes the strategy valuable.

10/10/2026

10/08/2026

A loss doesn’t always have to be a loss. 📉💼

When business or investment assets decline in value, strategic tax-loss harvesting may allow you to turn those losses into tax assets that offset capital gains elsewhere.

The key isn’t simply selling what’s down. It’s understanding how the loss fits into the bigger corporate tax picture.

By executing a structured sale on down-trending corporate investments before December 31, you directly lower your net taxable profit. This preserves your business's operating capital and keeps more cash on your balance sheet to fuel future growth.

Just watch the 30-day Wash-Sale Rule closely. You cannot buy a substantially identical asset too quickly, or the tax asset disappears.

Plan the loss. Don’t just take it.
I Plan. Do You?

10/03/2026

Making money is one thing. Deciding what happens to it is another.

As a business owner, every dollar has competing demands: taxes, employees, growth, your family, and eventually, your own financial independence.

That’s why a retirement plan can be much more than a retirement plan.

Structured thoughtfully, it can help you reduce taxable income, build wealth, reward the people helping you grow, and make your business more attractive to the people you want working beside you.

That’s what strategy should do: solve more than one problem with the same dollar.

Business owners, which matters most to you right now: lowering taxes, building your own wealth, or attracting and keeping good people? Let me know in the comments.

10/01/2026

Upcoming Webinar: African American Estate Planning: Building Legacy, Wealth, and Opportunity Across Generations

Technical expertise alone isn't enough to build a meaningful legacy. True advanced planning requires combining sophisticated financial strategies with client values, trust-building, and intergenerational wealth transfer.

Join speakers LaTanya Greer, Bryan Beamer, Earl Johnson, and Martin M. Shenkman as they reveal practical methods for designing impactful, client-centered plans.
Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST
The link to register for the webinar is in the first comment below!

09/26/2026

I was honored to sit down with Financial Planning to discuss a critical shift in how we approach advanced estate planning.

Far too often, professionals jump straight into technical tools like trust vehicles, tax brackets, and legal structures. But the most impactful plans don't start with documents. They start with deep, intentional conversations about a family's relationship with money, their lived experiences, and their real human goals.

The piece highlights our recent collaborative webinar series on African American Estate Planning. We dove into why professionals must ask deeper questions to understand a family's unique perspective, especially when navigating historical trust gaps in financial systems. While these insights are vital for addressing the experiences of Black families, they are lessons that apply to families of every racial background and income level.

Thank you to Tobias Salinger for highlighting this conversation, and to my fellow panelists Jermal Seward and Martin Shenkman for a fantastic session.

I've dropped the link to the full article, "Deep talks first, trust vehicles later: 5 questions that reveal client goals," in the comments below.

09/24/2026

Most people don't start a business because they love payroll, bookkeeping, compliance, or long hours.
They start a business because they want more control over their future. More freedom. More flexibility. More opportunity for their family.

But somewhere along the way, many entrepreneurs wake up and realize they didn't build freedom. They built a job they can't leave.

If you want to build an asset that gives you control over your time and supports your life, look at how you are managing these five core areas:

#𝟭 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝘁: Every business experiences slow months and unexpected setbacks. Cash buys time, and time creates options. A clear financial runway gives you the breathing room to make strategic choices instead of desperate ones.

#𝟮 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: The fastest way to lose control of a business is to never know where the money went. Treat your business like a real business from day one with organized records and clean financial dashboards.

#𝟯 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲: If your revenue doubles but every single decision still depends entirely on you, you have only increased your stress, not your business's value. Build processes early so the asset operates smoothly through delegation.

#𝟰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗻: Your business likely depends on you more than you realize. Lean on structures like disability insurance, emergency cash, and key person protection. Protecting your ongoing income stream is just as critical as protecting your existing assets.

#𝟱 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗻𝗲: You will eventually leave your business one day. The only question is whether it happens entirely on your terms or someone else's. Advanced planning ensures a clean, intentional legacy when you pass the torch to a partner, buyer, or family member.

A business can be one of the greatest wealth-building tools available. But only if it's designed to support your life, not consume it. Because the goal isn't just to own a business. The goal is to build a business that creates opportunities without consuming the exact life you were trying to improve.

I Plan. Do You?

09/18/2026

Why do so many financial planning checklists fail successful families?

Because life doesn't happen in categories.

Most planning systems are built around forms, checkboxes, and annual reviews. They can tell you what documents you should have or what box to check next. What they can't do is recognize the moments that actually shape the future of a family.

The sale of a business.
A sudden health event.
A child who needs help.
An aging parent.
A second marriage.
A charitable vision.
A once-in-a-generation opportunity.

These aren't categories. They're moments. And moments are where the biggest financial, tax, legal, and family decisions get made.

That's why we don't build plans around templates.

At iPlan, we build planning systems around how people actually live. We help families, executives, business owners, and nonprofit leaders connect their investments, taxes, estate plans, insurance, business interests, and legacy goals into one coordinated strategy.
Because a financial plan shouldn't just help you accumulate wealth.
It should help you navigate the moments that put that wealth, and everything it represents, at risk.
If you've outgrown generic advice and check-the-box planning, it may be time for a strategy designed around your life, not a template.

🔗 Click the link in our bio to schedule a Strategic Alignment Call.

Let's make sure your next important moment doesn't catch your plan by surprise.

09/16/2026

The new iPhone lineup just dropped, and thousands immediately hit pre-order. Within minutes of check out, almost every single buyer will do the exact same thing. They will purchase a heavy-duty protective case and an insurance plan to shield that device from an accidental drop.

But let me ask you this: why do we instinctively shield a minor device but delay securing a multi-million-dollar estate?

We don't question protecting a temporary piece of technology. Yet, when it comes to a lifetime of accumulated wealth, a thriving business entity, or a massive real estate portfolio, many people leave those exact assets entirely exposed.

Asset protection is one of those topics that sounds boring until you need it. But when you have it, it can create legal and financial barriers between what you own and the things that could take it away.

The goal isn't simply to protect assets. It's to protect the life those assets support: your family, your business, your retirement, and the opportunities you've spent years creating. A single lawsuit, creditor claim, or poorly coordinated plan may not erase a lifetime of work, but it can create consequences that could have been minimized with proper planning.

At our firm, we believe wealth isn't measured solely by what you accumulate. It's measured by what you're able to keep, enjoy, and ultimately pass on. That's why we help clients look beyond investments and address the structures, strategies, and planning decisions that help protect a way of life. Because building wealth is important, but protecting what you've built may be just as important as building it in the first place.

I Plan. Do You?

Click the 🔗 in our bio to book a strategic alignment call with iPlan.

09/07/2026

The Cost of Waiting: Why Business Owners Cannot Afford to Ignore Tax Planning.

Many small business owners maintain an entirely reactive relationship with their taxes. Running a business all year and handing a stack of receipts to a CPA in March is not tax planning. That is tax compliance.

Compliance looks backward to record history, whereas proactive planning shapes financial outcomes before the year ends. Waiting past December 31 locks in missed opportunities for restructuring income or maximizing deductions. Proactive strategies help preserve cash flow for growth.

The link to the full article is available in the first comment below.

I Plan. Do You?