“With the right strategy, you can take your tax rate down to zero and achieve your goals – be it lifestyle or financial – all while staying legal and above board.” – Shauna Wekherlien
Paul speaks with Shauna Wekherlien is a CPA and Certified Tax Strategist who has been in the business of helping entrepreneurs and business owners reduce their taxes for over 18 years. She is the founder of Tax Goddess, a tax strategy firm that specializes in finding the most effective legal tax strategies for her clients.
Shauna Wekherlien initially studied astrophysics before finding her love in a tax class. She coined the term “Tax Goddess” and created the aggression scale which explains the level of risk one is willing to take with their taxes. She stresses the importance of having a team of advisors to help you make the best decisions for your individual situation; there’s no one-size-fits-all magic bullet for everyone. Finally, the reward for her clients is not just financial but emotional – one client even broke out in tears after learning how much money she was able to save.
In this episode, you will learn the following:
- Discovering the difference between CPAs and Tax Strategists
- Exploring the Aggression Scale for Tax Strategies
- Learning the Impact of Tax Strategies on Business Owners
About Shauna Wekherlien:
Shauna Wekherlien, CPA, MTax, CTC, CTS is the owner of Tax Goddess Business Services, PC. She is a Certified Public Accountant (AZ), has her Master’s Degree in Taxation from Arizona State University, and is one of the elite Certified Tax Coaches in the USA (1 of just 5 in Arizona). As a Certified Tax Coach, Shauna is trained to lower your taxes to the bare legal minimum and is in the top 1% of Tax Strategists in the country. Shauna is an author, speaker, investor, and a highly sought-after tax strategist whose reputation has been built on 16+ years of experience and implementing innovative tax solutions for individuals and businesses. Shauna has been featured on many news and radio stations (CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, Sonoran Living, The List, KFNX, KFYI, etc) as well as in many written publications (CNNMoney, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix Women, AZBiz, etc). She has won multiple awards for her ingenuity, leadership, and strength as a female leader in Arizona. Active in the Scottsdale community, Shauna sits on Boards for professional organizations, as well as donates time and resources to the local Arizona animal shelters and societies. She is an educational Tax Professional who loves to see the light bulb turn on for those she teaches, mentors, and guides. She truly is a “Tax Goddess.”
Connect with Shauna here:
Website: https://taxgoddess.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taxgoddess/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TaxGoddess
Connect with Paul
Website: https://innovativewealth.com/
Insatrgam: https://businesslegacypodcast.com/
Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legacy/id1575634019
Thank you for listening and hope you enjoyed this episode.
It would be so wonderful if you could take the time to rate and review our show. Great reviews help us to reach a wider audience and inspire us here at Innovative Financial media to keep it up.
Other episodes you’ll enjoy:
How does truth in tough times build character and a legacy?
How do you keep your family business legacy alive?
Understanding the Five Stages of Grief when Selling a Business
Chapter Summary below
Chapter Summaries:
[00:00:03]
Paul Dio welcomes Shauna the Tax Goddess to the Business Legacy Podcast. Shauna started her business 18 years ago, Shauna Wekherlien Consulting. The name “Tax Goddess” just rolled off her tongue.
[00:02:23]
Roland Martin: I’ve coined something called the aggression scale. It’s the very first question that we ever ask anyone that we work with. The next question we ask is, what are your goals? What do you want? Martin: At what point does it become more about saving taxes than enjoying your life?
[00:05:47]
There is no magic bullet, period. If there was a magic bullet to get you to 0%, the IRS would close it. As a tax strategist, we’re looking at a much bigger, more holistic picture. We have to work with your financial planner and your insurance planner. Every strategy has pros and cons.
[00:08:58]
Why do you think most CPAs don’t have the time or wherewithal to do research around advanced tax strategies? There’s a huge difference between a CPA and a tax strategist. Most CPAs want to help their clients. It’s not their specialty.
[00:11:35]
How do you determine whether or not you need a tax strategist? Is it size? What is it? I’m going to come at it from two angles. Size and drive are the two pieces.
[00:14:44]
My favorite part of what we do is the actual delivery. When I first started, tax strategy was this big thing, and it was new. Some of the very first cases that I was ever able to do, there was one in particular that I will never forget.
[00:18:44]
When I think about legacy, what would I like to leave? The first one is for my team. I would like tax status to actually continue. Whatever’s left might sound so silly to some people, but I left $100,000 in my will to whoever takes care of my four dogs.
[00:21:26]
Just search Tax Goddess, YouTube and Facebook, and the website is probably the easiest www.taxgoddess.com. You can find we’ve got tons of free education. I’m huge on making people educated.
