How the rich avoid paying taxes...MY strategy Part 1 Ep 312

In this episode, the host, an ultra-wealthy individual, debunks common misconceptions about tax strategies used by the rich and shares insights on how they actually manage taxes. He emphasizes the importance of understanding tax implications based on residency, the benefits of compound interest, and the practice of holding assets long-term to allow for tax-free growth. He criticizes short-term thinking and advises against sacrificing personal freedom for financial gain, highlighting that after a certain wealth threshold, the quality of life improvements are marginal. The host also touches on the use of loans against assets as a tax-free funding strategy and concludes by reminding listeners that money can only solve financial problems, not those related to health and happiness.

• Ultra wealthy individuals think about taxes differently from the average person.
• The speaker aims to change the listener's perspective on tax strategies.
• Emphasis on understanding the mindset of the ultra wealthy rather than specific tax hacks.

"And so if I could change your perspective around it, you'll realize that most of the things that most people obsess about actually don't matter."

The quote highlights the speaker's intention to shift the listener's focus from common concerns to the broader perspective of the ultra wealthy on taxes.

• The speaker criticizes misinformation about tax strategies propagated by non-wealthy individuals on YouTube.
• The goal is to break beliefs around tax strategies and align with how the ultra wealthy approach them.

"I want to make this because, as somebody who is ultra wealthy, I look at a lot of the videos that I see that are propagating around YouTube from people who are not ultra wealthy describing ultra wealthy strategies despite not being so, and doing it based on what they believe they're doing rather than what people are actually doing."

This quote criticizes the spread of incorrect tax strategy information by those who are not ultra wealthy and emphasizes the speaker's firsthand knowledge.

• Where you live significantly impacts your tax strategy.
• For U.S. residents, state and federal tax rates vary and should be considered.
• Living in a state with no income tax is recommended for tax efficiency.

"So number one strategy right off the top is live in a tax efficient state."

The quote advises the listener to consider relocating to a state with favorable tax laws to reduce tax liability.

• Renouncing U.S. citizenship is a strategy to avoid taxes but comes with immediate tax consequences.
• Expatriation requires paying taxes on assets as if they were sold on the day of expatriation.
• This strategy may not be viable for those with significant net worth tied up in non-liquid assets.

"You actually have to pay taxes on everything you own at that point, as though you had sold all your belongings."

The quote explains the tax consequences of expatriation, which can be financially challenging for those with high net worth in non-liquid assets.

• Puerto Rico offers a 4% tax rate for residents who live there for six months or more and source services outside of Puerto Rico.
• The U.S. Virgin Islands also provide tax benefits but require fulfilling additional conditions.
• These strategies are legitimate ways to reduce federal tax liability.

"Puerto Rico has a 4% tax rate. You can, if you choose to live in Puerto Rico for six months or more of the year, and you source services outside of Puerto Rico, you can pay a 4% tax rate at a federal level."

The quote informs listeners about the tax benefits of residing in Puerto Rico, emphasizing the low tax rate and the conditions required to qualify for it.

• Geographic tax incentives are used to stimulate local economies.
• Puerto Rico offers tax benefits to attract wealthy individuals.
• Tax strategies may be beneficial early in a career but can be limiting later on.
• The value of money is in the freedom it provides, not in the money itself.
• Relocating for tax benefits can paradoxically reduce personal freedom.
• The decision to move for tax reasons depends on one's wealth level and personal values.

"They want to make attractive for people who have money to go there."

This quote explains that places like Puerto Rico create tax incentives to attract wealthy individuals to boost their economies.

"Decreasing your tax liability makes sense a little bit in the beginning of your career, but it quickly stops making sense..."

The speaker, Alex, points out that while minimizing taxes can be initially advantageous, it becomes less appealing as one's career progresses and other values take precedence.

"Money only has value in that we exchange it for other things."

Alex emphasizes that money's worth is derived from what it can be exchanged for, particularly the freedom it can provide.

"I don't think I am unless I'll make a video. If I do and I change my mind, I'll tell you why."

The speaker leaves open the possibility of changing their stance on moving for tax reasons, indicating flexibility in their decision-making process.

• Long-term wealth growth is primarily attributed to compound interest rather than continuous contributions.
• Wealthy individuals understand that their net worth will increase more from asset growth than from active income.
• Tax-free growth on investments is a significant source of wealth accumulation.
• Wealthy people plan their finances with a long-term perspective, often spanning multiple decades.

"The vast majority of the growth still comes from compound interest."

Alex explains that despite having substantial wealth and making large contributions, the primary source of growth is compound interest, which accumulates over time.

"All of their net worth is going to come from this, not from this."

This quote clarifies that the bulk of wealth for affluent individuals will come from the growth of their assets, not from their active income contributions.

"That tripling of my money I don't pay taxes on."

Alex points out a critical aspect of wealth growth: the increase in value of an investment is not taxed, which is a key factor in how the wealthy accumulate their net worth.

"The wealthiest people in the world think on multiple decades horizons..."

The speaker notes that the most successful financial strategies involve long-term thinking, contrasting with short-term, transactional approaches.

• Wealthy individuals typically have long-term investment horizons, often beyond five years.
• They focus on holding investments for extended periods, sometimes until death, to avoid tax implications.

"ns, even five year horizons are short for the vast majority of very wealthy people that I know." This quote emphasizes that for the wealthy, a five-year investment period is considered a short-term strategy.

• The podcast grows through word of mouth, without the use of ads or sponsorships.
• The hosts encourage listeners to share the podcast in the same way they discovered it, to help other entrepreneurs.

"The only way this grows is through word of mouth. And so I don't run ads, I don't do sponsorships. I don't sell anything." This quote explains the organic growth strategy of the podcast, relying on listeners to spread the word.

• Selling assets triggers capital gains and other tax consequences.
• By holding assets for the long term, investors can benefit from compound interest and avoid taxes.

"But if you buy with the intention of holding for a very long period of time or holding until you die, then you aren't affected by any of these tax things." This quote highlights the tax benefits of long-term investment holding, where selling is not the primary strategy.

• Wealthy individuals use various strategies and loopholes to minimize taxes.
• 1031 exchanges in real estate allow deferring taxes when profits are reinvested in similar properties.
• The speaker criticizes the 1031 exchange as a loophole likely created by lobbyists.

"There's 1031 exchanges. Who knows how long that's going to be around? Which is basically, you can buy a piece of real estate and then sell it and then take the gains from that and put it to another piece of real estate that's the same without paying taxes." This quote describes the 1031 exchange as a tax-deferring strategy for real estate investments.

• Ultra-wealthy individuals often take out loans against their assets rather than selling them.
• These loans are typically secured and have very low interest rates, effectively serving as "free money."
• The strategy allows the wealthy to live off the loans while their assets continue to grow tax-free.

"And then you can take loans against the assets, and loans are tax free. And loans that you get against assets are secured loans, they are not unsecured loans." This quote explains how the wealthy use secured loans against their assets to generate cash flow without incurring taxes.

• The real strategy of the ultra-wealthy is to buy undervalued assets and never sell them, allowing for tax-free growth.
• The focus is not on short-term "hacks," but on a deep understanding of asset growth and tax avoidance.

"The game is understanding that you're going to buy things below what they're worth and then you're not going to sell them because they're going to grow tax free as long as you don't sell them." This quote outlines the core investment philosophy of the ultra-wealthy, focusing on long-term growth and tax-efficient strategies.

• Real estate can be a powerful tool for wealth accumulation.
• Refinancing properties allows for reinvestment without tax penalties.
• Utilizing 1031 exchanges can defer capital gains taxes when swapping investment properties.

"But you can also buy something, hold it, and then you can refinance it and suck the money back out and buy something else again, tax free."

This quote explains a common real estate investment strategy where an investor refinances a property to extract equity and reinvest it in another property without incurring taxes.

• The ultra-wealthy are perceived to be using complex tax hacks, but this is a misconception.
• Wealthy individuals often employ simpler, larger-scale strategies.
• Risky tax strategies can lead to issues with the IRS.

"Everyone's thinking that they're playing putt putt with these six inch things and doing all these little hacks of captive insurance and easements and things like that."

The speaker is addressing the misconception that wealthy individuals primarily use small, complex tax strategies, when in fact they often engage in larger, more straightforward financial practices.

• Some tax strategies, like captive insurance, can seem appealing but carry risks.
• Aggressive tax strategies can result in IRS audits and are not always worth the potential savings.

"A good friend of mine was like, hey, you should do this captive thing with me. I looked at it and I was like, I don't know. It smelled fishy. And guess what? The IRS audited everyone who worked with that company."

This quote shares a personal anecdote to illustrate the risks associated with certain aggressive tax strategies, emphasizing the importance of caution and due diligence.

• Tax savings can contribute to net worth, but they are not the only factor.
• The speaker suggests that focusing solely on tax savings, such as moving to Puerto Rico for tax benefits, may not be worth the lifestyle sacrifices.
• Wealth increases proportionally to the taxes saved, not exponentially.

"You will increase your net worth by the proportion that the tax saved you, which is 40%."

The quote explains that tax savings directly correlate to the percentage saved, highlighting that taxes are just one of many factors affecting net worth growth.

• Significant wealth beyond a certain point may not drastically change one's lifestyle or happiness.
• The speaker values personal freedom and quality of life over maximizing wealth.
• Money solves financial issues but doesn't address all of life's problems.

"The difference between having $30 million and $60 million, or difference between 100 and $200 million, basically makes no difference."

This quote emphasizes that beyond a certain level of wealth, the marginal utility of additional wealth decreases significantly in terms of lifestyle impact.

• Money is limited to solving financial problems.
• Many of life's challenges, such as health and happiness, are not resolved by money.
• The speaker encourages a focus on solving non-financial problems for a fulfilling life.

"Money can only solve money problems. And most of the problems that we suffer as humans are not money problems."

The speaker is conveying the idea that while money is important, it is not a panacea for all of life's challenges, and other aspects of well-being should not be neglected.

• The speaker hints at sharing their personal wealth strategy in future content.
• Mentioned strategies include utilizing whole life insurance for guaranteed income and loan opportunities.

"Maybe I'll do a breakdown of kind of our wealth strategy and the stuff that we do. There's some cool whole life things that you can put in here where you can contribute money into something that has guaranteed income, that you can take loans against, kind of that fancy stuff."

This quote teases potential future content where the speaker may elaborate on sophisticated financial strategies involving whole life insurance products.