All
successful RE investors understand that you make money by buying
properties for less than they are worth. The decision to buy
is properly based on well-honed analysis and reliable
numbers. Buying or selling based on emotion is the fast-track
to losing money. Most investors seem to understand these
rather elementary points. As such, it amazes me how many
would-be investors purchase overpriced advice and overpriced course
material based on emotions. When it comes to selling asset
protection material, the carnie-type speakers tend to market based on
greed and fear. Based on what I’ve seen, lots of
REIA members flock to the back of the room with little thought and buy
greed and fear when they think they are buying asset protection.
Here’s what
& how most asset protection gurus sell:
First they scare you
with the “Evil Lawyers Refrain” (Play Phantom of
the Opera or The Empire Strikes Back Darth Vader theme for audio
effect). They talk about how idiot plaintiffs make $2 million
dollars off of idiot juries after spilling boiling coffee on
themselves. They get you worked up and afraid.
Before the pitch is over, you’ll be looking under the bed for
evil lawyers every night. Like government, the asset
protection speaker creates a problem to solve and markets that problem
through fear…..and then offers a convenient
“solution”, in exchange for some serious dollars
(or freedoms, in the case of government).
They then talk about
how expensive it is to hire attorneys of your own. Hundreds
of dollars per hour, hundreds of hours needed. Even when you
“win”, you really lose because of the
cost. Jacking up the cost of solutions makes their product
more “valuable”, what a shock! Reminds
you of the phony appraisals some people use to sell over-priced
houses. You CAN save money on legal & accounting fees
with good course material – but to suggest that you can
eliminate such fees (as many authors do) is dangerous nonsense
– there ARE certain things that no course can teach and
professional help is a MUST. Often, doing it yourself is
penny-wise, pound foolish.
Then they offer a
comprehensive “solution”, in the form of an
overpriced course. The hallmarks of the typical asset
protection course:
Often written by
a non-attorney, non-accountant. Would you let a car mechanic
operate on you or let a surgeon fix your car?
Absurd! Even many of the speakers with credentials (JD, CPA,
etc.) haven’t practiced in years, if ever.
Suggests that
asset protection consists of using entities. That’s
partially correct, but quite incomplete and therefore
misleading. There is far more to it than that.
It’s like suggesting that investing consists of writing
checks at closing. That’s part of the process, but
quite a lot has to be done to get there first! The
danger: Investors with entities feel
“protected” by their entities and therefore neglect
certain fundamental asset-protection issues (e.g. - HOW you do
business), which in turn creates needless vulnerability down the road.
Suggests that
entities are necessary for huge tax savings. While certain
entity types can offer tax savings, most tax breaks are independent of
existence or type of entity. Also, many of the “tax
benefits” touted by slick-sales types are illusory.
For example, you’ll invariably hear that C-Corporations can
deduct $50,000 in term life insurance. True – so
what? $50,000 of term life runs $120/year in premiums at
most. So if you are in a 30% tax bracket, a $120 deduction
saves $36 in taxes. Who cares? That sort of
“savings” isn’t going to enter into my
decision to form or not form a C-Corporation. But if you
didn’t know that, the number that would stick in your mind is
the $50,000 figure. Great sales technique, poor tax
planning. These sorts of illusory benefits abound on the
speaking circuit. Entities CAN save you taxes – in
certain situations for a certain price. The trick is to weigh
the true benefits against the true costs.
Suggests that you
can set up your own trusts without an attorney. Setting up
entities (e.g. – LLC’s, corporations, etc.) is fun
and easy. With a few exceptions (e.g. –land
trusts), non-attorneys should NOT dabble in trusts. Even most
lawyers are not competent where trusts are concerned.
Specialists are required. For example, setting up your own
living trust (for estate planning purposes) is generally a massive
mistake. People who sell do it yourself kits for trusts
(excepting simple land trusts) are doing you a major
disservice. A few template documents and explanatory tapes
will NOT qualify you to set up a trust!
Suggests that you
need Nevada or other foreign entities. For most RE investors,
such entities provide NO or INFINTESSIMAL additional protection but DO
involve plenty of extra cost.
Suggests the use
of complex, multi-tiered entity structures. Such structures
are generally not appropriate for small to medium-sized RE
investors. They add little in the way of true protection, but
DO add plenty of additional cost in terms of time and money.
Is quite
expensive. You should not be paying thousands of dollars for
a course based on the “tens of thousands” in lawyer
fees it will “save” you. There are plenty
of reasonably-priced products out there that provide quality
information. I think that particular advice applies to RE
courses across the board. A few hundred bucks for
high-quality material can be reasonable, if the material is
good. Paying thousands is a bad joke.
As you can tell,
I’m not a big fan of most “asset
protection” speakers.
Allow me to (immodestly!) offer one alternative. My entities
material is:
Based
on current experience: I am a practicing
attorney and accountant
and real
estate investor. All of my clients are real
estate investors. I get lots of information from
books. Unlike many would-be “gurus”, I
also learn from dealing with real estate, RE investors and the legal
system day-in and day-out.
Reasonably
priced: What you get for $299 will
more than suffice to meet the entity needs of a small to medium sized
RE investor. Spending more than that makes little sense.
Focused
on cost-benefit: Every business cost
has to pay its own freight. My material focuses on balancing
the cost of entities versus their benefits. Unlike many
authors, I do not focus on benefits to paint a rosy picture and pump
sales. Instead, I look at the benefits in light of their
costs – and costs arise in many ways (e.g. – your
time). I look at the benefits in terms of their true impact
(Remember the $50,000 in deductible life insurance). The
costs of entities can also be indirect (e.g. – needing a
licensed attorney to evict once a property is no longer in your
personal name). A high cost and lack of real benefit is why I
do not care for Nevada entities in RE, for example.
Cost-benefit, cost benefit, always cost-benefit.
Explanations:
I have heard countless investors lament that “I get different
advice from different gurus….who do I listen
to?” I do not just tell you what to do (or not to
do!) – I also explain WHY you should or should not do
something. That way, you can use your own judgment in making
important decisions. You can compare my
“why’s” to others’ reasons for
doing things (assuming that they provide any reasons at all).
A
state-by-state approach: The first
two-thirds of the course focus on universal principles, applicable
across the nation. The last third provides the documents
needed to set up and run an entity in your specific state.
One size does NOT fit all.
A
KISS approach to setting up entities:
Setting up an entity is quite easy – any literate adult can
do it. We walk you through the process, step by easy
step. Most attorneys charge at least $500 to do this (I
do). Setting up ONE entity pays for the
course!
The
documents needed to run the entity:
Meeting minutes, corporate resolutions, bylaws, they are all there.
Clear
Choice of Entity Rules: Knowing
which entity to use is of key importance, especially where taxes are
concerned. We provide an analysis of entity types and the
reasons to use (or not use) each one. Which entity for
flips? For rentals? For Sub2’s &
Lease-Options? We answer those questions!
Non-Entity
Asset Protection: Entities are just
ONE step for proper asset protection. We cover a number of
other KEY issues, such as how to run your business and tips on drafting
enforceable contracts.
Cover
the TRUE Nature of the “Lawyer Problem”:
This country does have a lawyer problem – but it is probably
not what you think or what the gurus tout. To effectively
defend yourself, you must know the true nature of the enemy.
Available
for the Following States: AL, AZ,
CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NV, OH, OK,TN, TX, VA,
WA
My course,
The Real Estate Investor’s KISS Guide to
Entities, will teach you to select, set up and maintain the
correct entity for your RE business. You can pay $299 now, or
you can pay MUCH more later when:
1) You pay
someone to set up an entity that you could have done yourself; 2) You set
something up yourself that you should have paid a professional to so
(we help distinguish between #1 & #2); 3) You pick
the wrong entity for your business and pay extra taxes as a result; 4) You
overcomplicate the business, adding expenses but little real
protection; 5) You
focus on entities to the exclusion of other important asset protection
issues.
The Real Estate Investor's KISS Guide
to Bookkeeping
Save
THOUSANDS of Dollars EVERY Year!
Good bookkeeping is the most underrated way to hammer the IRS and save
thousands on your tax bill.
In The Real Estate Investor's KISS Guide to Bookkeeping,
tax attorney, accountant and real estate investor, John Hyre, shows you
exactly how to do it, year after year, EVERY year, including:
How to keep your
books and stop overpaying your tax preparer
How to save thousands
of dollars on professional fees
How to do the books
right and get the deductions you deserve
How to break out
certain assets and increase depreciation deductions
How to get tax
savings of up to $2,000 to $6,000 per year
How to take the
deductions and avoid IRS penalties
How to keep your
books so you can survive an IRS audit
How to train your
accountant (if you use one) to do it RIGHT
And much, MUCH more
This course is written
in plain English for the lay person, and it's very easy to understand,
even for those of us who shy away from "numbers."
Here's
what other real estate investors are saying about this program:
“I have been a real estate investor for over 15
years….The Real Estate Investor's Guide To
Bookkeeping covers it all….Every page contains
needed information; there is no filler or repetition. Examples are easy
to follow and will allow anyone to use Quick Books in keeping track of
their RE business. I give it four stars and two thumbs up!”
--Robert L McNeely
Full-Time Investor, Urbana, OH
“Having
a detailed road map from start to finish covering the complexities of
the QuickBooks program, dovetailed to my Real Estate investment
business, is exactly what was missing. I will spend no more time in the
guessing of why, where, and how and can make complete use of the tool
that QuickBooks is intended to be”
--JT Brofft (a.k.a. JT-IN)
Full-Time Real Estate Investor, Cincinnati, Ohio
“Having
a detailed road map from start to finish covering the complexities of
the QuickBooks program, dovetailed to my Real Estate investment
business, is exactly what was missing. I will spend no more time in the
guessing of why, where, and how and can make complete use of the tool
that QuickBooks is intended to be”
--JT Brofft (a.k.a. JT-IN)
Full-Time Real Estate Investor, Cincinnati, Ohio
“I
am a GO GO GO person with little to no organizational skills. I do
about 25 deals a year, and the accounting was killing me.
Thanks to you, I am now recovered from my accounting nightmare and on
track with all of my accounting. Thanks again, John.”
--Terry Wygal (a.k.a. Terry(Houston))
Full time Real Estate Investor, Houston, TX
“My
hat is off to John Hyre for creating a bookkeeping course that not only
saves time and money but is also easy to use. There are few people on
this earth who detest accounting more than I. This course walked me
through the bookkeeping process with step-by-step instructions on just
how to make the entries into QuickBooks. It was pain free.”
--Tony Colella (a.k.a. Tony-VA)
Asheville, NC
“John
sent me an advance copy and it is FANTASTIC - it plugs one of the
biggest holes every new investor stumbles across - setting up your
books, so your CPA can get you maximum deductions. Even if you do not
want to keep your own books, or do not have the capacity to keep your
own books, John helps you get it right by giving you a resource that
will turn an "average" bookkeeper into a real estate
bookkeeper.”
--Sherman Ragland
President, DC/Central Maryland Real Estate Investor's Group
This
is by far the best hands-on, walk-you-through-it, step-by-step manual
on the market today. I know it will be highlighted and dog-eared and
sitting right by my computer. You've created the "bible" of bookkeeping
for real estate investors.
It's simple, easy to follow and very thorough. Anyone who's doing their
own books needs this manual, period….This manual is a
must-have for anyone serious about their real estate business. Get it
now before John comes to his senses and raises the price!
The Real
Estate Investor's KISS Guide to Bookkeeping includes a
"plug in" diskette that works with QuickBooks, Pro Version 2006 - 2009
(sold separately). Using QuickBooks saves you lots of TIME, because the
computer performs the tedious, time-consuming calculations and quickly
summarizes relevant information for you. The "plug in" customizes
QuickBooks specifically for real estate, mobile home, and note
investing.
No experience needed! This course
is designed for the real estate, mobile home, or note investor who has
little or no accounting, tax, or QuickBooks knowledge. There are many
different ways to do the same thing. This course teaches you just one
way to do things, over and over and over again. That keeps things
simple and drives home the lesson for non-accountants.
For People Who HATE Accounting. Most
real estate investors are far more interested in making money on deals
than in learning the intricacies of tax law and accounting entries.
This book is for you.
Most people learn best by example. Lots and lots of them are included
in the book. You still should read the text. But to help you put it all
together, there are plenty of examples with numbers plugged in. And the
examples are written in plain English, not "taxese."
The Bottom Line: You can pay $299
now, or you can pay MUCH more when:
Your accountant
quickly does the books at a high billing rate to squeeze out your
return at the last minute;
The IRS figures your
taxable income for you (it'll be high!) and charges penalties and
interest;
You miss out on the
deductions that are your LEGAL right; and
You make the wrong
decisions for your business due to incomplete information.
It's your call...$299 now, or much more later!
Special Limited Bonus
for the First 10 Action
Takers...
FREE Electronic Copy
of
Pick Your Future,
Pick Your Fortune.
This is a full day class
recorded live you can watch online any time you want. Learn just what
type of investing you should do without wasting extra time and money!!