Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, AIF, CWS, MSA

Session 1 Title: Principles Of Tax Planning for Financial Advisors

Overview:

Financial Advisors serve clients with a diverse array of backgrounds, financial resources, goals, and objectives. But while no two clients are the same, nearly all clients share the common goal of “paying the least amount of tax possible.” It should come as no surprise then, that clients of all income and asset levels are increasingly seeking “tax planning” guidance from their Financial Advisors.

Many advisors, though, have been reticent to engage in tax planning, either because they lack the knowledge to be able to competently do so, fear “stepping on the toes” of a client’s CPA or other tax professionals, or out of concern about running afoul of rules that prevent them from giving tax advice. This session seeks to address those concerns.

Attendees will begin by learning why including tax planning as part of their overall client experience is essential for continued growth and success. The session will then focus on exploring ten high level principals of tax planning that can be used by all advisors – from tax planning “newbies” to seasoned tax planning pros – to help guide their clients towards lower tax bills and better outcomes.

Session 2 Title: Advanced Roth Conversion Strategies

Overview:

The natural appeal of a Roth-style retirement account is the potential for tax-free growth for life. However, the reality is that creating a Roth account has a “cost” – the upfront tax liability of contributing to (or converting into) the account, which is avoided with a traditional pre-tax IRA or 401(k). As a result, optimal Roth strategies involve not merely contributing to or converting into Roths, but managing the timing and leveraging the available tax law to maximize the strategy. In this session, we explore techniques to maximize Roth contributions, including so-called “Backdoor Roth” IRAs and “Mega Backdoor Roth” 401(k) strategies, and leveraging the Roth recharacterization rules to optimally fill lower tax brackets, and be able to ensure that an investment in a Roth has a positive return before being required to commit to it!

About Jeff

Jeffrey Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP^®, CWS^®, MSA is the Director of Advisor Education for Kitces.com, Director of Advanced Planning at Buckingham Wealth Partners, and is the Lead Creator and Content Expert for Savvy IRA Planning^®, offered through Horsesmouth. Jeff is a recipient of the Standing Ovation award, presented by the AICPA Financial Planning Division, and was named to the 2017 class of 40 Under 40 by InvestmentNews. Previously, Jeffrey served as Ed Slott and Company’s Chief Retirement Strategist, where his ability to simplify the complex laws that govern individual retirement accounts, combined with his unique blend of humor and tax planning, was first recognized. Jeffrey continues to be an active speaker, traveling the country each year to educate thousands of Financial Advisors, CPAs, Attorneys, and consumers on retirement, tax, and estate planning strategies. You can follow Jeff on Twitter @CPAPlanner and via his personal website.