In 1789, Benjamin Franklin famously wrote: “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”
Like it or not, taxes—and a lot of them—are an aspect of every facet of our financial life, from being born (as a deduction on our parent’s income tax returns), purchasing the goods and services we need to live (through sales and excise taxes), getting a job (income and payroll taxes), running a business (business taxes), and even dying (estate and inheritance taxes).
Yet, while many people complain about taxes and tax rates, few do any sophisticated tax planning. This is somewhat surprising, considering the tremendous financial impact that taxes can have on one’s financial health. At same time, however, it is not surprising: people are so used to giving the government a share of the take nearly every time money exchanges hands that they begin to ignore the small, incremental impacts on their pockets.
The amount of money each American pays out in taxes over a lifetime might surprise you. In 2011, Forbes Magazine noted a study which calculated the total federal income tax paid out by someone who, annually over their lifetime (40 years of employment), earned the equivalent of the average income of currently just over $45,000. The lifetime total tax bill topped $350,000. And that does not even count the taxes paid to cover state income taxes, sales and excise taxes, property taxes, or even payroll taxes.
And while some people think that there is no way to avoid all of these tax impacts, that is not true. There are steps you can take to avoid many of these costs, or to reduce their size.
Business and Tax Attorney Jonathan Lee understands the tax and legal ramifications of many of our everyday financial decisions, and knows the significant difference that good planning can have on our financial bottom line, whether it is our business or your personal life or both.
In this forum he is going to tell us how to structure your business or your estate to legally avoid paying unnecessary taxes, to protect the assets and goodwill that you have, and to make sure that you get to keep the money you earn for the things that matter the most to you.
About our speaker:
Mr. Jonathan C. Lee, Attorneyof Law Offices of Jonathan C. Lee
Education
J.D., McGeorge School Of Law, 2009
Honors and Activities:
Tax Concentration
Dean’s list 3+ years
Tax Appeals Clinic
B.A. Political Science, UCLA, 2005
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice:
California, 2009
Professional & Bar Association Memberships
California Bar Association
Member Since: 2009 Tax Section
Legal Specialties and Certifications
CA State Bar, Tax Section, 2009