Tag: Financial Planning

Talking To Your Family About Your Estate Plan (Ep. 25)

Talking To Your Family About Your Estate Plan (Ep. 25)

Why is talking about money with your family so taboo? How can we take some of the awkwardness out of talking about money? Is it important to discuss your estate plan with your children? How much money transparency is too much? Hear what Jason Deshayes, COO and Partner, and Sophie Howell, CXO, have to say about why talking about money can be so funny.

 

Listen now to learn:

  • How do different generations approach money differently?
  • How can you set good money habits in your family?
  • How can you contextualize money for small children?
  • How do you bring up the estate planning conversation with your children?

Connect with Jason

Connect with Sophie Howell

 

What is an Experience Team? (Ep. 24)

What is an Experience Team? (Ep. 24)

What is the Cook Wealth Experience Team? What is a Chief Experience Officer? How do these things help us deliver the best client and employee experience possible? Learn how the idea of the Experience Team at Cook Wealth, LLC came to be. Jason Deshayes hosts Sophie Howell on the latest episode of the Own Your Wealth Podcast.

 

Listen now to learn:

  • What does a Chief Experience Officer do?
  • Who is on the experience team?
  • Where did the idea for the experience team come from?

Connect with Jason

Connect with Sophie Howell

 

What are Wealth Management Advice Teams? (Ep. 23)

What are Wealth Management Advice Teams? (Ep. 23)

What is Cook Wealth doing to serve clients better? How are we making sure we can serve the needs of our clients AND making sure we keep top talent on our team as we grow?

Historically, the wealth management model has centered around one advisor serving one client. What happens if the advisor leaves the company? What happens if the advisor goes on vacation? How do people get training to become wealth advisors? At Cook Wealth, our Advice Team models include a Senior Advisor, an Associate Advisor, a Planner, and a Client Services Associate. This model allows for growth within roles. It also ensures clients have zero gaps in service and their needs are served efficiently.

Listen now to learn:

  • What are Advice Team Roles?
  • What does each role do?
  • How do Advice Teams ensure I have the best service?
  • What is Cook Wealth working on next?

Connect with Dave: 

Resources:

Connect with Jason: 

Giving Tuesday: Being Intentional With Our Time, Talents, and Treasures, With Jake Rudy (Ep. 18)

Giving Tuesday: Being Intentional With Our Time, Talents, and Treasures, With Jake Rudy (Ep. 18)

Giving generously—on Giving Tuesday and all year long—is one of the best ways to expand your impact, support the causes you care about, and create a legacy that lasts. And it goes far beyond dollars and cents. 

In this episode of Own Your Wealth, host Jason is joined by Cook Wealth Planner, Jake Rudy. In this intentional conversation, they talk about cultivating generosity early in life, even when you don’t have much to give, leveraging your time and talents, and exploring tax-advantaged giving tools. 

Listen now to learn:

  • How the three categories of giving work together to build a generous life
  • Why generosity is worth planning for
  • The role Donor-Advised Funds and Qualified Charitable Distributions play in tax-advantaged giving
  • How Jason and Jake have seen, firsthand, the impact charitable giving has on family, communities, and our corner of the world
  • And more

Connect with Jake Rudy:

Resources:

Connect with Jason: 

Equity Compensation: How to Maximize Your Benefits and Optimize Your Taxes, with Mike Holloway, CFP® (Ep. 16)

Equity Compensation: How to Maximize Your Benefits and Optimize Your Taxes, with Mike Holloway, CFP® (Ep. 16)

Equity compensation is becoming an increasingly popular way for employers to reward and retain their top talent. But as enticing as this benefit sounds, it’s one of the most complicated and misunderstood forms of compensation—often triggering a tax bill employees aren’t prepared to cover. 

In this episode, host Jason and special guest Mike Holloway, CFP® explain the differences between incentive stock options and non-qualified stock options, and the tax implications of each. Because only when you understand how to make the most of your equity compensation can you truly ‘Own Your Wealth.’ 

Listen now to learn:

  • How each equity compensation type differs
  • The tax implications of each form of equity compensation
  • Why an 83B election is often one of the best ways to enjoy significant future tax savings
  • When to meet with a financial advisor, so you have ample time to weigh your options
  • And more

Connect with Michael Holloway:

Resources:

Connect with Jason: 

Why Your Last CPA Ghosted You — and Why Cook Wealth’s Won’t (Ep. 15)

Why Your Last CPA Ghosted You — and Why Cook Wealth’s Won’t (Ep. 15)

If you’ve been ‘ghosted’ by your CPA, you’re not alone. The accounting industry is undergoing significant changes. Big tech is snapping up CPAs left and right, early retirement is becoming the new norm, and for the CPAs that are left, uninviting work environments and gruelling hours at traditional firms make it hard for these professionals to meet every client’s needs—or return your calls. 

In this episode of Own Your Wealth, host Jason reveals the real reasons why a traditional CPA may not be your best choice for proactive, comprehensive tax planning support, especially if you have a high income or complex tax needs. 

Listen now to learn:

  • Why traditional CPAs prioritize compliance over careful planning
  • Practical advice for individuals and businesses looking for a new CPA
  • The best time of year to start your CPA search
  • How Cook Wealth’s CPAs approach tax planning and optimization
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Jason: 

The Five Powerful Uses of Money: Spending With Intentionality (Ep. 14)

The Five Powerful Uses of Money: Spending With Intentionality (Ep. 14)

When it comes to managing your money, the smallest decisions can have the biggest impact on your long-term financial health. Small choices, like reaching for your debit card first, making a monthly spending plan, and defining exactly what ‘enough’ means to your family can add up to quite a bit of added savings—without significantly impacting your lifestyle. 

In the last episode of our 5-part Uses of Money series, Jason talks about the intentional spending choices each of us can make to enjoy what we have now while securing a comfortable future. From smart spending plans to using credit cards responsibly, Jason explains how the right plan and tools can help your family live life empowered. 

Listen now to learn: 

  • The power of micro-money choices
  • Why spending is one of your most crucial lifestyle tools
  • What ‘enough’ looks like as your income increases
  • How budget tracking apps can help your family use credit cards to your advantage
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Jason: 

The Five Powerful Uses of Money: Growing Your Wealth With a Tax-Smart Savings Plan (Ep. 13)

The Five Powerful Uses of Money: Growing Your Wealth With a Tax-Smart Savings Plan (Ep. 13)

The first step towards growing your wealth is a fairly straightforward one: Establish an adequate emergency fund. But it’s the steps to follow that can make managing and increasing your wealth complicated. Intentionally building your wealth requires careful financial planning and smart tax strategies—skills that may not come naturally to everyday savers.  

From putting all your savings in one risky basket, to keeping too much cash on hand, in this episode, Jason reveals a few surprising truths about maximizing the growth potential in every dollar. 

Listen now to learn:

  • Why your emergency fund may not look like your neighbor’s
  • How excess cash can limit your wealth growth
  • 3 tax-smart options to build your savings
  • The role your financial advisor plays in optimizing your portfolio

Resources:

Connect with Jason: 

The Five Powerful Uses of Money: Leveraging Debt and Taxes to Your Best Benefit (Ep.12)

The Five Powerful Uses of Money: Leveraging Debt and Taxes to Your Best Benefit (Ep.12)

At first glance, debt and taxes may seem like two of the least empowering uses of money. After all, both functions can get in the way of your financial plan, if you’re not careful. But what if our understanding of debt and taxes is built on a handful of misconceptions? 

In this episode of Own Your Wealth, host Jason and special guest Zach Carver, CPA, CFP®, discuss the good, the bad, and the timely aspects of owing money. From timing your taxes to optimize your savings, to differentiating between good and bad debt, this conversation offers actionable insights worth considering today. 

Listen now for:

  • ‘Good debt’ vs. ‘bad debt’—and why good debt can sour
  • The advantages of minimizing your tax return
  • How timing your expenses can positively impact your taxes
  • When reducing your taxes can come back to bite you
  • And more

Connect with Zach Carver CPA, CFP®:

Resources:

Connect with Jason: