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2026 Health Insurance Reality Check, with Bill Neglia

November 5, 2025 by John Ray

2026 Health Insurance Reality Check, with Bill Neglia, on North Fulton Business Radio with host John Ray
North Fulton Business Radio
2026 Health Insurance Reality Check, with Bill Neglia
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2026 Health Insurance Reality Check, with Bill Neglia, on North Fulton Business Radio with host John Ray

2026 Health Insurance Reality Check, with Bill Neglia (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 911)

Health insurance expert Bill Neglia of Neglia Insurance Group returns to North Fulton Business Radio with a blunt update on 2026 open enrollment. In a conversation with host John Ray, Bill notes that many exchange plans are seeing steep gross premium hikes at the same time enhanced tax credits from 2022 expire, which means higher net premiums for a large share of households. He explains why renewal letters look so shocking this year, how out-of-pocket maximums are rising to 10,500 per person, and why auto-renewing could be a costly mistake.

Bill outlines what to do before the December 15 deadline, the impact of Aetna’s exit from the individual marketplace, and the tradeoffs in non-marketplace alternatives for healthier buyers who are priced out. He also shares practical steps for comparing plans now, not in late December, so coverage and costs align on January 1.

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

  • Premiums are up while 2022’s enhanced subsidies are ending, which is why many renewal notices show big net increases.
  • 2026 out-of-pocket maximums jump to 10,500 per person, increasing total potential exposure.
  • Avoid relying on auto-renew; explore alternative options before December 15 to prevent sticker shock on January 1.
  • Aetna’s marketplace exit narrows choices, and some priced-out consumers may consider medically underwritten, non-marketplace plans with limitations.
  • Compare total cost, not just the premium, including deductibles, coinsurance, and the out-of-pocket maximum.
  • Recheck networks and drug formularies, since plans and covered meds change year to year.
  • Healthy buyers who lose subsidies can look at non-marketplace options but should understand underwriting, exclusions, and caps.
  • Act early so coverage and ID cards are ready for a January 1 start, avoiding gaps or billing surprises.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

00:00 Introduction and Welcome to North Fulton Business Radio
00:33 Guest Introduction: Bill Neglia, Neglia Insurance Group
02:14 Health Insurance Market Overview
02:53 Challenges in 2026 Health Insurance
04:22 Impact of Reduced Tax Credits
10:28 Options for Health Insurance
23:22 Medicare Open Enrollment
28:36 Closing Remarks and Contact Information
30:06 Additional Business Insights

Bill Neglia, Founder, Neglia Insurance Group

Bill Neglia, Neglia Insurance Group
Bill Neglia, Neglia Insurance Group

Inspired by a family friend’s offer of mentorship, Bill started his career in insurance over 40 years ago. He was drawn to the autonomy of the industry and the desire to make a difference in people’s lives. This commitment was underscored when a meeting led a client to discover a life-threatening heart condition, which reaffirmed the importance of his role.

To best serve his clients, Bill begins with a comprehensive questionnaire, ensuring he understands their unique needs before discussing solutions. Guided by transparency and genuine care, he always prioritizes the client’s interest, setting him apart in the industry.

Outside work, rock concerts are his escape, where he sees parallels to his profession: individual performers coming together for a harmonious result. That balance is pivotal in his personal life too. When his wife, Sandy, faced a cancer diagnosis, he became her primary caregiver. This period cemented his belief in the importance of personal connection and empathy in his business.

His family is his inspiration. With Sandy, their children Danny and Caitlin, and six grandchildren, he finds joy in spending time with them, either at home or traveling with his family. Whether it’s golf with his son, watching sports, or being amused by their five granddogs, these experiences enrich his interactions with clients.

Bill’s not just your insurance agent with decades of experience, but he’s a compassionate adviser committed to serving your individual and family needs.

LinkedIn

Neglia Insurance Group

Neglia Insurance GroupBill Neglia started his health, life, disability, and long-term care insurance agency in 1983 as a one-person operation.

Since then, he has added a full-time office administrator, Charlotte, his son Dan, and his son-in-law, Zach, to the team. The agency specializes in working with mainly self-employed individuals, their families and their employees to make sure they have the most suitable and cost-effective health insurance and other benefit plans available.

Bill’s team uses a comprehensive “hands-on” approach from initial contact to quote, enrollment, and servicing the policy after the sale.

Bill and his team have never charged their clients a penny for their time and professional services. They are compensated by the insurance carriers themselves. The premium you pay is exactly the same whether you use Bill and his team or do it yourself.

Website | Facebook

Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio

Renasant BankRenasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $17 billion in assets and more than 180 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from each banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way to better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube

Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio

Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.

Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray

With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!

The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their markets, communities, and professions. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.

John Ray, host of  North Fulton Business Radio, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors
John Ray, host of North Fulton Business Radio and Owner, Ray Business Advisors

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, and it is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

You can find the complete archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.

John Ray, The Generosity MindsetJohn Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

John is the author of the five-star rated book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.

Tagged With: 2026 health plans, ACA marketplace, Affordable Care Act, Beyond Computer Solutions, Bill Neglia, catastrophic coverage, health insurance, healthcare costs, John Ray, Neglia Insurance Group, non marketplace plans, North Fulton Business Radio, open enrollment, out of pocket maximum, plan comparisons, premium increases, renasant bank, short term plans, subsidies, tax credits

Antonio Little-El with Arkad Business Solutions

March 28, 2024 by Mike

Gwinnett Business Radio
Gwinnett Business Radio
Antonio Little-El with Arkad Business Solutions
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Steven Julian, Antonio Little-El, Harper LeBel

Antonio Little-El/Arkad Business Solutions

Arkad Business Solutions helps small businesses lower their tax burden, increase cash flow, lower operating costs, and excess capital on Arkad’s dime. Your business may be eligible for multiple tax credits. For example, Hiring Credits [ERC, WOTC, etc..], Commercial Property Incentives [Engineered Cost Segregation Studies, Property Tax Mitigation, etc..], and Capital Funding.

Gwinnett Business Radio is presented by

Tagged With: Antonio Little-El, Arkad Business Solutions, business in Gwinnett, gwinnett business leaders, Gwinnett Business Radio, harper lebel, steven julian, tax credits, Taxes

Seth Peabody, iTxRe

February 21, 2024 by John Ray

Seth Peabody, iTxRe
North Fulton Studio
Seth Peabody, iTxRe
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Seth Peabody, iTxRe

Seth Peabody, iTxRe (ProfitSense with Bill McDermott, Episode 55)

CPA Seth Peabody joined host Bill McDermott on this episode of ProfitSense. Seth’s firm, iTxRe, emphasizes the importance of proactive tax planning for businesses, and he explained how their approach can significantly impact profitability by strategically reducing tax liabilities. Seth provided insights into tax planning vs. what he calls “tax telling,” highlighted the advantages of having an early and consistent tax plan, and discussed the major issues faced by the CPA industry. Seth also delved into the potential role of AI in aiding the CPA industry, and he underscored the necessity for a pragmatic understanding of accounting for better business outcomes.

Bill concluded the show with thoughts on how to manage the buyer-seller dance.

ProfitSense with Bill McDermott is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton Studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Seth Peabody, iTxRe

Seth Peabody, iTxRe
Seth Peabody, iTxRe

Seth Peabody has been a CPA for over two decades, working in small, medium, and large firms. In pursuit of growing a niche CPA practice, he learned business owners and high-net-worth individuals didn’t have true annual income tax planning. He created a program and process for clients to reduce taxes annually.

iTxRe creates a proactive environment to assist businesses and individuals across the country with annual income tax planning. They regularly meet with their clients to customize a plan for them. Then they work to control and minimize the impact of income tax on both the business and the individual. Finally, they complete the last step of the plan, filing the tax returns.

Quite simply, iTxRe engages in tax planning, not “tax telling.”

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Seth LinkedIn

Topics Discussed in this Interview

00:00 Introduction
01:07 Guest Introduction: Seth Peabody, CPA
01:29 Understanding Tax Planning
03:13 Proactive Tax Strategies
04:08 Understanding Tax Credits and Deductions
05:28 The Importance of Quarterly Estimates
07:27 The Role of Tax Planning in Business
09:11 Differentiating in the CPA Industry
15:29 The Impact of AI in the CPA Industry
17:56 The Importance of Understanding Accounting for Business Owners
24:22 The Buyer-Seller Dance in Sales
26:01 Closing Remarks and Contact Information

 

About ProfitSense and Your Host, Bill McDermott

Bill McDermott
Bill McDermott

ProfitSense with Bill McDermott dives into the stories behind some of Atlanta’s successful businesses and business owners and the professionals that advise them. This show helps local business leaders get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, their community, and their profession. The show is presented by McDermott Financial Solutions. McDermott Financial helps business owners improve cash flow and profitability, find financing, break through barriers to expansion, and financially prepare to exit their business. The show archive can be found at profitsenseradio.com.

Bill McDermott, “The Profitability Coach,” is the Founder and CEO of McDermott Financial Solutions. When business owners want to increase their profitability, they don’t have the expertise to know where to start or what to do. Bill leverages his knowledge and relationships from 32 years as a banker to identify the hurdles getting in the way and create a plan to deliver profitability they never thought possible.

Bill currently serves as Treasurer for the Atlanta Executive Forum and has held previous positions as a board member for the Kennesaw State University Entrepreneurship Center, Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity, and Treasurer for CEO NetWeavers. Bill is a graduate of Wake Forest University, and he and his wife, Martha, have called Atlanta home for over 40 years. Outside of work, Bill enjoys golf, traveling, and gardening.

Connect with Bill on LinkedIn and Instagram, and follow McDermott Financial Solutions on LinkedIn.

Tagged With: Accounting, Bill McDermott, CPa, income taxes, iTxRe, Profitability Coach Bill McDermott, ProfitSense, ProfitSense with Bill McDermott, Seth Peabody, tax credits, tax planning, The Profitability Coach

John Hanning and Brian Wages, Specialty Tax Group, LLC

December 13, 2022 by John Ray

Specialty Tax Group
North Fulton Business Radio
John Hanning and Brian Wages, Specialty Tax Group, LLC
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Specialty Tax Group

John Hanning and Brian Wages, Specialty Tax Group, LLC (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 588)

John Hanning and Brian Wages of Specialty Tax Group joined host John Ray to discuss how they help businesses secure tax credits and deductions they might not otherwise receive. John and Brian covered cost segregation as well as the R&D and green energy tax credits, businesses who are eligible, how they partner with CPA firms to work with clients, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Specialty Tax Group, LLC

Specialty Tax Group is on a mission to help CPA firms and taxpayers by advancing the specialty tax industry through the use of technology. STG provides innovative tax planning strategies to secure tax credits and deductions with audit-ready deliverables.

They provide detailed benefit estimates prior to beginning work to ensure clients get the value they are looking for. For client conveyance, STG has the expertise to implement their delivered solutions.

STG is a nationwide specialty tax firm focused on engineered tax services.

Website | LinkedIn

John W. Hanning, Founding Principal, Specialty Tax Group, LLC

John W. Hanning, Founding Principal, Specialty Tax Group, LLC

John W. Hanning is the Founding Principal of Specialty Tax Group, LLC (STG) a consulting group focused on servicing capital-intensive clients with value-added services relating to cost segregation, fixed asset reviews, repair & expense studies, 263(a) compliance, 45L, and 179D.

Prior to founding STG John worked with several large and small CPA firms helping clients to secure cost-recovery solutions. Over the past 15 years as a Fixed Assets specialist, John was responsible for fixed asset services including new client identification, proposals, and client deliverables. John has led and executed cost recovery studies on thousands of facilities including; healthcare, retail, manufacturing, commercial office, multi-family, power generation, and dealerships. He has performed inspections of machinery, equipment, buildings, and construction projects estimated construction costs using nationally recognized costing manuals, and analyzed technical specifications, construction drawings & construction invoices. John generated sales utilizing both internal and external networks. John also provided numerous continuing education presentations relating to tax incentives related to real estate.

John received his Bachelor’s in Economics Management from Ohio Wesleyan University and graduated with his MBA from Ohio University. John is a certified member of the American Society of Cost Segregation Professionals (ASCSP) and President (2019 – 2021) of the Board of Directors. He began his service to the ASCSP as an active member of the Education Committee, where he co-authored the Senior Exam Study Guide in 2012. From 2017-2019, he served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors. He also holds his LEED Green Association credential.

Affiliations: ASCSP Certified Cost Segregation Specialist: Member # C0139-10; ASCSP President (Current), ASCSP Treasurer (Past), Author for numerous national educational groups, “Big Four” industry experience, Real Estate Roundtable – Associate Council Member.

LinkedIn

Brian Wages, Senior Manager, Specialty Tax Group, LLC

Brian Wages, Senior Manager, Specialty Tax Group, LLC

As a senior manager with Specialty Tax Group, Brian specializes in cost segregation, which in turn saves his clients money and helps them to better grow their companies. He can be found completing cost segregation studies for clients and reviewing credit and incentive deliverables. Beginning his career in 2011, Brian has worked for Deloitte Tax, McMillian & Associates, and Reliance Trust Company.

He has a focus on the Georgia retraining tax credit, Georgia jobs tax credit, Georgia quality jobs tax credit, Georgia investment tax credit, and federal work opportunity tax credit.

Brian earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Georgia. He is a member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT), while also serving as a leader for middle school boys at Woodstock City Church. 

LinkedIn

Questions and Topics in this Interview

  • What is the focus of Specialty Tax Group?
  • What are some of the tax credits businesses need to look at?
  • What is cost segregation?
  • How it works
  • Avoiding risk
  • How do I qualify to work with STG?
  • What industries can take advantage of cost segregation?

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

RenasantBank

 

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Since 2000, Office Angels® has been restoring joy to the life of small business owners, enabling them to focus on what they do best. At the same time, we honor and support at-home experts who wish to continue working on an as-needed basis. Not a temp firm or a placement service, Office Angels matches a business owner’s support needs with Angels who have the talent and experience necessary to handle work that is essential to creating and maintaining a successful small business. Need help with administrative tasks, bookkeeping, marketing, presentations, workshops, speaking engagements, and more? Visit us at https://officeangels.us/.

Tagged With: Brian Wages, cost segregation, CPa, engineer, John Hanning, North Fulton Business Radio, Office Angels, renasant bank, Specialty Tax Group, tax credits, Taxes

Saving Real Money with R&D Tax Credits, with Tommy Zavieh, Frazier & Deeter

April 28, 2020 by John Ray

Tommy Zavieh
North Fulton Business Radio
Saving Real Money with R&D Tax Credits, with Tommy Zavieh, Frazier & Deeter
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Tommy Zavieh
Tommy Zavieh, National Practice Leader for R&D Tax Credits, Frazier & Deeter

Thomas Zavieh, National Practice Leader, R&D Tax Credits, Frazier & Deeter (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 224)

Here’s an opportunity to get some real money back on taxes, which most small and medium-sized businesses don’t pay any attention to:  R&D tax credits. A wide variety of business in various industries are eligible for these credits, but only about 40% of business investment eligible for allowable R&D tax credits are claimed on tax filings. Tommy Zavieh, National Practice Leader for R&D Tax Credits, Frazier & Deeter, joined the show to discuss this opportunity in detail. The host of “North Fulton Business Radio” is John Ray and the show is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Thomas Zavieh, National Practice Leader, R&D Tax Credits, Frazier & Deeter

Tommy Zavieh
Tommy Zavieh

Tommy Zavieh is the National Practice Leader, R&D Tax Credits for Frazier & Deeter. Tommy started his career as an engineer. When he became a CPA, he joined a Big Four firm in their national practice. Tommy is uniquely qualified to help his clients through his engineering, US and overseas R&D tax expertise. In short, Tommy effectively communicates with both a company’s Engineering and Tax/Finance departments, breaking down the language barriers and providing the most efficient service.

Tommy has over 20 years of professional consulting experience serving clients ranging from start-ups to “Fortune 10” corporations. He has extensive experience in addressing complex business and specialty tax needs (R&D Tax Credit, Section 199 (DPAD), Meals & Entertainment (M&E), Cost Segregation) for a variety of organizations, including automotive, bio-sciences, consumer products, financial services, medical device, oil/gas, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and technology (software and hardware). He has helped his clients receive more than $1 Billion in credits and deductions and successfully defended his client’s claim when audited.

To get in touch with Tommy, you can email him directly or call (404) 573-4514.

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

  • Tommy’s background
  • the Forgiveness Optimizer, a propriety tool of Frazier & Deeter which helps track PPP loan use of proceeds
  • saving companies money with R&D tax credits
  • wide range of industries, from mining to breweries to financial services, whose activities qualify them for R&D tax credits
  • three year lookback
  • R&D tax credits are a highly specialized and complex part of the tax code

Show Transcript

Intro: [00:00:05] From the Business RadioX Studios inside Renasant Bank, the bank that specializes in understanding you, it’s time for North Fulton Business Radio.

John Ray: [00:00:19] And hello again everyone. Welcome to another edition of North Fulton Business Radio. I’m John Ray, and we are coming to you from our virtual business RadioX studio. No, we’re not inside Renasant Bank, but we still love the folks there and the good work that they do. We’ve got a great guest today, and  we’re going to be talking about saving money, not just a small amount of money, but a lot of money with R&D tax credits. We’ve got Tommy Zavieh. And Tommy is a national practice leader with Frazier & Deeter, a well-known regional accounting firm here in Atlanta.

John Ray: [00:01:01] But before we get to Tommy again, I just want to remind folks that the bank branches at Renasant are closed to just walking in. You’ve got to go call and make an appointment. And they’re happy to see you, but you’d need to make an appointment ahead of time. The drive-throughs are open, so feel free to take advantage of those. But they’ve done an awesome job with some of this PPP loans and some of that work. I know that firsthand. So, check them out, give them a call, be in touch with your Renasant banker, or go to renasantbank.com for the latest. Renasant Bank, understanding you. Member FDIC.

John Ray: [00:01:43] And now, I know I got your attention with this idea of saving money. And Tommy Zavieh from Frazier & Deeter is gonna guide us through that, and we’ll get to that in a minute, Tommy. But welcome. And before we get into what you do and how you help folks, tell us about you.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:01:59] Hi. And thank you for having me on. I appreciate it.

John Ray: [00:02:01] Sure.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:02:01] And all your listeners out there, look, I know these are difficult times, and we’re all trying to figure things out. But hopefully, today’s discussion will give you some ideas of what are the different areas that you can look at to save some cash. A little bit about me, I have had a long career of different subjects that I’ve done. So, I used to be an engineer turned CPA. And that helps me really understand the business of my clients. What is it they do from the engineering geeky side, and as well as the CPA tax side of things. That led me to work with the Big Four where I was in New York, California, and moved overseas to do specifically research and development credits. And lately, the last place that I was at, I was at KPMG leading their Southeast practice before joining Frazier & Deeter.

John Ray: [00:02:59] Awesome. So, Frazier & Deeter, let’s get into that. We know that firm very well. Highly regarded firm. Why did you leave KPMG, another highly regarded firm?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:03:11] Yeah. It’s one of those opportunities. I had known Frazier & Deeter for many years and a very well-respected firm that has gone from being a regional firm to a national firm to, now, we’re international. We have offices all the way west to Las Vegas and across the pond in UK and London. We have an office there as well. And in their growth, they were looking to have somebody come and lead this practice, and it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up at the time that it became available.

John Ray: [00:03:46] Yeah, I said regional. And thank you for pointing that out in a nice way, the way you did, because Frazier & Deeter is truly a national and international firm now, particularly, with the London office and all the work around the world that you do. So, congratulations to you and your firm on that growth. So, you’re the national practice leader, Tommy, for research and development. What does that mean? What does it mean to clients?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:04:14] Yeah, that’s just a pretty title. What I love about what I do is I get to go and really see firsthand and sometimes, quite frankly, before the consumers see what wonderful job the businesses that are doing in this country. I get to talk to the C-level suite folks and really get to understand the business. And then, my passion is really get to talk to the engineers who are developing the wonderful products that we all use, whether it’s in the technology sector, software, manufacturers in this country, or oil, gas, mining. I’ve been very lucky in my career that I’ve gotten to see so many different areas that the businesses in the US, what is it that they do, how they do it, see it firsthand before anybody else gets to play with it. I’ve had the chance to look at it and see it firsthand.

John Ray: [00:05:20] That’s awesome. And I’m envious, by the way. That’s a nice place to be to see all that innovation in the future, really and, particularly, in a time like this where people are getting all kind of down, really, about what’s going on currently and with good reason, but there’s a lot of hope in the future. And you see that.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:05:45] Yeah. And when you asked me earlier why did I join Frazier & Deeter, I think the other part of it that I want to really highlight is because the kind of clients that we have, that middle-market client. I get to not just shake the owner’s hand, but I get to talk to all the workers. And as wonderful as the opportunity that I had working at the Big Four and really seeing some of the larger companies out there, I think what it came down to for me is being helpful to the middle market in our country, walking to the plants, and talking to the workers, seeing what they do, and the impact that we can have with the small work that we do but that cash savings that we have for our clients that helps them keep the doors open for a few more months or for a few more years, or the investment they need to make in new and better equipment. I had a chance to go into a mine in Kentucky and got to see firsthand how coal is being brought out. And I went deep, deep into the mine. So, those are the kind of experiences that I don’t know where else in the CPA firm you can experience having those experiences.

John Ray: [00:07:10] Yeah, for sure, for sure. Folks, if you just joined us, we’re speaking with Tommy Zavieh. And Tommy is a national practice leader for R&D at Frazier & Deeter. Now, Tommy, I want to get further into the R&D part of what you do with clients in a second, but one of the things you’re really involved with with the firm right now is the PPP and really the aftermath of PPP, something called the forgiveness optimizer. Talk about that, and talk about the importance of this tool.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:07:43] Yes. So, thank you so much for asking that question. And today’s discussion, the topic, if there’s anything you’re going to walk away from this, that’s probably cash savings. So, this is one of the other areas that you probably looked at and applied for the Payroll Protection Program. And that application process was hectic. You had to quickly do it. We all know that the money run out. And so, now that you’ve gone through the application process, hopefully that you got approved. And now that the moneys are coming in, what do you do?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:08:14] And there’s two parts to it. One is, what do you do with that money to make sure that you reach the level or get it forgiven if that’s the goal because at the end of the day, even if it doesn’t, it is very cheap money. It is 1%. So, it is very helpful. But say, your goal is to get it forgiven, what do you need to do to do that? And then, the last part of it is the banks need to certify that you used the proceeds properly and the levels at which you can get it forgiven.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:08:47] And that’s where at Frazier & Deeter, we have a team dedicated to this program who have delved into the technical aspects of it. And quite frankly, some of it is still unknown. Guidance has not been issued. So, that’s what our team has done. And we will help the applicant who has applied for the loan to optimize it. So, have you reached the 75%? What happens if you’ve lost a headcount? Have you replaced that headcount? What if you try to save cash in these times? And who do you pay? Who do you reduce their income?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:09:26] For example, if I’m a business owner, and I make more than $100,000, and I’ve got five employees underneath me, and I’m trying to save cash, do I not pay myself, and then give some bonuses to my employees? Would that be helpful or not? Do I stay above the 65%? And then, we also help you certify the way you use the proceeds. Then, when you go to the bank and you give them your documentation, the substantiation, we will certify that you’ve used the loan proceeds properly, so that the banks can process that quickly and get it forgiven.

John Ray: [00:10:08] Now, you briefly mentioned the 75%. Well, for folks that aren’t familiar with that threshold, what is that?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:10:17] Yeah. So, you have to use 75% of the loan proceeds towards your payroll. And then, the other 25% have to go towards eligible cost, such as renting, utilities, a mortgage. If you don’t reach the 75%, and this is one of the big areas that guidance has not been issued, will a portion of your loan get forgiven or none of it? So, what if you reach 74.5%?

John Ray: [00:10:52] Oh, boy.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:10:53] By half a percent, did you just lose the entire forgiveness or a portion of it? And again, guidance hasn’t been issued. We know that each bank will make their own determination. But if you plan ahead and you know what your expenses are or you think what your expenses are, then, hopefully, you’ll know what percentage you’re going to reach. If not, be on top of it, which we can help you with, obviously, our tools, but make sure you reach that 75%. That is something that if you’re close to it, you don’t want to miss out.

John Ray: [00:11:31] This is where the accounting industry in your CPA, if you’ve got a good CPA – if you don’t have a good one, call Frazier & Deeter – but if the CPA industry is going to be extraordinarily helpful, this is where they shine when it comes to this kind of issue in dealing with the IRS and dealing with forgiveness later.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:11:56] Yeah. Look, I think many CPAs and many companies will help you out in that loan application process. They are well-versed in it, and they’re doing a terrific job.

John Ray: [00:12:07] It sounds like you’ve kind of gone the extra mile, though, in terms of having a tool that’s really easy for people to access and use. And congratulations on that.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:12:19] Well, thank you. There are a lot of calculators out there, but we have yet to see anyone that has the optimizer portion of it. And we’ve had many sessions with a variety of banks, including Renasant Bank, who’ve told us this is extremely helpful to their applicants, and they are letting them know that we have it available to help them up.

John Ray: [00:12:42] Cool. Awesome stuff from Tommy Zavieh. And Tommy is the national practice leader for R&D with Frazier & Deeter, an international accounting firm and an advisory firm, business advisory firm headquartered here in Atlanta. Tommy, let’s get into the R&D aspect of what you do. You save companies real dollars. Talk about that.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:13:13] Yeah, look. So, I’ll give you a little bit of statistics. I think everybody likes some numbers. Out of the latest that’s available to us, R&D is a little over $13 billion industry. And that is made up of 70% manufacturers. And then, the other 30% is technology firms and others who are doing R&D. I know you would have thought, “Okay. Well, software technology would make up the majority of it.” No, manufacturers are. But if you’re a biopharmaceutical, if you are in the health care industry, if you are oil, gas, mining, you’re doing R&D. As long as you are taking something, and you’re improving on it, and making something new, you’re probably doing R&D. But the problem is that only about 30% to 40% of the companies take advantage of this. The rest of them are not.

John Ray: [00:14:14] So, can we stop there for just a second? That’s really important because I think companies hear, or executives, business owners hear the term R&D and they think like technology, right?  And so, if I’m not technology, I’m not doing R&D.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:14:32] Correct. So, look. Like I said at the beginning, I introduced myself, I said I was an engineer. And I feel that I still think like an engineer. And I certainly have a definition as an engineer what research and development is. But the way that the tax code, the way Congress when they passed this law decades ago, the way they defined R&D is a little bit different. And as long as you meet the definitions of research and development, then your activities qualify. So, many companies either have never heard of it or if they’ve heard of it, they either they don’t apply, it does not apply to them, or that they’re not spending enough money to warrant an R&D study.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:15:12] So, the part that I really love about my job is education, going out there and educating companies about R&D and how it would apply to what they’re doing. And take your bank, Renasant Bank, Renasant Bank is performing R&D, especially with the security stuff that they have to deal with, the online banking. You have to put in security systems into place to make sure that nobody gets in and, for example, take money out of my account. All those security procedures, all of that research and development goes into it. So, it’s not just the big banks that are doing it. You’re a credit union, you’re a regional bank, you’re performing R&D.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:16:02] Take our businesses in North Fulton, the manufacturers, the makers of widgets or you are in the food industry, we have very, very large fortune companies here in Atlanta. And they’re experimenting with food and how to make it taste better, how to make it last longer, how they keep it on the shelves longer, food science, that’s an area that gets often overlooked. I mean, the easy stuff, “Yes. I make the latest and greatest and nobody never seen,” but that’s not how the definition goes.

John Ray: [00:16:45] So, by definition, Tommy, what we figured out, you said 30%, only about 30% of companies are eligible for this tax credit use it. By definition, most of the people listening to this show on tax credits don’t use it and need needed. So, let’s get into it. How can they leverage R&D tax credits? And how do you help with that?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:17:10] Yeah. So, the beautiful thing is that a few years ago in 2016, the R&D credit became permanent in the tax code. It used to get renewed every two years. And in that, they added something for startup companies to be able to utilize it. So, let’s take a broad scope. You’re a company that’s doing R&D, and it’s a credit. The credit is a deduction of your tax liability dollar for dollar. So, first, you got to ask yourself, am I a taxpayer? If you’re a taxpayer, then, yes, this is very helpful, whether at the federal level or at the state level. Now, if you’re not a taxpayer, then why do you care about R&D? You can care about it for several reasons. One, let’s say you are trying to purchase another company. Well, those credits could mean something to you. And if that company has never done R&D credit, then you could be sitting on potentially huge cash savings for yourself. What about yourself? If you’re looking to be purchased, then you want to make sure you get top dollar for your company, and you got to have that R&D in there. And then, finally, if you’re considered a startup company, startup companies considered less than five years of $5 million in revenue, if you are in that category, then you can offset your payroll taxes with the R&D credit. That’s real cash savings.

John Ray: [00:18:34] Oh, wow!

Tommy Zavieh: [00:18:34] As a startup, obviously, cash is important to me. And we have tremendous amount of companies here in the Atlanta region who are part of either the startup community, or the incubators, or the accelerators, and they’ve had their series A funding that they’ve raised. Using the R&D credit saves them cash. And so, I would highly recommend that they talk to their CPA, and the CPA firm should have a specialist in this area. And let me tell you why. This isn’t just a plug for myself, but it really is. You want to use a specialist because this is an area that gets audited. And when it gets audited if you don’t have the proper documentation, not only can all of the credits get denied, but then there could be some potential penalties and fines associated with it. So, just like you go to your general practitioner doctor, your GP, they have a wealth of knowledge and they are fantastic at what they do. But if there’s an issue with your heart, they’re going to send you out to a specialist because you need that specialist to take a look at it. And this is an area that you definitely want to go to a specialist to take a look at your R&D credit.

John Ray: [00:19:47] I was gonna ask you about that. So, it sounds like this is not an area of focus for the typical CPA that’s focused on tax work.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:20:05] No, it’s not. And not every CPA knows everything in the tax code. And if you ever seen the tax code, you see have big and cumbersome it is. And we cannot know every aspect of of the tax law. I mean, I don’t know every aspect of the tax law. I’ve just decided to specialize myself in this one area, and it happens to be just one code section out of the many code section that we have, but it’s the second hardest code section that exists besides Subchapter K, which is your partnership. And so, it is easy to Google it, find the form, look at the instructions, and say, “Oh, I can do this on my own,” whether you’re the company or a CPA that says, “I can save my clients some money. I don’t need to go get a specialist.” The problem becomes when you get audited. Getting the right documentation, creating the right nexus, having that engineering report, being able to have the right activities in there, that’s where the complication comes in.

John Ray: [00:21:12] So, I want to dig into that a little deeper, Tommy, but let’s get clear on the industries that you work in because you mentioned several industries again that may not have thought when they heard R&D that they qualified but they really probably do. So, talk a little more specifically about some of the companies and industries that you work with.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:21:41] Yeah. So, I started out in New York. So, some of the largest clients that I had are financial services industry, whether it was your big banks, investment banks, or hedge funds because I spend a tremendous amount of money on modeling and figuring out how those models work. And automated and speed becomes an issue, not only just security like we talked about on the software side, but the speed of how things get processed. From there, I moved to California where, pretty much, a lot of the companies that you’re using today, and the clients are using today, and those who are listening using today, I’ve done their R&D. And then I got a chance to go to Australia where I did a lot of mining and wineries. Believe it or not-

John Ray: [00:22:31] Wow!

Tommy Zavieh: [00:22:31] … wineries and brewing companies do R&D.

John Ray: [00:22:31] Really?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:22:36] Yes. So, let’s delve into that because I think it’s an interesting one because not everybody hears about it. So, wineries, you have to think about how they’re growing the grape. There’s so much science that goes into how in the area, the region of the world they are, with the ground that they have, with the soil that they have, with the type of grapes that they have that they produce the best for the wine they’re trying to make, what do they put in that soil, and how how many times they have to check it to make sure they’re at the right levels. And then, they get the grape out. And then, now, they have to process that grape. How do you get it to the level that you want it to get the best wine? I mean, I can probably make vinegar, but I can’t make wine. So, how do you make the top shelf wine that they’re trying to make? And then, if you don’t, then what do you do? What do you do with that wine?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:23:30] Some of the local breweries that we have here in Atlanta, they’re performing R&D because they got certain raw materials that they have and trying to reach a certain type of a new flavor of beer profile they’re trying to reach. What if they don’t succeed at it? Many times, they don’t. That’s why you’ve got brewmasters who spend decades crafting  what they do. So, there’s there’s R&D in so many variety of industries that will take up a lot of time.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:24:06] So, let me let me say, who doesn’t do R&D? Typically, your service providers such as myself, a CPA firm, is not going to be doing R&D or law firms, unless they’re investing in technology they’re developing themselves. So, for your listeners out there, look at it this way. If you are making something that you haven’t made before, whether it’s software or something that’s a widget, you’re improving on it, and it could be performance, quality, reliability of that product, functionality of that product, if you’re in software, the speed of that product making it faster or better, then you’re more than likely doing R&D. So, reach out to your CPA firm, reach out to a specialist, and a lot of us perform this at a no cost to our clients, and we’ll take a look at it and see if you’re eligible for it.

John Ray: [00:25:05] Folks, we’re speaking with Tommy Zavieh. And he is national practice leader for R&D with Frazier & Deeter. So, Tommy, you got my attention. I need to look at this. I’m a business owner. I need to look at this for my business. How do I get started? What do I do?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:25:24] I think the first thing that you do is find yourself a good specialist in this area. If you don’t know where to start, start with your CPA firm. If you don’t have a CPA who knows this area, just go to www.frazierdeeter.com, and look under tax, and you’ll find our services, and I’ll be happy to take your questions. So, shameless plug for myself but-

John Ray: [00:25:51] That’s OK. That’s what we’re here for. But what do I need to bring you, right? What do I need to bring you? I’ll give you a call. What are you gonna ask me for? What kind of records do I need to produce? What kind of questions are you gonna ask me?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:26:07] Look, we try to make this thing as easy as possible at the beginning. So, we’re just gonna have a conversation. We’ll have a 15-minute conversation. And having done this for a couple of decades now, you get pretty good at it as to what you really need to ask for.

John Ray: [00:26:22] Gotcha.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:26:22] So, within a 15-minute conversation, I’ll know whether you’re performing R&D or not. And then, from there, then I’ll probably have another conversation with your equivalent chief technology officer or whoever it is that person who is leading the efforts on your product development. And then, from there, we’ll probably know how much an estimate of your R&D credit will be. And then, that’s when you can make a decision on whether you want to move ahead with this study or not. So, probably, you’ll look at about an hour of your time and somebody on your team’s time investment at the beginning.

John Ray: [00:27:03] Big ROI in that, Tommy.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:27:07] I think so. I mean, look, so far in 20 years that I’ve done this, about $1.6 billion of credits that I’ve done by myself for my clients. So, it’s not small numbers. These are big numbers. The reason why I’m on here on your show and talking to North Fulton community is that there are so many companies out there that could be taking advantage of this, and I’d love for them to know about it, so they can go after it.

John Ray: [00:27:38] Sure. Now, there’s a nice little thing here that I read in the show notes is that there’s a three-year lookback.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:27:46] Potentially more.

John Ray: [00:27:49] Oh, really?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:27:50] So, we all know that our tax returns are open for three years. So, you file your personal return, you don’t look and get audited for the next three years, so hang on to your records. We recommend seven years longer than that. But there is definitely a three-year lookback, but potentially more. So, it depends on how your business did, what are the different areas of your return that are may still be open to us that we can have a lookback. But technically, if you have been a C corp that has been in losses, I can go back 20 years, and look at that R&D, and say, “Well, before all this happened, many companies were having a stellar year, and they were having record years. So, maybe this year and next year, you’re going to be a taxpayer, so you’re looking at, ‘Okay. What do I need to do to minimize my taxes?'” Well, if you’ve been doing R&D for 20 years, you could have brought it forward to this year or next year and have gotten rid of your tax liability as an example. Yes, we have a minimum three-year lookback, but potentially more.

John Ray: [00:28:53] Wow, that’s big time. When people think back on the taxes they paid in previous years and getting a credit against all that they’ve already paid, that’s got to get folks’ attention. I would think.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:29:08] Real cash savings.

John Ray: [00:29:10] Yeah, for sure. So, is this something that you file at any time, or do you have to wait until filing time for your annual tax return, or how does that work?

Tommy Zavieh: [00:29:23] Yeah, that’s a great question. So, the work can get done at any time, but it will go on your tax return when your tax return gets filed. So, we just passed the 4/15 deadline that got extended to July 15, but those taxpayers are going to be filing in July 15. If you want to file it on time on that return, this is the time to take a look at it. So, I would highly recommend that you think about it whether you want to put on that return. Otherwise, you would have to go and amend your return.

John Ray: [00:29:57] Let me make sure I’ve got this clear. So, this sounds like a kind of a once-in-several-years opportunity here because the deadlines have been pushed back for filing your return that you’ve got some time here that, ordinarily, the deadline would have passed for you to be able to take a look at this like right now and put whatever your findings are, put that into this year’s return.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:30:26] Yeah. So, let me make sure that I’m clear with it with your listeners.

John Ray: [00:30:31] Right. And clear up what I just said. They need to hear you, not my explanation of it. So, go ahead.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:30:38] I joke a lot with my colleagues at work that it’s only one code section, so how could it be so complicated? It really is complicated.

John Ray: [00:30:47] Sure.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:30:48] But let me see if I can simplify the complicated part of it. As long as the statute of limitations is open, you can take advantage of the R&D credit and put on your return, but it would have to be amended. Okay?

John Ray: [00:31:00] Okay.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:31:00] So, that part of it, I think, it’s clear. The uniqueness that we have today is because the tax deadline got extended. And what’s even more unique is that 2016 tax year, that we would have all filed in 2017, that filing period, that statute of limitation would have ended on either March 15 or April 15. That’s the uniqueness that we have that we’ve never had before is that statute of limitation has been extended. So, that year is still open to us.

John Ray: [00:31:33] Oh, wow!

Tommy Zavieh: [00:31:35] So, that’s the opportunity here that if you did a lot of R&D in 2016, and you didn’t know about it, had this been normal times, that statute of limitation would have been closed, and we wouldn’t be able to go back and claim those credits. But now, you can.

John Ray: [00:31:55] Let’s just let that hang there for a bit. That’s pretty awesome news for folks that need to hear it, I think. So, that’s awesome. Tommy Zavieh with Frazier & Deeter. So, I think I need to let you tell people how to get in touch with you because this is some stuff people need to absorb and get in front of the expert like you to get your help. So, let everybody know how they can contact you, Tommy.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:32:27] Sure. So, you can go on to Frazier & Deeter’s website, www.frazierdeeter.com. And then, underneath tax, we have a specific service line, research and development. Go in there, and you can contact us that way, or you can reach me directly on my email at Frazier & Deeter. That’s tommy.zavieh@frazierdeeter.com. Those are the most simplest way.

John Ray: [00:32:52] Sounds like a plan. Tommy Zavieh with Frazier & Deeter. It’s been a pleasure. Thanks for being with us.

Tommy Zavieh: [00:32:58] Thank you for having me on your show.

John Ray: [00:33:00] Yeah, it’s great. So, folks, just a reminder that if you need some help that involves maybe administrative task or bookkeeping, you probably need some bookkeeping help for some of the issues that Tommy mentioned, so you can get your book straight to give your CPA. I’ve got an answer for you that involves picking up the phone and calling Essie Escobedo at Office Angels. They’re not a temp agency or placement firm. They match your business support needs with angels who fly in with talent and experience that’s necessary to help you maintain and grow your business. It’s your terms and your timeline. They lend a hand when needed. And they fly off when the job is done. So, give Essie a call at 770-442-9246. She is awesome. I use her, and she and her angels are truly angelic.

John Ray: [00:33:56] So, folks, just a another little, I’ll say, shameless plug for ourselves, if you want to find our show, you will find it on any of the major podcast apps out there. And that would be Apple. Google, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, Overcast, iHeart Radio, YouTube. We’re on all of them. So, check us out or go to northfultonbusinessradio.com. That’s real quick. And you can find all our shows there with business leaders we’ve had over the years. Now, four years, 220 plus shows with great business leaders like Tommy. You can find our show archive there. Also, connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook, North Fulton BRX on all those social media platforms. So, for my guest, Tommy Zavieh, I’m John Ray. Join us next time here on North Fulton Business Radio.

 

North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Tagged With: Frazier Deeter, John Ray, North Fulton Business Radio, PPP, PPP loan forgiveness, R&D tax credits, research & development tax credits, research and development, tax credits, tax savings, three year lookback, Tommy Zavieh

Back to School – Educational Tax Credits and Benefits

September 5, 2019 by Tom Sheldon

Northeast Georgia Studio
Northeast Georgia Studio
Back to School - Educational Tax Credits and Benefits
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On this “back to school” episode of “The Bottom Line with Jacqueline Sheldon”, hosts Tom and Jacqueline discuss college deductions, school taxes, and other educational credits and benefits available for parents, students and teachers.

Jacqueline & Tom Sheldon/Bottom Line Tax Solutions

Bottom Line Tax Solutions specializes in tax planning and tax resolution. The firm focuses on proactive tax planning and working with their clients throughout the year lower their tax liability and to help them keep more of what they make. Bottom Line Tax Solutions can assist clients who have back tax issues work out payment terms with the IRS, get penalties reduced, and in some cases settle their tax debts for less than what they owe.

Tagged With: educational credits, educational tax credits, jacque sheldon, Jacqueline Sheldon, Student Loan Debt, student tax credits, student taxes, tax benefits, tax credits, teacher tax credits, tom sheldon

Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat: Tommy Zavieh, National Practice Leader, R & D Tax Credits, Frazier & Deeter

July 16, 2019 by John Ray

Business Beat
Business Beat
Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat: Tommy Zavieh, National Practice Leader, R & D Tax Credits, Frazier & Deeter
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Roger Lusby, Karina Flores, and Tommy Zavieh

Show Summary

Only an estimated 40% of business investment eligible for allowable R&D tax credits are claimed on tax filings. Many businesses are potentially missing out, sometimes for sizeable amounts. What are R&D tax credits? To find out if your business qualifies, listen to this interview with Tommy Zavieh, National Practice Leader for R&D Tax Credits, Frazier & Deeter. “Business Beat” is brought to you by Alpharetta CPA firm Frazier & Deeter.

Thomas Zavieh, National Practice Leader, R & D Tax Credits, Frazier & Deeter

Tommy Zavieh, Frazier & Deeter

Tommy Zavieh is the National Practice Leader, R&D Tax Credits for Frazier & Deeter. Tommy started his career as an engineer. When he became a CPA, he joined a Big Four firm in their national practice. Tommy is uniquely qualified to help his clients through his engineering, US and overseas R&D tax expertise. In short, Tommy effectively communicates with both a company’s Engineering and Tax/Finance departments, breaking down the language barriers and providing the most efficient service.

Tommy has over 20 years of professional consulting experience serving clients ranging from start-ups to “Fortune 10” corporations. He has extensive experience in addressing complex business and specialty tax needs (R&D Tax Credit, Section 199 (DPAD), Meals & Entertainment (M&E), Cost Segregation) for a variety of organizations, including automotive, bio-sciences, consumer products, financial services, medical device, oil/gas, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and technology (software and hardware). He has helped his clients receive more than $1 Billion in credits and deductions and successfully defended his client’s claim when audited.

Frazier & Deeter

The Alpharetta office of Frazier & Deeter is home to a thriving CPA tax practice and Employee Benefit Plan Services group. CPAs and advisors in the Frazier & Deeter Alpharetta office serve clients across North Georgia and around the country with services such as personal tax planning, estate planning, business tax planning, business tax compliance, state and local tax planning, financial statement reviews, financial statement audits, employee benefit plan audits, internal audit outsourcing, cyber security, data privacy, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and other regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and more. Alpharetta CPA professionals serve clients ranging from business owners and executives to large corporations.

Roger Lusby, Partner in Charge of Alpharetta office, Frazier & Deeter

Roger Lusby, host of Frazier & Deeter’s “Business Beat,” is an Alpharetta CPA and Alpharetta Office Managing Partner for Frazier & Deeter. He is also a member of the Tax Department in charge of coordinating tax and accounting services for our clientele. His responsibilities include a review of a variety of tax returns with an emphasis in the individual, estate, and corporate areas. Client assistance is also provided in the areas of financial planning, executive compensation and stock option planning, estate and succession planning, international planning (FBAR, SFOP), health care, real estate, manufacturing, technology and service companies.

Find Frazier & Deeter on social media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frazier-&-deeter-llc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrazierDeeter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frazierdeeter

Past episodes of Frazier & Deeter’s “Business Beat” can be found here.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Tagged With: cost segregation, federal tax credits, Frazier & Deeter's Business Beat, Frazier and Deeter, Frazier Deeter, Karina Flores, Path Act, R&D, R&D tax credits, research & development, research & development tax credits, Roger Lusby, ROI, specialty tax needs, state tax credits, tax credits, Thomas Zavieh, Tommy Zavieh

Taxes & Healthcare: How to be Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

February 7, 2019 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio
Gwinnett Studio
Taxes & Healthcare: How to be Healthy, Wealthy and Wise
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Jacqueline Sheldon, Tom Sheldon, Candy Hilliard

Hosts Tom and Jacqueline discuss taxes and healthcare with special guest Candy Hilliard of American Family Protectors.

Candy Hilliard/American Family Protectors

American Family Protectors offers health, life, home and auto insurance to individuals, families, and small business owners. They work with top-rated carriers in the industry and can shop the market for the best possible solutions and rates for their clients. Their approach is to educate clients and then customize the plan to fit the clients specific needs.


Jacqueline & Tom Sheldon/Bottom Line Tax Solutions

Bottom Line Tax Solutions specializes in tax planning and tax resolution. The firm focuses on proactive tax planning and working with their clients throughout the year lower their tax liability and to help them keep more of what they make. Bottom Line Tax Solutions can assist clients who have back tax issues work out payment terms with the IRS, get penalties reduced, and in some cases settle their tax debts for less than what they owe.

Tagged With: Healthcare, healthcare and taxes, jackie sheldon, jacqueline mcmillan, Jacqueline Sheldon, jacqui sheldon, tax advisor, tax credits, tax deductibles, tax laws, taxation, taxes and healthcare, the bottom line, The Bottom Line with Jacqueline Sheldon, tom sheldon

Using State Tax Credits to Reduce Your Income Tax Burden

August 22, 2018 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio
Gwinnett Studio
Using State Tax Credits to Reduce Your Income Tax Burden
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Craig Frankel, Brian Sengson, Peter Stathopoulos, Adam Gaslowitz

Brian Sengson/Bennett Thrasher

Brian Sengson is a Manager in the State and Local Tax practice with Bennett Thrasher. Brian specializes in helping clients reduce their effective state tax rates through multi-state tax planning, state credits, and economic development incentives. Brian also provides state tax consulting for M&A due diligence with an emphasis on income/franchise tax, sales and use tax, and unclaimed property.

Prior to joining the firm, Brian managed the tax litigation practice of a national consulting firm specializing in federal and state tax credits for small/medium sized businesses and Fortune 500 companies. Brian earned his Juris Doctorate with honors at Georgia State University and graduated from Lee University Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Business Management. Brian is a licensed attorney with the State Bar of Georgia, and is a member of the Bar’s Tax Law Section in addition to the American Bar Association (“ABA”).

Peter Stathopoulos/Bennett Thrasher

Peter Stathopoulos is a Partner and leads Bennett Thrasher’s State and Local Tax practice. Peter has been practicing in the area of state and local taxation and economic development incentives since 1993. Peter has extensive experience in helping clients reduce their effective state tax rates through multi-state tax planning and in resolving state tax controversies from the audit level through litigation in state trial and appellate courts.

Prior to joining the firm, Peter was a partner with a national law firm and practiced in the area of state and local tax controversy and litigation. Prior to entering private law practice, Peter was a principal consultant in the multi-state tax consulting practice of a Big Four accounting firm. Prior to joining Big Four accounting, Peter was a tax policy attorney with the Georgia Department of Revenue.

Peter has worked closely with state tax and economic development policy makers to represent the business community’s interests. In 2008, Peter helped draft a portion of the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act as well as legislation that expanded a variety of Georgia tax credits to apply to the broadcasting industry. In 2002, he co-chaired a joint Georgia Department of Revenue/State Bar of Georgia committee that help draft Georgia’s current consolidated income tax return regulations. In 2001, he served on the executive committee of the Business Council of Alabama that helped draft Alabama’s privilege tax scheme. In 1995, he was a tax policy attorney with the Georgia Department of Revenue and led the drafting of regulations for many of Georgia’s current tax credits and acted as a liaison with the Governor’s Economic Development Council.

About Gaslowitz Frankel:

Gaslowitz Frankel is an experienced trial practice firm specializing in all aspects of complex fiduciary litigation throughout Georgia and the Southeast. With a focus on representing individuals, companies, banks, and fiduciaries in dispute involving wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, businesses, and securities law, their experienced and highly qualified litigation attorneys have tremendous credentials and a proven history of success.

CLICK HERE to watch the video of this show.

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Remember to tune in HERE on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 8:30 AM to listen live to their show!

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Tagged With: craig frankel, economic development, Estate Dispute, fiduciary, fiduciary litigation, Gaslowitz Frankel, Georgia Department of Revenue, income tax, Law, Legal, Peter Stathopoulos, Tax, tax burden, tax credits, tax planning

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