Check out our first newsletter of 2018!
JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2018
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Advance Your Master Plan
It’s the new year, and winter is coming— and I don’t mean January-February snowstorms. Roslyn and I had the privilege of hanging out with Tony Robbins at a private cocktail hour with around 20 other people. Tony shared his idea of winter, and his version is more along the line of a cold financial season. I recently read his new book, “Unshakeable,”where he talks in depth about corrections and crashes from the tech bubble burst in the late ‘90s, the stock market plunge in 2001, and the housing market crash in 2008. He shares the steps to take, and how to prepare, for the next financial winter. At the cocktail hour, I asked himwhen he thought the next winter was coming. Now before you get nervous about what that means for you and your business, let me share that I had my tax resolution company during all of those “winters” I mentioned above, and that’s when business soared. I coined a phrase early on in my tax resolution career that went like this: “Bad is good and good is bad,”meaning the worse off the economy or the taxpayer’s financial condition are, the better the settlement or ‘deal’ the IRS was willing to accept. Although Tony talked a lot about “winter,”he also emphasized that “spring” always follows. Tony points out in his book that since 1946, there have been 14 major bear markets. On average, they last about a year, followed by a strong surge in stocks and the S&P 500. So it’s not if, but when, the next economic downturn hits. Be prepared and embrace it, knowing“spring” is right around the corner. You might be wondering how I had the opportunity to hang out with Tony Robbins. It just so happens that one of my coaches, Dean Graziosi, from the mastermind group I’m a member in, is friends with Tony Robbins. Dean asked Tony if he would join our mastermind group at a special cocktail hour during our annual conference. What can I say? It was very cool hanging out with him. He shared so many amazing stories about some of the people he’s met in his life, and this man has met almost everyone. Besides the upcoming winter — seasonal and otherwise — I’m also opening up my mastermind group for 2018, as I have three seats available. I will be going into my fourth year of putting on a mastermind, and it’s very exciting for me to see the leaps, bounds, and life-altering results so many of the
Michael and Roslyn with Tony Robbins
members have made in their lives and businesses. But even with three exciting years of holding mastermind meetings behind us, Roslyn and I are always looking for ways to bring more value to this select group. And with the upcoming 2018 year, I’m ready to switch it up for my PlatinumMastermind Group. Not only will I be sharing all of my marketing and sales secrets I used to go from $0 to $23 million a year in revenues, but I’m also going to include methods, strategies, and processes for workflowmanagement and technical proficiency. After all, I personally worked on over 2,000 tax resolution cases during a span of 16 years. The real beauty of a mastermind group is that members won’t just get to talk to us about their businesses — they get to talk to each other. Basically, the mastermind group will give you a behind-the-curtain look at 15 different practices in the tax resolution services industry. Each of them rely on different business techniques, sales models, and marketing strategies, and have experienced their fair share of success. People who are selected to join the group have already experienced success in tax resolution, but want more. What normally takes someone years to achieve can be done in 12 months because you are no longer trying to reach your goals alone. In a mastermind group, you’re surrounded by like-minded individuals
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
BY ROSLYN ROZBRUCH
Take a Look Back
“
Before you look ahead at 2018, I say take a look
It’s a new year — have you made your resolutions yet? I’ve found most people don’t really write out a list of New Year’s resolutions. I sure don’t, although I’m always working at improving something in my life. But even if you’re like me, it’s natural to think about what you might want to change in the upcoming year. Losing weight and working out are the most common January resolutions, especially after a season of indulgence.
back and reflect on 2017.
before it’s printed. I can’t talk that way or I’d look like a crazy woman. I haven’t hit my goal of speaking before our group, or any other group for that matter, except for the people in Toastmasters and introducing Michael at our Success Summit in August. It’s uncomfortable for me to speak in front of people who aren’t my personal friends. One of my fears is that what I’m saying is going to be boring. Sometimes when I meet someone new, I talk fast and finish my thought before they can yawn. I wasn’t always this uneasy talking to people. It’s more like I’m out of my league. I’m not hanging around my usual group of people, and it’s uncomfortable. But, I’ve learned a lot this past year while going to Toastmasters. I like the people in the group, they like me, and no one has ever fallen asleep when I was up at the podium. I’m not sure when I will have the confidence to talk before a different group of people, but I will continue to work toward that goal. I know I’ve made progress this year, and I keep showing up to improve on this speaking thing.
Before you look ahead at 2018, I say take a look back and reflect on 2017. The end of the year is a perfect time for reflection and to think about not just what you haven’t accomplished, but what you’re most proud of accomplishing this past year. What wonderful surprises did you experience personally and professionally? What adversity did you come up against, and how did you handle it? What changes have you made, what risks did you take? Not every year in your life is going to be monumental. But I’d be hard-pressed to think nothing happened that you can look back upon and feel good about in the last year of your life. So, give yourself a moment to think about everything you’ve gone through, and congratulate yourself on any successes you had, challenges you overcame, or changes you made. Sometimes we are so busy looking toward the future, or so distracted in the moment, that we don’t take the time to see where we’ve been, and acknowledge our hard work or accomplishments. Let’s face it — when you set a goal and don’t hit the mark, there’s disappointment, and then the focus is on what didn’t happen, instead of on the fact that something happened. For example, I joined Toastmasters a little over a year ago for several reasons. One was to give a talk in front of the mastermind group Michael and I belong to and share something of value, because you’re supposed to contribute in our group. I am a writer and more comfortable behind the scenes. If I don’t like something I’ve written, I can cross it out 100 times and rewrite it
Overall, as I look back on my 2017, I would say it was amazing for the most part, and I can’t believe how fast
the year went. As you embark on 2018, think about what you’d like to accomplish in the year ahead. Remember to take a moment to look back at 2017 and congratulate yourself for all you’ve already accomplished.
–Roslyn Rozbruch
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PRACTICE CORNER FROM THE
BY MICHAEL ROZBRUCH
Senate and House Republicans recently agreed in principle on the final new tax reform bill. People who plan on buying homes in 2018 in “high-rent” districts across the country will be hurt the most by this bill by paying more in federal taxes than they would have in 2017. As I write this, it is not law yet, but if it passes in its current form, this is what you can expect some of the major provisions to be: mortgage interest deductions limited
singles, and $24,000 for joint filers, and the AMT (finally!) would only kick- in for individuals earning at least $500,000 and for couples earning at least $1,000,000. The bill also has major benefits for corporations, with the corporate income tax rate going down to 21 percent from 35 percent. The agreement would also allow deductions for pass-through entities whose owners pay taxes based on individual tax rates. The Bill is still in flux and may change some more.
to interest on the first $750,000 of indebtedness. The Senate and House deal that’s on the table would allow taxpayers to choose a property tax deduction or a deduction for state and local income taxes, up to $10,000 in total combined. Initially they wanted to eliminate the state and local income tax deduction altogether and cap the property tax deduction on the first $10,000 of property taxes. .
The bottom line of all of this means more money and more business for us. The IRS will continue to send out millions of incorrect, collection and exam computer- generated notices, and even more so once the bill becomes law, which taxpayers will need to defend and get resolved. There will be another 750,000– 1,000,000 new tax problem clients added to the existing 14,000,000 who are already in collection and who need professional representation. One thing we can all count on is change. Embrace it and profit from it!
On the bright side, the bill will reduce the top individual tax rate to 37 percent from 39.6 percent. The standard deduction will nearly double to $12,000 for
–Michael Rozbruch
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PETER MARCHIANO, CPA SPOTLIGHT: MEMBER
Peter Marchiano is a devoted family man who loves to help people. Both qualities are clearly on display in his journey from tax accountant to tax resolution expert. Peter was already doing tax resolution for more than a decade when he met Michael two years ago at a conference in Nashville. “I was an accountant who did tax returns, not really knowing that it was tax resolution I was doing. I was just trying to help people with IRS problems. I didn’t know there was an actual tax resolution niche until I met Michael. What really sold me on tax resolution was Mike himself — and my instincts were correct.” Just two weeks after the Nashville conference, Peter and Jeanne, his wife of 25 years, faced their biggest challenge when their 17-year-old son was killed in a freak accident. Peter says it set him back about a year, but adds, “Once I got myself going again, the biggest problem I had was time management. I didn’t have any structure to what I was doing.” Peter says one thing he has benefited from learning from Michael is to implement systematic procedures. “Having a system is a must because there’s no other way to keep track of things,” he explains. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t know what stage the case is in.” Peter is also having success using Michael’s system for doing the mini 433A during client-intake meetings. Where it was a three-step process before, after filling out a mini 433A, he can quote fees and sign clients in just one meeting. Peter reports that he was able to have $20,000 in penalties abated for a client recently, and he is now working on an offer in compromise for another client that should settle a $173,000 tax liability for $21,000.
Peter’s other success story is learning to charge what his services are worth. Early in his tax resolution business, he placed a client who owed $170,000 into “currently not collectible” status. His fee? $500. “I would have charged $5,000 for that today,” Peter says. “Michael has opened my eyes to the money that can be made in this business.” It’s a good thing Peter has organized his practice to maximize income and free up his time. After the death of their son, Peter and his wife added two more children to their family (which includes a 13-year-old daughter, a golden retriever, and a cat), their son’s 3-year-old daughter and her 2-year-old brother. “The kids were put into foster care, so I took them in,” Peter explains. “It’s quite a difference from the first year after we lost my son. We had a dreary house, which was just me, my wife, and our daughter. Now we have the two grandchildren, so it’s a lively place now.”
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“Advance Your Master Plan” article continued from cover ...
who have their own advice to share, helping you achieve success of your own. Mastermind groups act as an incredible “life hack”for both your business and your personal well-being. After joining a mastermind, people find themselves eating better, feeling healthier, helpingmore people, and becoming more connected to their community, in addition to taking their practices to new heights at unprecedented rates. Why am I so confident mastermind groups are worth the investment? Because I’ve been involved with groups like these as far back as when I startedmy tax resolution services company. At the time, I made it my business to attend every event in the country and associate myself with top people in the field, so I could learn from them. Over 20 years later, I’m one of those top people, and connecting with other successful individuals is how I got here. And as mentioned above, I’m still involved with a lot of them. Beyond the knowledge I’ve gained, mastermind groups have ledme tomaking truly great friends. They’re the kind of folks who have a similar mentality, understand what you’re going through, and want to really help and support you. I really
enjoy being around that crowd. People say your income is the average of the five people with whom you spendmost of your time. If you are spending time around successful individuals, how do you think that impacts your income and your life? At the end of the day, I want to help people improve themselves. If you believe joining a mastermind group could help you in some way, and you are serious about rolling up your sleeves and takingmassive action, I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough pull to get Tony Robbins to speak at one of my meetings, but I do plan to have speakers who will help members with their specific needs. One of the best things I have ever done for myself was to joinmy first mastermind. If you would like more information, please contact Becky or Sue, and they can send you the Platinum
Mastermind Group Assessment and Application form to complete to see if this might be a good fit for you! –Michael Rozbruch
NEW MEMBER BENEFIT JUST ADDED!!! The last several months, we’ve been talking about my Master Class training and the formal launch of our new product called The Audit Protection Plan System and Toolkit (APP), which was launched on Nov. 9. At the same time we launched the APP, we also created and launched a brand-new resource and support member’s website for that product called the Audit Protection Network (APN). Many of our members in the Roz Strategies Insider’s Circle either invested in the APP on Michael’s live Nov. 9 webcast training or previously purchased it this year. For any of our members already in the Roz Strategies Insider’s Circle who purchased the APP , and as long as you remain a member in good standing, you will receive the membership for the Audit Protection Network for FREE (which is a $99 per month value).
Some of the benefits of the Audit Protection Network are as follows:
We offer this new Insider’s Circle member benefit because we are always looking at ways to add value to your membership and help you succeed! If you are a member and haven’t purchased the APP and would like to know more about it, as well as receive the new member benefit, please contact Becky or Sue by email at info@RozStrategies.com or call 888-670-0303.
A library with dozens of IRS template response letters
A private Facebook forum to share ideas and content
A support resource “contact us” line to answer your questions
The authorized “Defend and Resolve” logo to use in your marketing materials.
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S H O U T
Congratulations to Carlos Guaman for your interview on a Spanish news station in Southern California. That’s great exposure for your company — Thank you Jacob Farrier for sending us a picture from the interview, and for propping up the Member’s Binder in the background. We appreciate that you used it as one of your props! High-fives to Joshua Dixon and Dana Ronald for sending out your Tax Resolution Times newsletters. Congratulations to Randell Martin . He mailed 714 letters to people with notices of federal tax liens filed against them. On the first mailing, he was retained by a new a tax res client for $5,650, and he got retained on a second client from on the same list for $5,800. The mailing, in total, cost him about $400. That’s a 29 to 1 return on his investment! Amazing! Randall also sent out his brochures and retained a client for an audit (that converted into a tax res engagement), who in turn referred another prospect who will become a tax res client.
Kudos to: Sherry Borshoff , Carlos Perozo , Kenneth Mullinax , Brian Gold , Steve Rosenbaum , Ray Fatland , Debbie Hylander Andrey Zahariev , Tom Bass Eduardo Azoy , Kathy Dienhart , George Leddicotte , and Tommy Brown for sharing that you printed and mailed your brochure and client sales letters for your Audit Protection Plan! And a special thank-you to Eduardo Azoy for translating the brochure to Spanish and sharing it with other APN members! Also, to Noel Lorenzana for not only making an awesome promo video to promote your Audit Protection Plan, but for sharing it with other APN members to use! Do you have a story or picture to share with us on something you’ve implemented, a client you helped with a tax problem, or anything else? If you do, email it to info@ RozStrategies.com , so we can give a Shout-Out to you!
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O U T S !
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11271 Ventura Blvd #612 Studio City, CA 91604 Inside This Issue pg 1 ∙
Advance Your Master Plan
pg 2 ∙ As I See It pg 3 ∙
From the Practice Corner
pg 4 ∙ Member Spotlight pg 5 ∙ Check Out Our New Member Benefit pg 6 ∙ Shout-Outs! pg 8 ∙ IRS Terror Tale of the Month
IRS Terror Tale of the Month Terrible Nurse Takes More Than Her Patients’ Blood
The IRS determined Lawson-Brown had filed over $1 million in fraudulent claims. Although the IRS was able to detect and deny many of the fraudulent returns, refunds of roughly $141,790 were disbursed. In the trial, the government presented evidence that showed the fraudulent refunds were deposited into multiple bank accounts controlled by Lawson-Brown. The former nursed used her ill-gotten gains to pay her mortgage, car repairs, and other personal expenses. After a three-day trial, Lawson-Brown was convicted of wire fraud, theft of government funds, possession of unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for early January. Lawson-Brown faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, a maximum of 10 year in prison for each theft of government funds and possession of unauthorized access device counts, and a consecutive two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft. Attempting to cheat the IRS is bad enough, but Lawson-Brown’s criminal activity becomes particularly despicable when you remember she took advantage of elderly and disabled patients who relied on her for care. Florence Nightingale would be ashamed.
It takes a special kind of person to be a nurse. Caring for sick and aging members of our community is a noble profession, and nurses deserve more
recognition than they often receive. Recently, the Internal Revenue Service recognized Tangela Lawson-Brown, a 41-year- old nurse fromMidway, Florida. Although the IRS didn’t acknowledge Lawson-Brown for her outstanding patient care. Instead, they brought charges against her for stealing patient’s identities, from the nursing home she worked at, and filling fraudulent returns and absconding with the refund. In January 2013, following the arrest of Lawson-Brown’s husband, the Tallahassee Police Department seized items from her vehicle. Among the items, they discovered a notebook which contained personal identity information for over 150 people. An investigation conducted by the IRS found income tax returns were filed in 2011 for 105 of the people in the book. Of those 105 individuals, 24 were patients at a nursing home where Lawson-Brown had been employed from October 2011 to December 2012. Many of the fraudulent tax returns were filed within days of a patient arriving at the nursing home.
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