Our Financial Services
Tax Services
Financial Planning Services
Wealth Management Services
Tax Planning
Roth Conversion Planning
Using the “Tax Bracket strategy,” our tax professionals (CPAs and Enrolled Agents) create an annual tax plan to help you strategically convert the right amount each year from your traditional IRA or 401K to your Tax-free Roth IRA.
LIRP Planning
A “Life Insurance Retirement Plan” or “LIRP” uses a permanent cash value life insurance policy. Newer permanent life insurance policies allow you to invest your cash value in accounts that participate in the stock/equity markets allowing for much greater growth potential than the old whole life policies. A LIRP is structured differently than traditional life insurance.
Instead of trying to buy as much death benefit for the least amount of premium. We are trying to buy the least amount of death benefit, for the maximum amount of premium that we are allowed to fund inside of the cash value portion of the policy. Allowing us to “overfund” the policy as much as possible to create our Tax-Free life insurance retirement plan.
Most of these plans will provide an accelerated death benefit that provides Long Term Care benefits free of charge for the insured.
Gift/Estate tax planning
We help families plan strategically to use the Gift tax and Estate tax laws to their benefit. Strategic gifting, and estate tax minimization strategies can help couples and families leave a greater tax-free benefit to their loved ones or the charities of their choice.
Business Income tax planning
Tax laws provide many more opportunities for business owners to navigate the tax system. Our financial advisors in Scottsdale and Prescott have tax planning strategies that can benefit profitable business owners.
Business Sale Tax Planning
The sale of your business may be the most significant transaction of your life. Planning for and strategically arranging the sale of your business can make a big difference in the amount of tax you may have to pay. Our Arizona-based financial consultants can help you make the most of your business sale.
Tax Preparation
Individual Tax Preparation
Hosler Wealth Management offers tax preparation services to prepare federal and state tax returns for individuals, couples, and families. Many of our clients love the convenience and the integrated benefits of having a one-stop-shop for all their Tax, Financial Planning, and Investment Management in one place. Our tax professionals in Scottsdale and Prescott can help you formulate an advanced tax planning strategy.
Trust & Estate Tax Preparation
Your revocable living trust does not require a separate tax return from your personal tax return. However, when someone dies, and they have a Trust, it becomes irrevocable and must file its own tax return. Our team of tax professionals prepares Trust and Estate tax returns.
Gift Tax Preparation
You may want to “Gift” some of your private wealth away during your life in order to take advantage of the tax laws available to you. However, gifting may require you to file a Gift tax return. Our financial professionals prepare Gift tax returns for our clients as needed.
S-Corps, LLC’s, Partnerships, C-Corps, & Sole Proprietorships
We prepare tax returns for clients with all kinds of business entities including:
S-corporations, LLC’s, Partnerships, C-corporations, and sole proprietorships. Our qualified team of Enrolled Agent tax accountants are familiar with all these business types.
S-corporations, LLC’s, Partnerships, C-corporations, and sole proprietorships. Our qualified team of Enrolled Agent tax accountants are familiar with all these business types.
Tax Reduction Strategies
“Moving to Tax-Free”
“Moving to Tax-Free” is our signature tax reduction strategy. We help you strategically move (reposition) your assets from taxable, and tax-deferred investment vehicles to “Tax-Free” (Tax exempt) investment vehicles. Many believe that tax rates will rise dramatically in the future. By systematically, and strategically moving your investments, both taxable and Tax-deferred accounts to “Tax-Free” investment accounts, we can dramatically lower your taxes over your lifetime.
Tax Credits
Tax credits can lower your tax liability dollar for dollar (100%). Whereas a tax deduction only lowers your tax obligation by the amount of the tax rate. For example, a tax deduction with a 20% tax rate will only reduce your taxes by 20%. Our tax professionals (CPAs & EAs) help ensure our clients take advantage of all the tax credits available to them.
Tax Deductions
Missing tax deductions can cost you. We are pro-active in helping you claim all of the tax deductions that are rightfully available to you. In Arizona, a good example is that all medical expenses are 100% deductible. If you are just claiming the standard deduction on your federal taxes, you can easily miss the fact that you can still claim and deduct all of your medical expenses. This can amount to a very big, missed opportunity.
1031 Exchanges – DST (Delaware Statutory Trust)
If you have rental real estate and would like to sell and avoid paying the capital gains tax, then a 1031 exchange to a DST (Delaware Statutory Trust) may be your perfect solution. You can avoid recognizing the capital gain, continue to receive tax advantaged “mailbox money” income, and potentially enjoy a 721 exchange into a diversified REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) portfolio of professionally managed commercial real estate, with the ability in just a few years to sell any portion you want without having to sell the amount. This can allow you to control your taxes, income, and potentially allow your beneficiaries to enjoy a full step up in basis at your death and pay zero capital gains tax.
Reverse Mortgage Tax Strategies
We use reverse mortgages with tax planning to provide you with Tax-Free cash flow, combining strategic planning to bunch mortgage interest. Thereby, paying it on our terms to magnify your tax deductions, and protect your stock portfolio in a down market by avoiding sequence of return risk and buffering your draw down. We do not sell reverse mortgages.
Financial Planning Services
Retirement Income Planning
Social Security Claiming Strategies
Using sophisticated software to review your situation’s best social security claiming strategy.
IRA’s & 401(k)’s, Simple Plans, SEP’s, Pension & Benefit Plans
Retirement income planning involves using our state-of-the-art financial planning technology to create a predictable plan that will help provide stable retirement income for your short-term needs (first 10 years). And a maximized growth portfolio to provide for your long-term growth needs to assure you stay ahead of inflation and have enough income to last your entire life in Arizona or anywhere else.
Variable Annuities & Fixed Annuities
Some clients may want the confidence of knowing that their income is guaranteed. Or, that they cannot lose any money inside of their annuity account. Other investments cannot provide the guarantees that an insurance company can provide with an annuity. For safe money, where a guarantee of a worst-case scenario is needed, an annuity may provide that opportunity.
We use and provide fee-based annuities for those who seek to have a fee-based annuity.
Variable Universal Life Insurance
A life insurance retirement plan (LIRP) can potentially provide a Tax-Free income for your lifetime.
Estate Planning
Estate Planning
Estate planning is not just the preparation of your legal documents like a will or trust. It is much more than that. For example, (your IRA or your 401K) are not controlled by your will or your trust. They are controlled by your IRA or 401K beneficiary form. Do not give money from the wrong account to your charities when you die. We help oversee and make sure there is a complete plan dealing with all of your assets. We can help you make sure you do not make a big mistake in this area.
With estate tax exemption amounts looking like they are going lower and lower, many more people will get caught with a taxable estate tax problem going forward.
Estate Tax Planning
Paying estate tax is an election. Generally, only the people who have not planned properly will have to pay an estate “death” tax. Let us make sure you have your ducks in a row, so your family can be sure you will avoid the Estate Tax if possible.
Trust Review
Many people come to us with an outdated old Trust. They may need a review of their current trust to see if it may need to be amended or updated with a new restatement. Our financial advisors in Scottsdale and Prescott work to review your trust for tax and IRA laws as well as other financial planning options that should be considered in the preparation of your trust. In addition, we work with quality Estate planning attorneys to get your trust reviewed or prepared for your specific situation.
Arizona Specific Estate Planning
Arizona is a community property state. Unfortunately, many people do not realize that “Community Property Laws” are tax laws, nor do they understand the ramifications on their estate. Our financial advisors in Scottsdale and Prescott can provide Arizona-specific advice for your property and estate planning.
IRA Beneficiary Trust Planning
In 2014 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled unanimously that inherited IRA accounts do not qualify as retirement accounts. In 2019 the Secure Act was passed, and it killed the “Stretch IRA” which was the ability of your children to take the IRA and stretch the payments out over their remaining life. Now your IRA must be distributed out, and the taxes paid in just 10 years after your death with just a few exceptions. We have excellent planning we can help you implement in this area. Request Bruce’s Whitepaper on the Secure Act.
Wealth Transfer Planning
It would be a shame if you worked and saved your entire life and then when you died the government swooped in and scooped up a large part of the inheritance you thought would go to your family. Because you may not know or understand all the wealth transfer laws; you can blow it and your family can quickly lose some or all the legacy you hoped to leave to them, by simply making a little mistake. We help families avoid such horrible outcomes.
Insurance
Long-Term Care-Asset Based
New ”asset-based” Long-Term Care policies provide protections that old LTC policies do not. Most importantly, premiums can never be increased, and benefits cannot be reduced. Many of them offer a return of premium rider, so you can ask for the majority (80%-100%) of your premium back once the policy is paid in full. If you die, there is a tax-free death benefit that is greater than your premiums, and if you need long-term care, it can provide a big pool that is available to provide for your needs, usually for a number of years. Our financial advisors in Scottsdale and Prescott specialize in helping our clients secure these superior policies if the planning demonstrates that they would be beneficial.
Variable Annuities
Variable annuities can provide you with the opportunity to grow with the full upside of the equity markets, move to safety if you need to, and the ability to provide a joint income for life for a couple similar to a pension with a 100% spousal benefit. This can provide much comfort to those seeking a secure retirement income guarantee.
Fixed Annuities
Fixed annuities can provide safe money solutions without downside risk, as they can protect your principal with a 100% floor. Guaranteed principal protection is the big benefit these policies provide. Some of them can participate in the stock market, and still provide a 100% floor with guaranteed downside protection provided by the insurance company.
Indexed Universal Life
Indexed Universal life policies use equity indexed accounts (Stock Market) that participate in the growth of the market, but not with the loses. The upside may be capped, but the downside is also protected with these types of policies.
Variable Universal Life
Variable annuities can provide access to the full upside of the equity (stock) markets. They offer a variety of sub-accounts which are similar to mutual funds. Sub Accounts can be easily moved from one account to another. They can provide diversification. They can move up and down with the equity markets. They do not have an upside cap on the amount of growth you can experience in one of these accounts. Many people like the ability to diversify the portfolio with fixed accounts, as well as full market participation accounts.
(LIRP) Life Insurance Retirement Plan
A Life Insurance Retirement Plan (LIRP) uses a cash value permanent life insurance policy, usually an Indexed Universal Life policy (not whole life), as the vehicle to create tax-free income in retirement.
It participates in the upside of the Equity (Stock) markets to provide growth up to a cap while still providing a 0% loss floor for downside protection. They can also provide Long-Term care benefits at no additional cost by providing an acceleration of the death benefit for chronic care needs.
These policies are usually used to provide protection from taxation of your taxable accounts like a regular taxable brokerage account or other taxable savings. They do not have contribution limitations like a Roth IRA. In addition, the retirement income generated is tax-free from federal, and state income tax, and does not contribute to “provisional income,” which helps them keep your social security benefits from being taxed.
Wealth Management Services
Fee Based Investment Management & Advisory Services
Fee Based Portfolio Management
Our Arizona team of Wealth Managers works primarily as fee-based independent objective investment managers. We mainly use institutional mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, and bonds. Generally, our funds are “NTF” – “no transaction fee.” Meaning they do not charge our clients a fee when we buy or sell shares.
Our priority in our investment management is to create stable, secure income ladders for your income needs and maximize growth portfolios for long-term growth. We can maximize growth by avoiding the “potholes.” We have found we can make more money avoiding the wrong asset classes than picking the best stocks.
It is all about asset allocation. Our financial advisors in Scottsdale and Prescott intentionally avoid specific asset classes and overweight the asset classes we want to invest in. As independent financial advisors, we select and use only the best-of-class portfolio managers.
College Funding - 529
529 plans have become the number one method of saving for college for most families in Phoenix and Arizona in general. They can provide tax-deferred growth and can now be used flexibly for schooling other than college. In the state of Arizona, you can also receive a tax deduction for contributing to a 529 plan.
Investment Vehicles
Mutual Funds & ETF’s
Our Arizona-based financial advisors use institutional mutual funds that are generally “NTF” (no transaction fee) and may be actively or passively managed. ETFs provide diversification and avoidance of capital gains recognition on taxable accounts. You can trust Hosler Wealth Management advisors to provide reliable investment management services in Scottsdale and Prescott.
Buffered ETFs
We use buffered ETFs to provide clients with some downside protection on equity accounts.
Individual Stocks and Bonds
We generally hold and use institutional mutual funds, and ETFs, but we will use individual stocks and bonds when appropriate, or when the opportunity demands it.
Fixed & Variable Insurance Products
Insurance products such as annuities and life insurance policies can provide protection levels and guarantees that other investment vehicles cannot provide. Additionally, they can provide enhanced tax treatment as well as provide powerful benefits when used in combination with other investment vehicles.
REIT’s
Real Estate investment trusts provide access to the real estate markets in a diversified manner; allowing individual investors to participate in the ownership benefits of a diversified portfolio of Class A real estate properties spread around the country they would never be able to own otherwise.
These investments can provide diversification to your portfolio by adding real estate in a manner that is beneficial for most investors.
Income Ladders & Growth
Sequence of Return Risk
We use a ‘buckets of money’ approach in structuring your income in retirement. This allows us to protect our clients from the number one risk to your retirement. Sequence-of-return risk. When equity or fixed income markets take a big drop early in your retirement, your portfolio can fail when subjected to your income withdrawals while at the same time, your investments are losing value. Your portfolio can not survive in such scenarios. That is why you must use a ‘buckets of money’ approach to provide protection against sequence-of-return risk.
Fixed Income ladders
Our financial consultants create income ladders in 5-year increments. These income ladders help our investment advisors provide some downside protection to our clients when the equity and bond markets take a severe drop like in 2008 and in 2022. In addition, we create income ladders that provide for stable income over the first 10 years of your retirement. This income ladder separates your income withdrawal from your growth accounts, which can be subject to a significant drop in value.
Maximized Growth Portfolios
You will need growth in your long-term investments in order to provide protection against future inflation. This cannot be achieved in the fixed income markets. You will need growth provided by the equity/stock markets. These long-term growth accounts can be allowed to be volatile because we have a stable income ladder providing the current income for the next 10 years. The long-term growth portfolio is then able to grow without fear of sequence- of-return risk as we will not be needing any income from this portfolio for 10 years.
