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Taxes are a powerful tool when it comes to building wealth. While most people view taxes as something that takes money out of their pocket, I view taxes as the fastest way to put money in your pocket. Over the last several weeks, I have been sharing how to create habits that enable you to use your taxes to build your wealth. Here are the habits I have shared so far: Habit #1: Avoid tax advice that is for the general population Habit #2: View every day as an opportunity to reduce your taxes Habit #3: Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today Habit #4: Use your bookkeeping as an every day tool to reduce your taxes This week I’m sharing the final habit in this list: Habit #5: Think about all the tax rates available to you What’s your tax rate? Some people may be able to answer this off the top of their head. When they do, they are probably thinking about their personal effective tax rate – which is their average tax rate. It’s pretty rare that someone is aware of all the tax rates available to them. Understanding ALL of the tax rates available to you is a great way to identify opportunities to reduce your taxes. Individuals, in all countries, typically have several tax rates which usually include: Tax rate on earned income Tax rate on ordinary income Tax rate on investment income (such as dividend income or capital gains) Which tax rate applies to you usually depends on the type of income you have. This is where thinking about your tax rates as a habit can really payoff. In the U.S., tax rates can range from 0% to 40% and sometimes even higher. If you are able to change the type of income you have from one that is taxed at 25% to one that is taxed at 15%, you've just eliminated 10% of your tax – permanently! The reason this must be a habit is because this type of planning must be done before the transaction takes place – sometimes even years before!A great example of this came up in my monthly tax coaching teleconference last week. A real estate investor shared a deal he has had in the works for a few years. He was now at a point where he was making a decision about the direction of this investment. I was really excited when he explained his situation because I knew there was huge opportunity with changing the type of income the deal would produce and that would lead to a much lower tax rate. I shared with him how he could reduce his tax rate on his deal by up to 25%. Beyond Your Tax Rates To take this planning to the next level, consider not just your tax rates but the tax rates of others. For example, entities can have their own tax rates. If the entity’s tax rate is less than the individual’s tax rate, there is opportunity for tax savings. Make it a habit to think about ALL of the tax rates available to you! The reason this must be a habit is because this type of planning must be done before the transaction takes place – sometimes even years before! Success Resources: http://www.srpl.net/
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