Larry The Wise CPA | Tax | Finance | Wealth

My view of taxes completely changed.

I spent 19 years thinking tax planning was compliance work.
File on time. Pay what you owe. Done.

Then I watched two athletes do the same work.
Put in the same hours.
Built the same following.

One walked away with $97k after tax.
The other? $381k.

Same effort. Different structure.
Here's what I learned.

DEAL A: $200K ENDORSEMENT ✍️

Looks like a win.
Feels like a win.
Then the math hits.

Taxed as ordinary income + self-employment tax:
→ Agent & expenses: -$20k
→ Tax bill: -$82k
→ You keep: $97k

Effective rate: 41% gone before you spend a dollar.

DEAL B: EQUITY STAKE 📊

10% ownership in a brand.
You sell later for $500k.
Taxed as long-term capital gains:

→ Tax bill: -$119k
→ You keep: $381k

Effective rate: 24%.

Four times more money in your pocket from the same amount of work.

The tax code rewards ownership.
Endorsement checks get hit hard.
Equity gets preferential treatment.

You're already building value for brands.
Stop getting paid like an employee.
Start getting paid like an owner.

Ask for equity when you're at the table.
Structure your deals through an entity.
Build wealth that compounds, not income that disappears.

Every dollar you save in taxes is a dollar working for you for decades.

Like & share if you're done leaving money on the table 💰

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