Monthly Archives: March 2024

FEATURE

Becoming Debt Free for Life with Tracey Spikes, CLU, FICF (Ep 45)

Finance, , ,

For countless Americans, debt is the most significant problem preventing them from living the life they want and retiring comfortably.

If you stay awake at night stressing about your mortgage and student loans, you’re not alone. Luckily, there are better ways to pay off debt than Dave Ramsey’s strict ‘debt snowball’.

In this eye-opening episode of Your Financial Advocate, host Greg DuPont is joined by Tracey Spikes, Sr. Executive Distribution and Development Officer of the SMART Advisor Network. Tracy illuminates the path to financial liberation through the Debt Free for Life program, sharing insights from personal experience and professional practice.

Tracey discusses:

  • The psychological aspects of debt and its ramifications on financial health
  • His personal experience paying of a staggering $600,000 in debt in just six and half years
  • The differences between effective interest cost and APR
  • An inside look at how the Debt Free for Life program crafts bespoke solutions aligning with individual fiscal circumstances
  • And more!

Connect With Tracey Spikes

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About Our Guest

Tracey Spikes believes debt and taxes are two of the greatest detractors to wealth accumulation and spendable income that Americans face today. He’s studied income in America extensively and came to the shocking conclusion that well over 50% of what we earn over our lifetime goes to paying taxes and/or interest.

It’s for these reasons he uses the Smart Advisor Tools suite of software that includes Debt Free 4 Life™️ and Tax Smart 4 Life™️ as part of his advisory work with clients, and trains similarly-minded advisors.

DF4L is a debt elimination app utilizing risk management based products, like life insurance, to modify a “snowball” approach to debt elimination and cash flow management.

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FEATURE

The Power of Real Estate Investing with Taylor Vick, CFA (Ep 44)

Finance, Taxes,

Real estate is one of the most popular forms of investment. It offers a variety of benefits, such as income generation, capital appreciation, tax efficiency, and diversification.

However, real estate investing also comes with its own challenges, such as finding the right properties, managing them effectively, and navigating the complex legal and financial aspects.

That is why investors must be well educated in this field in order to provide the proper guidance to their clients.

Greg DuPont sits down with Taylor Vick, Managing Director at Blue Ridge Asset Management, to explore the ins and outs of real estate investing. Taylor shares his expertise on various types of real estate investments and the benefits of using self-directed IRAs. He also covers strategies for leveraging tax benefits to enhance investment returns.

Taylor discusses:

  • The wealth-building potential and steady income real estate offers
  • The liquidity aspect of real estate investments
  • The tax advantages of real estate investment
  • Exploring asset management, 1031 exchanges, and diversification strategies for real estate investments
  • Insights on real estate deals in the current market with higher interest rates and strategies for future potential refinancing
  • Incorporating real estate into trusts for estate planning to transfer valuable assets and minimize estate taxes
  • And more!

Connect With Taylor Vick:

Connect with Gregory DuPont:

About Our Guest:

Taylor Vick has pursued a passionate commitment to the real estate investment community in and around the upstate for decades. Obtaining his CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation, Taylor continued to drive his passion for real estate investing at a high level pursuing the most advanced training, traveling the globe attending industry-leading conferences, and continuing to stay at the leading edge of the investment world each and every day. His tenacity for reaching industry-leading milestones for Blue Ridge has shown year after year, including an increasingly growing total of $150+ million in real estate funds managed.

As Principal and Managing Director, Taylor has a wide range of industry expertise and involvement including private company investments, acquisitions, commercial loans, agency debt, insurance company loans, non-recourse financings, 1031 exchanges, leases with purchase options, originating mortgage notes to buyers, receiving mortgage notes from sellers, contract assessments and equity cash-out refinancing among a variety of strategies that lead the industry in both performance and success.

Taylor’s success is not only driven by the impressive numbers, tenacity, and hunger to lead the industry but in the relational side of Blue Ridge. With an investor-first mindset, Taylor prioritizes investor relationships as the foundation of Blue Ridge’s advancement in the industry and the ever-growing investor client list is proof of his unwavering relational commitment.

You can also find Taylor involved heavily in supporting local community missions, organizations, and events as his local roots remain strong in supporting the upstate’s growth surge sustainably.

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