Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below
You don’t have to be Floyd “Money” Mayweather to find yourself in significant tax trouble thanks to self-employment income or a one-time windfall.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather’s upcoming bout against UFC mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, who is making his boxing debut, stands to make Mayweather a minimum of $100 million, according to Boxing Scene writer Keith Idec. However, if he meets several of the clauses in his contract, that figure could swell to nearly $400 million.
According to the folks at Law 360, however, at least a portion of that will go toward paying for back taxes. Despite making $700 million during his career, Mayweather has asked for “a short-term installment agreement of under three months” to pay an amount that the Associated Press has pegged at $22,238,255. Reporter Oskar Garcia even posted the Internal Revenue Service lien against Mayweather on Twitter for context: (see article). Back in 2015, Mayweather had earned $250 million in his fight against Manny Pacquiao. Shomari Hearn points out that there are several factors that can make a tax lien that large: “Owing more than $22 million for the 2015 tax year means that the amount that’s on the tax lien includes a bunch of penalties and interest charges as well,” he says. “If you underpay your tax liability for self-employment income, you need to cover at least 100% of the expected tax liability for that year or 110% of the previous year’s liability to avoid penalties and interest.”
Hearn notes that self-employed workers or people who come into a windfall (lottery winnings, sale of a business, etc.) typically run afoul of tax issues similar to those Mayweather is facing. If they’re unaware that a percentage needs to be withheld for tax purposes, or are used to any employer or human relations department walking them through tax withholdings, they could find themselves staring down a tax assessment and lien of their own. It’s important to do tax projections to see how much you could potentially pay in taxes, and begin setting aside a portion of your income. If you know funds are going to be coming in then act. If you find yourself in Mayweather’s position then consider these three actions. “First, keep all correspondence you receive from the IRS about how much you owe. Second, hold on to a copy of the tax return from the year or years in question and see what you reported and/or what you’re underreporting. Finally, figure out how much is due and a way to pay that balance off that’s within your budget. Also, if possible, have a plan in place for the current year so your earnings aren’t in similar peril around the same time next year.” Whether you agree with our current tax system or not, it’s important to pay your taxes and avoid unnecessary penalties and the stress of the IRS. Consider consulting with a tax attorney for relief, and at the same time get with a qualified accountant or tax specialist to see if there’s any way to take advantage of the tax incentives that are built into the law. Personally, I examine at least 50 tax returns per year when I’m analyzing credit. The consistent theme I see is that the truly rich limit their tax liability, and yet still have plenty of income.
Ask any copywriter to name their biggest challenge today, and ten to one will tell you it’s writing for the ever-shrinking attention span. Whether we really do have shorter attention spans than goldfish, as the news tells us, or we’re just lazier, there’s no denying our tolerance for lengthy, complicated text has nosedived in recent years. For those in the business of writing cold emails every day, this is a constant source of frustration. It’s hard enough to get a potential buyer past the subject line of a message, so it’s downright disheartening to know that when you do, there’s no guarantee someone will read to the end. How many of us simply glance at a long email and quickly move on, or sometimes need a dictionary to understand a pitch? Have you ever received an email that felt more appropriate for a creative-writing class than a business relationship? These mistakes aren’t exclusive to sales, but they’ll sabotage a cold email in mere seconds. To keep your potential customers reading and your chances of closing a deal higher, follow these five easy copywriting strategies: Assume your reader is lazy, keep sentences short, use simple words, tear down walls of text, and write to a mobile audience. As the world transitions to a more visual form of communication, writing will still have value, but writers will need to be able to be more clear and effective with the words they use. In helping a friend design her blog, I even suggested that she simply type a sentence, and include a video link at the bottom. You should understand that because your audience is more mobile, the attention span will be shorter, and you must account for other business owners wanting to make their presence seen in the global marketplace. In your communication keep it short and effective but know your audience. Remember that your words have power, but your reputation does too. The stronger your relationship is with the audience, or your recipient, the more likely the person is to read your words.
Going forward, the weekly blog will be posted on Saturdays. I’m currently writing and reading new articles so thank you for your patience.
If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.
This week, I’ve included RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN – Best Motivational Video for Success in Life & Study 2017 from the Be Inspired YouTube channel.
“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”
Proverbs 28:26 MSG
Pursuit of Excellence 
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