Bill Zumwalt's (teamzumwalt) Blog

Debbie my wife and I volunteer for Tulsa Boxer Rescue by putting on an informal ball each year. Last year’s party “Boots, Barbeque and Boxers” raised over $17,000. But did you know what volunteering expenses are deductible as itemized deductions? · Travel, meals, and entertainment related to volu...

This is a much earlier blog I wrote that set my personal record for most read.  Thought I would run it again for those who missed it! I’m sure you all know that you can only deduct $25 for a client gift. This is a real problem when someone just bought a home from you for $500,000! How can you get...

A few years ago Debbie and I were looking at health insurance premiums that were out of control. $1,500 per month was certainly in our near future. That’s when we looked into a Health Savings Account. Health Savings Accounts have some of the same characteristics as an IRA. First step is to find a...

Most agents I know will take the time at the beginning of each year to develop a marketing plan. Within this plan is the goal of how many houses they would like to sell for the year. Other items will include the testing of advertising to see what produces the most leads. And how many of those lea...

I am asked quite often about whether an agent should lease or buy a car. The answer is never easy as it should be. In another life time I was the CFO at Thrifty Rent-a-Car and we owned a leasing company that leased to fleets as well as individuals. Leasing a car has many advantages. One is that y...

April 15 is almost here, and many of you are still scrambling to get your returns ready to file. Here's a collection of fun quotes to help you "sprint to the finish" this tax season: "Another difference between death and taxes is that death is frequently painless." Anonymous "A fine is a tax for ...

If you have just found out that you owe lots of money to the IRS let me help you out.  Use a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP’s) as they are like “super-IRAs” that let you contribute more than the usual $5,000 IRA limit. They resemble profit sharing plans except you make contributions to individu...

Well the Democrats, I mean the Senate, by a 50 to 49 vote has a budget for next year. The vote took place in the predawn hour. As you might expect, the budget calls for an increase in taxes of over $1 trillion over the next decade. It also protects a lot of domestic programs targeted for cuts by ...

The other day I received an email from a young lady who has been following my blog.  She requested to write a guest blog and after reading it I decided to share with you.  Thanks Sarah! By Sarah Parr RealtyTRAC recently reported that the total number of foreclosure filings has decreased in recent...

Last night Adam Levine and his band Maroon 5 were in Tulsa for a concert. What a fabulous concert it was. At times I couldn’t tell if I was hearing young girl’s squealing or it was Adam’s falsetto. I took my staff and three of their children who were 7, 9, and 12 years old to the festivities.  Lo...