What if the IRS had more than one door, and walking through the right one could erase millions in tax debt?

Most people think the IRS has one door and one answer. Ben Golden and returning guest Ray Jordan, COO of Golden Tax Relief, know better.

In this episode they walk through six real doors the IRS can open, from a partial payment plan that expired a $4 million payroll debt to an offer in compromise that settled half a million for $15,000. They cover currently non-collectible status, audits nobody is immune from, and what to do when the IRS files a return for you and gets it wrong.

If you owe the IRS, or worry you might, these strategies could be the difference between losing your business and keeping it. Listen now.

[00:02:13] Why the IRS has more than one door, and why that changes everything

[00:03:49] The backdoor strategy that beats the IRS at its own clock

[00:05:15] How a $5.4 million payroll debt became a $12,000 a month problem

[00:06:05] The moment a $4 million tax debt is set to simply expire

[00:09:15] Why an offer in compromise is harder than passing through the eye of a needle

[00:14:33] The status that stops IRS collection without erasing what you owe

[00:15:06] What happens when the IRS files your return and says you owe $2.9 million

[00:22:57] How a Maui client said aloha to nearly half a million in debt

[00:28:43] The one piece of the equation almost everyone misses on an OIC

[00:32:51] Why even a CPA with great records still got audited

[00:44:28] The 1,000 pages that turned a $43,000 bill into $2,500

[00:46:49] When the IRS gets it flat wrong, and how one return saved 67%

Ray Jordan is the Chief Operating Officer of Golden Tax Relief and IRS Trouble Solvers, where he oversees day-to-day operations and is often the first person a frightened client talks to. A graduate of Auburn University, Ray came to tax resolution after years in the hospice and logistics industries, driven by a passion for helping people through their most stressful IRS problems. He is based at the firm's Thomasville, Alabama headquarters.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website

Connect with Ben: LinkedIn

Connect with Golden Tax Relief: Website | LinkedIn

Request a consultation: Schedule a FREE Tax Evaluation

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The Financially FAT Podcast is an original production hosted by Ben Golden. Brought to you by Golden Tax Relief. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What if you never had to wait on another referral to fill your calendar?

Most tax and financial pros grow the same slow way Ben did, one referral at a time, hoping the next one shows up.

Daniel Schulte fell into marketing by accident, went from teaching martial arts to running an agency, and now builds systems that bring wealthy clients in on a predictable basis. In this episode, he breaks down the reciprocity principle, the cold video pitch that got him in the door with no money, pre-selling, and the simple math that decides whether an ad campaign wins or loses.

If referrals are your only real growth channel, this conversation shows you what predictable client acquisition actually looks like. Listen now.

[00:01:46] Why a rich family should come from you, not the other way around

[00:02:55] The cold video pitch that opens doors when you have no money and no connections

[00:05:19] The waitress, the mints, and the tip study behind giving first

[00:08:48] From the martial arts mat to marketing, the accident that started it all

[00:12:41] The moment his ads went from a dripping faucet to a fire hose

[00:14:20] Why Alchemic Marketing had to become Wealthy Clients

[00:18:15] Make a sale to get a customer, not the other way around

[00:19:31] The magic box that lets you scale at the flick of a switch

[00:20:23] What pre-selling actually is, and why it changes the whole appointment

[00:24:14] If no one watches long videos, how is Netflix still in business

[00:28:22] The three mistakes that make people quit on marketing

[00:29:27] Why the cheapest lead can be your most expensive one

Influence by Robert Cialdini

Jeremy Haynes

Daniel Schulte is the founder and CEO of Wealthy Clients, a marketing agency that helps tax strategists, CPAs, and financial advisors attract high-net-worth clients through paid ads, funnels, and automation. He got his start marketing a martial arts school, fell in love with the work, and built his agency around a single promise: predictable, qualified appointments with affluent clients, without cold calling or chasing referrals.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website | YouTube

Connect with Ben: LinkedIn

Connect with Golden Tax Relief: Website | LinkedIn

Request a consultation: Schedule a FREE Tax Evaluation

Check our socials: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

The Financially FAT Podcast is an original production hosted by Ben Golden. Brought to you by Golden Tax Relief. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What would you do if the IRS gave you 24 hours to pay $171,000 you did not owe?

Ben Golden built his career helping business owners with payroll and taxes. Then the IRS turned on him, demanding $171,000 he says he never owed, with 24 hours to pay.

In this solo episode of The Financially FAT Podcast, Ben tells the full story: the logging company client, the revenue officer who told him which assets to sell, and the 3 AM moment he found the one rule the IRS had skipped.

It is the case that turned him into an advocate for taxpayers, and a warning for any business owner who thinks the IRS always plays by its own rules. Listen now.

[00:00:00] A hardworking logging owner, and the day the IRS showed up at his door unannounced

[00:01:21] Why Ben does something different this episode, and the story behind the advocacy

[00:02:11] The nightmare that almost cost him everything, and where his journey really began

[00:03:04] The contract that defined his role, and why the IRS ignored it

[00:03:55] $171,000, a signature on one account, and a 24-hour deadline aimed at Ben

[00:05:07] Hand on the doorknob, his 2-year-old at the door, and the 3 AM memory that changed everything

[00:06:21] The step the IRS skipped, and why being told to liquidate everything violated his rights

[00:07:58] How he beat the IRS, got the agent sanctioned, and walked away clear

[00:09:05] The one mistake that leaves owners a step from an IRS nightmare, and the free guide Ben built

[00:09:54] The three words he ends every episode on

• Golden Gate University, where Ben earned his master’s degree in taxation, in San Francisco.
• The Business Owner’s Guide to Avoiding IRS Trouble. Ben’s free download (link given in the podcast).

• Connect with Ben: LinkedIn
• Connect with Golden Tax Relief: Website | LinkedIn
• Request a consultation: Schedule a FREE Tax Evaluation
• Check our socials: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

The Financially FAT Podcast is an original production hosted by Ben Golden. Brought to you by Golden Tax Relief. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What happens when the upgrade you waited a whole year for nearly breaks your business?

Ben sits down with Ray Jordan, COO of Golden Tax Relief, to talk about what it really means to be financially FAT: flexible, adaptable, and teachable. It sounds good on a slide. It felt very different the month a new system brought the firm to a grinding halt.

Ben and Ray walk through the pivot from a resolution-only firm to full tax planning, the automation rollout that slipped from May to November and then failed on day one, and the hard call to scrap it and trust the team to build something that worked.

If you have ever poured a year into a fix that backfired, this one is for you. Listen now.

[00:00:33] What being financially FAT really means, and why it starts with one word

[00:02:42] The quiet need that pushed a resolution firm to reinvent itself

[00:03:39] The COVID shift that changed the whole direction of the company

[00:04:19] Why uncomfortable does not mean wrong

[00:05:52] The claim Ben made to a room full of tax planners

[00:06:20] A one-year countdown of deadlines that kept slipping

[00:08:03] The day the new system pulled the emergency brake on the firm

[00:08:38] The Thanksgiving the whole team walked in and quit

[00:09:44] The hard call Ben made, and the one thing he finally let go of

[00:10:46] Why keeping your head up matters more than you think

[00:11:47] The final word on why flexibility protects your money too

American Institute of Certified Tax Planners (AICTP)

Ray Jordan is the Chief Operating Officer of Golden Tax Relief and its sister company IRS Trouble Solvers. An Auburn University graduate with a background in the hospice and logistics industries, he oversees the firm's day-to-day operations and built its client-first culture. He works alongside Ben across tax planning, tax resolution, and trust work.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website

Important Links

• Connect with Ben: LinkedIn
• Connect with Golden Tax Relief: Website | LinkedIn
• Request a consultation: Schedule a FREE Tax Evaluation
• Check our socials: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

The Financially FAT Podcast is an original production hosted by Ben Golden. Brought to you by Golden Tax Relief. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

Did Trump really win $1.8 billion from the IRS and become audit-proof for life?

A rumor is spreading that Trump won $1.8 billion from the IRS and will never be audited again. Ben Golden says parts of it are true, parts are flat wrong, and the real story is more interesting than the rumor.

In this first episode of The Financially FAT Podcast, Ben breaks down the four things almost everyone is getting wrong, what the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund actually is, and how a separate DOJ document created a permanent shield on Trump's past taxes.

He also explains why this should matter to every taxpayer, not just the wealthy, and what it means when the IRS moves a line it has held since Nixon. Listen now.

Timestamped Highlights

[00:00:04] The viral rumor about Trump and the IRS, and what it gets flat wrong

[00:00:39] The 2019 leak that started it all, and the five-year prison sentence behind it

[00:01:43] Four claims about the settlement that are simply not true

[00:02:25] Did Trump actually win in court? The answer surprises most people

[00:02:58] What the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund really is, and who controls it

[00:03:50] The one-page document that quietly shields Trump's past taxes

[00:05:11] Why this should matter to every taxpayer, not just the wealthy

[00:06:04] What happens next, and why this story is far from over

Important Links

• Connect with Ben: LinkedIn
• Connect with Golden Tax Relief: Website | LinkedIn
• Request a consultation: Schedule a FREE Tax Evaluation
• Check our socials: Instagram | Facebook | TikTokikTok

The Financially FAT Podcast is an original production hosted by Ben Golden. Brought to you by Golden Tax Relief. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What if the person you trusted with your taxes is the reason the IRS comes knocking?

Most people never suspect their tax preparer until the IRS shows up, and by then, it is their name on the return, not the preparer’s. Ben Golden opens with a client who trusted the wrong person and paid for it.

In this solo episode, Ben breaks down 10 clear red flags that separate a risky preparer from a fraudulent one, from cash-only payments and missing receipts to refunds routed to the wrong account, unsigned returns, and refund guarantees no honest professional can make.

Whether you file your own taxes or hand them off, this is the consumer protection conversation that could save you years of penalties and stress. Learn the warning signs, ask the right questions, and never outsource responsibility for your financial life. Listen now.

[00:00:05] The hard truth about who actually faces the IRS when a return goes wrong

[00:01:18] A panicked client, a totally normal-sounding notice, and the warning signs that stacked up fast

[00:02:08] The painful lesson: you own the return even when someone else prepares it

[00:03:06] Why a fee based on a percentage of your refund is an IRS warning sign

[00:04:05] The move that should stop you in your tracks, your refund routed to their account

[00:05:08] No signature, no PTIN, no accountability, and why it is the law

[00:06:03] Refund guarantees, the marketing lie no ethical preparer can make

[00:07:17] The free checklist to vet a preparer before it is too late

[00:08:16] Why most tax problems start with blind trust, not bad intentions

10 Ways to Spot a Fraudulent Tax Preparer Before It’s Too Late - Ben’s free downloadable PDF guide with a checklist of questions to ask and documents to receive before hiring a preparer: https://rebrand.ly/ffp-preparer

• Connect with Ben: LinkedIn
• Connect with Golden Tax Relief: Website | LinkedIn
• Request a consultation: Schedule a FREE Tax Evaluation
• Check our socials: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

The Financially FAT Podcast is an original production hosted by Ben Golden. Brought to you by Golden Tax Relief. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What do you do when a client owes the IRS over a million dollars in payroll taxes, then opens a second company to dodge it?

Ben Golden sits down with his COO, Ray Jordan, to break down one of the firm's toughest resolution cases. A construction company lost money on big contracts, stopped paying payroll taxes, and came to them owing the IRS over a million dollars.

Ben and Ray explain what trust fund taxes really are, why an IRS 4180 interview can put an owner's personal assets on the line, and how a risky move to open a second company nearly turned a civil case into a criminal one.

It is a story of panic, strategy, and a second chance that ended with no jail time and a payment plan the client could live with. If you run a business, this is why you never face the IRS alone. Listen now.

[00:01:48] The case opens: a construction company buried in payroll tax debt

[00:02:29] The bill had already climbed past a million dollars

[00:03:12] The four things that hit when you stop paying payroll taxes

[00:03:28] Trust fund taxes, the 4180 interview, and who the IRS can hold responsible

[00:05:18] The client arrives panicking, with the interview window closing

[00:06:08] Why the firm sometimes refuses to sit in on the interview at all

[00:06:18] The blurry line between civil and criminal, and those "special little bracelets"

[00:08:50] The client's risky move: opening a second company

[00:09:14] What an alter ego is, and why the IRS sees right through it

[00:13:05] How they kept the client out of jail

[00:14:51] Peace of mind, protection, posterity: what tax resolution really buys

[00:18:25] Flexible, adaptable, teachable: the note Ben closes on

IRS Form 4180, Report of Interview with Individual Relative to Trust Fund Recovery Penalty

Ray Jordan is the Chief Operating Officer of Golden Tax Relief and IRS Trouble Solvers, where he oversees day-to-day operations and holds the team to a client-first standard. An Auburn University graduate with a background in the hospice and logistics fields, Ray found his calling helping taxpayers work through serious IRS problems. He is based at the firm's headquarters in Thomasville, Alabama.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website

• Connect with Ben: LinkedIn
• Connect with Golden Tax Relief: Website | LinkedIn
• Request a consultation: Schedule a FREE Tax Evaluation
• Check our socials: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

The Financially FAT Podcast is an original production hosted by Ben Golden. Brought to you by Golden Tax Relief. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.

What if your biggest competitor could become your most valuable teammate?

After more than 30 years in insurance, Eric Partin was content but not satisfied. So he flew across the country to a 3-day retreat and let someone blow up the way he did business.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Eric Partin, co-founder of EDP Assurance and author of Collaboration Is the New Currency, to talk about trading competition for collaboration, why the right 100 clients beat chasing 1,000, and how a Virtual Family Office serves people better than any solo advisor can.

Eric also shares the mindset shift that ended his high-pressure selling for good, and the one question that gets clients to sell themselves. Listen now.

[00:01:39] The FAT test in real life: flexible, adaptable, teachable

[00:02:20] The 3-day retreat that blew up 30 years of habit

[00:03:48] Learning AI at 56, and why the AI version wins

[00:05:24] What a Virtual Family Office actually is, and isn't

[00:06:19] The competitor mindset Eric had to unlearn

[00:09:05] Why the right 100 clients beat chasing 1,000

[00:10:08] The real cost of guarding your own book of business

[00:13:35] The hardest sales habit Eric had to break

[00:17:38] Don't steal the client's microphone

Collaboration Is the New Currency — Eric Partin’s book

EDP Assurance

Eric Partin is the co-founder of EDP Assurance, where he helps insurance professionals grow by leading with a process instead of a product, uncovering bigger client needs, creating more revenue from existing relationships, and reducing their dependence on constantly buying new leads. He is the co-author of Collaboration Is the New Currency and author of Rise Relentless. Through EDP Assurance and The Growth Compass, Eric focuses on practical growth, collaboration, leadership, and helping professionals become more valuable to the clients they already serve.

🔗 LinkedIn | Website

• Connect with Ben: LinkedIn
• Connect with Golden Tax Relief: Website | LinkedIn
• Request a consultation: Schedule a FREE Tax Evaluation
• Check our socials: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

The Financially FAT Podcast is an original production hosted by Ben Golden. Brought to you by Golden Tax Relief. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.