Everyone's Talkin' Money

Taxes are not just something you deal with once a year when it is time to file. For high earners, business owners, and investors, taxes are part of the bigger wealth-building strategy.

In this episode, Shari Rash talks with CPA and tax strategist Catrina M. Craft about how to stop playing defense with the IRS and start thinking more proactively about tax strategy.

Catrina explains why the tax code often creates more opportunities for business owners and investors, why high-earning W-2 employees may feel limited but are not completely out of options, and how Roth accounts, HSAs, real estate, business structure, and proactive planning can all play a role in a smarter tax picture.

They also talk about the difference between an accountant, a bookkeeper, a CPA, and a tax strategist, why waiting until March or April is usually too late for meaningful tax planning, and why deductions are not free money.

You’ll hear:

Why tax filing and tax strategy are not the same thing

Why high earners need to stop treating taxes like a once-a-year event

What W-2 employees can still consider when they feel stuck

How Roth 401(k)s, backdoor Roth strategies, and HSAs may fit into long-term planning

Why business owners need to understand entity structure, deductions, documentation, and ordinary and necessary expenses

Why spending money just for a tax deduction can backfire

How to think about tax planning as part of your larger financial strategy

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not individualized financial, investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Before making tax, investment, retirement, business, or entity-structure decisions, consult with qualified professionals who understand your specific situation.

If you want help building a financial plan that connects your income, investing, taxes, cash flow, and long-term goals, learn more about working with Shari Rash and ⁠GWA Wealth⁠ by visiting gwawealth.com.

Follow Everyone’s Talkin’ Money on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode, and keep the conversation going on Instagram
@everyonestalkinmoney⁠

Talkin’ Points → where your money gets smarter.

Real talk, practical tips, zero guilt straight to your inbox. Sign up here. 

Be sure to like and follow the show on your favorite podcast app!

Shari Rash is a financial planner and Investment Adviser Representative of GWA Wealth, a Registered Investment Adviser. The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create an advisory relationship with Shari Rash or GWA Wealth. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal. Any references to specific investments, strategies, or securities are for illustrative purposes only and are not recommendations. You should consult your own financial advisor, tax professional, or attorney regarding your individual situation before making any financial decisions.

The views expressed by guests are their own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of GWA Wealth.
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Summer spending can feel casual… until the trips, camps, dinners, Target runs, kid expenses, travel plans, and “let’s just enjoy it” purchases start stacking up.

In this episode, Shari Rash walks you through the money reset you need before summer gets expensive. Because the problem usually isn’t one dinner, one weekend away, or one camp payment. The problem is everything piling up without a clear plan.

You’ll learn how to figure out what is actually safe to spend this summer, why summer tends to expose the weak spots in your money system, and how to stop letting your calendar, your kids, the group chat, and your own exhaustion make your money decisions for you.

Shari breaks down her simple Clean Up, Clarify, Choose framework so you can clean up what’s already leaking, clarify what money is actually available, and choose what matters most before summer chooses for you.

You’ll hear why your safe-to-spend number is not your checking account balance or your credit card limit, how to plan for predictable summer expenses you may be treating like surprises, why flexible spending ranges work better than rigid budgets, and how a weekly 10-minute money check-in can help you avoid the post-summer financial hangover.

This episode is not about making summer boring or cheap. It’s about making summer clear, intentional, and actually enjoyable.

Grab the free Summer Money Reset Plan at everyonestalkinmoneypodcast.com/1529 or click here.

If you want support staying consistent with this kind of work, check out the Everyone’s Talkin’ Money Club, where we turn podcast conversations into routines, resources, accountability, and support.

Follow Everyone’s Talkin’ Money on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode, and keep the conversation going on Instagram @everyonestalkinmoney.

If you’re ready for personalized, judgment-free financial guidance, learn more about working with Shari. Shari Rash is the founder of GWA Wealth, a virtual advisory firm helping women make confident, values-aligned decisions with their money. Visit GWA Wealth to explore your next step.

Talkin’ Points → where your money gets smarter.

Real talk, practical tips, zero guilt straight to your inbox. Sign up here. 

Be sure to like and follow the show on your favorite podcast app!

Keep the conversation going on Instagram @everyonestalkinmoney

Shari Rash is a financial planner and Investment Adviser Representative of GWA Wealth, a Registered Investment Adviser. The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create an advisory relationship with Shari Rash or GWA Wealth. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal. Any references to specific investments, strategies, or securities are for illustrative purposes only and are not recommendations. You should consult your own financial advisor, tax professional, or attorney regarding your individual situation before making any financial decisions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever looked at your bank account or credit card bill and thought, “Wait…where did it all go?” You didn’t book a luxury vacation. You didn’t buy anything wildly irresponsible. You were just living your life — grabbing dinner, ordering the kid thing, paying for subscriptions, making the Target run, upgrading the trip, saying yes to the social plan — and somehow, your money disappeared.

In this episode, Shari is breaking down the hidden expenses high earners often miss and why these money leaks can be so hard to catch. Because for women who make good money, the issue usually isn’t one dramatic purchase. It’s the quiet patterns: convenience creep, forgotten subscriptions, lifestyle upgrades, emotional micro-spending, and social or family spending that was never actually planned for.

You’ll learn why income can camouflage spending leaks, how “it’s only $15” becomes a real category, why convenience is not the enemy but reactive convenience is expensive, and how to sort your spending into what supports your life, what’s neutral, and what’s just background noise draining your money.

You’ll also walk away with a simple 20-minute money audit you can do this week to find real breathing room without cutting everything fun out of your life.

Because the goal is not to spend as little as possible. The goal is to make sure your money is actually supporting the life you say you want.

Grab the $1,000 Leak Finder at https://everyonestalkinmoney.kit.com/moneyleaks

If you’re ready for personalized, judgment-free financial guidance, learn more about working with Shari. Shari Rash is the founder of GWA Wealth, a virtual advisory firm helping women make confident, values-aligned decisions with their money. Visit GWA Wealth to explore your next step.

Talkin’ Points → where your money gets smarter.

Real talk, practical tips, zero guilt straight to your inbox. Sign up here. 

Be sure to like and follow the show on your favorite podcast app!

Keep the conversation going on Instagram @everyonestalkinmoney

Shari Rash is a financial planner and Investment Adviser Representative of GWA Wealth, a Registered Investment Adviser. The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create an advisory relationship with Shari Rash or GWA Wealth. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal. Any references to specific investments, strategies, or securities are for illustrative purposes only and are not recommendations. You should consult your own financial advisor, tax professional, or attorney regarding your individual situation before making any financial decisions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taxes may not be the most exciting part of your financial life, but if you’re earning well, investing, running a business, or trying to build wealth, they cannot be a once-a-year panic event.

In this episode, Shari breaks down the tax mistakes that can quietly slow down your wealth-building progress. Because while most people think about taxes only when it’s time to file, the real opportunities often happen months earlier, before you sell an investment, change retirement contributions, receive business income, make a major purchase, or realize your income has changed.

Shari explains why the goal is not always to pay the lowest tax bill possible today, why deductions are not free money, how investment and retirement decisions connect to your tax strategy, and why business owners especially need to stop treating gross revenue like spendable income.

You’ll hear:

Why tax filing is looking backward, but tax planning is looking forward

The difference between saving on taxes and making smart long-term financial decisions

Why avoiding capital gains can sometimes keep you stuck in investments that no longer fit

How retirement contributions can affect both your current and future tax picture

Why business income needs a clearer system before tax season hits

How to start thinking about taxes as part of your bigger wealth strategy

This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not individualized financial, investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Before making tax, investment, retirement, or business decisions, consult with a qualified professional who understands your specific situation.

If you want help building a financial plan that connects your income, investing, cash flow, taxes, and long-term goals, learn more about working GWA Wealth at gwawealth.com.

Follow Everyone’s Talkin’ Money on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode, and keep the conversation going on Instagram
@everyonestalkinmoney⁠

Talkin’ Points → where your money gets smarter.

Real talk, practical tips, zero guilt straight to your inbox. Sign up here. 

Be sure to like and follow the show on your favorite podcast app!

Shari Rash is a financial planner and Investment Adviser Representative of GWA Wealth, a Registered Investment Adviser. The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create an advisory relationship with Shari Rash or GWA Wealth. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal. Any references to specific investments, strategies, or securities are for illustrative purposes only and are not recommendations. You should consult your own financial advisor, tax professional, or attorney regarding your individual situation before making any financial decisions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if making more money isn’t actually solving your money stress?

In this episode, Shari is breaking down why a higher income doesn’t automatically create more clarity, confidence, or control. Because here’s the truth: more money can help, but only if your system knows what to do with it. Otherwise, that extra income can quietly disappear into lifestyle creep, convenience spending, emotional spending, and the same patterns that made money feel messy in the first place.

Shari walks through why high earners can still feel behind, why raises and bonuses often get absorbed faster than expected, and what to do when your income looks good on paper but your financial life still feels unclear.

You’ll learn how to give new income a job before it arrives, create a safe-to-spend number, separate lifestyle spending from identity spending, and build money systems that do the work even when your willpower is gone by Thursday.

You’ll hear:

Why making more money doesn’t automatically fix financial chaos

How lifestyle creep becomes invisible before you realize it

The three places to look when your income is solid but your money still feels off

Why your “safe to spend” number can reduce guilt and anxiety

How to tell the difference between intentional lifestyle spending and identity spending

Why systems beat willpower every time

How to stop letting extra income disappear without a plan

If you’re earning well but still wondering where your money went, this episode will help you stop blaming yourself and start looking at the system underneath it all. Because your money should feel as good as your income looks on paper — and if it doesn’t, that is fixable.

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