CTSR - A Comprehensive Guide to Membership Benefits

Our Mission

To provide a platform that provides an understanding of and competence in advanced strategies, tools, and techniques. We want our members to remain independent without feeling alone, be more relevant in their client’s eye, and be able to achieve more of what’s important in their personal and professional lives - without compromise.

Meet The Team

Simon “Stuffy” Singer is a Certified Financial Planner®, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, and Registered Financial Consultant. He has been in the financial industry for over 50 years and is recognized as being in the top one-tenth of one percent of all financial service professionals. He has led four major companies, is the past president and CEO of Forum 400 (International Forum), life member and 32 consecutive year member of Top of the Table, and was awarded the prestigious Humanitarian of the year presented by the international forum in 2015.

We help our members remain independent, without feeling alone.

Simon Singer, CFP®, CAP®, RFC® Founder

Todd has been with CTSR since its foundation and serves as the Chief Operating Officer. In his current role, Todd is in charge of the on-going operations of the company including working on all the Academy events. He works directly with the membership in all aspects required.

Bradley Etheridge brings over three decades of notable industry performance to his role as Chief Marketing Officer for CTSR. After three years as a leading producer, and while still in his twenties, he went on to build that company’s leading agency. Then, at age 32, he became the youngest Vice President of Sales in the company’s history.

Robert brings more than 10 years of industry experience to his role as Director of Operations for CTSR. He works alongside Chief Operating Officer, Todd Weiner, in managing day-to-day operations and also serves as Director of Public Relations and Social Media.

Kari brings over 25 years of marketing experience to her role as Director of Marketing for CTSR. She develops and manages advisor-centric study groups and conferences in addition to coaching advisors on business development, accountability and creating strategic alliances to increase their bottom line.

Kayla joined the Center for Tax, Strategies and Resources in 2020 after graduating from high school. In her role as an Administrative Assistant, she works with all the members of our team. Her desire is to become a primary school teacher and she is currently working on her degree.

Kayla Weiner Administrative Assistant

Kari Gillenwater Director of Marketing

Robert Brown Director of Operations

Todd S. Weiner Chief Operating Officer

Brad Etheridge Chairman - Membership Committee

Our Faculty

Our faculty is comprised of the industry’s leading experts at the top of their field. These faculty members help to provide our members with the highest level of training and education to further enhance their practice and their bottom-line. Our members have availability to the faculty members facilitated through CTSR.

Without a solid team behind us, we're all just 'numbers on a page'

Walt Dallas, Esq., LLM (Tax) Specialist in Tax Reduction Plans

Vincent M. D’Addona, MSFS, CLU®, ChFC®, CExP®, RICP®, AEP® (Distinguished)

All time production leader at Guardian Life

Curtis Cloke, CLTC, LUTF, RICP® Pre-eminent expert in maximizing retirement cash flow

Paul J. Cella, ChFC®, CLU Expert in providing financial and consulting services to physicians, professionals, and business owners

Harlan Accola, CRMP, CSA

Noted author and expert on Reverse Mortgages

Jeffrey A. Dunham

Chairman and CEO of Dunham & Associates Investment Counsel, Inc., and Dunham Trust Company

Brian Edelman Nationally recognized Cyber Security expert and CEO at FCI

Kirk Conole

Expert in increasing business cashflow, profit and equity value

Brad Etheridge Chairman of the CTSR Membership Committee and ESOP Specialist

Shelley Lightfoot Executive Director, The Southern California Institute (SCI)

Kevin Knebl, CMEC LinkedIn’s Most Recommended Business Speaker

Kevin Jerry, MST Master of Science in Technology and Partner of Tangible Property Tax Methods

Rick Jaye, AIF®, CRC® Member of the National Center of Employee Ownership (NCEO) and the ESOP Association

Jerry Mainardi Managing Partner/Client Success Officer, Selling Technologies, and Video Marketing Pioneer

Peter Hibbard Expert in Qualified and Non-Qualified Plans with over 50 years Experience

Bruce Givner, Esq. The Tax Attorneys' Tax Attorney

Scott R. McHenry, FCA, MAAA, MSEA

National leader and provider of innovative qualified plan designs and retirement tax mitigation strategies

Bruce Gendein Expert in Qualified Retirement Plans

Alek Melkumov Annuity Product Expert

Kate Oberbillig National Marketing Expert

T. Mark Pace National expert in Life Insurance Policy Management

Steven Piascik, CPA, MT Specialist in Tax Reduction Plans

Dr. Vicki Rackner, MD, FACS Advisory Board Chair, Doctors Academy of Economics

Don Prehn

Board Member and Senior Adviser for InsMark, Inc.

Simon Singer, CFP®, CAP®, RFC® Founder of CTSR, Life member TOT and Master Communicator

Joe Strazzeri, Esq. Nationally Acclaimed Tax Attorney and Creator of the SCI Institute/ Laureate Training Program

David McKnight Author & Educator of the Power of Zero

Michael J. Zelch Income Tax & Retirement Planning Expert and Actuarial Consultant

Daniel Zeplain Unique Senior Settlement expert specializing in increased efficiency for clients

Darren Sugiyama National Expert in Premium Financed Life Insurance

John W. Wheeler Jr., CFP, CLU, ChFC, CRPC, LUTCF Member of the American College Faculty on Retirement Planning

Education and Training

As financial professionals, we all have the same tools. What you do with those tools is the difference between existing and thriving. If you are good, we can help you achieve great. If you are already great, you know the value of having additional expertise in the topics below:

Asset Protection Planning

Creating structures and systems to prevent assets from being attacked by unscrupulous attorneys and their clients due to business failures, divorce, etc.

Cash Flow Modeling

A computerized system to show people, in detail, exactly where they are and where they’re going to be based on their own current assumptions. These results can then be compared against the results of your own planning.

Charitable Planning

The charitable section of the Internal Revenue Code when used properly can actually make people wealthier by giving things away, if true wealth can be defined as to what you own as well as what you control.

Tax Reduction Planning

Prospects that are small business owners may have their taxes reduced significantly through our tax reduction program.

Contribution and Distribution Planning

Methods where contributions to both qualified and non-qualified plans can significantly reduce income taxes and then when distributions come into play, substantial reductions of taxes on those distributions.

Education and Training

Exit Planning

For business owners, Exit Planning is an important part of their retirement and estate planning. Do I want to sell inside my company, or to my children, or to an outside suitor? What do I do in order to increase the value of my company, reduce my tax upon sale, and increase the amount of spendable cash flow I receive?

Liquid Asset Plan

Three versions: liquifying dead assets with plans for real estate entrepreneurs, widow and widowers, and tax-free bond investors.

Non-Qualified Retirement Plans

There are situations where not taking a deduction for the funding of a retirement plan makes more sense than the traditional qualified plans, where you get a deduction for the contributions.

Qualified Retirement Planning Options

The retirement world should not just be wrapped around 401(k) plans, there are ways to be able to combine 401(k), profit-sharing, and defined benefit or cash balance plan to create a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Premium Financing

There are many providers of premium financing, suffice to say, most of them are promoters and not technicians. We believe that is asking for a lawsuit.

Advanced Advisor Marketing and Education Programs

Centers of Influence Program

Ever wonder how to work with attorneys, CPAs, or other financial advisors? Every second Wednesday of the month, we have an Advanced Case Study Roundtable where you invite professional advisors to your office and host the ACSR. We provide you with a marketing flyer (to be used after speaking to the advisor), explain how to set up your hosting location, provide a customized registration landing page, confirmation email along with three reminder emails, and then a survey after the ACSR. Note: to be a host requires a two-day training program.

Complete Seminar Program

If you are doing live or virtual seminars (or desire to) we have all the components: PowerPoint Presentations, scripting, give away books, complete credibility building custom marketing/positioning tools.

Discovery Done Right

Numbers on a page is a small part of true discovery - questions that lead to questions, that lead to client insights is the key - watch your close ratio dramatically increase.

How to Get Referrals Every Time

This program can be used not only for new clients, but is a great way to have your existing clients help you grow your practice.

Language as a Tool

Training and coaching on the use of the proper words said at the proper times.

Presentation Skill Training

Advanced one-on-one, as well as group coaching, on how to get your message across with maximum impact (sometimes referred to as the unfair advantage).

Advanced Advisor Marketing and Education Programs

Proper Use of Financial Products and Strategies

Knowing when and how to integrate the appropriate products and strategies into your clients plan.

Secrets for Engaging Doctors

The doctor market is both challenging and very rewarding if you know how to crack the code - this intensive program is turn-key for growing or developing this market segment.

The CPA Strategic Alliance Program

A live training event that allows for direct relationship building with CPAs in your desired market - no more quid pro quo, as that never worked!

The Development and Psychology of Creating Strategic Alliances

Tools and techniques that will allow for the advisor to elevate their professional public perception - stop the “deal killers” cold - increase prospects acquired under optimum conditions, and create engagements and per client revenue five times larger than the industry average.

The 'Out Of Town' National Expert

Complicated cases made simple - we have a program to help, at the point of sale, close those cases you may not be ready to tackle yourself.

Membership Benefits

Business and Marketing Consultation

No matter how good or successful you are, occasionally you need one-on-one coaching and consulting. Simon and/or Brad offer you a total of one hour per month. During these calls, they can identify areas of your business that can be improved, uncover additional strategies and opportunities, strategize your meeting with a client, or even discuss the language of how to engage with the affluent market and/or the professional advisor community. These calls must be scheduled in advance and will be recorded.

CTSR's Closed Facebook Group Access

The CTSR features a private Facebook group for members who are interested in connecting with other members and taking their cases to the next level.

CTSR's Virtual Sales Assistant

You will have access to an online resource that includes explanations of different sales strategies along with fully customizable presentation materials.

Included Academy Tuition

Our members will not have to pay to attend Academies (Live or Virtual) if they register during the Extreme Early Bird Period.

Mastermind Coaching Calls

Engage with the management team and/or strategic alliance partners and members routinely on a monthly coaching call/webinar held on the last Friday of each month (excluding Academy months). These calls/webinars are designed to cover any of the following areas: (a) mentoring, (b) CTSR updates, (c) strategic alliance partner training, (d) live case studies and/or strategies, and (e) open forum discussions amongst the founder, CTSR Team, and members.

Membership Benefits

Monthly Coaching with Simon Singer

Spend an hour each month with Simon Singer, lifetime Top of the Table, on the topic of your choice - from a specific case to how to improve your practice income.

Member's Only Video Training Library

CTSR members will have access to a Member's Only training portal. Here, members have access to training videos and materials that have been recorded by the founder, Simon Singer, past webinars, and purchased Academy audio and/or video.

ObjectiView Access

ObjectiView is a firm who specializes in policy analysis. Their goal is to manage and not always replace the client’s policy.

Real Estate Deduction Program

Tangible Property Regulation expert identifies negative 481(a) adjustments and removes those expenses from the depreciation schedule. Often the expenses/ improvements made 10, 15, and 20 years ago are now treated differently. This work can deliver improvements in basis and reduction of capital gains. These reductions create substantial tax savings that can be used to solve for and fund long-term planning needs.

Tax Reduction Plan for Small Business

Comprehensive review of two years of corporate and personal returns for your business owner clients/prospects. These reviews are conducted by a tax attorney who specializes in identifying unnecessary taxes paid. These savings can help to fund your clients' product needs.

Optional Membership Enhancements

All About Annuity, Retirement, and Social Security Marketing Programs

Access to these primary sales concepts/done for you seminar or webinar programs. Topics such as: Tax-Free Retirement, Truth About Annuities, Principles of Retirement Planning, and Maximizing Social Security. Everything you need: custom event materials, best practices coaching, consumer facing content, branded custom videos, and more.

Back Office Support

The CTSR's back office team can help identify and source proper strategies and subject matter expertise needed to create the engagement. We are our members first call when building a case.

Business Solutions

Business Solutions increases cash flow, profit, and equity value 10% without risk or CapEx by using tariff analysis, specialized tax credits and unpublished vendor discounts.

Carrier Selection

We help our members identify carrier options for all types of clients circumstances.

Co-Branded Books (CTSR and/or Dr. Rackner)

You will have access to one or both of the CTSR's co-authored private books, currently titled “14 Big Tax Mistakes Costing Business Owners Millions” and “14 Big Tax Mistakes Costing Doctors Millions.” Additionally, you will have the opportunity to acess cobranded e-books from Dr. Rackner—“The Myth of the Rich Doctor” or “9 Money Mistakes Doctors Make.”

Complete Seminar Marketing Program

All the tools you need to conduct a seminar (live or virtually), scripting custom invitations, professionally designed handout materials, custom advisor positioning pieces, and full training and coaching on the presentation itself. Topics of the seminar program include: Tax-Free Retirement, Truth About Annuities, and Principles of Retirement Planning.

CPA Strategic Alliance Program

We have developed a guide to assist you in marketing to the CPA community. This includes PowerPoint presentations, a questionnaire to provide to the CPAs as a “scorecard” to show the value you are adding to the CPA practice.

Cracking The Physicians Code Course

Have you ever wondered how to get in front of an audience of physician prospects? Learn from a former 30-year surgeon, Dr. Vicki Rackner, how to bridge the gap between physicians and advisors and tap into this lucrative, yet often hard to reach market! All training is done through online videos that you can watch at your own pace. For an additional investment, Dr. Rackner can provide additional training via telephone, online, or at one of her boot camps.

DataMinerTM

This proprietary software will solve for items such as age, adjusted gross income, tax free income, retirement distributions, etc. It interfaces with all forms of tax returns such as: 1040, 1120, 706, etc. The DataMinerTM software provides you with an intelligent way to answer the CPAs question “what kind of client are you looking for” which is a significant step towards a successful relationship.

Optional Membership Enhancements

Estate Planning Documents

With this add-on, available 24/7/365, you will be able to have documents such as: Revocable Living Trusts, Will and Testaments, Powers of Attorney, and many more. All documents are drafted by state specific attorneys. No more waiting weeks for documents and you keep control of your clients exposure to outside influence.

Industry-Wide Disability and Long-Term Care Programs

Access to the expertise and tools you need to deliver these critical service to your clients. Don’t let someone else into your client relationships!

InsMark Software (Three Choices)

Access to your choice of three InsMark's powerful software platforms. From Wealthy and Wise and InsMark's Illustration System (used by Simon in 95% of all his case designs) to InsMark's entire software system. This state-of-the-art software is the best software for illustrating various scenarios and cash flow comparisons.

LinkedIn Marketing Program

The worlds largest Rolodex is Linkedin. One of our faculty guides financial professionals and large corporations to significantly increase their social media reach and prospecting results.

Optional Membership Enhancements

Premium Financed Life Insurance Program

Access to a National Premium Financed Life Insurance Expert that specializes in a Proprietary Premium Financing Program called "Leveraged Index Arbitrage" that is especially useful for your high net-worth clients.

Selling Technologies - AMANDA Program

Educate and motivate individuals and small business owners on how to identify their own issues and avoid common pitfalls. With these services, you will have access to over 100 videos that can be private labeled for you and your firm and are appropriate for point-of-sale viewing, email attachments, or even your own website! You will be able to send out the videos and emails to your current and potential clientele. This allows you to stay relevant as your emails will be in their inboxes as often as you wish.

Southern California Institute ("SCI") Access

The Southern California Institute began as a think tank and training venue for attorneys and CPAs. Over the years, SCI has expanded their reach to include financial planners and insurance professionals. For an additional investment, our members gain access to the SCI’s hundreds of high level training videos and PowerPoint presentations.

Tangible Property Regulation and Cost Segregation

Work with a nationally recognized expert in Cost Segregation, Tangible Property Regulations, and Tax Method changes. This firm will identify missed tax savings opportunities for your business owner clients and help to create larger budgets for financial product sales. This firm requires no money upfront for the review.

Automated Marketing

Where is your Next Case Coming From?

“Where will the next case come from?” This mantra is the never-ending epitome of any sales related business. In addition to all of the other value adding components of a Center for Tax, Strategies & Resources membership, we have created a state-ofthe-art marketing program using technology which will be available to our members. Can you imagine a marketing system that keeps your clients’ interest in retaining you for advice, and possible repeat business — and that runs automatically?

AUTOMATED MARKETING CAMPAIGNS AND LONG-TERM NURTURE EMAILS

How would you like to set up a system, using technology, to provide regular marketing email ‘touches’ to your existing clients and prospects, without having to repeatedly remember to reach out? Not only can this system be utilized for your routine emails, it can also be utilized on public forums such as Facebook and Linkedin. Categorize your clients based on their interests and take the worry out of losing touch!

Are you a great closer, but never know who to talk to next? We have personally created ‘lead magnet’ ads to attract further interest from your existing clients and prospects — and uncover their interest. This program includes automated marketing campaigns with a built-in funnel tracking system.

Automated Marketing is the wave of the future — it can do all of those things you don’t like to do, yet will make the difference in your marketing and your career. These items might include Facebook and LinkedIn advertising, reaching out to clients of CPAs and attorneys, and unlimited follow-up for ad or seminar responders.

Core Training Principles

At the Center for Tax, Strategies and Resources (“CTSR”), we strive to lead our members to success through the use of our Core Training Principles which include: Advanced Marketing Techniques, Mentorship, and Engaging Training Sessions. Our members rely on the Core Training Principles to help them remain independent but never alone. The Core Training Principles also allows the members to increase their bottom line and achieve more of what is important in both their personal and professional lives – without compromise.

Advanced Marketing

This program helps professional advisors engage with customers and drive top line revenue. The program uses professional produced video “vignettes” or video storytelling to affect behavior and capitalize on the fact that 90% of what our brain picks up is visual, and people process images 60,000 times faster than text. The content has no discussion of insurance products or financial services and therefore removes the commodity trap. Once the client or prospect information is loaded, the program is on auto-pilot and the appropriate videos are timed and distributed to the client/prospect.

Mentorship

We strive to help our members become the best version of themselves. The CTSR Team have partnered with numerous industry experts in: , Accounting, Psychology, and Sales and Marketing to assist our members in becoming more informed to strategy, marketing, language and success — all in one learning platform!

Training

CTSR is a platform that combines many types of training, videos, and materials. Our members have access to industry-leading information acquired, delivered, and trained by our founder and team. With his lifetime of skill development and desire to be the best, our founder has received Lifetime Top of the Table and Forum 400 status and members have direct access to his wealth of experience and knowledge. From conducting discovery interviews to posing questions and using language that only the pros know to understanding the psychology of the engagement, a member will grow their practice under the CTSR's guidance.

Member Since 2019

"In my practice, I charge my clients substantial fees for the services I am able to deliver. I make it clear that in areas outside my expertise, I have a team comprised of the top subject matter experts in our industry and together we create elegant financial solutions. I also use the CTSR as my sounding board, calling upon the team to offer another set of eyes on my clients’ situation; often resulting in larger cases and happier clients!"

Member Since 2022

"Joining CTSR has been a game changer for our practice and our clients. Thanks, Simon, Bradley, Todd, and team."

Member Since 2018

"What I love most about CTSR is Simon Singer and his ability to focus on the language that we use with our clients and utilizing that language to build relationships with new clients."

Member Since 2019

"If you’re going to utilize income or estate tax planning strategies, you definitely want associate with the CTSR. They know these strategies inside and out and can help you make a lot more money."

Mark Pace

Stephen Antic

Sam Keck

Paul Harding