Summary: Our guest on this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast is Robert Barnes, a U.S. Air Force veteran of 22 years who has become passionate about helping people understand their taxes. Robert joined the Air Force 5 days after his 17th birthday, a new high school graduate who was looking for his place in this world, and he served in Germany and Hawaii for most of his career. Toward the end of his time in the military, he started to wonder why he was having to pay taxes even though he was on the government’s payroll. He breezed through his associate’s and bachelor’s degrees before completed a degree in graduate school as well. At the time of his graduation from his master’s degree, he was asked to begin teaching a personal finance course and he found his new life focus. By simply breaking down the tax code and explaining it to his students and others who asked for his advice, he slowly built up a client base of 300-400 individuals whom he was helping with the completion of their taxes in a consulting capacity. In this time of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, Robert encourages people to stay away from the rumors being spread by the media and by word of mouth and instead rely on reputable news sources. He also emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in the personal finance process, pointing out that many people don’t realize which programs they might be eligible for and potentially missing out on tax breaks and refunds. Robert talks about the $2 trillion U.S. economic stimulus package, describing the framework of the big business, small business, and family grants and forgivable loans that are being offered. Small business owners should stay informed on the CARES Act and the Payroll Protection grant and recent changes that have been announced. He talks in more detail about these programs on his YouTube channel. He also recommends that every American call the U.S. Treasury Offset Department at 1-800-304-3107 to be made aware of any potential offsets from other departments that could reduce their tax refunds. Topics Covered in this Episode: • Coronavirus • Understanding the government stimulus • CARES Act and Payroll Protection for small businesses • Self-awareness Connect with Robert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5BjnVD76XPFAA8TNxNDD-g Connect with Kimi: http://www.kimiwalker.com/ https://web.facebook.com/kimiwalker https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimiwalker
