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In HelloNation, Tax Expert Sal Julian Explains How Strategic Planning Changes Long-Term Tax Outcomes

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Tax Preparation and Proactive Planning Serve Different Purposes, and the Gap Between Them Grows as Financial Complexity Increases.

ENDICOTT, N.Y., May 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Are you relying on annual filing when a strategic tax advisor could reduce what you owe long before the return is due? A HelloNation article examines the difference between tax preparation and forward-looking planning, and why that distinction becomes more meaningful for individuals managing complex financial lives.

For many households, the annual return is the primary point of contact with the tax system. A CPA compiles income data, applies available deductions, and produces a compliant filing. For those with straightforward finances, that annual service is often entirely sufficient, but the picture changes quickly as income and financial complexity increase.

The HelloNation article draws a clear line between compliance work and proactive planning. Tax preparation is a backward-looking process: the year has ended, the data exists, and the task is to document what happened accurately and file on time. A strategic tax advisor works in the opposite direction, identifying opportunities before decisions are made and reducing liability before it is incurred rather than recording it after the fact.

For individuals managing multiple income streams, investment accounts, rental properties, or equity compensation, the distinction between these two approaches carries real financial weight. The article uses a high-income professional as an illustration: someone with W-2 earnings, a rental property, and appreciated securities in a brokerage account. Whether the rental generates a usable deduction or a suspended passive loss depends on participation level, adjusted gross income, and how the activity is structured.

Whether and when appreciated stock is sold shapes capital gains exposure in meaningful ways. Neither question is answered by reviewing last year’s return, and both require forward-looking analysis before year-end decisions are finalized. Tax Expert Sal Julian is among the professionals whose insights inform the article’s guidance on navigating these planning considerations.

Retirement and savings decisions illustrate the same dynamic. Deciding between a traditional 401(k), a Roth contribution, or a Roth conversion in a lower-income year requires comparing current and projected future tax rates. Health savings accounts offer a triple tax advantage that high earners frequently underutilize, and the window to act on those decisions closes at year end.

The article also addresses a set of limitations and phase-outs that interact in complex ways for high-income filers. The cap on state and local tax deductions, the net investment income tax, and pass-through income deduction rules each require year-round attention rather than a review limited to filing time. Understanding how those provisions interact across the full financial picture is a core function of working with a strategic tax advisor.

For business owners, the complexity extends further. Entity structure, the balance between salary and distributions, and the timing of income recognition can all be shaped throughout the year. Tax Expert Sal Julian’s insights in the article reinforce that decisions made mid-year frequently determine what is achievable the following April, making regular engagement with a qualified advisor far more productive than a seasonal one.

Beyond Tax Filing: How Strategic Planning Changes Long-Term Outcomes features insights from Sal Julian, Tax Expert of Endicott, New York, in HelloNation.

About HelloNation

HelloNation is America’s Good News Network, a premier media platform built on the idea that good news travels faster when real people tell real stories. Through its community-focused digital publications and innovative “edvertising” approach, HelloNation delivers expert-driven, good-news content that informs, inspires, and spotlights the leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities. HelloNation maintains partnerships with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the United States First Responders Association.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/in-hellonation-tax-expert-sal-julian-explains-how-strategic-planning-changes-long-term-tax-outcomes-302785852.html

SOURCE HelloNation

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New Cornerstone Advisors Research Reveals Community Banks Are Ceding a $106 Billion Consumer Lending Opportunity

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Study finds consumer lending can protect commercial relationships, deposits and future growth

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Community banks that treat consumer lending as a low-margin, low-priority product risk surrendering valuable customer relationships and billions in loan demand to competitors, according to new Cornerstone Advisors research commissioned by Teslar Software.

The report, The Most Valuable Loan Community Banks Don’t Make: The Hidden Value of Consumer Lending, says consumer lending should be viewed not as a standalone profit center but as a way to retain business-owner relationships, protect deposits and defend against fintechs, credit unions and large banks.

Across approximately 5.5 million U.S. employer small businesses, owners are expected to generate roughly $106 billion in consumer loan demand over the next two years — much of which community banks currently allow to flow elsewhere. The study, based on a survey of 1,249 small-business owners and executives and interviews with community bank executives, found that nearly 60% of business owners bank with one of the five largest U.S. banks, where consumer lending represents 12% to 24% of total loan portfolios.

Additionally:

Median consumer loans are just 1.2% of total loans at U.S. banks with $500 million to $20 billion in assets and 0.83% at banks with $10 billion to $20 billion.Only 46% of business owners who obtained a personal loan in the past three years used their primary business bank; 54% borrowed elsewhere.Business owners cited rates or terms (41%), slow approval (35%) and lack of awareness or availability (14%) as reasons for borrowing elsewhere.

“Many banks ask whether consumer loans generate enough profit on their own to justify the investment,” said Elizabeth Gujral, director at Cornerstone Advisors. “The real question is what banks stand to lose when business owners turn elsewhere. Every loan that leaves creates an opening for a competitor to deepen the relationship, attract deposits and win future business. Consumer lending is increasingly a relationship-retention strategy.”

Other key survey findings:

72% of business owners expect to need a consumer loan within three years, up from 66% who obtained one in the previous three years.80% would consider a consumer loan from their primary business bank if it offered the product.Banks with the highest consumer lending mix outperformed those with the lowest, posting median ROA of 1.44% versus 1.15%, ROE of 13.4% versus 10.5%, and deposit growth of 9.9% versus 8.0%.

“Consumer lending is about more than the loan itself,” said Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software. “It’s an opportunity to deepen existing relationships today and build the commercial relationships of tomorrow. By modernizing origination and automating routine processes, community institutions can make consumer lending efficient and profitable while supporting long-term growth.”

The report concludes that although consumer lending may not drive profits on a loan-by-loan basis, it plays a critical role in strengthening customer relationships and defending against growing competition.

The full report, The Most Valuable Loan Community Banks Don’t Make: The Hidden Value of Consumer Lending, is available for download here.

About Cornerstone Advisors

For more than 20 years, Cornerstone Advisors has provided advisory services and research to banks, credit unions and fintech companies. The firm helps financial institutions improve performance, modernize technology, increase efficiency and execute growth strategies.

About Teslar Software

Teslar Software helps community financial institutions modernize operations and accelerate growth while preserving relationship banking. Its unified platform supports loan origination, portfolio management, AI-powered workflow automation and exception tracking.

Media Contact
Cate Pitts, Editorial Director
Cornerstone Advisors
480-425-5203
424179@email4pr.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-cornerstone-advisors-research-reveals-community-banks-are-ceding-a-106-billion-consumer-lending-opportunity-302899390.html

SOURCE Cornerstone Advisors

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New Cornerstone Advisors Research Reveals Community Banks Are Ceding a $106 Billion Consumer Lending Opportunity

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Study finds consumer lending can protect commercial relationships, deposits and future growth

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Community banks that treat consumer lending as a low-margin, low-priority product risk surrendering valuable customer relationships and billions in loan demand to competitors, according to new Cornerstone Advisors research commissioned by Teslar Software.

The report, The Most Valuable Loan Community Banks Don’t Make: The Hidden Value of Consumer Lending, says consumer lending should be viewed not as a standalone profit center but as a way to retain business-owner relationships, protect deposits and defend against fintechs, credit unions and large banks.

Across approximately 5.5 million U.S. employer small businesses, owners are expected to generate roughly $106 billion in consumer loan demand over the next two years — much of which community banks currently allow to flow elsewhere. The study, based on a survey of 1,249 small-business owners and executives and interviews with community bank executives, found that nearly 60% of business owners bank with one of the five largest U.S. banks, where consumer lending represents 12% to 24% of total loan portfolios.

Additionally:

Median consumer loans are just 1.2% of total loans at U.S. banks with $500 million to $20 billion in assets and 0.83% at banks with $10 billion to $20 billion.Only 46% of business owners who obtained a personal loan in the past three years used their primary business bank; 54% borrowed elsewhere.Business owners cited rates or terms (41%), slow approval (35%) and lack of awareness or availability (14%) as reasons for borrowing elsewhere.

“Many banks ask whether consumer loans generate enough profit on their own to justify the investment,” said Elizabeth Gujral, director at Cornerstone Advisors. “The real question is what banks stand to lose when business owners turn elsewhere. Every loan that leaves creates an opening for a competitor to deepen the relationship, attract deposits and win future business. Consumer lending is increasingly a relationship-retention strategy.”

Other key survey findings:

72% of business owners expect to need a consumer loan within three years, up from 66% who obtained one in the previous three years.80% would consider a consumer loan from their primary business bank if it offered the product.Banks with the highest consumer lending mix outperformed those with the lowest, posting median ROA of 1.44% versus 1.15%, ROE of 13.4% versus 10.5%, and deposit growth of 9.9% versus 8.0%.

“Consumer lending is about more than the loan itself,” said Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software. “It’s an opportunity to deepen existing relationships today and build the commercial relationships of tomorrow. By modernizing origination and automating routine processes, community institutions can make consumer lending efficient and profitable while supporting long-term growth.”

The report concludes that although consumer lending may not drive profits on a loan-by-loan basis, it plays a critical role in strengthening customer relationships and defending against growing competition.

The full report, The Most Valuable Loan Community Banks Don’t Make: The Hidden Value of Consumer Lending, is available for download here.

About Cornerstone Advisors

For more than 20 years, Cornerstone Advisors has provided advisory services and research to banks, credit unions and fintech companies. The firm helps financial institutions improve performance, modernize technology, increase efficiency and execute growth strategies.

About Teslar Software

Teslar Software helps community financial institutions modernize operations and accelerate growth while preserving relationship banking. Its unified platform supports loan origination, portfolio management, AI-powered workflow automation and exception tracking.

Media Contact
Cate Pitts, Editorial Director
Cornerstone Advisors
480-425-5203
424179@email4pr.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-cornerstone-advisors-research-reveals-community-banks-are-ceding-a-106-billion-consumer-lending-opportunity-302899390.html

SOURCE Cornerstone Advisors

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Itibari-Waynne & Partners (IWP) and VYRE Activate Partnership with Exclusive Content for VBNGtv

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First Projects Announced: ‘The Plug’ and Season Two of ‘self!’ as IWP prepares to open in early 2027

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Itibari-Waynne & Partners (IWP), the agentic financing platform for creator-led projects, and VYRE Network are kicking off their partnership with the launch of content created exclusively for VYRE Business News Global (VBNGtv), VYRE’s free streaming business channel.

With IWP officially opening for business in the first quarter of 2027, they are inviting creators, investors, lenders, vendors and apprentices to get a headstart where projects meet capital right now. Join their “Reserve Your Spot Today!” campaign today and Plug In to gain first access to funding.

“When we announced this partnership, the goal was to bring capital and content together on one network. Today that becomes real,” said David Hill, CEO of VYRE Network. “VBNGtv viewers get exclusive programming about business and capital, and creators get a direct line to IWP’s financing platform.”

‘The Plug’: First Proven Project

Debuting this fall, ‘The Plug’ is a video podcast series hosted by Grammy Award-winning producer Bruce Waynne, Founder and CEO of IWP, and Itibari Zulu, President of IWP and Chief Investment Officer of VYRE. It features long-form conversations with entrepreneurs, financiers, investors and entertainers about access to capital, ownership and building a company.

Named after PLUG, IWP’s dedicated funding agent, the series puts IWP’s model in front of the audience it serves: creators seeking funding, investors and lenders seeking vetted deals, and vendors and apprentices seeking funded work.

‘The Plug’ is also the first project financed under IWP’s model and serves as its proof of concept. The model layers risk protection with identifiable repayment sources; depending on the transaction, up to 80% of financing may be supported by insurance-backed credit enhancements, government incentives, tax credits, minimum guarantees, presales and distribution commitments.

‘self!’: IWP Helps Fund Second Season

IWP is contributing funding for Season Two of the successful VBNGtv original series, ‘self!’ which stands for Self-Empowerment Lessons Flourished. The recorded presentation-style talks provide an open-door look at how influential business leaders have elevated their companies to the next level.

The highest viewed episode from the first season featured a candid account from Itibari Zulu, who reveals how he found motivation and transformed it into a successful career in the financial services industry for over two decades. Watch this ‘self!’ episode now: ‘Itibari Zulu – Understanding the 4 Phases in Business’ 

“‘self!’ gave me the chance to share my story,” adds Zulu. “Season Two is about helping more people tell theirs, and that’s what IWP was built to do: put capital behind the people doing the work.”

Both ‘The Plug’ and ‘self!’ can be streamed for free at VBNGtv.com, the VYRE app, and on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung and LG Smart TVs, iOS and Android.

About IWP
IWP is an agentic financing platform that provides the infrastructure layer for entrepreneurs, powered by PLUG, its dedicated funding agent. www.iwp.fund

About VBNGtv
VBNGtv is a capital markets media engine and global streaming business channel showcasing small-cap and micro-cap companies, business leaders and brand partners.

About VYRE Network
VYRE is a vertically integrated media and entertainment technology company that helps creators, studios and brands distribute, finance, market and monetize premium content worldwide.

Media Contact:
Tammy Lynn, Spotlight PR Company
310-867-1952 / 424183@email4pr.com 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/itibari-waynne–partners-iwp-and-vyre-activate-partnership-with-exclusive-content-for-vbngtv-302899709.html

SOURCE Itibari-Waynne & Partners (IWP)

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