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Most of us have a basic understanding of what to do to get in shape and lose weight. We know we should eat right and workout, however, even if you do lose weight, 80% of people will gain it all back.

Why put yourself through the challenge depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy, going hungry, and wasting your money by joining a gym if you're just going to gain it all back? Making a plan that allows you the greatest possibility to meet and keep your goals is key to your success. Let's explore this further.

The diet and fitness industry usually focuses on 3 major areas 

1) Diet 
2) Nutrition 
3) Exercise

The missing factor that the majority of our fitness industry chooses to ignore is the power of choice. While what our potential is as human beings can be quite amazing; what we will do is something else.

We are a cocktail of different brain chemicals and when these chemicals are out of sync, it causes us to behave irrationally and make lifestyle choices that we wouldn't normally make. What we consider to be the normal stresses of life is really not normal at all but rather a warning sign from the body that something may not right.

Before we address the underlying health issues that cause you to be overstressed, I'd like to look at what stress is and its impact on us. Stress can be defined as the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope as a result of pressures that are unmanageable. Stress and anxiety influence our metabolism because people do not effectively control their thoughts and instead let anxiety take control. We are all going to experience certain types of stress in our lives, however, our bodies may be warning us that something is not right. An article from CBS News entitled "The Biggest Cause Of Stress For Americans Today" states that money issues are the #1 cause of stress. (See article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-biggest-cause-of-stress-in-america-today/. Even though we will experience triggers at times, by being healthy, we will be able to better cope with these conditions. Stress turns on the same signal in the brain that tells us when we are hungry. It increases our addiction to junk food, and causes us to overeat even when we are not hungry. With these underlying health issues, you cannot properly regulate your emotions which causes you to become addicted to unhealthy food to regulate your emotions.

Stress triggers the body to produce a hormone called “Cortisol” which many scientists call the death hormone because it is linked to so many life-threatening illnesses which we see in the form of belly fat. This type of fat can be very dangerous because it surrounds so many of our vital organs.

Dr. Joe Dispenzia says that we have 50,000-60,000 thoughts per day, and 90% of those are the same negative thoughts that we've had from the day before. However, once you take control of what you are thinking about, studies show that it results in a drop in cortisol thus lowering your belly fat without dieting or exercising.

There is a practice called mindfulness, which has been used in cultures throughout the world for thousands of years, and only in recent years has science been able to understand the true benefits of mindfulness. People become stressed by spending their day thinking about the past or worrying about the future. Mindfulness mediation is about being in the moment. For a long time, I dismissed meditation because I did not understand it or the benefits it holds. I always heard it in connection with ancient religious practice or some new age guru discussions, however, this is not the type of meditation we are talking about here. It has been found to benefit your physiological health, reduce stress, improve your mood, and set you up for emotional equilibrium rather than reactivity. It has also been linked with boosting your IQ and who doesn't want to be smarter! Some of the world's most successful people mediate such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, and Russel Simons just to name a few.

The practice of mindfulness is in focusing your attention on one thing such as the air flowing in and out of your nose. Once you notice your mind starting to wander, bring your attention back to breathing which will work to lower your stress hormones.

It also takes practice to shift from thinking negatively to thinking positively. Our minds are very powerful and learning how to "put the brakes on" when you find yourself using negative rhetoric will help you be more successful.
This is why mindfulness is so important. It is a tool to train your mind on how to think. Once you eliminate negative beliefs, you can begin to think positively and change your life for the better. 

So how can you replace a negative perspective with a positive one? People say they want to change their life, however, they slip into their old habits because they are familiar ones. At first, all change is uncomfortable. You will want to conscientiously think about the changes you want to make so you keep moving forward. If you don't keep it in the front of your mind, you will go back to familiar routines. Most habits take 30 consecutive days to change. People believe they are not in control of their emotions. however, thought alone can change the way you feel whether real or imagined.

When you want to build a new life, creating a vision in your mind of your future is a powerful way to set you on the right path. Creating a Vision Board helps you to picture it and make it a reality. Fill it with photos, words, and phrases of what it will be like. People wait for their life to change for them to feel happy and successful. Find ways to be happy NOW and don't wait until you have everything you want. Enjoy your life and what you focus on will grow. You will find yourself being grateful for even the simplest things and build on a strong, positive foundation.

Because our modern-day life is filled with so many distractions it is best to start off with a guided mediation instead of trying to do it on your own. The internet offers so many options. For example, you can search on Youtube for The 6 Phase Mindvalleys mediation to help you get started, and as your brain improves you can practice mindfulness on your own. Start with only 5 or 10 minutes each day and you will be surprised at what a difference it can make for you. Even if you do lose focus when meditating, perhaps you are thinking about the bills, health challenges, or family issues, try to bring your mind back to your breathing. You are worth the time and energy and the quality of your life will change. The more you do it, as with anything, the better you get at it. It will help you increase your attention span as well.

Dr. Jordan Peterson, in his book the “12 Rules For Life”, explains why we fail, If you struggle to reach any goal in your life, it's because at one point in your life you learned to fail. How did it feel, what did you do to pick yourself up and continue to move forward? Some people are better at this than others but it is an important lesson to learn. Seeing failure as an opportunity to learn something instead of an ending, is a valuable perspective for us to have.

When you experience success, the brain produces a chemical called “Serotonin” which is also called the happiness hormone. The more you succeed, the more Serotonin the body produces, however, one success does not always mean you will remain successful. When you fail, pick yourself up, keep moving, and making momentum.

When a person fails, they fall back to recuperate, if you will. If you stay in the state of mind of "failure" for too long, then it can become a habit leading to more stress. You are not producing a high level of serotonin and it can generate more negative outcomes and become a spiral of sorts. Over time, when you are living in this kind of vacuum, it can lead to illness, lack of confidence, and a shorter life.

So the practice of mindfulness is a great tool to utilize and help you have a happy and successful life because once you are better able to deal with stress you will not feel the need to eat junk food as you do now.  You are fueling your body and mind with food and thoughts that help you live your best life!

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If you struggle with dyslexia, ADD, ADHD or other so-called learning disabilities you may be considered lazy, unmotivated, stupid or other ways people make us feel inferior. .

Even though you may feel let down by the educational system the majority of assistance available is to help parents and their children. There is little assistance offered to adults. You may had been a full grow adult until you discovered your so-called learning disabilities.

I was diagnosed with dyslexia in first grade however, I did not discover I also had ADHD until I was a full-grown adult. However, I did not understand the advantages that dyslexia gave me because so much emphasis was given to my disadvantages.

If you struggle with dyslexia like me, people like Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney are held up as shinning examples of successful dyslexics to give us hope. 

But that is not the reality most dyslexics face.

The organization “Made By Dyslexia” held an event to celebrate the achievements of dyslexia because we live in a world made by dyslexic individuals like Henry Ford who developed the automobile, Thomas Edison who discovered Electricity, Steve Jobs who developed the smart phone, and civilization space travel with people like Elon Musk and Richard Branson with Space X and Virgin Galactic.

The research shows that dyslexics are 400% more likely to become millionaires however, as Matt Hancock Sec of State Health & Social Care spoke at the 2019 dyslexia summit address we are here to celebrate the achievement of those successful dyslexic who became successful inspire of their dyslexia.

He went on to emphasis that we are the privileges ones who made it despite a system that has bet on us to fail. We became successful despite the odds being against us.

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He went on to emphasis that we are the privileges ones who made it despite a system that has bet on us to fail. We became successful despite the odds being against us.

Some dyslexics have taken their success for granted because the difference between a dyslexic being successful and failing is the type of support they received.

Weather you have had to struggle with dyslexia, ADHD or another so-called learning disability you may had been blessed with a series of particular set of circumstances that set you up for success despite your dyslexia.

In Samantha Coppola Ted Talks video she’s shows the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 is currently $245,000 however, to raise a dyslexic child is $400,000 to provide the resources to be a successful and productive member of socity.

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I do not know many parents who have the resources to invest $400,000 into their kids. Dyslexia runs in families. Chances are if you have one child with dyslexia, if you have more than one child there is a pretty good chance they will have dyslexia too.

Because dyslexic children lack the resources to set them up for success according to the institution of educationsciences.gov

when they enter the real world Dyslexic are also more likely to end up in jail, prison, drugs, and more likely to engage in self harming behavior like beating or cutting ones self, and more likely to attempt suicide.

(See article https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1122799

According to eduationupdate.com shows that 48% of dyslexics are in prison because if you have poor reading and writing ability it is almost impossible to get a job.
Many times it is not that dyslexics can’t read but many times because of the way their eyes are communicating with the brain. Their brain does not see what is on the page and will even make up word that are not on the page

(See article http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2008/DEC/html/spec--dyslexia.html

My parents were not rich however, I qualified for a scholarship for a special school that helped me to learn so I could do better in school to get me out of special ed.

If you did not get the proper resources to set you up for success. You may become resentful.  Kirk and Reid conducted a study that found that up to 50% of the prison population had some form of dyslexia.

(See article https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2019/04/people-in-prison-are-way-more-likely-to-have-dyslexia-the-justice-system-sets-them-up-to-fail/

I was prescribed medication as a kid that creates drug addiction. Once into their teens many dyslexic kids cannot withstand the draw of drugs. Partly because of the way I was raised I knew I had a unbalanced draw to alcohol and drug. I knew if I ever started I would become addicted to it.

The best way I can describe it is you know how you feel when you smell a batch of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the over. This is how I felt when I smelt alcohol. My mouth would watcher and I was draw to it.

But I always stayed clear of it because I knew once I started I would easily become addicted. Once in my 30’s I felt I could control myself enough to avoid becoming addicted. 

 
I was able to withstand drugs, crime and going to jail but I was not able to avoid homelessness. In Barbah Cocrain Ted Talks video she explain that one thing that dyslexics are very good at is failing One of the reason people are not more successful than they are is because they are unwilling to fail

Dyslexics have failed so many time that failing is not a big deal for them. However, they learn from their failures until they become successful. Because so many dyslexics have become homeless from Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Steve Harvey, and Paul Mitchel I looked at my time in homelessness as a right of passage because there was a study published by Semanticsscholoar.org that showed the connection between dyslexia and homeless in which 52% of the homeless that took part in the study showed signs of dyslexia.

(See article https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2019/04/people-in-prison-are-way-more-likely-to-have-dyslexia-the-justice-system-sets-them-up-to-fail/

Most people when they go homeless; give up. I saw going homeless is just part of my journey to become successful. During the time I was homeless living out of my car. I never begged for money. Being homeless actually made me less tolerant of other homeless beggars because I did not rely on the pity of others.

I looked at the resources that were still available to me. I had my computer and I had my skills. During this time I would get something to drink at Targets cafeteria and use their free wifi and power to charge up my laptop and I worked hard to make money online.

I did not have the resource that people like Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk had. However, I am thankful for the support I received from my parents, especially my mom. Even though I lacked resources I still have to acknowledge that I received more support than many other children with dyslexia face.

I have been called lazy, stupid and all sorts of name because I failed to get a job for a long enough period of time I went homeless because of my dyslexia. I even failed the test at a job staffing service.

I have also be called names because I am driven enough to work hard and learn how to overcome my disadvantages that dyslexia gives me.

I can’t win I either a loser lazy, and worthless, or materialistic.

To be successful adult with dyslexia you need a team, without a team you fail. 

I worked and studied hard to achieve the level of success I did. I got married and after my mother passed my wife For a time gave me the support I need by working together as a team where I worked as a business strategist for a $400 million dollar marketing firm. Many times working with executives from multi billion dollar companies.

However, after my divorce and the loss of my support system I failed because as Person with dyslexia with a support system you succeed without a support system you fail!

It took me almost 5 years after my divorce to rebuild my support system. Paul Gonzalez is my support system by working together as a team we have taken on clients like Christopher B Pearman who is a producer, director, author, entrepreneur and father of Raven Symon of hit TV shows like “The Cosby Show”, “Thats So Raven”, and “The View”.

No matter your background we have built this online community to give you the tools, resources, and support to be successful despite what ever so-called label society has given you.

Because just as Steve Jobs said: Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels, the trouble makers, the round pegs in square holes. We are The ones who see things differently, were not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or villify them, but the one thing no one can do to you is ignore you, because you change things… Because the ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. 

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In order to stay competitive in today's fast pasted business environment, we have to make faster, more intelligent decisions than any of our competitors and one of the ways many of the top business leaders of the world do this is through what is known as mindfulness.

In the article “How To Optimize Your Brain To Make More Money” you saw that Einstein was not born with his brain, he built it! Through what we now know as neuroplasticity. We have power over our brains. By repeated thought thus building thicker neurological connections up the muscles in our brain, that will always us to outperform our competitors.

In Ray Dalio Inside Quest interview he explained that our emotions have a great impact on our actions than our logic and meditation enable you to make the best use of both the emotional and logical parts of the brain.  

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Jerry Seinfeld has been practicing mindfulness for 40 years and he believes mindfulness is like a cell phone charger for your brain.

Mindfulness is a form of meditation however, many people resist the idea of meditation because it’s too hippyish, too woo, woo, or they feel it is connected to some religious practice.

Yes, there are certain types of mediation that are part of their religious practice but meditation and especially mindfulness mediation by its self does not. The meaning of mindfulness is to be in the moment which is why so many business leaders practice mindfulness.

Stress and worry are destructive and cause our brain to underperform. 

Neuroscience shows we have between 50-60,000 thoughts every day, with 90% of those thought are the same thought you had the day before.  

Isaiah 43:18 says: “Do not remember the former things and do not dwell on the past. Look! I am doing something new“

So you have to stop thinking those same old negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts.

People say they want to change their life however, they surround themselves with feelings that are familiar to them and when they are on the brink of change they slip into their old habits because it is familiar. We end up self-sabotaging ourselves because it is familiar. People believe they are not in control of their emotions however, thought alone can change the way you feel whether real or imagined.

People want a new life however, instead of creating a vision in their mind of their future they feel unworthy because they focus on negativity which sabotages their future. People wait for their life to change for them to feel happy and successful.

2 Corinthians advises us to bring every thought into captivity. In other words, not to let your mind wander because if you do not learn to take control of your brain, someone else will control what you think about.

It is almost impossible to go from thinking negatively to thinking positively. You need to stop the momentum of our thoughts! This is why mindfulness is so important. Mindfulness is a tool to train your mind how to think.

Chances are you have lived your entire life, letting society, advertisers, and the media control your thinking. It is now time for you to learn how to control your thought.

In order to turn off the busyness of your mind, and the chatter you will want to see our Youtube video entitled “Meditation For Beginners”.

Many meditation teachers will start you out by focusing on the air coming in and out of your nose to turn off the chatter.

This is the place where you will not worry about your stresses and problems. You are in the moment you are also not worrying about the future.

Must people mind live in the past or the future however, the world's most successful people live in the moment? They have a job to do and they don’t have time to worry or stress about it.

Once you turn off the chatter and the negative thinking. You can then focus on positive thoughts.

Andrew Carnegie the Steel king who was once the richest person in the world his dying wish to give ordinary people access to the secret knowledge of wealth which many of you know as the Napoleon  Hill classic “Think And Grow Rich” but as you see in the article “The Medici Code” Napoleon  Hills did not finish his writing until after Andrew Carnegie death in which Henry Ford felt that Napoleon  Hills writing revealed too many secrets a released a sampled version “Think And Grow Rich” however, Napoleon  Hills ordinal release was a correspondence course through mail order entitled “The Laws Of Success”.

Andrew Carnegie learned how to control his mind through one of his early mentors Charles Haanel who offered a correspondence course and mastermind session where a group of elite businessmen would meet together paying their 2-year salary to be mentored by Charles Haanel.

Charles Haanel wanted to open up this opportunity to anyone who was willing to commit to it however, those in power were so threatened by these secrets that made his writing illegal fearing that anyone could learn these secrets and take away their positions.

However, after his death in 1949 all but a small group of elite entrepreneurs forgot about Charles Haanel.

In 2017 I was once invited to attend a very secret and elite group of leaders where a whole new world of opportunity was opened up to me where I learned of the writings of Charles Haanel.

I want to invite you to come along with me on this journey of what I am learning from the past writing of Charles Haanel to control my mind through a series of stages.

You will not be able to complete each stage at this point however, through practice and building the muscles in your brain know as neuroplasticity you will be able to master this.

You will take one stage at a time. Once you have master one stage you can move on to the next stage until you have mastered each and every stage.

These mind exercises have been practiced by kings and the elites for over 600 years including the Medici, Einstein, Edison, and Tesla. 

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The diet and fitness industry has not done a very good job of helping us to achieve the results we desire with our bodies. When we follow their advice, we do get results but we still fall short of the outcomes we desire for ourselves. We all know we should workout, however, many of us overdo it in the beginning because we do not know how to work out in order to get maximum benefit.

Many people choose cardio because it gets the heart pumping which we are told helps us burn more fat. This advice can be helpful to some and knowing your body and what will work for it is important. When starting an exercise regiment, starting slow and building up your endurance will give you a greater chance of success. No matter your current physical condition, there are ways you can build your muscles up.

So instead, focus on improving your overall health by living in a way nature intended us to. Develop your self-discipline skills. We were meant to move, stretch, and be physically active. We only have one body so take care of it. If you can't follow all of the exercise advice given, take parts of it that can work for you now and then add more later. It's a "marathon" not a sprint where you want to be able to go the distance.

Listen to your body. If you hear creaks in your knees, see that your skin is jaundice, or notice blemishes on your skin, it can be an indication of underlying health problems. Know your body, how you feel, and when there are changes. No one knows it better than you. What we might call natural aging is not natural at all but could be a warning from your body that something is not right. Listen to it and take action. What follows are some suggestions for you to consider.

If you have crows feet for example, which are those lines on the sides of your eyes, this can be a warning sign from your body that your adrenal glands are burned out. If we go for too long of a run, this could overtax the adrenal glands and stress your system boosting a chemical called cortisol.

Cortisol is a stress hormone and can be helpful. Ustress motivates toward goals we have set for ourselves. However, distress can paralyze us and prevent us from reaching our goals. Prolonged stress could cause you to hold on to more fat because cortisol creates belly fat. Belly fat can have a significant negative impact on our internal organs. Many scientists call cortisol the death hormone. High levels of it will hinder your efforts to build and repair lean muscle tissue because it accelerates muscle breakdown and enhances fat storage, especially in the abdominal area as mentioned above. It can lead to many life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes and an increase in your heart rate and blood pressure resulting in cardiovascular disease. It is never to late to make a change. So it is important to understand the state of your health to optimize your body to lose weight.

A study published in the journal Mayo Clinic shows that moderate strength training and an increase in overall muscle mass were shown to reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 32 percent.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/weight-training-can-help-people-with-type-2-diabetes

A Harvard study reveals that muscle reduces your chances of diabetes, people who lifted weights for 20 min or more daily had less belly fat than those that did the same amount or more of cardio. Another study found that men who did 20 minutes of daily weight training had less increase in age-related abdominal fat than men who spent the same amount of time doing aerobic activities.

So those who run for 20 minutes compared to those who lifted weights for 20 minutes showed that those who lifted weights had less belly fat because of lowered cortisol levels.

At Alphlifesyleacademy.com, you will find a picture of Nikki Blackletter. In both pictures, she is the same weight, however, her abdomen had more definition after putting on muscle when she dropped her BMI and toned up.

An article from WebMD shows that muscle increases your metabolism.  With an increase in your muscle mass, you can boost your resting metabolism — and that makes your body's ability to burn more calories. Even when you are sleeping, watching TV, relaxing, or while at work at your computer, when you have made the effort to increase your muscle mass, you have raised your ability to burn off more calories. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/get-more-burn-from-your-workout#1

We have always known how to workout. We first learned that in gym class. Who of us doesn’t know how to do push-ups, sit-ups, or even jumping jacks. The internet, and tons of fitness YouTubers like Hedi Sommers, Laura who is known as Fitness Muffin, Katie Corio, etc. However, when you work out the same muscle groups over and over again, your body stops developing muscles. Beachbody programs, on the other hand, are designed to fight this problem with “muscle confusion” which uses targeted training phases so your body keeps adapting and growing. You’ll never “plateau”—which means your muscles will never get too comfortable and eventually show no change. You can adjust your work out by making improvements and increasing weights, slowing down your pace to better stimulate the muscle, or even stopping for a period of time to allow different muscle groups to rebuild. When we build muscles up, we help our bodies to become more efficient by burning more calories throughout the day.  https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/get-more-burn-from-your-workout#1

You don’t need a gym to build muscles. In fact, because some people tend to push themselves because they are trying to keep up with other gym-goers, this causes injuries. By using your own body weight, this is a healthier way to build muscles.

By making small changes over time, you have a great chance to reach the results you desire. Building muscle is no different. Setting realistic small goals and celebrating when you achieve each one will continue to motivate and propel you forward. Be creative on how you celebrate and avoid eating food and instead take a bubble bath, get a mani/

When I started on this journey, I did not do my push-ups all at one time. Instead, I spread my exercise program out throughout the day. I set alarms in my phone as a reminder and every couple hours an alarm would go off to remind me it was time to do another set. You can also put notes around your workspace or at home to remind you to do another set. I do this not only for my push-ups but all the exercises in my program and I keep track of my results. I have included a worksheet you can print up to keep track of your results.

The average million spend 60 minutes each and every day educating themselves on business and financial material. So whatever area of your life you want to get handled you should spend 60 minutes each and every day educating yourself on the subject. For me, I listen to audiobooks and I walk around my office listening to audiobooks where I can really concentrate and meditate on what I am listening to.

I study for about 2 hours and every 4 minutes I do a set of exercises. So on my phone, I use the stopwatch and have an alarm go off every 4 minutes. If all you can do is 10 push-ups, then do 10 push-ups every 4 minutes however, after a couple of days then do 11 push-ups and continue on this path until you max out and can't do anymore. So 11 push-ups every 4 minutes for 2 hours, = 330 push-ups.

You don't want to do just push-ups every day. So rotate your exercises from day to day. So you might start out with push-ups, the next day move on to squats, the close grip push-ups then jumps, and you can do all of this from home without joining the gym.

It's not about how much money you make but, how much money you keep. Billionaires and millionaires are leaving places like New York, and California because of the high taxes to the sunny state of Florida.

Hedge fund billionaires have relocated to Florida for tax reasons for years -- David Tepper, Paul Tudor Jones and Eddie Lampert being among the most prominent.

Last week, the New York Times reported that Donald Trump had submitted paperwork to change his residency from New York to Florida. The President confirmed the news in a series of tweets, at first a little wistful (“I cherish New York, and the people of New York, and always will.”), followed by a familiar chaser of vitriol for one of his political rivals (“New York can never be great again under the current leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo.”).

The move has many potential implications for the 73-year-old Queens native. Town & Country asked Lee-ford Tritt, a law professor and member of the graduate tax faculty at the University of Florida College of Law, to walk us through how the move might affect the President's bottom line.

Carl Icahn Moves To Florida

Billionaire Carl Icahn is planning to move his home and business to Florida to avoid New York’s higher taxes, according to https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-12/carl-icahn-is-said-to-be-heading-to-florida-for-lower-tax-rates

Icahn, 83, who was born in the Far Rockaway neighborhood in Queens, New York, has been an icon on Wall Street for decades. In the 1990s, he bought a mansion in the exclusive Indian Creek island enclave on Biscayne Bay in Miami.

The move is scheduled for March 31 and employees who don’t do so won’t have a job, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter was private.

Hedge fund billionaires have relocated to Florida for tax reasons for years -- David Tepper, Paul Tudor Jones and Eddie Lampert being among the most prominent. But Florida officials have been aggressively pushing Miami as a destination for money managers since the Republican-led tax overhaul. Signed by President Donald Trump in 2017, it set a $10,000 cap for state and local tax deductions, including income and real estate taxes.

Florida Nabs Money Managers as Property Tax Cap Boosts Pitch

As the tax bill was being negotiated, then Florida Governor Rick Scott, a former resident of Greenwich, Connecticut, made trips up north to court investment firms.

Florida is one of seven states without a personal income tax, while New York’s top rate is 8.82%. Florida’s corporate tax rate is 5.5%, compared with 6.5% in New York. Icahn’s move was reported earlier by the New York Post.

The difference could mean dramatic savings for Icahn, who is the world’s 47th richest person with a personal wealth of $20.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

His investment vehicle, Icahn Enterprises LP, has a market value of $13.6 billion and reported adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of $1.6 billion in 2018, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Grant Cardone Left Los Angeles For Miami

Grant Cardone is known as a sales and real estate and currently has a $1.2 Billion dollar real estate empire known as Cardone Capital and flies around in his $80 million dollar jet.

Why Would Someone Leave New York For Florida?

“The tax implications will be huge for President Trump. He lives in Manhattan and is therefore subject to New York city tax and New York state tax. Florida does not have an income tax so he’ll probably save about 12 percent a year in taxes. Florida also does not have an estate tax which is huge because the estate tax in New York is about 16 percent for any amount over $5,750,000. So, between income tax and estate tax, he and his heirs are going to be saving a lot of money.”

How Do You Do It?

“New York and other states with income taxes do not like to give up revenue and that’s where the statutory residence test comes in. New York State checks to see if you spent more than 183 days in New York after your move. It will literally check if you had flights that connected through LaGuardia or JFK and count those as days. And if you spend 183 days and one hour in the state, New York considers you a resident.”

States go much farther than just checking flight records. Last spring, a court decided that a man did not qualify as a Florida resident after a lawyer produced evidence that he checked into his gym in California on 300 days in the year he was supposedly living in Florida. States also assess where individuals with multiple dwellings keep their art collections and other prized possessions—the so-called Teddy Bear Test—and use that information to make judgments on residency.

There Must Be Ways To Prove I Actually Moved

“In the old days, we would tell clients to write down where they were every day of the year in a print calendar so they could prove to investigators that they spent the majority of their time in their new domicile. Nowadays, you tell your clients to keep track of it on their smartphones.”

Monaco and TaxBird are two residency tracking apps that automatically record users’ whereabouts and give early warnings if they get close to the maximum number of allowable days.

Okay. I Can Do 183 Days. Anything Else?

“It’s a good idea to give up your country club membership and other affiliations in your old home state and join ones in your new one. But that’s complicated for wealthy people who own multiple homes and belong to numerous clubs. It might be even more complicated for President Trump because he owns country clubs.” 

My Accountant Already Makes Sure I Don't Pay A Lot Of Taxes. Any Other Reasons To Go?

“Florida has something called Homestead Protection, which prevents you from being forced to sell your home to pay certain creditors.” (OJ Simpson, for example, was able to keep his Florida home after being ordered to pay $25 million in wrongful death judgment in a lawsuit filed by the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.) “There’s no monetary limit, so depending on how expensive that house is, you can save a lot of your money from bankruptcy or credit claims.” (Nowadays people looking to avoid potential creditors can also enlist legal advisors to set up offshore or domestic “asset protection trusts.”)

Only In Florida?

“Hardly, there’s no income tax in Texas as well and it has similar home protection laws. It really comes down to personal taste. Are you a Florida type or is Texas your style?” Alaska, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming are five states that also do not levy a personal income tax.

Is It Bad For Florida?

“In high-profile cases like this, people always say, ‘This seems so outrageous!’ but it is a very common move for wealthy and for older people. It’s old-school financial planning. People in my field would yawn if you mentioned it. Or say, ‘I'm surprised he hadn't done it sooner.’ Florida is able to generate revenue from tourism. And having wealthy people move to the state brings money to its service industries."

See the original article: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a29715214/donal-trump-florida-wealthy-people-tax-breaks/

A hotel doesn’t have to be a bed and breakfast for you to enjoy both. In fact, you don’t even have to be a hotel guest to enjoy breakfast at these destination restaurants—though it is a nice perk to roll out of bed and already be halfway to your table. Whether you’re traveling for business, pleasure, or a little bit of both, these LA hotel breakfasts are more than worth waking up for.

The Restaurant at the Chateau Marmont

For brunching like a Hollywood celebrity, Chateau Marmont is the spot. The classy hotel still retains its old Hollywood glamour, making it as much a magnet for A-listers as for casual visitors. An intimate garden terrace, with bistro tables shaded by palm trees and umbrellas, is an idyllic—and semi-private—oasis to dine on shakshouka (baked eggs, spicy tomato sauce, feta, and herbs) or the popular acai bowl with grated coconut.

Check Prices for Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood

Fig Santa Monica

Full of natural light and decorated with ivy plants and modern light fixtures, this trendy farm-to-table restaurant inside the Fairmont Miramar Hotel has become a destination restaurant for both locals and out-of-towners. The Mediterranean-inspired menu highlights seasonal produce from the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, best consumed in the market scramble, and includes indulgences like lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry butter.

Check Prices for The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, CA

The Hart and The Hunter

Located at the Palihotel Melrose, The Hart and The Hunter is a group favorite for its rustic fare with a Southern twist—all served family-style. Homemade warm butter biscuits with honey butter and seasonal jam, thick-cut bacon with eggs, and shrimp and grits (all ready to pair with their craft beer menu) are perfect comfort food options whether you're far from home or no.

Check Prices for Palihotel Melrose in Los Angeles, CA

Tres by José Andrés

The indulgent menu at this sophisticated breakfast spot makes it perfect for celebrating a special occasion, whether that's a honeymoon, birthday, or anniversary. Quail eggs served sunny-side up and slow-cooked eggs with caviar are just some of the temptations served in the opulent yet intimate dining room. Breakfast is available daily, but Sunday brunch is worth holding out for—their seafood display features an eye-popping buffet of chilled oysters, snow crab claws, and Pacific prawns.

Check Prices for SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, CA

Mardi

Mardi is at its best on sunny Los Angeles days, when the al fresco patio is teeming with Angelenos. Inside, the stylish, Europe-meets-California décor includes bistro tables, booth seating, tropical plants, and bright accents. Wherever you choose to sit, small plates—fresh ricotta with caramelized honey and thyme; albacore crudo—are easy to share with a group, while the hearty mains—steak and eggs; french toast—are ideal for recovering after a long night out.

Check Prices for Palihouse West Hollywood in West Hollywood, CA

Best Girl

Breakfast at Best Girl, in the always-hip Ace Hotel, is straight and to the point, making it perfect for visitors with a packed schedule. The black-and-white bistro serves quick and healthy options like overnight oats with coconut milk and acai butter and avocado toast, while weekend brunches are more involved, featuring crab cakes and chilaquiles.R

Check Prices for Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles, CA

The Polo Lounge

A candy-striped ceiling, oversized booths, and Art Deco décor makes the Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel an easy breakfast pick for a leisurely weekend brunch. If the sun is shining, the pink, bougainvillea-strewn courtyard is the ideal setting for enjoying their three-course Sunday brunch featuring live jazz. Breakfast classics get done-up, like lobster avocado toast and truffle eggs Benedict. Don’t forget to order a bellini.

Check Prices for The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA

See the original article at https://www.jetsetter.com/magazine/best-hotel-breakfasts-in-los-angeles/