If you’re a small business owner, you’ve probably bounced between your CPA and your attorney more times than you’d like to admit. One tells you to ask the other. The other tells you, “That’s a tax issue, not legal.” And somehow you’re left in the middle—still unsure what to do.
It’s confusing, frustrating, and usually expensive.
That’s the gap Mark J. Kohler has spent the last 25 years fixing.
By combining legal and tax strategy under one roof, he’s helped reshape the way entrepreneurs approach their business structures, asset protection, and tax planning. The goal? Smarter decisions, fewer surprises, and more money in your pocket at the end of the year.
Let’s break down how—and why—it works.
What’s the Big Problem Small Business Owners Face?
At a minimum, every adult should have a will.
It does two critical things:
- ✔️Tells the court who gets your stuff
- ✔️Designates a guardian for minor children
That’s it. And while that’s important, a will alone won’t keep your estate out of probate.
Even a perfectly written will still has to go to court. A judge will review it, approve it, and issue what’s called “Letters Testamentary” so your executor can carry it out. This process is public, time-consuming, and costly.
And if you don’t have a will? The court decides who gets what, and who raises your kids. Not ideal.
Why You Actually Need a Trust
Most entrepreneurs are building the plane while flying it. They’re focused on:
- ✔️Getting clients
- ✔️Managing cash flow
- ✔️Trying to not drown in compliance or tax season
They’re not sitting around reading legal case law or the IRS code.
But here’s the problem: most CPAs don’t give legal advice, and most lawyers don’t know the tax code. So when you’re forming an LLC, moving assets, writing off your vehicle, or setting up a trust… you end up missing half the picture.
And that’s where mistakes happen.
What Makes Mark’s Approach Different?
Mark J. Kohler is one of the few professionals in the country who is both a tax attorney and a CPA. That alone is rare. But what really sets him apart is how he’s built an entire service model around this dual expertise.
Whether you’re forming an entity, dealing with a lawsuit threat, structuring a real estate deal, or preparing your taxes, you get legal and tax strategy in one conversation.
That means:
- ✔️No passing the buck between professionals
- ✔️No “ask your accountant” or “ask your lawyer” loop
- ✔️No expensive miscommunication or duplicate work
You’re not paying two people to figure out the same issue. You’re getting answers, strategy, and a real plan—from one team that actually works together.
Real Example: S Corp + Trust + Real Estate = Disaster (Or Smart Planning)
More and more entrepreneurs are realizing that piecemeal advice is costing them. Whether it’s overpaying in taxes, missing deductions, or setting up the wrong type of entity—these aren’t small mistakes. They can cost you tens of thousands (sometimes more) and open the door to lawsuits, audits, or failed estate plans.
The solution is having a team that can look at your whole picture:
- ✔️Legal liability
- ✔️Tax efficiency
- ✔️Business goals
- ✔️Long-term protection
That’s not a dream. It’s what Mark’s firms have been doing for years.
Why This Integrated Model Is Catching On
Setting up a trust is great, but it’s worthless if you don’t put anything in it.
You need to transfer ownership of your real estate, business interests, and certain accounts into the trust. This is called “funding” the trust, and it’s a step many people (and even some lawyers) forget.
You can name your trust something simple and private (like “Green Tree Trust”) and still maintain full control while you’re alive. But if you pass without properly funding it? The court steps in—and you’re back to probate.
What It Looks Like in Practice
Here’s what you get when you work with a firm that integrates CPA and legal services:
Clarity. You know why your structure looks the way it does—and what to do next.
Business formation done right. Not just an LLC, but the right LLC with the right tax election, ownership, and operating agreement.
Ongoing tax strategy. You’re not scrambling at year-end. You’ve got a plan—and your team is implementing it throughout the year.
Asset protection that holds up. If you get sued, you don’t lose everything because of a weak structure.
Estate planning that works with your business. Your revocable trust, LLCs, and retirement accounts all point in the same direction.
Long-Term Benefits You Can’t Ignore
The goal isn’t just to file your taxes or check a box with the state. The goal is to build a structure that helps your business:
- ✔️Grow safely
- ✔️Pay less in taxes
- ✔️Withstand audits or lawsuits
- ✔️Transfer wealth efficiently
Most business owners spend too much time and money fixing bad decisions later. This model is about making the right decisions now, with one trusted team guiding the entire process.
Final Thought
If you’re serious about your business, get serious about your structure.
Having a CPA and lawyer who speak the same language—and are often the same person—isn’t a luxury. It’s a strategic advantage. It’s the kind of planning that protects your business, your family, and your future.
If you’ve ever been caught between “Ask your CPA” and “Ask your attorney,” maybe it’s time to stop bouncing between experts—and start working with one team that gets the whole picture.
Grow smarter. Pay less in taxes.
The Main Street Tax Advisor Network connects entrepreneurs to certified professionals who specialize in real tax-saving strategies and have been trained and certified by Mark J. Kohler himself
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Use the Trifecta Planner to build your business with:
- Full compliance
- Aggressive savings
- A strategy for lasting wealth
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Stepfather pasted 1 year ago. Everything in probate. My mother has give me full DPOA. SHE IS 92 and still mentally coherent. But relative had used mental abuse to have him make a new will and trust living her, wife of 50 yrs out. We are contesting it. Hopefully with go results. I don’t trust current CPA company.
I want to make her an estate plan. She has a will and trust in Florida and trust in Missouri, for her children but no llc or s corporation. The property in MO. Is a producing farm and rental. Worth 5 million.
Florida has farming rental property, and personal rental property worth 45 million if we get the fake will and trust voided. She will get a least 30% according to Florida law.
I would like to first start by make a s corporation and put the farm in Mo. in it. And multi divide fla rental into a llc.
I am sinking:(