EDUCATION CENTER
WEBINARS

Webinars are the hot new place for meeting our professionals and obtaining valuable information. We have our blog too, but Webinars are richer in multi-media content and they are also interactive. Join us to learn our latest and greatest strategies and to ask questions. We have lots of topics scheduled for discussion, covering all the needs of our trader tax and investment-management business clients. Join us for the live (usually free) events, or listen to the recordings if you miss the event. A few valuable recordings will be available for a reasonable cost.

Webinars are a perfect first stop for our clients. We look forward to meeting you soon. Please also invite your friends to our Webinars — there's plenty of room.

If you are in the trading industry, contact us about joint marketing efforts with our Webinars, so we can meet the needs of your clients as well as ours. We list our joint marketing partners below, and thank them on our Webinars.

Webinars Scheduled:

We scheduled many different types of Webinars for February and March with our alliance partners, including but not limited to:

• Lightspeed (Mar 7);
• FXCM (Feb 15, 23 & Mar 8);
• Rockwell Trading (Feb 15);
• Cyber Trading University (Feb 14);
• DTI Trader (Feb 8);
• TradeLog software;
• TradersLog (Feb 29);
• and various trading groups,

Most Recent Recording:

• Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 | 04:30 - 05:45 pm ET
  2011 Tax Returns: What's New For Traders To Deal With This Tax Season?
  Hosts: Robert Green, CPA and New Partner Darren Neuschwander, CPA
  Details: Extensive coverage of new tax form 8949, for the new cost-basis reporting rules from the IRS, which are phased-in beginning in 2011. There are many tax problems and challenges ahead for this tax season with Form 8949. Securities traders should not proceed without this recording and related blog. We covered a little about Form 8938 and foreign compliance, too.
  Click here for our recording (audio and video). While the audio starts immediately, the video starts around 2:15 into the Webinar. Our recording requires the GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  Click here for the email invitation.
  
  
• Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 | 04:30 - 05:45 pm ET
  Year-End Planning, Trader Tax, FTT, Tax Changes & Investment Management
  Click here for our recording (audio and video). Our recording requires the GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  
• The Traders Expo - Las Vegas
  Thursday, November 17, 2011 | 8:00 am – 9:00 am
  TRADER TAX LAW UPDATE: BUSINESS TREATMENT, ELECTIONS, ENTITIES, AND RETIREMENT PLANS
  Click here to watch the Webcast video of this live presentation.
  For a power-point presentation of this same course material, see the TradersLog Webinar next.
  
  
• TradersLog.com webinar presented by Robert Green
  Wednesday, December 7, 2011 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST
  Trader Tax Law Update: Business Treatment, Elections, Entities,
  Retirement Plans, Year-End Tax Planning & Current Developments.
  Click here for YouTube recording, or
  Click here for our recording (audio and video of power point and more). Our recording may require GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note). YouTube is better.
  
• DTI Interivew with Robert Green
  Thursday, December 8, 2011 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM CT (or 8-9 ET)
  Questions Traders are Afraid to Ask About Their Taxes
  We hope to have an archive soon. It may rerun in DTI's room.

• Oct. 27, Thursday @ 4:15pm
  Traders Advocacy and Green's Entrepreneur Network
  Click here for recording published on Traders Advocacy site.
  
  
• Sept. 15, Thursday @ 4:15pm ET
  Launching an Incubator Hedge Fund: An Overview of the Process and Structure
  Presented by Brent Gillett, JD of Investment Law Group.
  Click here for our free recording (audio and video of power point and more).
  May require GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  Click here for the email invitation with description and new content.
  We have lots of excellent Q&A on this Webinar.
  
  
• Sept. 8, Thursday @ 4:15pm ET
  Trader Tax Benefits & Investment Management Business (Q&A)
  Click here for our free recording (audio and video of power point and more).
  Requires GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  Click here for the email invitation with description and new content.
  We have lots of excellent Q&A on this Webinar and show you around our Websites.

Recordings of Prior Webinars: In order of topic.

• Trader Tax Benefits. Click here for several different Webinars and Series.
  
• Forex Tax & Regulations. Click here.
  
• Foreign Bank Accounts and Offshore Income. Click here.
  
• Investment Management Business. Click here for a few and we have an exciting new series starting soon.

Trader Tax Benefits

• Kick Off to 2011 Tax Season Webinar, a four-part series.
  Part I - Trader Tax Benefits, Business vs. Investment Expenses & Tax Treatment
  Part II - Qualifying for Trader Tax Status, Section 475 MTM and NOLs
  Part III - Trader Tax Returns & Accounting
  Part IV - Entities, Retirement Plans & More
  **Completed Feb. 10, 2011.
  See details below.
  This six-hour Webinar has almost everything you need on trader tax this tax season. We highly recommend this recording set.
  
• The Traders Expo - Las Vegas
  Robert A. Green CPA is presented both of the Traders Expo's tax sessions; the free Educational Workshop (1 hour) and the more in-depth paid session (4 hours). Click here to learn more.
  Free Educational Presentation. Thursday, November 17, 2011 | 8:00 am – 9:00 am
  TRADER TAX LAW UPDATE: BUSINESS TREATMENT, ELECTIONS, ENTITIES, AND RETIREMENT PLANS
  Click here to watch the Webcast video of this live presentation.
  
• TradersLog.com webinar presented by Robert Green
  Wednesday, December 7, 2011 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST
  Trader Tax Law Update: Business Treatment, Elections, Entities,
  Retirement Plans & Year-End Tax Planning.
  Click here for our free recording (audio and video of power point and more).
  May require GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  
• Financial-Transaction Tax, Tax Breaks Under Threat, Inv. Mgmt, and Tax Changes
  Aug. 25 @ 4:15pm ET
  Click here for our free recording (audio and video of power point and more).
  If trouble, requires GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  Click here for the email invitation with description and new content.
  
• Trader Tax Returns, Entities & Retirement Plans
  Thurs, June 9, 2011 @ 1:30 PM Central Time
  DTI Trading Inc. hosted this event and our users are invited too.
  Click here for our free recording (audio and video of power point and more).
  Requires GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  
• Trader Tax & Investment Management Update
  Thurs., June 2, 2011 @ 4:00 - 5:30 PM EDT
  Click here for our free recording (.wmv format).
  Requires GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  Mac and other users click here for our free audio recording in mp3 format.
  
• Trader Tax Benefits, Qualifying, Business Expenses & Tax Treatment
  Tue, Apr 5, 2011 @ 3:30 PM Central Time
  DTI Trading Inc. is hosted this event and our users are invited too.
  
• Trader Tax Returns, Entities & Retirement Plans
  Thu, Mar 31, 2011 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM EDT
  Click here for our free recording.
  Lightspeed Trading invited its users to this event too.
  
• Trader Tax Benefits, Qualifying, Business Expenses & Tax Treatment
  Tue, Mar 29, 2011 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM EDT
  Click here for our free recording.
  Lightspeed Trading invited its users to this event too.
  
• Trader Tax Returns, Entities & Retirement Plans
  Date: Thursday, March 24, 2011
  Click here for our free recording.
  FXCM invited its users to this event too.
  
• Trader Tax Benefits, Qualifying, Business Expenses & Tax Treatment
  Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2011
  Click here for our free recording.
  FXCM invited its users to this event too.
  
• Trader Tax & Investment Management General Webinar focused on Q&A
  Feb. 24, 2011. Click here to learn more and for our free recording.
  Includes: recent developments on federal and state attempts to attack trader tax status with hobby-loss rules, and how we are winning cases applying the "continuous business activity" argument; an in depth look at the taxation of ETFs and options on ETFs; tax preparation Q&A, valuable tips and more.

Forex Tax & Regulations

• Forex tax & regulation update
  Date: Thursday, March 10, 2011
  Click here to learn more and for our free recording.
  FXCM invited its users to this event too.
  For background information, please see our blog's Forex Tax & Regulation section.
  
  
• Forex tax treatment
  Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2011
  Click here to learn more and for our free recording.
  FXCM invited its users to this event too.

Foreign Bank Accounts and Offshore Income

• Foreign Bank Account & Income Reporting (FBAR)
  Thursday, June 30, 2011 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
  Click here for our free recording (audio and video of power point and more).
  Co-hosts Robert A. Green, CPA and Mark Feldman, JD
  Contact Mr. Feldman at mfeldman@greencompany.com
  Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR). Click here for blogs.

Threats to Traders and Managers

• Are traders under tax attack on futures rates, hobby loss rules,
  trader tax status and FTT?
  Thu, Jul 14, 2011 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT
  Click here for our free recording (audio and video).
  Requires GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  Mac and other users click here for our free audio recording in mp3 format.
  Click here for description and to share with others.
  Click here for our July 12th blog article "Are lower 60/40 tax rates on futures in jeopardy?"
  

Investment Management Business

• Launching an Incubator Hedge Fund: An Overview of the Process and Structure
  Sept. 15, Thursday @ 4:15pm ET
  Presented by Brent Gillett, JD of Investment Law Group.
  Click here for our free recording (audio and video of power point and more).
  May require GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  Click here for the email invitation with description and new content.
  We have lots of excellent Q&A on this Webinar.
  
• Investment-management business set up
  Feb. 15, 2011. Click here for details and the free recording.
  This Webinar shows you how to set up an investment management business.
  
• Investment Management & Incubator Funds;
  CFTC Forex Rules & Foreign Brokers and Banks;
  IRS Foreign Bank Accounts & Offshore Income;
  Financial-Transaction Tax Threat
  Thu, Jul 7, 2011 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT
  Click here for our free recording (audio and video).
  Requires GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  Mac and other users click here for our free audio recording in mp3 format.
  Click here for Webinar bulk email showing a full description.
  
• Trader Tax & Investment Management Update
  Thurs., June 2, 2011 @ 4:00 - 5:30 PM EDT
  Click here for our free recording (.wmv format).
  Requires GoToMeeting.com/codec plug-in beforehand for PC users (see note).
  Mac and other users click here for our free audio recording in mp3 format.
  
• Trader Tax & Investment Management General Webinar focused on Q&A
  Feb. 24, 2011.
  Click here to learn more and for our free recording.
  Includes: recent developments on federal and state attempts to attack trader tax status with hobby-loss rules, and how we are winning cases applying the "continuous business activity" argument; an in depth look at the taxation of ETFs and options on ETFs; tax preparation Q&A, valuable tips and more.

Technical note about recordings
Most recordings are available to PC, Mac and other users in fully converted Windows Media Player format. Occasionally, we experience a conversion glitch, which means the file will only work if you download/install the GoToMeeting codec plug-in beforehand. This will work for PC users only, so in these cases, we also offer an mp3 audio file for Mac users.

Webinars Being Planned Soon:

• Investment Management Series:
  Webinar: Maximize tax benefits in your investment-management business
  Webinar: Accounting for investment management businesses
  Webinar: Latest developments in tax legislation and regulation
  
  
• Trader Tax Series
  Webinar: TradeLog demonstration
  Webinar: Trader tax return examples
  Webinar: Entities
  Webinar: Retirement plans
  Webinar: Retail Trading versus Proprietary Trading, the Pros and Cons

GreenTraderTax's Kick Off to 2011 Tax Season Webinar, a four-part series.
This is our most in-depth, best online Webinar series in years.
Thank you to Rockwell Trading for inviting its users too.

Description:

• It's time for traders and investment managers to become informed and organized for preparing 2010 income tax returns. Before you choose a CPA and send them your tax files or select a tax preparation program, learn these tips from trader-tax industry pro Robert A. Green, CPA.
  
• In this online Webinar, learn the dos and don'ts of trader tax status, including how to qualify for business tax breaks (including in 2010); key tax-treatment differences between securities, futures, forex and more; tax elections and when to make them; using entities to unlock AGI deductions including retirement plans and health-insurance premiums; the best type of entities and retirement plans for traders; and how to handle pre-business education expenses while staying clear of others' false promises for education deductions using poor multi-entity schemes.
  
• Get all the trader tax and investment-management business tax breaks you're entitled to for 2010. Set up your tax affairs for 2011. Be careful who you get your tax advice and services from and make sure the tax information you receive conforms to what we teach. For more information about problematic tax advisers and solutions, read our blog article.

Part I - Trader Tax Benefits, Business vs. Investment Expenses & Tax Treatment
Friday, January 14, 2011, 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET.

In Part I, we introduce this Webinar series and cover slides 1 through 19 of 49, including:

• The dos and don'ts of trader tax status;
• Business deductions (trader tax status) vs. investment expenses;
• Key tax treatment differences between securities, futures, forex and more;
• Tax elections and when to make them; and
• How to handle pre-business education expenses, while staying clear of promoters' false promises for education deductions using poor multi-entity schemes.

Part II - Qualifying for Trader Tax Status, Section 475 MTM and NOLs
Friday, January 21, 2011, 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET.

In Part II, we started off with an interesting poll and shared the results.
Green began by summarizing Part I, and then delved into Part II, starting on power point slide 19 and ending on slide 28 of 49. Part II includes the sections on:

• Qualifying for trader tax status (covered in great depth);
• Section 475 Mark-to-Market accounting (with all the nuances and strategies); and
• Net operating losses (NOLs).

Part III - Trader Tax Returns & Accounting
Thursday, January 27, 2011, 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET.

In Part III, we start off with a different interesting poll and share the results.
Part III includes:

• Don’t get trapped with wasted forex losses;
• Claiming trader tax status and preparing business trader tax returns;
• Trading gains/losses are reported on different forms;
• Problem and solution: Transfer of income strategy;
• Trade accounting: A snap for futures & most forex traders;
• Trade accounting is a responsibility for securities traders;
• Trade accounting for securities is easier with TradeLog®

Part IV - Entities, Retirement Plans, Proprietary Trading Firms & More
Thursday, February 3, 2011, 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET. .

In Part IV, we start off with a different interesting poll and share the results.
Part IV includes:

• Entities For traders;
• Retirement plans for traders;
• GreenTrader retirement plans;
• Self-employment (SE) & payroll taxes;
• SE tax:Exceptions for traders;
• Proprietary trading firms;
• Incubator funds;
• Traders association; and
• Other topics.

Investment-Management Business Series

Webinar: Investment-management business set up
Tue, Feb 15, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EST. Archive Recording below.
Windows Media Player video file. Suggest Windows Media Player 11.0 for streaming.
Power Point Slides.

If you are interested in forming an investment management business at some point in the future, this Webinar is right for you. Our incubator fund strategy is a great low-cost way to get started in investment management, click here to read our Feb. 10 blog. If you already have an investment management business, this Webinar is a good way to learn some of our special tax and regulatory strategies.

The biggest pitfall for new investment-management businesses is blowing tax elections. Learn how to handle all the tax matters correctly, including carried-interest tax breaks, the S-corp self-employment tax loophole, trader tax status and Section 475 MTM accounting, lower 60/40 Section 1256g forex tax treatment breaks, international tax planning including PFIC and QEF elections, mini-master feeders, good offshore fund destinations, tax and regulation changes and more. Click here to read our Feb. 8 blog on investment management tax strategies.

In this Webinar, you will learn how to start your own incubator fund and trade your own money with a performance record you can use later to attract investors into your own full-fledged hedge fund. Learn about licenses and the state and national regulations that apply to trading other people’s money in securities, futures or forex.

See sample provisions of investment-management business documents including hedge fund documents (private placement memorandums, LP partnership and LLC operating agreements, and subscription materials) and managed account agreements.

Webinar: Forex tax treatment
Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2011, Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST
Click here for free recording. Suggest Windows Media Player 11.0 for streaming.
FXCM invited their users to this event too.
For background information, please see our blog's Forex Tax & Regulation section.

Many people trade spot forex contracts and it’s not clear if they can elect out of Section 988 (ordinary gain or loss treatment) with a capital gains election into lower 60/40 tax rates of Section 1256(g). Interbank (forex) forwards are clearly mentioned as being allowable in Section 1256(g), but spot is not mentioned and the IRS has been reluctant to expand the definition of contracts entitled to Section 1256 tax breaks.

If you have significant trading gains on spot forex contracts, those lower Section 1256 tax rates (such as foreign currency forwards) — which are up to 12 percent lower than the ordinary tax rates currently — may be very material and desirable to you, your forex fund and/or managed account investors. We’ve been working closely with the IRS tax attorneys who authored Section 988 (foreign currency transactions) and Section 1256(g) (foreign currency contracts), to iron out questions in these tax code sections as they apply to traders.

Forex transactions are reported in summary form. It’s not clear in the tax code when you should use cash vs. MTM treatment. If using Section 1256(g), MTM treatment is required. We will discuss the fact that forex brokers generally don’t report rollovers as realized transactions. Most forex brokers treat rollover interest as part of forex trading gains and losses and we make a case for how brokers are correct in not treating it as interest income.

Robert A. Green, CPA and our leading tax attorney Mark Feldman, JD will teach this Webinar. If you are forex trader or investment manager, or a professional practicing in this area, this Webinar will be valuable to you.

Webinar: Forex tax & regulation update
Click here for free recording. Suggest Windows Media Player 11.0 for streaming.
FXCM invited their users to this event too.
Date: Thursday, March 10, 2011
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST
For background information, please see our blog's Forex Tax & Regulation section.

Retail forex trading has grown significantly over the past decade. Forex traders benefited from loose regulatory oversight, allowing greater leverage than on-exchange currency futures. Nuances in tax rules allowed forex traders to "have their cake and eat it too" with ordinary-loss treatment in Section 988, and in some cases, lower Section 1256g 60/40 (futures) tax rates on trading gains.

New CFTC and NFA regulations in 2010 have reined in leverage and other more lenient policies for retail off-exchange forex trading conducted by Americans, whether they use U.S. or foreign-based brokerage firms or banks. Recent NFA enforcement actions and shareholder lawsuits against forex brokers have uncovered more details about forex brokers’ utilization of trading software that taps into the interbank marketplace. As regulators and tax authorities learn more about these systems and practices, it may further influence tax and regulation policies. Stay ahead of the curve on these developments.

In our last Webinar covering forex tax treatment (recording available), we focused on spot forex, rollover transactions and other tax nuances in forex. In this Webinar, we will pick up where we left off and touch on the tax basics for forex and futures.

We will explain the new CFTC rules for off-exchange retail forex trading made effective on Oct. 21, 2010. U.S.-based forex brokers and international forex brokers catering to Americans must register with the NFA as registered foreign exchange dealers.

Even after the new rules are in effect, many Americans are still keeping their foreign brokerage accounts, even though their foreign broker isn't registered with the CFTC or NFA. Some foreign brokers claim to be banks and are allowed 270 more days to register with the CFTC by July 18, 2011. The new CFTC rules require foreign IBs, CTAs and CPOs to register with the NFA when they do business with Americans.

Robert A. Green, CPA will teach this Webinar. If you are forex trader, investment manager, forex introducing broker or brokerage firm, or a professional practicing in this area, this Webinar will be valuable to you.

Webinar: Maximize tax benefits in your investment-management business
Trader clients of GreenTraderTax understand that trader tax benefits play an important role in after tax returns. Hedge funds can also qualify for trader tax status. If they qualify, hedge-fund expenses including fees paid to the manager become a business deduction for investors. Without trader tax status, investors are stuck with restricted itemized deductions which are not deductible against AMT. Although hedge funds with trader tax status may elect Section 475 MTM accounting, many skip the MTM election because they don’t want investors requesting redemptions to pay taxes on a Schedule K-1 pass-through of unrealized gains — which are realized with Section 475 MTM.

Hedge-fund managers also benefit from carried-interest tax breaks. Instead of charging performance-based advisory fees, otherwise known as incentive fees, they charge a profit-allocation of the investors’ performance. If the underlying income includes long-term capital gains or futures (lower 60/40 tax rates), the manager enjoys that tax break too, rather than having ordinary income subject to SE tax.

Investment advisers to managed accounts have different tax rules. Their managed account investors can not use trader tax breaks because they engage an outside manager. The manager cannot have carried-interest tax breaks either, because they are not partners in a fund with special allocations.

Advisers to managed accounts and hedge funds should consider S-Corp. tax treatment to reduce self-employment taxes or payroll taxes. Advisory fees are earned income subject to ordinary tax rates plus SE taxes. Unlike with an LLC partnership return, an S-Corp does not pass-through this income as earned income to the owner manager. The IRS requires reasonable compensation to the owner/manager, which can be approximately 30 percent. The owner manager can save SE tax on the remaining fee income, which can be approximately 70 percent.

We will discuss lots of other important tax rules for investment managers of domestic and offshore hedge funds and retirement-plan investors including pension funds and endowments. We’ll cover tax issues for master feeder structures and special issues for offshore funds, including Passive Foreign Investment Companies, QEF elections (for dealing with PFIC issues for taxable U.S. investors), and Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) issues for U.S. tax-exempts.

Robert A. Green, CPA will teach this Webinar. If you’re an investment manager or a professional practicing in this area, this Webinar will be of value to you. Meet our Brocha Lewenstein, CPA too; she heads up tax preparation for hedge funds in GreenTraderFunds. Ms. Lewenstein joined us from PWC, where she prepared hedge-fund tax returns for one of the leading investment banks on Wall Street.

Webinar: Accounting for investment management businesses
Learn how we do accounting for incubator funds, managed accounts and full-fledged hedge funds. Investor-level hedge-fund accounting is complex and consumer accounting programs like QuickBooks don’t offer that type of accounting functionality. Hedge funds also require full general ledger accounting; specialized trade accounting programs like TradeLog for GreenTraderTax don’t have that capability. It’s best to use good investment-management business accounting software like FundCount. We’ll give you a demonstration of FundCount software. We’ll show you different accounting challenges and solutions between incubator funds and managed accounts. Meet our CPAs on this Webinar and see how we can help you.

Some bigger trader clients at GreenTraderTax are also interested in our full-service “institutional” accounting solutions and services. Rather than handle accounting piecemeal, some larger business traders prefer to consolidate their accounting into one program. FundCount handles the full general ledger, downloading transactions from banks and trades on securities, futures and forex from almost all online brokers. It handles tax treatment correctly on wash sales, Section 475 MTM and Section 988 or 1256(g) on forex. If you have a sizeable trading business, you deserve a more complete and consolidated accounting solution. It’s better for impressing the IRS in an exam, and saves on fees too. It helps make the larger trader scalable into an investment-management business.

Robert A. Green, CPA and Christie Kam, CPA of GreenTraderFunds will teach this Webinar, joined by a FundCount representative. Ms. Kam heads up GreenTraderFunds accounting for investment management businesses. Ms. Kam was previously a senior auditor in the investment management group in PwC (big four CPA firm); she also did monthly and annual hedge-fund accounting for Goldman Sachs.

Webinar: Latest developments in tax legislation and regulation
The Dodd-Frank Financial Regulation legislation enacted on July 21, 2010 makes important changes to rules for investment managers. It beefs up SEC and state registrations for securities traders, includes forex under the CFTC/NFA regulatory umbrella, forces investment managers for all bigger securities funds to register with the SEC, raises the bar for accredited investors in hedge funds and increases regulations on derivatives calling for clearing on exchanges. The regulations are being drafted by the SEC and CFTC now, with a significant calendar of rules to be released throughout 2011.

The SEC is punting smaller hedge funds to states for regulation, making things very tricky for advisers and their attorneys. The SEC, state regulators and the NFA are also beefing up “sweeps” (audits) of egistered and unregistered advisers. Mock audits conducted by GreenTraderFunds may be a good idea.

The U.S. is acting in concert with the EU and others in the G-20 on financial reform. The EU continues to debate new passport rules for hedge fund managers. Will U.S.-based managers be disenfranchised? Not if Secretary Geithner can help it.

Offshore funds in tax-free jurisdictions like Cayman Islands and BVI are under attack from tax authorities and regulators in the U.S. and EU. New friendly jurisdictions for hedge funds are springing up in Luxembourg, Asia and elsewhere.

Robert A. Green, CPA will teach this Webinar. If you are an investment manager or a professional racticing in this area, this Webinar will be valuable to you.

Trader Tax Series

Webinar: TradeLog demonstration
See how easy it is to download trades from most online brokers and complete your annual trade tax accounting. There are different versions and functions for cash vs. Section 475 MTM accounting. See how to make Section 481a adjustments when you convert to Section 475 MTM accounting. Learn how to reconcile the results to annual 1099-Bs, review the program for wash sale reporting results and more.

Webinar: Trader tax return examples
We provide excerpts from our GreenTraderTax return examples guides, including examples for securities, futures and forex traders, and individuals vs. entities. Learn our special tax strategies, nuances, pitfalls and more. This Webinar is for tax preparers and self-preparers.

Darren Neuschwander, CPA, our top tax-return reviewer and Robert Green, CPA will teach this Webinar. We can review your tax returns too.

Webinar: Entities
Learn how we set up entities for traders. We show you how to chose between a husband and wife general partnership, multi or single-member LLC or S-corp election. Entities vary by state too. Learn how to avoid pitfalls, like trading in a C-corp.

Traders rarely have self-employment (SE) income, so it affects the choice of entity and tax planning inside the entity.

Conversely, investment managers generate earned income from advisory fees subject to SE taxes. That turns entity-structuring ideas upside down. Many investment managers are better off making an S-Corp election to reduce SE tax. But S-Corp elections are not a good idea in some cases, including when you need to make special allocations for working partners. S-Corps may only have one class of stock so special allocations are not allowed. Some states and cities tax S-Corps more too. Investment vehicles must allow for special allocations — to allow for carried interest tax breaks to the manager and more — so hedge funds are either Limited Partnerships (LPs) or LLCs, usually formed as virtual entities in Delaware. Management companies and trading companies should be formed in the home state of the manager or trader.

Robert A. Green, CPA will teach this Webinar.

Webinar: Retirement plans
Learn which retirement plans are best for traders and investment managers. Learn how we choose among retirement plan options, including when we suggest a “cookie cutter” retirement plan offered by leading online brokers, or when we suggest using an intermediary trust firm to set up and maintain your own self-directed retirement plan.

Mini 401k plans, otherwise known as individual 401k plans, are best for small-business traders and investment managers using S-Corp structures. With a Mini 401k plan, a trader or manager can maximize income tax savings vs. self-employment (SE) tax (or payroll tax) costs.

Learn the affiliated service group rules, which require coverage for affiliated company employees.

Learn the dos and don’ts of using retirement plans in your trading or investment-management business. IRS rules for prohibited transaction and self-dealing restrict your retirement plan from investing in the equity of your management company or trading business. It’s possible to have your retirement plan invest into your hedge fund, provided it’s not the anchor investor.

You can’t borrow from your own IRA, but you can borrow from your own qualified plan, like a Mini 401k retirement plan. Learn how these loans work.

Learn to trade your retirement funds actively while deferring taxes until retirement. Learn to use Roth IRA conversions to soak up trader tax business losses, and when a Roth IRA may be right for you. Learn how to reimburse yourself for trading expenses from your retirement plans.

Robert A. Green, CPA will teach this Webinar.

Webinar: Retail Trading vs. Proprietary Trading

Retail trading generally refers to trading your own account. Retail day traders often qualify for trader tax status (business treatment) and securities traders usually elect Section 475 MTM ordinary gain or business loss treatment. Retail traders form entities to financially engineer AGI deductions including retirement plans and health-insurance premiums.

Proprietary trading refers to trading a proprietary trading firm’s account. Proprietary trading firms engage proprietary traders as either employees (W-2), independent contractors (1099-Misc.) or LLC-member owners (Schedule K-1).

The main benefit of proprietary trading over retail trading is access to much higher leverage than retail traders get – such as 4:1 for pattern day traders in securities. Independent contractor proprietary traders report fee revenue, deduct business expenses, owe self-employment (SE) tax on the net and can contribute to retirement plans and deduct health-insurance premiums on this earned income. Conversely, LLC member proprietary traders don't have earned income reported on their Schedule K-1s, so they save SE tax and can't contribute to a retirement plan or deduct health-insurance premiums. We will cover various tax strategies for proprietary traders.

In the proprietary trading firm industry, there are hybrid models and special arrangements that cause confusion and can lead to trouble or opportunity. In this Webinar, we will review things you should consider in evaluating proprietary trading firm opportunities. These include making deposits and how to write them off when lost, which varies depending on your status. Also, learn how to handle hybrid models offering education first and proprietary trading rights later. Is it safe to join a proprietary trading firm that's not registered as a broker dealer – generally a “non-customer” broker dealer? Do you need a license to join a proprietary trading firm?

We will review regulatory developments and their significant impact on the proprietary trading industry. FINRA's notice to prop traders implies that many prop trading firms are out of compliance and may be reined in by regulators. Other firms are respecting this notice and are structured more appropriately. Dodd-Frank Financial Regulation enacted in July 2010 and still being codified by the regulators forces large commercial banks to exit the proprietary trading industry for their own account under the Volcker Rule.

We will also cover various alerts, industry blow ups like Tuco Trading LLC and international opportunities like engaging proprietary traders in emerging markets. At the end of this session, you can compare retail trading apples to proprietary trading firm oranges.

Robert A. Green, CPA will teach this Webinar. For background information, see our proprietary trading section on our Website.

If you have any questions about GreenTrader online seminars, or would like us to host an event for your company, kindly e-mail us at info@greencompany.com or call (877) 662-2014 (toll free), or (646) 216-8061.