jueves, 13 de agosto de 2026

Did You Really Save Money by Opening Your Company Online? What looks cheap today can become the most expensive part of your business

 SPANISH

Did You Really Save Money by Opening Your Company Online?

 What looks cheap today can become the most expensive part of your business

By Juan V. Fanti, MBA, CAA, PA

 


The Internet has transformed business. Today we can purchase products, communicate, open accounts and complete countless administrative procedures without leaving home.

But that convenience has also created a dangerous perception:

“If I can do it online for $49, $79 or $99, why should I pay a professional?”

After many years working with business owners and taxpayers, I believe the better question is:

How much could tomorrow's problem cost me compared with what I am trying to save today?

Forming a company is not simply completing a form

One of the most common mistakes is believing that creating an LLC or corporation consists only of registering a name and receiving formation documents.

It does not.

Before forming a company, important questions should be considered.

What will the business actually do?

Who will own it?

Are any owners foreign persons?

How will it be taxed?

Will it have employees?

Will it acquire real estate?

Will it receive investments?

Will it operate only in Florida or in other states or countries?

What tax and administrative obligations will follow?

An automated platform may ask what you want to register.

An experienced professional should first ask what you are trying to accomplish.

That difference matters.

When the price seems mathematically impossible

Some online offers appear extraordinarily inexpensive.

The business owner should stop and ask:

What does that advertised price actually include?

Florida government filing costs do not disappear because a website advertises a promotion. A new Florida LLC currently carries $125 in required state filing and registered-agent designation fees, while the required state charges for a new Florida profit corporation total $70 before optional services.

That does not mean every inexpensive service is bad.

It means consumers should understand exactly what is included, what is excluded and what additional charges may follow.

“They also got my EIN”

An EIN provides another excellent example.

The IRS issues EINs free of charge directly to qualifying applicants.

Therefore, when a professional charges to manage an EIN application, the professional value should not simply be selling a number that the government provides for free.

The value should involve helping ensure that the application properly reflects the entity, responsible party and circumstances that may later interact with the company's tax filings.

The problem is not paying someone to handle an EIN application.

The problem is paying someone to handle it incorrectly.

Then tax season arrives

This is frequently where our work begins.

Over the years, clients have walked into our office holding IRS letters and saying:

“I don't understand what happened. I paid someone to prepare my taxes.”

Then we open the file.

I have reviewed tax-return packages approaching 100 pages, containing numerous essentially blank pages, unnecessary forms, information inconsistent with the taxpayer's activity and tax treatments requiring substantial review.

A long tax return is not necessarily a sophisticated tax return.

More pages do not mean more expertise.

The problem no longer costs $50

Once a return is prepared incorrectly, the potential cost is no longer simply the original preparation fee.

There may be an IRS notice.

Then penalties.

Then interest.

Records may need to be reconstructed.

Returns may need to be amended.

IRS correspondence may require a response.

And more complex matters may eventually require a CPA, Enrolled Agent, tax attorney or another professional with appropriate representation rights.

Federal tax rules provide penalties for various filing and accuracy problems. For example, an accuracy-related penalty can equal 20% of the portion of an underpayment attributable to certain covered conduct, and interest can increase the outstanding balance.

Suddenly, the money that seemed expensive at the beginning can become thousands of dollars in corrections, professional fees, penalties, interest and lost time.

The Internet is not the enemy

This distinction matters.

Technology is extraordinarily useful.

Many legitimate online platforms provide valuable services.

Business owners can even complete certain formation procedures directly through official government systems.

The mistake is confusing:

a tool that submits documents

with

professional advice that helps determine which documents and decisions are appropriate.

They are not the same thing.

A platform may execute the wrong instruction perfectly.

An experienced professional should attempt to identify why the instruction may be wrong before executing it.

Accountant, attorney or online platform?

Not every business matter requires an attorney.

Legal matters should be handled by qualified legal counsel.

Accounting and tax decisions should be evaluated by professionals competent in those areas.

And simple administrative filings may sometimes be handled effectively through technology.

The intelligent decision is understanding which situation requires which professional.

At 200GFS, our accounting and tax work does not replace legal advice when legal counsel is required. Recognizing when an attorney or another specialist should become involved is itself part of responsible professional service.

Did you actually save money?

Suppose you save $100 today.

Two years later, you spend $2,000, $5,000 or more correcting an entity, tax return or compliance problem.

Did you save $100?

Or did you simply postpone the real cost?

Perhaps it is not yet time to start the company

This may not be a popular opinion, but years of working with businesses have reinforced it:

If properly starting a company is completely beyond your current budget, you may need to reconsider whether this is the right moment to start it.

Businesses require capital.

They require accounting.

They have tax obligations.

They may require licenses.

They incur administrative expenses.

And those responsibilities do not disappear simply because the business has not yet generated enough revenue.

Entrepreneurship involves risk.

But removing the controls that can protect the business merely because they cost money is not necessarily intelligent entrepreneurship.

At 200GFS, we do not simply want to open your company

We want to understand why you are opening it.

We want to understand what the business will do, who will participate, how it expects to generate revenue and what obligations may follow.

Perhaps you need an LLC.

Perhaps a corporation.

Perhaps additional legal advice is necessary.

Perhaps the structure you originally considered is not appropriate.

Or perhaps this is simply not the right time.

Our job is not always to tell you “yes.”

It is to help you ask the right questions before committing your money.

After decades in this profession, I continue seeing the same lesson:

Cheap does not always become expensive. But doing something incorrectly simply because it was cheaper can become extraordinarily expensive.

Before forming your next company—or attempting to repair one that already has problems—talk with us.

First, let's understand your situation. Then let's make the decision.

Juan V. Fanti, MBA, CAA, PA
Two Hundred Global Financial Solutions, LLC — 200GFS
Tel. / WhatsApp: +1 (954) 683-3578
Web: 200GFS.com

 

This article is for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute individualized legal, tax or financial advice.

 

¿Realmente ahorró dinero al abrir su empresa por Internet? Lo barato puede convertirse en la parte más cara de su negocio

 ENGLISH

¿Realmente ahorró dinero al abrir su empresa por Internet?

Lo barato puede convertirse en la parte más cara de su negocio

Por Juan V. Fanti, MBA, CAA, PA

Internet ha cambiado la manera de hacer negocios. Hoy podemos comprar, vender, comunicarnos, abrir cuentas y realizar innumerables trámites sin salir de nuestra casa.

Pero esa facilidad también ha creado una percepción peligrosa:

“Si puedo hacerlo por Internet por $49, $79 o $99, ¿por qué voy a pagarle a un profesional?”

Después de muchos años trabajando con empresarios y contribuyentes, he aprendido que esa pregunta debería formularse de otra manera:

 

¿Cuánto puede costarme mañana lo que estoy tratando de ahorrar hoy?

 


Abrir una empresa no es simplemente llenar un formulario

Uno de los errores más frecuentes es pensar que constituir una LLC o una corporación consiste solamente en registrar un nombre y obtener un documento.

No es así.

Antes de constituir una empresa deberían analizarse preguntas como:

¿Qué actividad realizará?

¿Quiénes serán sus propietarios?

¿Es una empresa nacional o existen propietarios extranjeros?

¿Cómo tributará?

¿Tendrá empleados?

¿Comprará propiedades?

¿Recibirá inversiones?

¿Operará solamente en Florida o también en otros estados o países?

¿Qué obligaciones fiscales y administrativas aparecerán después?

Una plataforma automatizada puede preguntarle qué quiere registrar.

Un profesional experimentado debería preguntarle primero qué está tratando de conseguir.

Esa diferencia puede ser enorme.

 Cuando el precio parece matemáticamente imposible

Hay ofertas en Internet cuyo precio resulta extraordinariamente bajo.

Y aquí el empresario debe detenerse y preguntar:

¿Qué incluye realmente ese precio?

En Florida existen costos gubernamentales que no desaparecen porque una página web anuncie una promoción. Por ejemplo, actualmente el costo estatal requerido para una nueva Florida LLC suma $125 entre el filing fee y la designación del registered agent; para una profit corporation, los cargos estatales requeridos suman $70 antes de servicios opcionales.

Eso no significa que todo servicio económico sea incorrecto.

Significa que cuando alguien ofrece un paquete completo por un precio que parece inferior incluso a determinados costos inherentes al proceso, el cliente debería leer cuidadosamente qué está comprando, qué no está incluido y qué cargos aparecerán posteriormente.

 “También me consiguieron el EIN”

Otro ejemplo frecuente es el Employer Identification Number.

Obtener un EIN directamente del IRS no tiene costo. El IRS permite solicitarlo gratuitamente.

Por eso, cuando un profesional cobra por gestionar un EIN, lo que realmente debería justificar sus honorarios no es “vender un número gratuito”.

El valor profesional debería estar en determinar correctamente cómo debe solicitarse, quién es el responsible party, cómo se identifica la entidad y cómo esa información se relacionará posteriormente con las declaraciones fiscales de la empresa.

El problema no es pagar por gestionar un EIN.

El problema es pagar para que alguien lo solicite incorrectamente.

 El Registered Agent tampoco es solamente una dirección

En Florida, una corporation o LLC debe tener un registered agent que cumpla los requisitos correspondientes. Entre otras cosas, debe existir una dirección física en Florida para recibir service of process.

Pero nuevamente aparece el mismo fenómeno:

El cliente compara solamente precios.

$49.

$79.

$99.

Y pocas veces pregunta:

¿Qué exactamente estoy recibiendo?

¿Qué ocurre si llega una notificación importante?

¿Quién controla las renovaciones?

¿Qué servicios están incluidos?

¿Cuánto costará el segundo año?

¿Qué ocurre si necesito cambiar información?

El precio inicial es solamente una parte de la decisión.

 Y después llegan los impuestos

Aquí es donde muchas veces comienza nuestro trabajo.

Durante años he recibido clientes que llegan a nuestra oficina con una carta del IRS en la mano.

El cliente normalmente comienza diciendo:

“No entiendo qué pasó. Yo pagué para que me hicieran los taxes.”

Entonces abrimos el expediente.

Y algunas veces lo que encontramos resulta difícil de explicar.

He revisado declaraciones cercanas a 100 páginas, con numerosas páginas prácticamente vacías, formularios innecesarios, información que no corresponde con la actividad del contribuyente y tratamientos tributarios que requieren una revisión completa.

Un tax return largo no necesariamente es un tax return sofisticado.

Más páginas no significan más conocimiento.

 El problema ya no cuesta $50

Cuando una declaración está mal preparada, el costo potencial deja de ser únicamente lo que se pagó por prepararla.

Puede aparecer una carta.

Después una penalidad.

Después intereses.

Después hay que reconstruir información.

Quizás sea necesario enmendar declaraciones.

Quizás haya que responder al IRS.

Y en situaciones más complejas puede ser necesaria la participación de un CPA, Enrolled Agent, abogado tributario u otro profesional con los derechos de representación correspondientes.

El IRS contempla penalidades por determinadas declaraciones tardías y también penalidades relacionadas con errores, negligencia o incumplimiento de las reglas. Una accuracy-related penalty, por ejemplo, puede ser del 20% de la parte del underpayment atribuible a determinadas conductas cubiertas por la norma, y los intereses pueden continuar incrementando el saldo.

Entonces aquellos $100 que parecían caros al principio pueden convertirse en miles de dólares entre correcciones, honorarios profesionales, multas, intereses y tiempo perdido.

 No estoy diciendo que Internet sea malo

Esto también debe quedar claro.

Internet es extraordinario.

Existen excelentes herramientas tecnológicas y muchas plataformas legítimas.

Incluso un empresario puede constituir directamente determinadas entidades utilizando los sistemas oficiales correspondientes.

El problema aparece cuando confundimos:

una herramienta para presentar documentos

con

asesoramiento profesional para tomar decisiones.

No son lo mismo.

Una plataforma puede ejecutar perfectamente la instrucción equivocada que usted le dio.

Un profesional experimentado debería intentar detectar por qué esa instrucción puede estar equivocada antes de ejecutarla.

¿Contador, abogado o plataforma?

Tampoco creo que todo deba hacerlo un abogado.

Hay asuntos legales que deben ser tratados por abogados.

Hay decisiones contables y tributarias que deben analizarse con profesionales competentes en esas áreas.

Y existen trámites administrativos sencillos que pueden realizarse perfectamente mediante plataformas.

La verdadera inteligencia empresarial está en saber cuándo necesitamos cada uno.

En 200GFS nuestra participación contable y tributaria no sustituye asesoramiento legal cuando éste sea necesario.

Precisamente parte de trabajar profesionalmente consiste en reconocer cuándo un asunto debe pasar a manos de un abogado.

¿Realmente se ahorró dinero?

Esta es la pregunta que le haría a cualquier empresario que selecciona exclusivamente por precio:

Si paga $100 menos hoy, pero dentro de dos años necesita gastar $2,000, $5,000 o más corrigiendo una estructura, una declaración o un problema tributario...

¿ahorró $100?

¿O simplemente aplazó el verdadero costo?

Tal vez todavía no sea el momento de abrir la empresa

Esta opinión puede no gustarle a todo el mundo, pero después de tantos años trabajando con empresas la mantengo:

Si comenzar correctamente una empresa está completamente fuera de su presupuesto, quizás debería reconsiderar si éste es el momento adecuado para abrirla.

Una empresa necesitará capital.

Necesitará contabilidad.

Tendrá obligaciones fiscales.

Puede necesitar licencias.

Tendrá gastos administrativos.

Y tendrá responsabilidades que no desaparecen porque el negocio todavía no produzca suficiente dinero.

Emprender significa asumir riesgos.

Pero ahorrar eliminando precisamente los controles que pueden proteger el negocio no necesariamente es emprendimiento inteligente.

 

En 200GFS no queremos simplemente abrirle una compañía

Queremos saber por qué la está abriendo.

Queremos entender qué va a hacer, quiénes participan, cómo espera generar ingresos y qué obligaciones pueden aparecer.

Quizás necesite una LLC.

Quizás una corporation.

Quizás necesite asesoramiento legal adicional.

Quizás la estructura que tenía en mente no sea la más conveniente.

O quizás todavía no sea el momento.

Nuestro trabajo no consiste en decirle siempre “sí”.

Consiste en ayudarle a hacer las preguntas correctas antes de comprometer su dinero.

Porque después de décadas trabajando en esta profesión, sigo viendo la misma historia:

Lo barato no siempre sale caro. Pero hacer algo incorrectamente solamente porque era más barato puede terminar siendo extraordinariamente costoso.

Antes de constituir su próxima empresa o intentar corregir una que ya presenta problemas, converse con nosotros.

Primero estudiemos su situación. Después tomemos la decisión.

Juan V. Fanti, MBA, CAA, PA
Two Hundred Global Financial Solutions, LLC — 200GFS
Tel. / WhatsApp: +1 (954) 683-3578
Web: 200GFS.com

 

Este artículo tiene fines educativos e informativos. No constituye asesoramiento legal, tributario o financiero individualizado. La estructura y obligaciones de cada empresa deben evaluarse de acuerdo con sus circunstancias particulares.

 

miércoles, 12 de agosto de 2026

Investing in U.S. Real Estate as a Foreigner: Buying Is Only the Beginning

🇪🇸 Leer este artículo en español → SPANISH 

Investing in U.S. Real Estate as a Foreigner: Buying Is Only the Beginning

By Juan V. Fanti, MBA, CAA, PA

The United States continues to be an attractive market for international investors. For many foreign buyers, purchasing property in Florida represents stability, asset diversification, dollar-denominated income, and access to one of the world's most important real estate markets.

But there is a reality many investors discover after they buy instead of before:

Buying U.S. real estate as a foreign investor can be relatively straightforward. Understanding its tax, financial, and long-term consequences is another matter entirely.

That is where the real conversation should begin.

When the Primary Objective Is Closing the Sale

Realtors play an essential role in real estate transactions. However, a real estate professional is not necessarily the professional responsible for developing an international tax strategy for the buyer.

There is also a commercial reality. When a transaction is progressing, extensive discussions about taxation, withholding requirements, future compliance obligations, carrying costs, or consequences at disposition may cause a buyer to reconsider the transaction.

As a result, international buyers sometimes receive extensive information about the property, location, expected returns and financing, but relatively little information about what may happen from a tax perspective after they become owners.

This does not necessarily imply bad intentions. In many cases, it simply reflects professionals working within different specialties and toward different objectives.

The problem arises when nobody is examining the entire transaction from the investor's perspective.

FIRPTA: A Term Many Foreign Investors Learn Too Late

An important example is the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act — FIRPTA.

When a foreign person disposes of certain U.S. real property interests, federal rules may require withholding in connection with the transaction. Under the current general rule, FIRPTA withholding is generally 15% of the amount realized, rather than simply 15% of the seller's profit. Exceptions and different rates can apply depending on the circumstances, which is precisely why each transaction requires individual analysis.

This can be surprising to foreign property owners.

Consider the difference between hearing this when purchasing:

“This property costs $800,000 and has excellent potential.”

and hearing:

“Before purchasing, let's examine how this investment could affect you while you own it, while it generates income, and when you eventually sell it.”

Those are fundamentally different conversations.

One focuses on completing a transaction.

The other focuses on building a strategy.

FIRPTA Is Not Simply a “15% Tax”

This distinction is extremely important.

FIRPTA withholding should not automatically be confused with the investor's ultimate U.S. income tax liability. It is a withholding mechanism applicable to certain dispositions of U.S. real property interests by foreign persons. The buyer may also become the withholding agent and potentially face liability when applicable withholding requirements are not properly satisfied.

Waiting until closing day to ask what FIRPTA means may therefore be too late for meaningful planning.

Planning should begin considerably earlier.

And FIRPTA Is Only One Part of the Picture

International investors may face questions extending far beyond the purchase itself.

What happens when the property generates rental income?

How will that income be treated for U.S. tax purposes?

What returns may need to be filed?

What happens when the property is eventually sold?

What documentation will be required?

How does foreign status affect the investment?

Is the investor simply purchasing property, or creating an investment that must be properly managed for years?

The IRS, for example, has specific rules governing U.S. real property income received by nonresident aliens. As a general rule, certain U.S. real property income may be taxed at 30% — or a lower applicable treaty rate — when it is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. Certain elections may also be available under specific circumstances that alter the tax treatment.

Because multiple scenarios exist, general information found online should never replace an individualized analysis of the investor's circumstances.

The Opportunities

U.S. real estate can provide international investors with significant opportunities.

It can offer geographic diversification, dollar-denominated assets, participation in large real estate markets, potential rental income and potential capital appreciation.

The United States also provides a developed legal and recording framework for real estate transactions.

However, purchasing a good property does not automatically mean that the investment has been structured appropriately.

The Limitations Investors Should Also Understand

Foreign investor status can introduce obligations and considerations that may not apply in the same manner to U.S. investors.

These can include tax withholding, U.S. filing obligations, special treatment of certain types of income, additional tax documentation, planning surrounding an eventual disposition, and differences depending upon who or what legally owns the investment.

International tax considerations may also extend beyond the United States.

An investor's country of tax residence may have its own rules concerning foreign income, assets or investments.

Therefore, the correct question should not simply be:

“Can I buy this property?”

It should be:

“Does this investment, structured this way, make sense within my financial, tax and long-term situation?”

The Problem With Fragmented Professional Advice

The Realtor identifies the property.

The mortgage professional arranges financing.

The title company handles the closing.

A property manager may later manage the asset.

Months afterward, the accountant enters the picture.

Every professional may perform their individual function correctly, while nobody has actually evaluated the transaction as a whole.

For an international investor, that fragmentation can create problems.

That is why we believe international investors should seek organizations and professionals with international experience who understand the relationship between Real Estate, accounting, taxation and financial planning.

This Is the Philosophy Behind 200GFS

At Two Hundred Global Financial Solutions — 200GFS, we have developed a different concept.

Our objective is not simply to sell property because we have the ability to operate in Real Estate.

Nor is it simply to prepare a tax return at year-end and disappear until the following tax season.

We seek to understand the client comprehensively.

Before recommending, we want to understand.

Who is investing?

Where does the investor reside?

What is the objective?

Is the property intended for rental income, appreciation, personal use, or a combination?

What other U.S. activities does the investor have?

What is the investment horizon?

What tax considerations could arise along the way?

We do not believe in selling simply for the sake of selling.

We believe in building long-term professional relationships.

Real Estate + Accounting + Professional Tax Preparation

When these areas communicate as part of one strategy, the conversation with an international investor changes.

The property is no longer viewed simply as a sale.

It becomes part of the investor's broader financial picture.

That approach allows important questions to be identified before they become problems.

And in international investing, asking the right questions beforehand is usually much easier than trying to correct mistakes afterward.

Our accounting and tax role does not replace legal counsel when legal advice is required. A truly integrated approach also means recognizing when attorneys or other specialized professionals should participate.

We Are Not Looking for a Client for One Day

Perhaps this is the most important distinction.

Our objective is not simply to participate in a purchase, collect a fee and end the relationship.

We want to accompany our clients as their investments grow.

We want to understand their properties, their businesses, their numbers and their objectives.

We want to be present when they purchase, while they manage their investment, when tax returns are prepared, and when the time comes to evaluate their next decision.

We do not want a client for one transaction. We want to build a professional relationship for many years.

Before You Buy, Sell or Invest, Talk to Us

If you are a foreign investor considering U.S. real estate, or if you already own U.S. property but have never completed a comprehensive review of your situation, a professional conversation can help you understand the questions you should be asking.

Every investor is different.

Every property has a different purpose.

And every structure can produce different consequences.

That is why this article deliberately does not provide a universal “solution.”

The right solution begins by understanding the client.

Before your next real estate transaction, schedule an appointment with our team and allow us to understand your situation, your objectives and your project.

Two Hundred Global Financial Solutions, LLC — 200GFS
Juan V. Fanti, MBA, CAA, PA
Tel. / WhatsApp: +1 (954) 683-3578
Web: 200GFS.com

This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute individualized legal, tax or investment advice. Each situation should be evaluated according to its particular facts and circumstances.

Did You Really Save Money by Opening Your Company Online? What looks cheap today can become the most expensive part of your business

  SPANISH Did You Really Save Money by Opening Your Company Online?   What looks cheap today can become the most expensive part of your bu...