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The Price of Civilization

The Price of Civilization

Written by: Pietro Canestrelli
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The Price of Civilization is a podcast that uncomplicates the tax code and explores how the money we pay shapes the world we live in.


Hosted by Tax Attorney Pietro Canestrelli, this podcast brings experienced insight to a topic that affects every American but is often difficult to understand. Pietro is a former IRS attorney from the Office of Chief Counsel in Washington, D.C., with 27 years of experience in tax law. He holds an advanced LL.M. in Taxation, is a Nationally Certified Tax Coach, and is one of fewer than 350 attorneys officially recognized by the State Bar of California as a Certified Taxation Law Specialist.


Oliver Wendell Holmes famously said, “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.” But let’s be honest: when you look at your paycheck, receive an IRS notice, or try to decode a massive tax return, it can feel a whole lot more like a penalty.


In each episode, Pietro sits down with a special guest to explore who they are, the work they do, the people they serve, and the journey that shaped them. Together, they also discuss the everyday reality of taxation: how tax issues show up in business, family, finances, and professional life.


From the wealthiest corporations to the average earner, The Price of Civilization looks at how taxes affect our lives and asks the ultimate question:


Are we getting our civilization’s worth?

Let’s dive into today’s episode.

© 2026 The Price of Civilization Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • When Your CPA Gets It Wrong: Suing Preparers, Big Law Lessons & Business Litigation | With Shanda Beach

    When Your CPA Gets It Wrong: Suing Preparers, Big Law Lessons & Business Litigation | With Shanda Beach
    Oct 13 2026
    In this episode of The Price of Civilization, we dive into a topic that trips up even savvy business owners: what happens when a vendor breaches a contract, or worse, when a tax preparer makes a costly mistake. The conversation breaks down why business owners need an entire team of professionals, not just one attorney who "does it all," and clarifies the real, and often limited, legal remedies available when a CPA or preparer gets something wrong.Joining the show is Attorney Shanda Beach owner & founder of the Beach Law Group, a civil litigation attorney based in Newport Beach, California, who focuses on representing small and mid-sized business owners. Before starting her own firm, Shanda built her career at a large law firm, gaining experience on complex, high-stakes cases that few attorneys ever get exposed to. That big-firm background, including learning to operate at a demanding pace and work alongside highly skilled colleagues, now informs how she represents entrepreneurs who need sophisticated legal help but haven't historically had access to attorneys with that level of experience.The discussion covers why business litigation is fundamentally different from personal injury or family law, particularly when it comes to managing client expectations around settlement versus trial. Unlike emotionally charged disputes such as divorce, business litigation tends to come down to a clear-eyed cost-benefit analysis, and Shanda explains how she guides clients through that decision-making process. The conversation also gets into the weeds on tax preparer liability: what damages a client can actually recover if a CPA's error leads to an IRS audit, why the underlying tax owed typically isn't recoverable even in cases of negligence, and how the standard for "gross negligence" applies to preparers who miss red flags like foreign income, foreign accounts, or cryptocurrency transactions.Throughout, the episode makes clear that fighting an IRS audit and pursuing a preparer for malpractice are two separate battles requiring two different specialists and why business owners benefit from having both a tax attorney and an experienced civil litigator in their corner from the start.In this episode, you'll learn:● Why business owners need a full team of professionals rather than one attorney for everything● The difference between a general civil litigator and one who specializes in business contract disputes● How big law firm experience shapes an attorney's ability to handle complex, high-stakes cases● Why billable hour requirements at large firms are often higher in practice than officially stated● What motivates attorneys to leave big law and start their own practice serving small and mid-sized businesses● How business litigation differs from family law or personal injury when it comes to emotional stakes and strategy● The importance of a clear cost-benefit analysis when deciding between settlement and trial● What damages you can actually recover if your tax preparer makes an error that leads to an audit● Why the underlying tax owed usually isn't recoverable, even when a preparer was negligent● Common mistakes preparers make with foreign income, foreign accounts, and cryptocurrency reporting● The distinction between fighting an IRS audit and pursuing a malpractice claim against a preparer● Why gifts are typically nontaxable, and how misclassifying income can signal preparer negligenceIf you found this conversation valuable, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who could use guidance navigating vendor disputes, tax preparer errors, or building the right professional team around their company.Connect with Attorney Shanda Beach:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanda-beach-020724190/Email: shandabeach@msn.comConnect with Pietro CanestrelliInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ietaxlaw/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ietaxattorney/ LinkedIn:Law Office of Pietro Canestrelli, a Tax Controversy Boutique, APC | LinkedIn Pietro’s Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/pietro-canestrelli-18032a21 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ietaxattorney TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ietaxattorney?_r=1&_t=ZT-976CgcsahYc
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    40 mins
  • Why Business Owners Overpay Uncle Sam (And How Retirement Plans Fix It) | With Ryan Trantum

    Why Business Owners Overpay Uncle Sam (And How Retirement Plans Fix It) | With Ryan Trantum
    Oct 6 2026
    In this episode of The Price of Civilization, the conversation centers on retirement planning for business owners and the surprisingly emotional side of financial advising. The discussion covers why business owners so often neglect their own pay early on, how the tax picture changes once a business finally becomes profitable, and why choosing the right employer-sponsored retirement plan can be one of the most valuable moves a growing company makes.The guest is Ryan Trantum, a certified financial planner (CFP) based in the Temecula Valley who works alongside his mother, Allison Trantum, at their family financial advisement firm. Allison Trantum spent 15 years as a CPA before shifting into financial advising because she wanted to help clients plan ahead rather than simply clean up after tax problems. Ryan's own path to the profession was anything but direct: after studying industrial-organizational psychology, he took a corporate HR role at Target, an experience that included having to lay off employees during difficult circumstances, which ultimately pushed him away from corporate life entirely. After a period working as a dive master and outdoor educator, and later preparing to become a biology teacher, Ryan's mother recruited him into the family business, recognizing his talent for teaching complex concepts. He earned his securities licenses within six months and has spent the past seven years building his career, recently completing the demanding CFP certification exam.The episode dives into the mechanics of employer-sponsored retirement plans, including how newer tax credits under SECURE 2.0 reward employers for matching employee contributions, and why business owners typically benefit more from pretax contributions while employees often benefit more from Roth options. Ryan walks through his firm's process for helping a business owner select the right plan from among the many available options, coordinate with recordkeepers and third-party administrators, and educate employees so the benefit actually gets used and appreciated. The conversation also turns to the psychological side of investing, using a recent example of hype-driven buying and selling to illustrate why removing emotion from financial decisions is often the biggest value an advisor provides. Ryan closes by sharing his long-term plan to eventually take over the firm and build it into a training ground for the next generation of fee-based financial planners.In this episode, you'll learn:● Why business owners often underpay themselves in the early years of running a company● How the tax picture changes once a growing business finally becomes profitable● What the SECURE 2.0 employer matching tax credit offers and how it phases out over five years● The difference between pretax and Roth retirement contributions for business owners versus employees● How a financial advisor helps select the right type of retirement plan from among the many options available● What role recordkeepers and third-party administrators play in setting up a 401(k)● Why employee education and individual enrollment sessions matter for retirement plan adoption● How offering a retirement plan can reduce employee turnover and build goodwill● Why removing emotion from investment decisions is one of an advisor's most valuable contributions● Common mistakes investors make when following market hype instead of a long-term strategy● The importance of matching investment risk to a client's actual time horizon and income needs● Why succession planning and legacy planning matter for both financial advisors and their clients If you found this conversation valuable, be sure to subscribe; leave a review; and share it with a business owner who could benefit from building a retirement plan strategy that works for both themselves and their employees.Connect with Ryan TrantumWebsite: https://www.ajtwealthconsultants.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-trantum-cfp%C2%AE-147b0b5a/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajtwealthconsultants/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AJTWealthConsultants/ Connect with Pietro CanestrelliInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ietaxlaw/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ietaxattorney/ LinkedIn:Law Office of Pietro Canestrelli, a Tax Controversy Boutique, APC | LinkedIn Pietro’s Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/pietro-canestrelli-18032a21 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ietaxattorney TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ietaxattorney?_r=1&_t=ZT-976CgcsahYc
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    38 mins
  • Exit Planning 101: How Business Owners Maximize Value Before They Sell | With Mark Borough, CEPA

    Exit Planning 101: How Business Owners Maximize Value Before They Sell | With Mark Borough, CEPA
    Sep 29 2026
    In this episode of The Price of Civilization, the focus turns to a topic many business owners put off until it's too late: planning the eventual exit from their own business. The conversation explores why building an exit strategy years in advance, rather than scrambling at the last minute, can dramatically increase the value an owner walks away with and why treating a business as an asset rather than a personal identity is a critical mindset shift.The guest is Mark Borough, CEPA, a wealth management professional with over 30 years of experience working with private business owners and families in business. Mark began his career at Merrill Lynch before moving into the independent broker-dealer world and eventually the registered investment advisory space, where he now operates as a fiduciary, legally obligated to act in his clients' best interest. About a year ago, Mark added exit planning as a specialized focus, drawing on decades of experience across industries, including entertainment, construction, and real estate, to help business owners build holistic, integrative plans for the future of their companies.The discussion covers why business owners should start thinking about their exit three to five years before they plan to step back and why the real work lies in systematically building operational and financial discipline into the business long before a sale or transfer happens. Mark explains his approach of reviewing progress roughly every 90 days, keeping multiple options open so an owner isn't locked into a single path if circumstances change unexpectedly, and building a full team of specialists around the client rather than relying on one advisor alone. The conversation also touches on how the entertainment industry's businesses often carry more value in intangible and intellectual property than in physical assets and how that shapes the planning process differently than it would for, say, a construction company. Throughout, the emphasis returns again and again to accountability: a plan is only as good as its execution, and many owners lose momentum simply because day-to-day operations pull their attention away from long-term goals.The episode closes with a broader conversation about the tax opportunities built into business exits and transfers, from restructuring entities to taking advantage of incentives Congress has created it to encourage reinvestment, underscoring why business owners benefit from pairing exit planning guidance with sound tax strategy.In this episode, you'll learn:● Why business owners should start thinking about an exit strategy three to five years in advance● How a holistic, integrative approach to exit planning differs from working with a single-focus advisor● The difference between working for a large firm like Merrill Lynch and operating as an independent, fiduciary advisor● Why keeping multiple options open matters in case unexpected life or business events occur● How reviewing progress every 90 days helps keep an exit plan on track and adaptable● Why intangible assets and intellectual property often make up the bulk of value in entertainment-industry businesses● The importance of building a full team of specialists around a business owner rather than relying on one advisor● Why accountability and execution matter more than the plan itself● Common mistakes business owners make when they view their company as a personal identity rather than an asset● How entity structure changes and tax planning intersect with the timing of a business sale or transfer● Why an exit doesn't have to mean an outright sale, and how transferring to the next generation is its own kind of planning● The importance of thinking about post-sale income, healthcare, and benefits that previously came through business ownershipIf you found this conversation valuable, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who could benefit from starting their exit planning conversation today.Connect with Mark BoroughLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markborough Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.borough/ Connect with Pietro CanestrelliInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ietaxlaw/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ietaxattorney/ LinkedIn:Law Office of Pietro Canestrelli, a Tax Controversy Boutique, APC | LinkedIn Pietro’s Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/pietro-canestrelli-18032a21 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ietaxattorney TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ietaxattorney?_r=1&_t=ZT-976CgcsahYc
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    30 mins
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