Ben Zuckerman, CPA

Real Clear Solutions

Real Clear Solutions provides full service, back-office accounting for real estate owners and operators.🏢

Do you and your staff spend considerable time overseeing your property's operations? 🔨⚒️

Do you feel like you are managing your property instead of your management company? 🧐

Do you you need a trusted accounting team to oversee your property's finances💵📖

Are you looking for an alternative to traditional property management,  but need help with the accounting and reporting? 📧

Real Clear Solutions is the answer. 👈👈👈

Just outsource the entire accounting process to us and for a flat monthly, per-unit fee.

Please message me for more information or a customized proposal for  your property

Co-Founder

Joy Construction Corp

Responsible for financial reporting of general contractor entity, several dozen real estate related entities and three principals

• Coordinate preparation of annual audit and annual review of financial statements by outside CPA firm. Includes preparation and review of audit documentation and draft financial statements. 
• Coordinate preparation of annual tax return
• Coordinate and review audit and accounting reports for investors and lenders, during construction/development of projects
• Coordinate and review tax returns during construction/development of projects
• Coordinate and review tax returns for various related development entities
• Coordinate preparation of ownership tax returns, including coordination with outside accountants and partners for all related returns that generate K-1s to principals. 
• Coordinate preparation of principals’ personal financial statements including schedules of real estate investments, ensuring proper recording on ownership records
• Assist property asset management with significant audit issues as required

CFO - consultant

Responsible for financial reporting and accounting oversight of general contractor entity, several dozen real estate related entities and three principals

•	Coordinate preparation of annual audit and annual review of financial statements by outside CPA firm. Includes preparation and review of audit documentation and draft financial statements. 
•	Coordinate preparation of annual tax return
•	Monthly project financial reporting to ownership
•	Coordinate and review audit and accounting reports for investors and lenders, during construction/development of projects
•	Coordinate and review tax returns during construction/development of projects
•	Coordinate and review tax returns for various related development entities
•	Coordinate preparation of ownership tax returns, including coordination with outside accountants and partners for all related returns that generate K-1s to principals. 
•	Coordinate preparation of principals’ personal financial statements including schedules of real estate investments, ensuring proper recording on ownership records
•	Assist property asset management with significant audit issues as required
•	Develop and direct the implementation of internal controls, processes and procedures to ensure that all transactions (both construction and development) are recorded timely and properly based on appropriate documentation and company policy
•	Oversee the management of cash accounts/treasury system of all bank accounts (both construction and development) and company investments

CFO 

Community Preservation and Development Corporation

•	Review real estate entity trial balances prepared by 3rd party management agent, and prepare adjusting journal entries to be posted to the general ledger
•	Reconcile property books to ownership general ledger
•	Coordinate with property development team to ensure that all development costs are properly recorded
•	Prepare/review entries to record complex accounting transactions such as refinances and property purchases

Assistant Controller

CohnReznick LLP

•	Responsible for the planning, execution, review and completion of financial statement audits and ensuring proper staffing, budgeting and tracking occurs throughout the process to management
•	Consulted directly with clients on audit and accounting issues, as well as other critical business matters
•	Reviewed work papers, documents and cleared the adjusting journal entries to complete the final financial statements, draft the management letter, opinion, cash flow and complex footnotes to disclose per regulations and authorities for Federal (HUD) , state agency and investor (LIHTC and HTC) requirements
•	Train staff and supervise them on source documents they reviewing, requirements for the general ledger and obtain copies of new lending agreements for perm records file
•	Supervised various engagements and team consisting of over 30 staff members
•	Prepared and reviewed performance evaluations and recommended team members for promotion when ready
•	Assumed responsibility for billing and collections of over $800,000 in client fees

Audit Manager

•	Responsible for financial statement audit engagements, involved with more of the planning, scope calculations, request for information for fieldwork and mentored staff in the field
•	Reviewed financial statements and files for compliance, regulation and partnership agreements
•	Propose adjusting journal entries, review fixed assets and look for items to be capitalized in the financial statements
•	Tie revenues, payroll, prepaids, deposits to documents 
•	Prepare analysis by comparing general ledger to budget as well as other options to source material errors
•	Import general ledger into our software and draft the financial statements that includes footnotes and cashflow
•	Monitored engagement progress against client deadlines and time budgets

Senior Audit Associate

•	Responsible for the preparation of a mix of financial statement audits, reviews and compilations 
•	Drafted financial statements, review unadjusted balance sheets, income statements, import general ledger into our software, provide adjusting journal entries and tie to supporting reconciliations
•	Prepare reconciliations, verify documents and determine if an activity is missing or reported incorrectly 
•	Prepared work papers to document and supported audit steps performed
•	Prepared tax returns for Partnerships and Corporations that included knowing the book to tax differences

Audit Associate

HKMP

▪    Assist in planning and performing of audits, reviews and compilations 
▪    Examine and analyze trial balance and additional supporting financial information 
▪    Prepare financial statements 
▪    Prepare work papers to document and support audit, review and compilation steps  
     performed
▪    Prepare tax returns; Corporations, Individuals, and Trusts
▪    Write-ups; enter transactions into accounting software and prepare bank reconciliations

Staff Accountant

We provide outsourced real estate bookkeeping, accounting and reporting services

Certified CPA with 20 years of accounting  experience.  Specialties include residential and commercial real estate entities during development and operations, including LIHTC/affordable/subsidized properties. Highly experienced in construction accounting and family office/trust oversight.

Christian Family’s Financial Guide 🙏 Read my bio and see how… Be Radically Intentional 👊 Accepting new clients: generous families/businesses

🔷When I gave my life to Christ everything changed. 🔷

I knew my life needed to be oriented towards Him.

Not just on Sundays-everyday and in each area of my life. 

Including finances, family, work… everything.

Now, I help families realign their finances. 
Making heaven and impact the goal. Not just wealth.

🔹 Why families hire me? 🔹 

- They want peace of mind with their money 
- They want someone w shared values and goals
- They want to leave a lasting legacy more than money
- They want an answer tailored to them, not from Google 
- They built up a financial junk drawer and need a plan
- They want a clear plan that's easy to understand 
- They want someone to hold them accountable 
- They want someone they can trust

🔹 How we help 🔹 

I help Christian families define their family vision, organize their financial junk drawer, and realign their resources towards their mission through:  

💵 Cash Flow Management  
👼 Planned giving strategy 
🏡 Real Estate Planning 
📊 Investment Planning 
📍 Retirement Planning 
🛡 Insurance Planning 
📚 Education Planning 
🙏Legacy Planning
📃 Estate Planning
💲 Tax efficiency

🔹 What meeting is like 🔹

Financial planning shouldn’t feel like an interrogation. 
It should feel like a family dinner. 

 A place where:
 
- We learn 
- We get to the heart 
- We have open dialogue 
- We act with confidence and accountability


If you're a Christian family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 looking to realign your finances send me a message.

Your family is too important to wait.

I'm here when you're ready.
But until then, you're in my prayers.

God Bless you,

Jack 🙏

Jack Ziegler III

In your life, you’ll have different moments where Jesus is asking you to trust him.

These are painful moments.

Moments where our illusion of control has been shattered.

Our sense of security… threatened.
We don’t know whats next. 
Or how it’ll all work out.

All we hear is a whisper…

“Jack, will you trust me?”

It’ll be so tempting to say no. 
So difficult to act with Faith. 

Sometimes, that’s all we have left. 

“Lord, where else shall I go? You have the words of eternal life”

Choosing to trust wholeheartedly in these impossible moments brings a wave of peace that makes no sense.

I Remember it well in my life.

When I had this conversation with Jesus.

Just after being diagnosed with cancer a second time and finding out my wife was pregnant in the same week.

Nowhere to hide. 
Only one place to go.
To the arms of Jesus with complete trust.

What a gift to experience this and come out on the other side to see how trust in Jesus leads to greater life in him.

Cancer free, healthy baby, thriving business.
All by his grace. 

You will have a chance to experience this.

Praying for you that you choose trust when the chance comes.

The reason for our hope is not because we’re promised it should be easy

It’s that we’re promised, he’s with us in every cross, and that every cross leads to a resurrection.

God bless you,

Jack 🙏

Jack Ziegler III, CFP®

Christian Families CFP® Accomplish Radically Intentional Goals Generous families 35-55 See my Featured Section for Resources 👇 Read my bio to see if we're a fit.

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Generational wealth does NOT have to cost Millions of dollars. 

It DOES have to be radically intentional.

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First I thought I needed $100k income.
Then the first hire
Then 100k invested
Then the dream home
Then another sales person
Then $1M+ of revenue

And then… I could be at peace.
Then… I could know that Jesus is in control.

It wasn’t something I consciously did.
But it was where my mental energy was.

My focus locked on different targets…
Instead of my eyes fixed on Him.

Not surprisingly, I’d feel like I was drowning.
Like Peter walking on water and then falling as soon as I take my eyes off Christ. 


More and more I’m convinced of this:

All good things in life come from trusting Jesus. 

When we’re trusting Him,
Paying attention to what He’s saying to us,
And following daily as He calls,
We can’t go wrong. 

So, if you feel like you’re drowning,
Pick your head up and look into the eyes of Jesus. 

With Him you can walk on water.

If you’re walking on water.
Keep your eyes fixed on Him. 
And give Him all the glory!

God bless you,

Jack 🙏

Picture this: retired at 61. $2.6M saved.
Small condo. Downsized. Simplified.
But now family visits are once a year…

If you’re 62 and see kids once a year
And live to 82 you have 20 visits left.

20+ yrs seems like plenty of time until you count the visits left

20 Christmases. 
20 conversations. 
20 memories.

You’d never believe it’s that few.
Until suddenly it is.

Instead: Bought the lake house. $880K. 5 bedrooms.

Family thought they were crazy.
“Why do two people need 5 bedrooms?”

Here’s why:

Summer week 1: Daughter’s family. 4 days.
Summer week 4: Son’s family. 5 days.
Fall weekend: Both families. Thanksgiving early.
Christmas: Everyone. 10+ people under one roof.


Grandkids learned to fish off their dock.
Daughters-in-law became actual friends.
Sons taught their kids to waterski.

Age 72: 11 years of memories. 
Hundreds of dinners.
Thousands of conversations. Priceless.

Your retirement isn’t just about you.
It’s about being the center your family orbits around.

If you’re 55+ and planning retirement, ask:

“Are we building for convenience or connection?”

Because if your parents are 60 and you see them once a year, you might have 20 visits left.

Make yours count. 
Set the precedent for your kids when they’re in your shoes. 

DM me. We help families build financial plans that fund connection, not just comfort.

The prosperity gospel lie:

- God wants you wealthy and comfortable
- Faith = financial success
- Rich Christians are more blessed
- Money proves God’s favor

The poverty gospel lie:

- Godly people should be poor
- Money corrupts your faith
- Wealth makes you prideful
- Rich Christians aren’t spiritual

The biblical truth:

- God gives resources for kingdom purposes
- Wealth is a responsibility, not a reward
- Money amplifies who you already are
- Rich Christians are called to great faithfulness

Stop feeling guilty about your success.
Stop assuming it makes you more spiritual.

Your wealth isn’t about you.
It’s about what God wants to do through you.

Be humble with your blessings.
Be bold with your stewardship.

Imagine Christians unafraid to build wealth
And boldly stewarding that towards the kingdom…

Continue that for generations. 
That’s how you baptize finances. 

All for the glory of God!

God bless you,

Jack 🙏

Mark hits $800K income at 48.
Finally “made it.”
Buys the lake house. $1.2M.
Upgrades to the German SUV. $95K.
Private school for both kids. $50K/year.

His calendar fills with:

	•	Board meetings
	•	Client dinners
	•	Weekend property maintenance
	•	Stress about keeping it all going

Age 53 no debt $2.5M + invested. 

Not sure what else they’re saving for. 
6 years left before kids are out of the house. 
Church involvement: check writer only.

This verse hits different now:

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

Not because they aren’t faithful or close to God, but because none of the old playbooks fit them anymore. 

Every dollar used to have a purpose.
Now? Not sure what God wants to do with these blessings. 

The gap isn’t financial. 
It’s more about:

1. Discerning Gods direction.
2. Building a radically intentional plan to follow him. 
3. Continuing to surrender it all to Him. 

The truly wealthy families don’t chase bigger barns.

They build a plan that reflects what actually matters.

Before the money decides for them.

$250k salary + $70k in stock compensation.
5 kids. Pastor on weekends.
And a $50,000 DIY tax mistake.

This dad was doing everything right.

Faithful at work. 
Faithful at church. 
Faithful at home.

But doing his own taxes?
Not so much.

I was reviewing his returns when something caught my eye.

RSU cost basis: Wrong.
Every. Single. Year.

He was paying taxes on gains that didn’t exist.

Double taxation on the same income.

“Wait,” I said. “Let me double-check this…”

Two years of DIY returns.
Same mistake. Multiple times.
The IRS had been getting paid twice.

On money that was already taxed as income.
His reaction when I explained it?

“You’re telling me I’ve been overpaying by $25k annually?”

Yes. For two years.

“But TurboTax said—”
TurboTax doesn’t know RSUs like it should.

Sometimes God’s provision comes through getting the right help.

CPA filed the amended returns.

$50,000 refund coming.

That’s college tuition.
That’s breathing room.
That’s faithful stewardship recovered.

With 5 kids and weekend ministry, every dollar matters.

Especially the ones you’ve already earned.

When was the last time a professional actually reviewed your DIY strategy?

God bless you,

Jack 🙏

♻️ Share with a family doing their own taxes.
🔔 Follow for strategies that keep your money working for your mission

I want my boys to hear this message often and deeply. 

1. You are mine
2. I love you 
3. I am proud of you

Not because of your accomplishments. 
Because you are my son and I love you.

This is the God given formula to speak to our sons. 

“This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.”

God the father spoke these words over his Son Jesus Christ… 

Before his public ministry. 
Before the signs and wonders and miracles.
Before his passion, death, and resurrection.

Whatever way you can…
Give this message to your kids today. 
Through a text, a letter, a call, whatever. 
They need to hear it! They need to know it!

Two Executives laid off at 58. 
5 yrs from retirement.
Severance: 6 months. $195K each.
Guy #1: Lifestyle $285K/year. 
Mortgage: $6,800/month. Retirement:  $740K.
By June : 80 applications. Zero offers. Panic.
Age 68: Still working. Because he has to.

Guy #2 : Lifestyle $190k on $420K income. No mortgage. Doesn’t panic. Prays. Waits.
Retirement: $2.6M. Actually feels possible.
June: Realizes he doesn’t need to go back.
August: Early retirement at 55. Part time work $40k/yr.
Age 68: Living the life Jim is still chasing.

The difference: years of preparation.

Here’s some brutal truth: 

The layoff doesn’t ruin you…
The decades before do and your intentionality afterwards. 

You can’t control when work ends.
You can control what happens when it does.

Margin isn’t built in crisis. 
It’s built in the mundane Tuesday decisions.

DM me. We build financial plans that survive the unexpected.

P.S. sometimes a lay off is the course correction we need to simplicity and re-finding what matters most. 

Can still play out beautifully but takes intentionality

Virtuous, ambitious fathers are fighting a massive battle.

Everyone’s sick, not sleeping. 
Wife, kids, employees, clients, all demanding more, and more of you.

The bills keep coming, the goals keep growing, the news gets more daunting.

Juggling 1000 plates feeling like there’s no help or end in sight.

1 million puzzle pieces and no idea how they all fits together.

Too busy to take the time and figure it out.

________

Men,

Don’t go to battle alone.
“It’s not good for man to be alone.”

Pray daily.
Join a men’s group.
Seek and pay for wise council.
Don’t do everything yourself.

You already have everything you need to accomplish God’s will in your life.

But his plan is too great to do it without him and without a band of brothers.

He designed it that way.

Honestly this picture of my family is a big part of how I see wealth. 

My grandmother surrounded by her family. 

7 kids. 34 grandkids. 20+ great grandkids.

A beautiful, messy, faith filled, love filled family. 

A majority of the family still gets together several times a year. 

They ALL adore Mom Mom and listen to the wisdom she passes down.

The levels of wealth:

1. Survive
2. Pay the bills, save a little
3. Financial Freedom
4. Afford luxury
5. Generational wealth
6. Show off
7. Massive impact

The most common mistakes?

- getting stuck at 2
- skipping 3 
- prioritizing 4 over 5
- spending any amount of energy on 6

What do you think of this list?

What would you add?

Our team helps Christian families optimize for 3, 5, and 7. 

All the places where families thrive and aim at heaven!

We have one life. 
To live it without radical intentionality is a tragedy.

Going through the motions. 

Always looking to the weekend or some ambiguous wealth number.

What’s the point?

We were made for so much more.
Made for greatness.

And the best part?

God has already given you everything you need to accomplish his will in your life.

Listen to him.
Act boldly.
Trust deeply.

I promise. It will be an incredible adventure. 

And generations will be blessed by the gift of your life. 

Don’t waste another day without being intentional.

Income jumped from $285K - $480K in 3 yrs
Debt paid off. ✓
401k maxed. ✓
Emergency fund loaded. ✓
Saving $8K/month. ✓

But asking: “Now what?”

Money piling up in savings. 
No clear purpose.

You’re doing everything right. 
But it feels aimless.

Here’s what I’ve noticed with families at this inflection point:

Without a plan, three things happen:

1.	Lifestyle quietly inflates to match income
2.	Savings grow but aren’t assigned to mission
3.	You hit 60 with $4M and no idea what it’s for

Here’s an example of how to map it out:

∙	$2k/m → Kids/ Grandkids college fund
∙	$1k/m → Legacy 
∙	$1k/m → Kids house down pmt fund
∙	1st 6 figure gift to donor advised fund→ increased giving church endowment
∙	$2k/m → Early retirement fund (Age 55 target)
∙   $2k/m → Sabbatical, mission trips and vacation fund

Same savings rate. 
Now every dollar has a name and a purpose.

Age 55: Retired. 
$300k endowment funds missionaries annually.
Grandkids’ college: fully funded.

The issue isn’t more income. 
It’s unclear stewardship.

You’ve been faithful getting here.
Don’t waste it by drifting through what’s next.

DM me. We turn surplus into strategy

They say each kid costs $310k to raise.
So delay having children until you're “financially ready.”

They say there’s no room in the budget to tithe.
So give after you’re on track for your goals.

They say it's impossible to be financially successful 
And spend plenty of time with family. 

They say wealth will make you happy
Other "they's" say it will make you evil. 

They say being a SAHM is "wasted potential
So climb the ladder and send kids to daycare. 

They say the only way to serve God is formal ministry
So you stay in jobs that barely provide for the family

I don't know who "They" is in your life. 
But for the love of your family, life, and future...

PLEASE ignore "they"

It's not helping.

Greenland, inflation, Venezuela, Gold, Ice, Iran, tariffs, Epstein, Russia, the fed, Ukraine, Bitcoin, Israel, AI, Palestine, gov shutdown, stock market highs, Fraud, Mortgage bond buy backs

Anyone else’s head spinning yet? 
How do we keep track of it all?

How do we invest with all this going on?

A few things we need:

1. Deep trust and surrender to God. 

“Whether it be abundant blessing or tremendous difficulty, I trust you Jesus with my whole life and future”

2. Have a wise philosophy you understand, and can stick to during any noise.

3. Accountability to keep 1 and 2 consistent.

“Be still and know that I am God”
-Psalm 46:10

P.S. may not be a bad idea to do a news and media detox for a while. Trade it in for the bible and silence.

When someone on our team asks for time off or leave early or come in late and the reason is any of the following, the answer is always yes: 

1. Prayer, retreat, church 
2. Family needs them
3. Serving our community

Without hesitation. YES!

This is why we have this business.

We have to model and live what we help our clients build. 

A life aimed at heaven. Generational blessing in our families and community. All surrendered to Jesus. 

Our whole business, process, team and culture are built around this.

Over Christmas our family reflected on all that God had done in the last 3 yrs.

Between my wife and I, 5 brothers, parents: 

1. Two marriages
2. Four grandkids 
3. Overcoming 2 battles with cancer
4. Major conversions for 3 siblings
5. Three graduations
6. Four ACL tears and recoveries
7. Sold and moved from long term family home. 
8. Six new businesses started and thriving

We are not able to dream how God dreams. 

None of us could imagine that 3 yrs ago. 
Gods vision was so much greater than ours 

It was a brutal, beautiful, painful, joyful, faithful 3 years. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Wherever you are. 
Invite God into the dream.
Surrender the outcomes to him.

Putting ourselves in situations that force us to rely on God, and stretch us, are soooo good for our soul.

Psa: Please never use “buy now pay later.”





That’s all.
Thanks for stopping by.

I can say w/o a doubt, the rewards of investing in my relationship with Christ are unmatched. 

Been spending a lot of time working on and investing in my busiesss this week. 

The weeks prior have been more about working on and investing in my personal growth in virtue, peace, surrender and closeness to Jesus. 

Both are extremely helpful. 

Doubling down on Jesus all year. 
Pray for me, our family, and our team. 

We’re going all in on Jesus. 
Who knows what he’s going to do.

Christ is King!

taplio

The Battle

Ben Zuckerman, CPA

Jack Ziegler III

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The Battle

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Jack Ziegler III

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