Tax strategies for the elite...
WEALTH MANAGERS CALL IT "BUY, BORROW, DIE." THE IRS CODE MAKES IT 100% LEGAL. HERE IS EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS. There is a three-step tax strategy that billionaires use to fund their entire lifestyle, including the yachts, the private jets, and the second and third homes, without ever triggering a capital gains tax bill. It is not a loophole in the shadows. It is written directly into the US tax code. And once you understand how it works, you will never look at wealth and taxes the same way again. Step one is Buy. The foundation is simple: buy an asset, hold it, and let it appreciate. US tax law only taxes you on a gain when you sell the asset. That moment is called a realization event. If you buy $10 million in stock and it grows to $100 million, you owe zero tax on that $90 million profit. Not deferred. Not shelved. Actually zero, for as long as you hold it. Step two is Borrow. Here is where it gets interesting. The billionaire does not sell the stock to access that wealth. Instead, they walk into a bank and pledge their $100 million portfolio as collateral for what is called a Securities-Backed Line of Credit. The bank hands them tens of millions in cash. That cash is not income under US tax law. Loans are not taxed because they come with an obligation to repay. The billionaire spends tax-free. Meanwhile the portfolio stays invested and keeps growing. If the portfolio earns 8% annually and the loan costs 5% in interest, the assets are growing faster than the debt. The loan pays for itself. Step three is Die. When the billionaire passes, something called the "Step-Up in Basis" is triggered. Basis is the original price paid for an asset. Capital gains tax is calculated on the difference between what you sell for and what you originally paid. When a person dies, the IRS resets the basis of every asset in the estate to the current market value on the date of death. That $90 million gain disappears from a tax perspective entirely. The heirs inherit the stock at the $100 million stepped-up basis, sell enough to pay off the bank loan, owe zero capital gains, and keep the rest tax-free. The government, per the Joint Committee on Taxation, forfeits $72.5 billion in capital gains revenue this way in 2026 alone.