How the Rich Use Art, Diamonds & Trusts to Pay ZERO Taxes (Legally)
Dropping Bombs
Brad Lea
4.9 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 25 March 2026
⏱️ 72 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode was sponsored by Cardiff & fortisbywes.com
LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/
Today's Dropping Bombs episode features Wes Smith — the 29-year-old entrepreneur and investor who went from living in his car to rubbing elbows with princes, billionaires, and diplomats.
Wes breaks down how he built a portfolio across Colored Diamonds, life insurance, AI, venture capital, and ultra-high-end asset sales — and why the secret to all of it is simple: the more hands you shake, the more money you make.
From legally eliminating your tax bill to investing in things Wall Street will never offer you, Wes shows why the wealthy play a completely different game — and how regular people can start accessing it with as little as $10K.
If you've got a high-value asset to move or just looking for a smarter place to put your money, this one's for you.
🔗 Connect with Wes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortisbywes/
Website: https://www.fortisbywes.com/
AI Website: https://fortisai.io/
Watch the full-length video version of any Dropping Bombs episode here on YouTube.
Brad Lea is a self-made entrepreneur who turned small-town grit into a multi-million-dollar empire. With over 25 years dominating sales and leadership, he's mentored thousands to outsmart, outwork, and out win their competition. His top-rated podcast, Dropping Bombs, brings raw, game-changing insights from the biggest names in business.
LightSpeed VT is Brad's brainchild—the world's leading interactive training platform. It's built to make your team sharper, faster, and more effective, without wasting time or money. Whether you're a startup or a Fortune 500, LightSpeed VT is how you scale success and dominate your industry. Curious? Check it out:
https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Brad's also behind Closer School, the go-to program for mastering sales and closing deals like a pro. Want to 10x your income? This is where you start. His book, The Hard Way, lays out the brutal, honest lessons he learned building his empire—your blueprint to winning the game. Get it here: https://bradlea.com/product/the-hard-way/
This isn't just a video. It's a wake-up call. Watch it. Share it. Act on it.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You don't have to pay any tax. You don't have to pay any? So you can actually defer the taxes in |
| 0:04.1 | perpetuity. That's what it's called legally. This firm that I partner with, they have 100% win rate against the IRS. The arts can also be a huge tax deduction. And again, another way to store wealth. So you know a lot of wealthy people. Yeah. Back when Elon was buying Twitter, because you got me in that deal. Actually, I know the guy that set up the Open AI investment deal, X deal, GROC. So I'm essentially the ultimate connector. Anything that has to do with money, you want to buy a hotel, you need life insurance, you don't want to pay tax. I am the guy or I know the guy to help your situation. Working four hours a day, that is my typical day. 500K a year. |
| 0:38.3 | That's still not even close to what I'm touching right now. |
| 0:40.4 | So how can someone replicate that? |
| 0:42.9 | They can. |
| 0:44.1 | The very first, how we started this podcast. |
| 0:49.6 | What it is, Brad Lee back again with another episode of drop and bombs today in the studio. |
| 0:55.1 | Folks, we have Wes Smith, diversified entrepreneur and investor operating across multiple high value industries |
| 1:00.5 | including colored diamonds venture capital private equity ai life insurance and luxury experiences |
| 1:08.1 | building portfolio approach to wealth through alternative investments, |
| 1:12.1 | active on social media, educating people about alternative investment strategies. |
| 1:16.5 | You can find him at Fortis by Wes, F-O-R-T-I-S by Wes. So, and you seem to be a young man, |
| 1:24.3 | 29 years old? Yes, sir. Out of Des Moines, Iowa. Yes, sir. Is that where you're born in race? No, I was born in Omaha. And then actually, I flew back and forth between Omaha and Raleigh, North Carolina, every six months because that's where my dad got a job. My mom was still in Omaha. So he did that for a while. Then they decided, hey, we have family in Iowa. Let's just live there. |
| 1:45.4 | Well, I heard Raleigh was gorgeous. I was like two to four at the time, so I don't really |
| 1:50.5 | remember. I do remember we had a crocodile live under our deck for a while, though. I couldn't |
| 1:55.4 | go outside and play for a while. Yeah. So you ended up moving to Des Moines with your family. How old were you then? |
| 2:02.9 | No, so they're still in northwestern small town Iowa. I only moved to Des Moines after I graduated from Iowa State. So it's like 45 minutes down the road. |
| 2:11.3 | What did you study there? Kinesiology. So you're not using it. |
| 2:15.8 | No, no, no, just like 90% of people that go to college now. Yeah, I was wanting to be a personal trainer. You know, they ask 17, 18 year old kids what they want to do their whole life. So I just said, work out. So I said, yeah, let's go to school for that. Get a degree in kinesiology, which just means the study of human movement. |
| 2:34.8 | So it's a very broad degree. |
| 2:36.3 | You know, I can go into dental, occupational therapy, doctorate. |
| 2:40.2 | I mean, it's a very general degree. |
... |
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