September 8, 2026 – Smarter Finance Robert Misheloff and Capital Care Group Steven Phillips

Robert Misheloff – President of Smarter Finance USA You know, it didn’t right away. Primarily because I I was incompetent when I started. And I think everybody you always have to start somewhere. Robert Misheloff is the President of Smarter Finance USA, also known as Smarter Equipment Finance LLC, where he helps entrepreneurs and small business owners understand equipment financing, evaluate funding options, and avoid costly mistakes. His work focuses on financing for equipment and commercial vehicles across industries ranging from construction and transportation to manufacturing, agriculture, warehousing, and professional services. Rather than simply helping clients obtain financing, Robert emphasizes transparency and education so business owners understand the true cost, conditions, and risks of a financing offer before making a commitment. Before entering the equipment finance industry, Robert spent approximately 10 years running a marketing company that worked with equipment finance and small business finance brands. That experience gave him an inside view of how financing products were marketed and how difficult it could be for business owners to distinguish straightforward offers from confusing or misleading ones. He later built Smarter Finance USA around a more transparent approach, helping customers recognize issues such as conditional approvals, unclear terms, stacked fees, misleading representations of rates and payments, and requests for deposits that may signal potential problems. Robert brings an entrepreneur’s perspective to financing decisions, particularly for owners purchasing revenue producing equipment or vehicles. He encourages business owners to look beyond an advertised rate and instead consider total financing cost, repayment terms, cash flow, conditions attached to an approval, and the likelihood that a transaction can actually be completed as promised. His philosophy is that access to capital is valuable only when the financing supports the long term health of the business. Through Smarter Finance USA, Robert also advocates for higher standards of disclosure and communication within the equipment finance industry. His commentary and expertise have been featured by Entrepreneur, Manufacturing.net, and Overdrive Online. Across his work, Robert focuses on giving business owners the information they need to compare offers intelligently, protect themselves from questionable financing practices, and use capital more strategically as they grow their companies. Steven Phillips – Managing Partner at CCG CPAS You’ve got to have the right people in place because you will get more value if, if you can build a business where you can take a month off and the business keeps running, that is a more valuable business that if it’s all relying on you. Steven Phillips, CPA, is the Managing Partner of CCG Certified Public Accountants, also known as Capital Care Group, a Southwest Florida accounting firm serving individuals, families, and business owners. His work focuses on helping clients move beyond year end tax preparation and take a more proactive approach to financial decision making. Through CCG, Steven and his team provide services that include tax planning and preparation, small business accounting, cash flow management, business advisory services, succession planning, estate and trust tax services, and outsourced CFO support. Steven brings a business owner’s perspective to his work. Earlier in his career, he experienced an unexpected layoff during a housing market downturn while supporting a young family. That setback pushed him to rebuild his career and eventually create a practice centered on helping other business owners prepare for uncertainty rather than simply react to it. Today, he works with entrepreneurs and established small business owners to identify tax planning opportunities, improve financial visibility, prepare for major transitions, and address issues that can affect the long term value of a business. A major focus of Steven’s approach is year round planning. He encourages business owners to view taxes as part of a broader financial strategy rather than an issue to consider only when returns are due. CCG works with clients throughout the year on tax planning, business structure, cash flow, retirement planning, succession strategies, estate and trust matters, and preparation for the eventual sale or transfer of a company. The firm’s succession planning work includes business valuations, ownership transfers, buy and sell agreements, retirement projections, and estate and trust tax planning. Steven is also a registered representative and financial advisor with Park Avenue Securities and a financial representative of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. His professional experience allows him to look at the challenges facing business owners from both an accounting and broader financial planning perspective, while maintaining the appropriate distinctions between those professional roles. At the center of his work is a simple goal: helping clients make better informed decisions today so they can create greater financial stability, protect what they have built, and prepare more effectively for the future.