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Advisor decision register

Purpose: Log of substantive positions taken by each external advisor (Pearce, JME, ABS, Portilla, Withers, Stuart Memory, Conley Rose, Walter Scott, Kim & Rosado, Waterloo). Append-only. Crisper than reading every advisor email thread when you just need "what's Pearce's read on PFIC?" or "what's JME's stance on Cindy's cap-table mechanic?"

Different from decisions/log.md (which captures Renfroe-Holdings- internal decisions, often taken with advisor input but not BY the advisor). This file specifically tracks what the advisor decided / opined / confirmed, with effective date + Xero impact.

Status: v1, 2026-05-10. Backfilled from existing repo material; forward entries should be added when each advisor weighs in substantively.

Format

## YYYY-MM-DD — [Advisor] — Topic
**Decision / position:** what the advisor said
**Effective date:** when this becomes operative
**Xero / books impact:** what this changes in our books, if anything
**Source:** email thread, meeting note, signed document, etc.
**Open follow-up:** what's still TBD
**Status:** active | superseded by YYYY-MM-DD entry

Pearce Bevill (US CPA — primary)

2024-03-22 — Pearce Bevill — Engagement begins for Austin's 2023 personal return

Decision / position: Pearce engaged as Austin's primary CPA. Predates RFH stack as we document it now. Did NOT handle 1006/Woolworth pre-foreclosure (that was Warren Averett under prior ownership). Effective date: 2024-03-22 Xero / books impact: None directly; sets up the advisor channel that downstream entries flow through. Source: Engagement letter; mining pass per tax/pearce-bevill-thread-summary.md Open follow-up: None. Status: active

2024-04 — Tony Kim (Kim & Rosado) — FBAR analysis 2023 not triggered

Decision / position: Tony Kim's analysis concluded 2023 FBAR was not triggered (foreign-account aggregate did not exceed $10K threshold). Effective date: 2023 tax year (analysis done Apr 2024) Xero / books impact: No 2023 FBAR filed. Source: tax/fbar-analysis.md references the Kim 2024 conclusion. Open follow-up: 2024 + 2025 FBAR analysis NOT yet refreshed; Sept 24, 2025 was when the Santander MXN account alone hit ~$18K, crossing the threshold. Forward tax/fbar-analysis.md to Daisy at start of 2025 cycle. THIS IS A LIVE OPEN FOLLOW-UP. Status: active for 2023; needs refresh for 2024+

2025-11 — Daisy Buck — Texas franchise tax filing offered for Five Points BHM

Decision / position: Daisy offered Nov 13, 2025 to handle Five Points BHM (TX) 2024 minimum franchise tax filing with zero gross receipts, in response to TX Comptroller forfeiture notice. Effective date: Nov 2025 Xero / books impact: Filing fee billed under Pearce account; no Xero impact beyond invoice posting. Source: tax/pearce-bevill-thread-summary.md mining pass. Open follow-up: Confirm filing was actually executed; current Alabama SoS Notice of Forfeiture filed 2025-11-12 still has cure status TBD. Status: active

2025-12 — Robert Cook — Renfroe Innovation AL → TX conversion approved (tax angle)

Decision / position: Robert Cook approved the Renfroe Innovation AL → TX conversion from a tax angle Dec 2, 2025. Effective date: 2025-12 (TX file date 2025-12-05) Xero / books impact: Adds Renfroe Innovation as an Entity tracking option (done 2026-04-29); no other impact. Source: accounting/advisor-decision-register.md migration from prior repo notes. Open follow-up: Confirm TX SOS conversion was actually executed at the state level. Status: active

2025-11-22 — Pearce — IRS refund delta on 2023 1040

Decision / position: Pearce computed $661,827 refund; IRS sent $661,573.63 (delta of $254.37). Effective date: Nov 22, 2025 Xero / books impact: Refund booked. Source: Pearce's records; Robert asked Austin to forward the IRS notice when received. Open follow-up: Forward IRS notice on the $254 delta when it arrives. Status: active

PROVISIONAL — Pearce — multiple cross-border / 5471 / PFIC items

Decision / position: All of the following are PROVISIONAL pending the 2025 working session (per tax/2025-filing-prep.md 19-item agenda): - 8832 election status — RHG and GK - GK 5471 capacity (in-house Pearce vs specialist alongside) - FBAR 2024 + 2025 confirmation + filing rail (Pearce vs Austin direct on FinCEN portal) - NOL carryforward $3,429,659 federal-vs-state character - 2024 5471 amendment (RHG gross receipts ~$5,270 understatement due to Cindy-era bookkeeping) - $815K RENFROE shareholder loan repayment framing - LP-interest transfer to RFH — basis step-up vs carryover analysis - Red Farm §165(g) worthless-security date (2025 vs 2026) - Renfroe Innovation entity-classification disposition - Pearce ↔ JME introduction - Pearce ↔ ABS Partners introduction Effective date: TBD — when working session lands Xero / books impact: Several Phase 1 COA finalization items unblock. Source: tax/2025-filing-prep.md Open follow-up: Schedule the working session. Status: active — provisional

JME Contadores (Mexico — Lic. Giovanni Díaz Durán)

2024-10-08 — JME — Engagement begins

Decision / position: JME engaged via Iván Guerrero (Portilla) intro; replaces unreachable Mérida-based accountants from the Cindy era. Effective date: 2024-10-08 Xero / books impact: Establishes the source-of-truth for RHG Mexican statutory books. Source: Alex Snider's first email; CM tenant mail mining. Open follow-up: None. Status: active

2025-08-23 + 2025-09-10 — JME — Acreedor framing for Austin's funding

Decision / position: Austin's contributions to RHG (~6M MXN cumulative through 2025) are tracked as Acreedor diversos / Acreedor Gavon Augustus, not capital. No promissory note. Reimbursement when SAT compliance certificate is positive. Effective date: Through 2025 Xero / books impact: Mexican-side liability balance grew 2.6M (2023) → 4.4M (2024) → 6.0M (2025). On Xero side, the corresponding RFH-side receivable from RHG should reflect this — provisional pending the §1 framing answer. Source: Mining pass on CM tenant emails 2025-08-23 + 2025-09-10. Open follow-up: §1 framing question — does this Acreedor structure remain after the conversion? Does it interact with the 5471-side §385 debt-vs-equity analysis? Status: active

2025-12-11 — JME — RNIE-fines portion of Dec 15, 2025 wire confirmed

Decision / position: The "RNIE FINES" portion of the Dec 15, 2025 wire ("RNIE FINES AND CINDY PAYO" memo) is real — RNIE = Registro Nacional de Inversiones Extranjeras, the Mexican Foreign Investment Registry, which issues fines for late filings. JME confirmed the RNIE-fines portion at its 2025-12-11 update. Effective date: Dec 2025 Xero / books impact: The wire's purpose was previously inferred to include a "Cindy separation payout" component — that inference was wrong (Austin direct correction 2026-05-09; Cindy received NO payout). The RNIE-fines portion IS real; the "PAYO" component's actual purpose is unresolved. Source: accounting/jme-deliverable-status.md 2025-12-11 entry. Open follow-up: Identify what the "PAYO" component of the wire actually was. JME has the Mexican-side disposition; Austin has the originating instruction on the JPMorgan side. Status: active

2026-04-29 — JME — 2025 annual deliverable

Decision / position: JME produced the 2025 annual SAT package (TB + P&L + BS + SAT annual return + IVA workpaper + 2025-vs-2024 comparative XLSX) at source-data/jme/2026-04-29/. Confirms the 2025 year-end balance picture for RHG MX. Effective date: 2025 fiscal year close Xero / books impact: Drives the RHG opening-balance recon at accounting/jme-moksha-opening-balance-recon-2026-04-29.md. Workflow Steps 1-3 (import, COA build, opening-balance recon) complete. Steps 4-8 paused awaiting §1 answer. Source: source-data/jme/2026-04-29/ Open follow-up: Steps 4-8 of the JME workflow remain paused. Status: active

2026-05-08 — JME — Multi-year FS bundle (signed 2023-2025)

Decision / position: Signed multi-year FS bundle landed at source-data/jme/2026-05-08/. Confirms structurally that zero Casa Moksha guest revenue is recognized on RHG's Mexican books across all three years (2023, 2024, 2025). Acreedor Gavon Augustus account grew 2.6M → 4.4M → 6.0M MXN. 2024 had the only non-trivial recognized revenue line (96,590 MXN). Cumulative Mexican-tax NOL through 2025 = 5.85M MXN. Effective date: 2023-2025 (retrospective confirmation) Xero / books impact: Confirms the Mexican-statutory-book side of the §1 framing question — RHG's books treat CM as a landholder structurally, not as a hospitality operator recognizing guest revenue. US-side framing of "RHG owns CM revenue; RFH is collection agent" is provisional pending JME + Pearce confirmation. Source: source-data/jme/2026-05-08/ Open follow-up: Send the JME questions email (todo/jme-questions-2026-04-29.md) including the §1 framing question + the historical 2023-2024 questions. Status: active

LIVE OPEN — JME — §1 RHG revenue framing

Decision / position: TBD — JME has not yet substantively answered. Effective date: TBD Xero / books impact: Phase 4a RHG summary JE design + Phase 1 COA finalization both gated. Source: Email draft at todo/jme-questions-2026-04-29.md. Open follow-up: Send the email; chase the Feb 2026 financials JME committed to send 2026-03-25 (~6 weeks overdue as of 2026-05-08). Status: PROVISIONAL — pending

Portilla, Ruy-Díaz y Aguilar (Mexico — Diego Alcantara)

2024-11 onward — Portilla — RHG corporate work + LABORAL + Cindy consignación

Decision / position: 32 debit notes Nov 2024 → Apr 2026, $59,561.75 total, all RHG-attributable: RHG SA → S. de R.L. de C.V. conversion (CORPORATE), Cindy consignación, LABORAL. Effective date: Per matter Xero / books impact: Bills booked under RHG via summary JE. ~$11,601.78 Primary-paid (from Brex Primary 8798) needs reclassification through RFH↔RHG intercompany clearing per the 2026-04-19 settlements decision. Source: accounting/portilla-billing-reconciliation.md Open follow-up: Reclassify the Primary-paid Portilla wires through intercompany. Status: active

2026-04-29 — Diego Alcantara — Cindy consignación three-outcome framework

Decision / position: Three terminal outcomes per Diego: (a) Cindy appears + accepts — proceeding closes; (b) Cindy no-shows — Court certifies absence, payment deemed satisfied; © Cindy appears + refuses — Court reserves her right to pursue separate claims, but RHG's payment obligation is still fully satisfied. In all three, the consignation is sufficient to remove her from the cap table. Effective date: 2026-04-29 Xero / books impact: None (procedural). Source: legal/cindy-consignation-timeline.md Open follow-up: Re-attempt service at corrected Mérida address; await Yucatán court response. Status: active

LIVE OPEN — Portilla — RHG conversion timeline

Decision / position: TBD — depends on Cindy consignación closure. Effective date: TBD Xero / books impact: Casa Moksha LLC + Casa Moksha Holdings LLC activation gated. Source: Active mandate per xero-buildout.md §5 Mandate 2. Open follow-up: Diego to confirm post-Cindy timeline. Status: PROVISIONAL — pending

ABS Partners (Japan — GK accountant)

2026-03-01 — ABS Partners — Engagement letter Docusigned

Decision / position: ABS Partners engaged for Renfroe Holdings GK; engagement letter Docusign-completed 2026-03-01. Effective date: 2026-03-01 Xero / books impact: Establishes the source-of-truth for GK Japanese statutory books. Source: tax/pearce-bevill-thread-summary.md 2026-05-08 update. Open follow-up: Pearce ↔ ABS introduction (Austin to make). Status: active

LIVE OPEN — ABS Partners — Mita basis + depreciation start + 8832 / 5471 / PFIC posture

Decision / position: TBD — pending working session with Pearce. Effective date: TBD Xero / books impact: Phase 4b GK summary JE design gated. Source: §10 Phase 4b in accounting/xero-buildout.md; §C in where we particularly want advice of the dossier. Open follow-up: ABS + Pearce session; Mita basis allocation + depreciation start date + 8832 status + PFIC posture all queued. Status: PROVISIONAL — pending

2026-04-30 — Shusaku Endo (ABS Partners) — JP tax side cleared on proposed new-GK Mita restructure

Decision / position: Endo confirmed 2026-04-30 that the proposed Tohyama-led restructure scheme — Mita ownership transferring from existing Renfroe Holdings GK to a newly-formed Renfroe Holdings GK whose member is a US LLC — is fine on the Japanese tax side, but the transfer price of the membership interest will be marked-to-market at fair value on the transfer date, with the spread between contributed capital and FMV recognized as gain on the JP side. NOTE 2026-05-10 (Austin direct correction): as of this date, the new GK has NOT been formed; Endo's confirmation cleared the JP-side mechanism in principle, but execution remains gated on (a) Austin providing the required forms + US-LLC existence cert + affidavit to Tohyama, and (b) US-side capital-gain analysis from Pearce + Kim & Rosado. Effective date: 2026-04-30 (JP-side green-light, conditional); execution pending Austin's documents + US-side review Xero / books impact: Triggers the active mandate gk_new (docs-index.md Gantt, 2026-04-01 → 2026-08-31, marked CRITICAL — date range is the target window for execution, not a guarantee). On the books today: ONE GK Entity tracking row (the existing GK). If/when restructure executes: a second GK Reporting Unit gets added; basis transfer JP-side at FMV (not original cost); US-side basis-in TBD pending Pearce + Kim & Rosado; existing GK row archived post-wind-down. Source: RFH-tenant thread 【三田ガーデンヒルズ】の件, msg …AANFPvLgAAA= Endo 2026-04-30. See context/communications-deep-dive.md. Open follow-up: Endo flagged that US capital gains exposure on the transferring US LLC should be verified with the US tax advisor (Pearce / Kim & Rosado). This is the gating US-side question. Status: active

Tohyama Office (Japan — Takeshima Tohru, judicial scrivener firm 司法書士法人遠山事務所)

2026-04-30 — Tohyama / Takeshima — New-GK formation in motion; awaiting Austin docs

Decision / position: Tohyama is the engaged law firm for the proposed new-GK formation. Other Tohyama staff in the chain: Michibata Tatsuya, plus another team contact. Takeshima asked Austin to: (a) fill in attached forms with the new Renfroe Holdings GK details, (b) provide US-LLC existence certificates (e.g., Texas SOS Certificate of Formation / Existence) for whichever US LLC will be the member, and © provide an affidavit similar to the prior one used. As of 2026-05-10: Austin has NOT yet provided these documents; formation has NOT been executed. Tohyama is engaged but waiting. Effective date: 2026-04-30 ask outstanding Xero / books impact: None directly until formation completes; once formed, adds a new Entity tracking row. Source: RFH-tenant thread 【三田ガーデンヒルズ】の件, msg …AANKHeVuAAA= Takeshima 2026-04-30. Per context/communications-deep-dive.md. Open follow-up: Austin's chase emails on Mar 6, Mar 18, Apr 29, 2026 — Tohyama replied with the substantive next-step ask 2026-04-30. Austin to fill out the Tohyama forms + provide US-LLC existence cert + affidavit. This is gated on Pearce + Kim & Rosado clearing the US-side capital-gain exposure first. Status: PROVISIONAL — pending Austin action + US-tax-side clearance

Withers (Tokyo + London)

2025-08-15 onward — Withers Bengoshi Houjin (Tokyo) — GK formation support

Decision / position: GK 0593 paid Withers Bengoshi Houjin $297 on 2025-08-15; multiple smaller payments through Brex / RFH for GK formalities. Effective date: Per payment Xero / books impact: Booked as GK legal expense via summary JE. Source: accounting/mita-deep-dive.md Open follow-up: Yuriko Kato departure papers retrieval (Withers can pull). Status: active

Multiple — Withers London — Rodrigo / HyperRealms / Gilette personal portfolio

Decision / position: Withers London handles personal-side matters (Megan Ponce de Leon / Bernadette DiToro / Tata Leban; Rodrigo / HyperRealms / Gilette engagement). Effective date: Ongoing Xero / books impact: OUT OF SCOPE for RFH Xero — these are Austin's personal-side legal matters. Source: legal/withers-london-portfolio.md Open follow-up: None (out of scope). Status: active — out of scope for Xero buildout

Stuart Memory (Birmingham — SBA + AFR loan paperwork)

2025-09-26 — Stuart Memory — SBA Loan 7803 borrower confirmation

Decision / position: Stuart confirmed Sep 26, 2025 that Loan 7803 is on The Woolworth LLC (NOT 1006), with a family member as the original borrower, and Austin signed personal guarantee. Three rapid-fire SBA acceleration notices filed Sep 13, 2025. Effective date: 2025-09 onward (SBA collection active) Xero / books impact: Five Points BHM Brex outflow $7,965.60/mo to SBA EIDL booked as Five Points → Austin distribution → Austin's personal payment of guaranteed debt. Source: accounting/five-points-1006-sba-narrative.md Open follow-up: January 2026 status check (per Austin's reminder); reconcile complete SBA debt picture across multiple notes. Status: active

LIVE OPEN — Stuart Memory — Parents → Austin/RFH AFR promissory notes

Decision / position: TBD — promissory notes still missing for both legs (Five Points $X via parents → Austin/RFH; $350K Mita-side parents → Austin/RFH). Effective date: TBD Xero / books impact: Long-term liability "Note payable to E + J Renfroe" already in COA plan; needs the actual amortization to be plugged in. Source: accounting/afr-loan-amortization-template.md; todo/email-drafts/2026-05-09-stuart-memory-escalation.md Open follow-up: Send Stuart the email; receive the notes; populate the loan register. Status: PROVISIONAL — pending

Conley Rose (Houston — IP)

2013 onward — Conley Rose / Michael W. Piper — Renfroe Innovation patent prosecution (matter # 4447)

Decision / position: Conley Rose has handled RI patent prosecution for 13+ years across 50+ invoices. Effective date: 2013-05 onward Xero / books impact: Bills booked under RI Entity tracking. Source: accounting/renfroe-innovation-historical-ip-spend.md Open follow-up: §101 Office Action response on S/N 18/407,110 (matter # 4447-00106). Status: active

2026-03-28 onward — Conley Rose / Michael W. Piper — CASA MOKSHA trademark (matter # CR 8049-00100)

Decision / position: Conley Rose engaged for CASA MOKSHA US trademark filing → International Register → MX extension. Classes 039/041/043/044. Effective date: 2026-03-28 Xero / books impact: Bills booked under RHG Entity tracking once active; AP outstanding $1,500 to Conley Rose as of 2026-04-19 baseline. Source: context/entities.md Renfroe Hospitality Group section. Open follow-up: Austin owes Piper substantive responses on 5 information requests since 2026-03-28. Status: active

Decision / position: Walter Scott Law engaged Nov 2025 (contingency basis, via Skinner Legal layer) for 2026 property tax protest on the 1006 building. Effective date: Nov 2025 Xero / books impact: Cut 2026 property tax bill in half. Booked under Five Points BHM Entity. Source: Chuck Murphy's Nov 29 2025 ITD recap (accounting/five-points-1006-sba-narrative.md) Open follow-up: Document the engagement structure (contingency vs flat fee); confirm whether to re-run for 2027. Status: active

Waterloo Capital (Michelle Kultgen)

2025-09-08 onward — Michelle Kultgen — Family-office services partnership

Decision / position: Michelle Kultgen, Managing Director, Waterloo Capital Family Office Services, engaged 2025-09-08 (alongside Chuck Murphy at the time). Active in SBA negotiation + Mexico restructuring project management. Effective date: 2025-09-08 onward Xero / books impact: Engagement structure / billing path TBD; no direct Brex billing visible yet. Source: context/people.md Open follow-up: Document Waterloo fee arrangement (% AUM / monthly retainer / hourly); confirm whether Kim & Rosado is bundled with Waterloo or separate engagement. Status: active

Cross-cutting open items

These don't fit cleanly under one advisor — they require coordination across firms:

  • Pearce ↔ JME introduction (Austin to make)
  • Pearce ↔ ABS Partners introduction (Austin to make; unblocked since 2026-03-01 ABS engagement-letter completion)
  • US cross-border counsel — NOT YET IDENTIFIED. Largest single advisor gap. Likely candidates: Jackson Walker (already in vendor list), Burr Forman, Withers, or a boutique. Pearce may have a recommendation. Hand the engaged firm: legal/intercompany-services-agreement-draft.md, legal/rfh-gk-treasury-framework-draft.md, legal/advisory-contract-gaps.md.

Last updated: 2026-05-10. Append entries as advisors land substantive positions. Don't mutate prior entries — supersede via a new dated entry with **Status:** superseded by YYYY-MM-DD on the old one.