Baseline
We read the last two or three returns and map where this year is heading: income, brackets, and the moves already in motion. The goal is a clear starting picture before we change anything.
Tax decisions are made
all year long.
By the time most people meet with a tax preparer, the year is over and the decisions are already made. We work the opposite way: looking ahead, not back.
Tax preparation is the rearview mirror. Tax planning is the windshield. Every dollar saved is a dollar that can serve your family, your church, or someone in need.
How we work
Planning is a rhythm, not a single meeting. We work the year in four stages so every decision lands while it can still change the bill.
- 01
- 02
Mid-year projection
Around midyear we project the full year while there is still time to act: conversions to size, gains to harvest or defer, withholding to adjust. You leave knowing what the rest of the year should look like.
- 03
Year-end strategy
A fall meeting to lock in the decisions that only work before December 31st — bunching, gifts, retirement contributions — each one made knowing exactly what it does to April.
- 04
File & follow through
Because the same team prepares the return, the plan and the filed return never drift apart. What we planned in the fall is what shows up on the 1040.
Where the planning happens
The decisions that move a tax bill are made before year-end. These are the ones we watch.
Roth conversion analysis
Converting in the right years, and in the right amounts, to fill up low brackets without spilling into high ones. Done well over time, it can meaningfully change a lifetime tax bill.
Entity & compensation strategy
For owners, the right entity and a reasonable-but-efficient salary drive payroll taxes and retirement contributions. We revisit it as the business changes.
Charitable timing
Donor-advised funds, appreciated stock, qualified charitable distributions, and bunching, so your giving does the most good and carries the most tax benefit.
Multi-year income & deduction timing
Deciding which year income and deductions land in, so you are managing a multi-year picture rather than reacting to one return at a time.
Estimated payments
Quarterly estimates planned in advance, so you are never surprised by a penalty or a balance you did not see coming.
Year-end strategy
A fall planning meeting while there is still time to act, so December decisions are made knowing exactly what they do to April.
Planning that actually changes the bill.
The savings come from decisions made before year-end — the window a once-a-year preparer never uses. Because we plan and file under one roof, every strategy is documented and nothing is lost in a handoff.
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Year-round
We meet before year-end, not after
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One team
The planner also files the return
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In writing
Every strategy documented
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Proactive
Made while you can still act
The once-a-year approach runs out of time.
The trouble with the once-a-year approach is timing. By April, the conversion you should have done is gone, the gift you could have structured is already a check, the bracket you could have managed has closed. The preparer can only report it. Nothing is left to change.
So we meet with planning clients through the year, at least once for a mid-year projection and once for a year-end strategy, so every move you make is made knowing what it costs or saves on April 15th. And because the same team files your return, the plan and the paperwork never drift apart.
Common questions
What is the difference between tax planning and tax preparation?
Preparation is the rearview mirror: it reports what already happened. Planning is the windshield: it looks ahead and changes what happens, while you can still do something about it. We do both, and they work best together.
Is tax planning only worth it for the wealthy?
No. The biggest, most avoidable tax mistakes we see are made by ordinary high earners, business owners, and retirees, not just the very wealthy. If you have variable income, a business, investments, or charitable intent, there is usually planning worth doing.
How much can proactive planning actually save?
It depends entirely on your situation, and we will not promise a number we cannot know. What we can say is that the savings come from decisions made before year-end, which is exactly the window a once-a-year preparer never uses.
When should we start?
Before the year is over, and ideally before the big decisions: a sale, a conversion, a bonus, a large gift. The earlier we see it, the more we can do.
Do you prepare the returns too?
Yes. We do the preparation ourselves, so the plan and the filed return are never out of sync, and nothing gets lost in the handoff between two firms.
"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance."
A fifteen-minute call is enough to know if we are a fit. We won't pressure you into a second meeting if the answer is no.
Schedule a discovery call