Over the past several years, integrating tax planning into our investment and financial planning process has become a cornerstone of our practice, especially for our more complex cases. Each year, we strive to obtain copies of our clients’ tax returns and input the details into our advanced tax planning software to uncover opportunities and avoid pitfalls.
Here are a few examples of steps we’ve taken with individual clients and couples:
Key Blind Spots Addressed
Here are a few examples of steps we’ve taken with individual clients and couples:
1. Reducing Taxable Investment Income: We often spot high levels of taxable interest or dividend income that either push clients into a higher tax bracket or reduce access to valuable tax benefits. In many of these cases, shifting a portion of interest income from taxable to tax-free sources (like municipal bonds) can help significantly.
2. Catching Under-Withholding Early: We can often identify when a client’s tax withholdings are too low throughout the year, potentially triggering unnecessary interest and penalties from the IRS. Early action can make a big difference.
3. Strategic Roth Conversions: We evaluate whether the long-term benefits of a Roth conversion outweigh the short-term tax cost, especially when clients are in a temporarily lower tax bracket.
I was on fire - almost
4. Managing Surcharges on Investment Income: Even small income changes can trigger surcharges on long-term capital gains or qualified dividends. We work to keep clients below those thresholds whenever possible.
5. Georgia Retirement Income Planning: For Georgia residents, we help develop a plan to fully take advantage of the state’s retirement income tax exemption starting at age 65.
6. Bracket Management for Retired Couples: With retired spouses, we often maximize the Georgia exemption while keeping total income within the 12% federal tax bracket—creating tax-efficient income streams.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few examples of how integrating tax planning with investment and financial strategies allows us to uncover meaningful opportunities and help avoid costly missteps. As always, we recommend discussing these strategies with your tax preparer before implementing.
Our Motto: “We can help you with that.”
We’re here to collaborate with you on any financial decision, and we bring in other subject matter experts as needed. We don’t stop until we get it right. If you have a big decision coming up—or know someone who does—we’d love to help.
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And Now …
Today, 10 years later, our practice has grown considerably. We have phenomenal clients, a great team, and our practice is still part of the Integrated Financial Group. During this time, we have helped individuals and families with their estate planning, investment planning, executive compensation planning, retiree tax planning, and insurance planning. These are just a few of the areas we focus on for our clients.
I eventually got my drivers’ license (at the ripe age of 27), married my lovely wife, Wendy, and purchased a home in Woodstock GA complete with a fire extinguisher on each floor and a built-in sprinkler system.
Working with my amazing team to best service you has been the ultimate privilege. Our team will continue to expand our range of offerings with the goal of responding to all your financial planning needs. We will also make sure to do so without ever letting up on our service and responsiveness to you.
Thank you so much for being part of this journey.
Most investments are meant to be long term. Always evaluate whether the time horizon required for an investment to succeed matches your timeline for liquidity.
Imagine in mine and Wendy’s case if the doors and the windows locked just as we were trying to leave or that someone came down the stairs just as we were wandering around the main level.
Our motto is “we can help you with that.” We will collaborate with you on any financial decision you make, engaging other subject matter experts when necessary. We will not stop until we get things right. We encourage you to reach out to us for assistance in making important financial decisions and we always appreciate you recommending us to others.
by Hetmayar
Authored by Gary Alpert
Tracking ID: 765856
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