America’s least favorite day is quickly approaching in a little over two weeks. Millions scramble to frantically count their beans while the oppressive Eye of ‘Providence’ lords over them.
April 15 may usher in the Spring with all its good vibes, longer days, and the smell of outdoor barbecues with freshly cut grass. But it also marks a cumulative day of stress with the unholy combination of a strict deadline with complex accounting that exposes the consequences of last year’s financial decisions.
The instinct is to bum rush the problem with brute force intensity, outsourcing as much work as possible to caffeine tweaked accountants. Mistakes are made, and tempers are bound to flare. Let 2025 be the year you get ahead of the problem.
Good tax planning is a year-long process and Ben and Brent discuss what this entails. They highlight several common areas where they see mistakes so you can avoid them. The overarching message is to not rely on your accountant, accounting software, and definitely not the IRS to catch errors on your return.
While tax calculations are formulaic, the results are only as accurate as the input. The art of tax planning involves optimizing and confirming accuracy of the inputs over all relevant tax years. It's a great way your financial advisor can add value!
Topics discussed include:
- What is a 1040? Components of a tax return?
- Planning opportunities along the tax return:
- Maximizing above the line deductions, retirement plans, corporate benefits
- Business deductions, strategic planning done to reduce taxable income
- Back door Roth IRA - Roth
- Capital gains - which bracket are you in? Strategic ways to use gains/losses
- Being aware of itemized vs standard deduction, can you “bunch”?
- Estimated payments, how does it work and opportunities to take advantage
- Borrowing from appreciated assets to defer tax - like the billionaires
- What are some of the common elements we see in client tax returns that are “high risk”?
- Don’t assume the tax return tells the whole story
- Back door Roth IRA’s - easily reported incorrectly
- RSU’s - underwithholding issues and basis reporting issues
- QCD’s incorrectly reported
- Things that don’t even generate a tax form (estimated payments)
- Don’t assume the tax return tells the whole story
- Looking to the future - TCJA expiration in 2026 and possible tax outcomes
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About Your Hosts
Ben Jones
Managing Director, National Wealth Management Group
Sign up for Ben’s newsletter at www.karastick.com
Follow him on X @thekaratstick
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-nwmg/
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Brent Gargano, CFPⓇ
Founder & Advisor, Infinite Wealth Planning
www.infinitewealthplanning.com
linkedin.com/in/brent-gargano-cfp®-2067b573
Read Brent's latest newsletter --> https://40221980.hs-sites.com/infinite-wealth-plannings-february-newsletter-is-live?ecid=&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Efdxwvp3oso7SBWpKxOU7Rxa0wru_6V-AGrl_LgK7QRQR8XQhfQHlOLqA4xUUUKt9_Phs
Sign Up For Brent's Newsletter -- > https://share.hsforms.com/1maVO0YZ0T3uIA80kyeGi1Any3h8
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Editor
Trevor Gargano
Email: Trevor@trevorgargano.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-gargano-72727b67/
Website: TheDigitalQuarterback.com
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