Andrew Bertz, CPA, kicked off this fall’s “Outsmart the IRS” seminar with a simple point: outsmarting the IRS doesn’t mean hiding income or chasing sketchy loopholes. It means knowing your options while you still have time to use them. Here’s a quick recap if you missed it, or a refresher if you were there.
1. Your tax return is a scoreboard, not a game plan
A tax return only tells you what already happened. It reports the score. It doesn’t shape what happens next. Real tax planning happens before the year closes, not after, while decisions are still yours to make.
2. April is often too late
The best tax conversations happen before a decision, not after it. Andrew put it plainly: there’s a big difference between calling us on December 2 and saying “we have options,” and calling us on January 2 and hearing “I wish you had called me.”
3. Ask better questions
Instead of asking “what do I owe” or “how do I owe so much,” ask “did we achieve the plan” and “what are my options.” The shift from reacting to a number to planning around a strategy is where the real savings live.
4. Business owners have more levers than they realize
Entity structure, compensation, retirement plans, capital purchases, cash flow, and succession all connect back to the same business, and one decision in any of these areas can ripple through your personal finances, investments, retirement, and eventually your estate and legacy.
5. Big moves deserve a call first
Before you start a business, sell it, gift it, retire, or restructure it, call your CPA. The seminar walked through real examples where a client called after a transaction was already done, a rental sale, a shift from long-term rentals to flipping properties, a finalized divorce, and each time the options that could have helped were already off the table. The lesson repeated every time: call before, not after.
A simple framework to use year-round
Andrew left attendees with five questions to revisit regularly:
- What changed this year?
- What will change next year?
- Where is my income coming from?
- What other major decisions are coming?
- What can still be done before December 31st?
If your financial life is changing in any way, income, business, investments, real estate, retirement, charitable plans, major purchases, or life changes, it’s worth a conversation before year end.
Ready to plan instead of just file? Schedule your conversation with our team before December 31st.
