TAX PLANNING · RESEARCH & INSIGHTIndependent US tax-planning research
Your accountant keeps you compliant.
Is anyone lowering your tax bill?
Find out what proactive tax planning could mean for your business, and how to choose an adviser you can trust.
For business owners making consequential decisions.
Beyond the tax return.
The difference worth understanding
Planning starts
before the decision.
Understand the choices, the cash commitments and the work your adviser will actually deliver.
See the decision
Ownership, payroll, equipment, retirement or expansion. Start with the question that matters to your business.
Examine the position
Separate the business impact from the owner’s position. Make timing, assumptions and commitments visible.
Choose the right advice
Establish what your current accountant covers, then identify any specialist work still needed.
From the research desk / 01
A different job title.
Or a different
level of advice?
Before changing advisers, establish what your accountant already covers and which consequential decisions still need attention.
Tax strategist vs CPA
“A description such as ‘tax strategist’ does not, by itself, tell you who will perform the work, what professional standing they hold, or which responsibilities they accept.”
Ask for named professionals, a written engagement and a clear implementation owner.
01Your starting point
Which decision is still open to influence?
Start with the business decision. Profit alone doesn’t establish the need for expensive advice.
What changes for the practice—and for each partner?
Employee costs, plan administration and the approval process.
Individual contributions, allocations and funding commitments.
Illustrative partner allocation
| Partner | Share | Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Partner A | 60% | To confirm |
| Partner B | 40% | To confirm |
The useful question is what changes—and for whom.
Illustrative information. No client data or confirmed tax outcomes.
02Existing-engagement check
Is planning missing—or simply missing from the conversation?
Put your current engagement on the table first. Missing documentation doesn’t automatically mean missing service.
Planning frequency
Payroll planning
Entity review
State obligations
Transaction support
Implementation coordination
Your next step may be a better incumbent conversation,
a specialist project—or no immediate purchase.
First-year cash-cost hurdle
$40,000 advisory fee
+ $15,000 implementation
A deduction is not the same as cash saved.
Keep savings, deferral and commitments separate.03 The advisory fee working
Good advice should
stand up to
a closer look.
Make the cost of the engagement visible.
Then ask what it would need to deliver.
This quick view assumes no displaced fees or other costs. Renewal assumes no additional work. Confirm the full assumptions in the detailed test.
Compare first-year and renewal costsPermanent savings
Incremental, substantiated and separate from existing benefits.
Deferral timing
A timing value with a reversal date. Not a permanent saving.
Cash commitments
Contributions and asset purchases stay visible and separate.
04Three ways forward
Buy only the expertise your existing team cannot supply.
A tool, a controlled internal process or a scoped expert. Choose the work you need before choosing who sells it.
| The buying route Click a route to trace its responsibilities. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Useful for | Organising redacted information and preparing questions. | Coordinating the calendar, baseline and proposal comparison. | Resolving technical, partner, multistate or transaction complexity. |
| Who takes the lead | Owner | Finance lead + incumbent CPA | Assigned specialist + incumbent CPA |
| Professional review | Required for tax positions and filing decisions. | Incumbent reviews technical work and accepts agreed responsibilities. | Confirm qualifications, substantiation and accountable people. |
| What stays with you | Confirm assumptions; protect sensitive information. | Maintain evidence, access controls and responsibilities. | Approve scope, fund commitments and track delivery. |
Software prepares the conversation.
Accountable professionals own tax judgement.
05Pre-meeting enclosures
Take a better brief into your adviser meeting.
Useful working materials, with a real preview before you share an email address.
| Area | Evidence | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll planning | Needs clarification | Who reviews the assumptions? |
| Entity review | Not supplied | What does the engagement include? |
Prepared for discussion. Synthetic example; no tax outcome is established.
The reading room
Research for the decision
in front of you.
Tax strategist vs CPA: establish the actual gap
Before changing advisers, establish what your accountant already covers and which consequential decisions still need attention.
Read the research
ANALYSISIs a $40,000 tax adviser worth it?
Read the research
HOW-TOHow to verify tax savings claims
Read the research
EXPLAINERPermanent savings, deductions and deferral
Read the researchChoosing an adviser
Trust should have
something behind it.
A strong proposal makes it clear who does the work, what is included and who stays accountable.
Prepare your adviser questionsThe named professional
Check the assigned person’s standing and relevant experience.
The written scope
Ask what the fee covers, what it excludes and which assumptions remain open.
The delivery responsibility
Know who substantiates the position, coordinates implementation and supports the handover.
Prepare first. Choose with confidence.
A better plan starts
with a better question.
Establish what’s already covered.
Understand the hurdle.
Buy only what you need.