Personal Tax Planning & Preparation.
Limited capacity - and not a replacement for your CPA in a charitable trust referral situation.
We do personal tax planning and tax preparation in a limited capacity, to assist regular and significant givers do so effectively.
Personal tax, with a charitable lens.
1040 preparation
Federal and state return preparation. Prepared through industry-standard tax software, delivered with a highly personalized touch.
Multi-year charitable planning
Bunching strategies, appreciated-stock contribution timing, and DAF coordination. Tax strategies planned across years, not optimized one return at a time.
QCD coordination
For donors over 70½: qualified charitable distributions from IRAs. Often the simplest and most tax-efficient way to make smaller annual gifts.
Full-context tax planning
Begin with the end in mind. Our tax planning is done with the full picture: income, assets, and estate plans.
The donor-advised fund is the workhorse of multi-year charitable planning. The donor takes the full deduction in the year of the gift - often a bunching year - and recommends grants to charities on whatever schedule fits. We coordinate the timing and the chosen asset so the deduction lands where it does the most good.
Who this serves best.
Engage us when:
- Charitable giving is a meaningful component of your life and tax position
- Multi-year planning would change what you give and when
- Your situation has enough moving parts that the pieces are worth optimizing together
- You want someone who does this narrow work every day, working alongside your advisors
Look elsewhere if:
- You're looking for a low-cost commodity 1040 preparer
- Your charitable giving is incidental rather than structural
- You need business tax work, accounting, or returns
- You want aggressive tax strategy - we play it down the line
The annual rhythm.
December
Annual, calendar-year engagements sent and agreed upon.
January
Payment for services collected. Personalized tax information requests sent. Portal access for clients and advisors to securely upload tax information.
February through April
Returns prepared and delivered for client sign-off. Detailed email explaining each tax return and related action items; financial advisor copied to ensure coordination. Estimated tax payments scheduled.
Fall
Year-end planning conversation. Review income, assets, and estate intentions. Set multi-year tax plan as appropriate. Coordinate with other advisors to ensure plans are executed.
Ongoing access scales with your chosen engagement level. The portal stays open year-round, and we're glad to hear from you within the scope we've set up together.
What runs alongside.
Looking for a tax preparer who understands charitable tax structures?
Bring us your last two returns and the picture of the rest of your charitable giving. We'll tell you whether we're the right fit.