Specialty Services
Tax Strategy for High-Income Professionals
At $200,000, $400,000, or $750,000 in annual income, your tax situation is fundamentally different from most Americans'—and most generic financial advice doesn't apply to you. The decisions that move the needle aren't about finding deductions. They're about coordinated, proactive planning that happens before the taxable events occur.
Why high earners pay more than they should
The tax system rewards planning. It penalizes reaction. Most high-income professionals are operating reactively—learning about tax consequences after they've already been incurred. Here's why that happens:
- →By April, most of your taxable decisions for the year have already been made
- →Your CPA is focused on reporting what happened—not planning what should happen next
- →No one is modeling estimated payments, withholding adjustments, or income timing in real time
- →High W-2 income plus equity comp pushes you into brackets where small decisions carry large consequences
- →Self-employment income creates SE tax exposure that often goes unaddressed for years
We've seen clients walk in with six-figure tax bills that were almost entirely avoidable—not because their CPA made a mistake, but because nobody was planning ahead. That's the gap we fill.
Our approach
Tax strategies we use for high-income clients
We don't use a one-size-fits-all playbook. Every strategy is modeled against your specific income, entity structure, equity positions, and goals.
Multi-year tax projection and planning
We model your tax situation 2–3 years out, identifying bracket thresholds, optimal income timing, and decisions that should be made now to reduce future liability.
Entity structure optimization
For self-employed professionals and business owners, the right entity structure—S-Corporation, LLC, or combination—can reduce self-employment tax by $20,000 to $50,000 or more annually.
Capital gains timing and harvesting
We coordinate asset sales, RSU liquidations, and investment rebalancing to stay within favorable capital gains brackets and offset gains with harvested losses.
Retirement account maximization
Solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, cash balance pension plans, and deferred compensation strategies can shelter $50,000 to $200,000 in pretax income annually, depending on your situation.
Qualified Business Income (QBI) optimization
For pass-through business income, we structure compensation and distributions to maximize the 20% QBI deduction where available.
Charitable giving strategies
Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), qualified charitable distributions, and appreciated asset donations allow you to give meaningfully while reducing your taxable income strategically.
How this differs from working with a CPA alone
Your CPA's job is to accurately report what happened during the year and minimize your liability within the constraints of what you've already done. That's valuable—but it's backward-looking by design. Tax prep is a documentation exercise, not a planning exercise.
Our job is different. We work throughout the year to model decisions before you make them. Should you exercise those ISOs in Q3? Does selling that rental property this year push you into a different bracket? Would a cash balance plan make sense at your current income level? We answer those questions with real numbers in real time—then hand the implementation plan to your CPA with everything they need to execute it.
We don't replace your CPA. We make them more effective by ensuring they're working from a coordinated strategy rather than making reactive decisions at year-end.
Outcomes
What proactive tax strategy delivers
- Proactive quarterly tax strategy throughout the year—not a surprise in April
- Multi-year projection showing where your tax burden is headed and how to reduce it
- Specific recommendations implemented before year-end, not after
- Estimated payment strategy that keeps you current without overpaying
- Coordination with your CPA so the strategy gets executed correctly
- Entity structure analysis and recommendation if applicable
Who benefits most from our tax strategy work
Our tax strategy engagement delivers the most value for professionals who:
- •Earn $200,000 or more annually across W-2, equity, and self-employment income
- •Have had (or expect) a surprise tax bill of $30,000 or more
- •Have equity compensation, variable business income, or investment income
- •Are self-employed or a business owner with no formal tax strategy in place
- •Are navigating a major income event—liquidity, sale, or compensation change
We are based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and serve clients virtually throughout the United States—including California, Texas, and other high-tax states where proactive planning carries even more value.
Stop reacting to your tax bill. Start planning ahead.
A 20-minute intro call is the fastest way to find out how much we can move the needle on your tax situation.
Schedule Your Intro CallFee-only fiduciary. Based in Scottsdale, AZ. Serving clients virtually nationwide.