Income Tax Planning

At Meyer Gates, we review the tax implications behind each financial decision we make for our clients.  We analyze the individual, trust, partnership, estate, and gift tax effects of each financial decision.  We stay educated about changes to the Internal Revenue Code and we are aware of the prospect of more changes on the horizon.  Although we have vast tax knowledge, we do not have to work alone.  We like to meet and coordinate with your attorneys, accountants, and trust officers to fully understand your tax planning goals.

Although we annually prepare and review all kinds of tax returns for clients, we know that the goal of tax preparation is to correctly report the previous year’s taxable events so it is, by necessity, backward-looking. Tax planning, on the other hand, is forward-looking.  The benefits of tax planning are:

• reduce future tax liabilities and free up cash flows for other purposes; and
• anticipate the after-tax effects of different investment decisions.

To help you with tax planning, we will:

• investigate the cost bases of your assets to determine long-term and short-term capital gains exposure;
• weigh the benefits of tax-free investments versus taxable investments; and
• suggest estate planning techniques such as charitable trusts to reduce taxes.

As comprehensive financial planners, we are in the best position to monitor and manage our clients’ tax planning needs.  We see taxation as only one piece of the larger picture of our clients’ financial lives.  This is one of the things that distinguishes Certified Financial Planners (CFPs®) like those at Meyer Gates from the rest of the financial planning profession.