Tax Planning & Preparation
Most financial plans stop where the tax return begins. At AGL Financial, we believe your tax strategy and your investment strategy should speak the same language. By integrating professional tax preparation with long-term financial planning, we identify opportunities to minimize liabilities and maximize what you keep.
Tax preparation with your financial plan in view
As a tax preparer, Anthony provides the unique advantage of seeing your complete financial picture. We don’t just look at what happened last year; we look ahead to ensure your portfolio, retirement distributions, and business decisions are structured for optimal tax efficiency.
Our tax planning and preparation services
- Professional Tax Preparation: Precise, in-house filing for individuals and families.
- Tax-Loss Harvesting: Proactively offsetting gains to lower your taxable income.
- Forward-Looking Projections: Analyzing how future law changes or life events will impact your bracket.
- Distribution Strategy: Coordinating Roth conversions and RMDs to minimize the “tax bite” in retirement.
- Small Business & K-1 Optimization: Strategic planning for business owners and complex income streams.
Your taxes aren’t just a yearly chore; they are a critical component of your wealth strategy. Let’s build a plan that keeps more of your hard-earned money working for you.
Tax planning questions
What is the difference between tax planning and tax preparation?
Tax preparation looks back: it reports what already happened and files your return. Tax planning looks ahead at decisions such as when to take retirement income, whether a Roth conversion makes sense, or how to time charitable gifts, before the year ends. Because AGL Financial offers tax services separately from Cambridge, your tax preparer and your financial advisor can work from the same information, with your permission.
What is a Roth conversion and when might it make sense?
A Roth conversion moves money from a traditional IRA or similar account into a Roth IRA. The converted amount is generally taxed as ordinary income in the year of the conversion, and future qualified withdrawals are generally tax-free. It may make sense in lower-income years or when you expect higher tax rates later, but it is not right for everyone. The Tax-Efficient Inheritance walks through a hypothetical example.
What is tax-loss harvesting?
Tax-loss harvesting means selling investments in a taxable account that are worth less than you paid, so the loss can offset realized gains and, within limits, ordinary income. Wash-sale rules disallow the loss if you buy the same or a substantially identical investment within 30 days before or after the sale. Tax-loss harvesting applies only to taxable accounts, not IRAs or 401(k)s, and buying a substantially identical investment in an IRA within that window can still trigger the wash-sale rule. Tax considerations should not be the only reason to buy or sell an investment.
Is tax preparation offered through Cambridge?
No. Tax preparation services are provided through AGL Financial and are separate from Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. and Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. Representatives of Cambridge do not provide tax or legal advice in their roles as registered representatives.
These answers are general education, not individual tax, legal or investment advice. Your situation may differ, so please talk with us or a qualified professional before acting.
How tax planning connects to the rest of your plan
Tax work touches everything else we do. It shapes how you draw retirement income, how your investments are positioned, and how charitable giving is structured. Book a review.