Why the Tax Planning Gap Should Be Filled by Advisors

When saving for retirement, most investors focus on their top-line number or “How much money do I have?” And while the accumulation of assets is no doubt a huge factor when trying to meet financial goals, that pursuit sometimes creates a blind spot to an equally important ambition: the preservation of them.

Indeed, instead of thinking about retirement in terms of savings, wouldn’t it make just as much sense to consider how to pay Uncle Sam less each year?

Our complex tax code is the big reason many investors do not think in those terms, therefore they don’t see how they could preserve income and boost the true value of their investments. Sure, many Americans have IRAs and 401(k) plans, but outside of those easily understood vehicles, most investors don’t pursue more sophisticated strategies to minimize their tax obligations.

This is why more financial advisors need to make the effort to focus more on tax planning. Despite the clear need, too few give this area of financial planning the attention it merits, and that’s created a huge gap between the kind of tax advice clients routinely get and the kind they deserve.

Tax Planning Gap

Tax advice and services traditionally have been dispensed by CPAs and other tax professionals whose perspective is predominantly backward looking, meaning much of their work is focused on minimizing taxes through credits and deductions at the end of each year. These strategies no doubt can be beneficial to clients, and often result in significant annual savings.

The problem, though, is that such professionals sometimes provide tax planning advice when it’s too late, since it’s impossible to take a credit or a deduction once the previous tax year has concluded. Virtually every financial decision — up to, including and even beyond retirement — has tax implications. Navigating those implications to achieve the greatest impact takes someone who has a long-term, forward-looking view of a client’s situation.