Tax planning · Dream Wealth Co.
The tax moves over the next ten years decide what you keep.
I don't prepare returns. I do the planning that happens before the return exists: which accounts to fill, which to draw from, when to convert, and how to reach your money before 59½ without handing a chunk of it back in penalties.
Why the 40s and 50s are the tax years that matter
Most of what you've built sits in a 401(k) or an IRA. It keeps growing, and you can't touch it without a penalty until 59½, or 55 in some cases. So you end up with a lot of savings and not much you can actually use. My clients call it 401(k) poor. I hear it every week.
The fix isn't one trick. It's a sequence of decisions over about ten years: what you contribute where, whether a Roth conversion makes sense this year or next, how RSUs and options get sold, what a job change does to your bracket, and how college gets paid for without pushing retirement back. Each one changes the others. That's the part I do best.
What tax planning looks like with me
- We start with a few documents you already have.Last year's tax return, your investment statements, and recent paystubs. Together they show me where your income lands, where your savings are going, what you're paying, and where the room is.
- I map the next ten years.Income, brackets, conversions, vesting, college, and the year you'd like work to be optional. On one page, so you and your spouse can actually read it.
- We make this year's moves.Usually two or three. Then we check again next year, because the numbers move.
- I work alongside your CPA.I hand them the plan. They file the return. If you don't have a CPA, I'll help you find a good one.
The questions that usually bring people here
- Should I be doing Roth conversions now, before my income goes up again?
- My RSUs just vested. What do I do with them without a surprise tax bill?
- Can I get to my retirement money before 59½ without penalties?
- We're paying for college and saving for retirement at the same time. Which comes first?
- I already have a CPA. Do I need this too? A CPA looks backward at what happened. I look forward at what's coming. Most of my clients have both.
Start with the free tax strategy review.
If you want to see how this works before committing to anything, start with the free review. Three quick questions to make sure it's a fit, then you upload last year's tax return, your investment statements, and a few recent paystubs through a secure link, and we walk through them together on a 45-minute call. I'll show you what stood out and what's worth raising with your CPA before next April.
This is an educational review, not tax preparation or tax advice. I'm in Scottsdale, Arizona, and I work with families across the country.
Chris Jennings is an investment adviser representative of Titleist Asset Management, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, and a registered representative of Titleist Capital, LLC, a broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC. Registration does not imply a particular level of skill or training.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S.