Year-round tax discipline, not just April.
Most people think of taxes as a once-a-year event. The math says otherwise — the highest-leverage tax work happens between October and December, when the year's still open. At Golden Acre, tax is a year-round discipline integrated with the rest of the plan.
Aaron Randak is an Enrolled Agent (EA) — the federal credential issued by the U.S. Treasury for tax practitioners. EAs are authorized to prepare returns and represent clients before the IRS on any tax matter. Pairing an EA credential with a fee-only RIA practice is uncommon — most fee-only advisors refer tax work out.
At Golden Acre, tax planning and tax preparation live under the same roof as the investment work and the financial planning. The Roth conversion analysis and the filing of the conversion happen in the same conversation. The capital gains harvesting trades and the Schedule D that records them are handled by the same person. The integration is the value.
What tax planning covers
Tax planning is ongoing — not a once-a-year scramble. Here's what the year-round discipline includes.
Bracket management
Every year, we look at where your income is going to land and where the next bracket sits. If there's room in a lower bracket, we use it — through Roth conversions, capital gains harvesting, or charitable bunching.
The goal is to smooth your effective tax rate across multiple years, not minimize it in any single year.
Roth conversion strategy
The gap years between retirement and Social Security or RMDs are often years with significant planning flexibility. We use them to convert traditional IRA dollars to Roth at lower brackets — building tax-free assets and reducing future RMDs.
Multi-year, bracket-targeted, IRMAA-aware. The math has to be right.
IRMAA threshold planning
Medicare premiums are tied to your Modified Adjusted Gross Income from two years prior. The brackets are cliffs, not phase-ins. One dollar over a threshold and you're paying the higher premium for the entire year.
We watch the cliffs and plan around them — pulling income forward or back, timing Roth conversions, structuring withdrawals.
Capital gains & loss harvesting
Tax-loss harvesting in taxable accounts during down markets generates losses we can use to offset gains or up to $3,000 of ordinary income annually. In the 0% LTCG bracket, we may harvest gains intentionally to step up basis without tax.
Both strategies require attention to wash-sale rules and coordination across all your accounts.
The rest of the toolkit
Asset location
Same investment, different account, very different tax outcome. Bonds in taxable. REITs in tax-deferred. Roth holds the highest-growth assets. Asset location is one of the cleanest forms of tax efficiency — same portfolio risk, lower tax drag.
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
If you're charitably inclined and over 70½, QCDs let you donate directly from your IRA to qualified charities — satisfying your RMD without the distribution showing up as taxable income. Cleaner than itemizing for most retirees.
Equity compensation tax strategy
RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPPs each have different tax treatment. AMT modeling for ISO exercises. AMT credit recovery in subsequent years. Withholding adjustments to avoid underpayment penalties. We coordinate it all.
Business owner tax strategy
S-corp salary optimization, Solo 401(k) and SEP-IRA contribution planning, Section 199A (QBI) deduction modeling, accountable plans, home office and vehicle deductions, retirement plan design. For self-employed and S-corp owners, the tax planning compounds.
State tax considerations
Arizona has no estate tax and a relatively flat state income tax structure, but state-level planning still matters — especially for clients with income in multiple states, recent relocators, or those considering a move.
Filing under the same roof
For clients who want their tax planning and tax preparation handled by the same professional, tax prep is offered as a separate service.
Individual returns
Federal and state Form 1040 preparation, including all schedules and supporting forms. Fees typically range from $300 to $10,000 depending on complexity, quoted in advance.
For clients who use Golden Acre for Wealth Management or ongoing Financial Planning, the integration means the planning decisions flow directly into the filing — Roth conversions reported correctly, capital gains harvested deliberately, equity comp filed cleanly.
Business returns
S-corporation (1120-S), partnership (1065), and Schedule C returns prepared in-house. Coordinated with the personal return, the K-1 flow, and the broader financial plan.
IRS representation
As an Enrolled Agent, Aaron is authorized to represent clients before the IRS on any tax matter — including audits, appeals, collections, and penalty abatement. This authority is rare among financial advisors and one of the reasons clients value the integrated practice.
Things people often ask
Both are authorized to prepare returns and represent clients before the IRS. EAs are federally licensed by the U.S. Treasury and specialize specifically in taxation. CPAs are state-licensed across a broader scope including audit and attestation. For tax-focused planning, the EA credential is purpose-built for it.
No. Tax planning is included with all Wealth Management and Ongoing Financial Planning engagements. Tax preparation is a separate, optional service for clients who want their planning and filing under one roof. Many clients keep their existing CPA and just use Golden Acre for the integrated planning side.
Yes. We share projections, planning strategies, and supporting data with your CPA so the filing reflects the planning. This works well for many clients.
Tax preparation fees typically range from $300 to $10,000 depending on complexity — number of states, business returns, equity comp activity, K-1s, etc. The fee is quoted in advance based on the prior year's return and confirmed before any work begins.
Yes. As an EA, I'm authorized to represent clients before the IRS, including in audits, appeals, and collections matters. Representation services are typically billed at an hourly rate, quoted in advance.
Want tax strategy that runs all year?
Book a free 30-minute intro call. We'll look at where the planning opportunities are and how Golden Acre's integrated approach would fit.