Death & Taxes: How to Kill It (Financially, Of Course)
Main Idea: Tax planning can save a family an unimaginable amount of money, but here’s the twist: there’s no trick to it. It simply requires years of consistent, diligent planning to significantly lower your lifetime tax bill.
The saying "The only sure thing in life is death and taxes" is undeniably true, much like the famous quote, "Everybody dies, but not everybody lives."
However, everyone pays taxes and eventually passes away—but some do it more efficiently than others.
Tax planning and estate planning are two of the most significant aspects of your financial life.
Unfortunately, for many people, these topics are also among the most boring.
Today, I want to highlight some common mistakes people make in these areas and how you can avoid them.
This week, I’ll focus on taxes, and next week, I’ll dive into estate planning.
Since this is the time of year when many are inspired to get their lives in order, I these two areas are of the utmost priority!
Taxes: "Pay Them, Or Else" - Uncle Sam
We have one goal for our clients when it comes to tax planning: reducing their lifetime tax bill.
Unfortunately, the world of advertising would have you believe the #1 way to know you're doing well with your taxes is if you get a refund come tax filing time.
Errr. Wrong.
Tax planning goes hand in hand with most things worth achieving over time such as maintaining fitness or investing money.
It takes a long time to see big results, the best answer is a lot of times the simplest, and the entire time you're just trying to stay consistent the world will do EVERYTHING to sell you on getting there faster by means of something that will make you end up not getting there at all.
Here are 3 big projects you take on whether you know it or not with your lifetime taxes:
If you're more of a skimmer, feel free to pass the following, but here is a deeper dive into each:
Retirement Accounts
Retirement accounts are essential, as many rely on them in retirement to fund trips, lifelong goals, and even basic living expenses. Because of this, consistently contributing to your 401(k), IRA, or Roth account(s) over the years is non-negotiable.
However, the tax treatment of these accounts varies.
For pre-tax accounts, such as a 401(k), 403(b), IRA, SEP IRA, and others, you defer taxes by contributing pre-tax dollars. This means you’ll pay taxes on 100% of your withdrawals in retirement, rather than taking the tax hit today.
While this strategy can be beneficial, it also means you’re gambling on what future tax rates might be. And how you will be filing taxes, even.
Roth accounts, such as a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k), require you to pay taxes upfront, but they guarantee tax-free withdrawals in retirement.
This distinction is critical for retirement planning, especially since Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) begin in your 70s and can make taxes a significant burden.
There is no one size fits all answer here, but typically diversifying accounts as well as investments is a good rule of thumb.
Passiveness vs. Activity
When it comes to managing investments, I wish it were as exciting as the movies make it seem.
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Investor Pro Jones takes a sip of coffee, notices that ABC stock has done something big to improve their business, and sprints to their monitor to place a trade, scoring massive profits for their clients.
But the reality is far less glamorous.
There are two types of people: those who know they can't predict the market and those who don't realize they can't predict the market...yet.
Unless, of course, you're a congressman—then you just invest in a company with insider information right before the news breaks.
The point is, for the average investor, it’s incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to consistently outperform the market.
In today’s world of automated computer trades and large financial institutions staffed with hundreds of Ivy League grads, market profits are often scooped up before your Yahoo Finance screen even finishes loading.
Withdrawal Plan
If I may speak candidly, one of the biggest value-adds of a financial advisor is helping clients avoid steering their financial ship into the iceberg of IRS taxation in retirement.
The IRS has made the tax code incredibly complex, and much of the confusion can cause you to owe significantly more than necessary—unless you plan properly.
A key factor is how, when, and what you withdraw in retirement.
As mentioned earlier, withdrawals from your 401(k) and other pre-tax accounts are taxed as ordinary income in retirement, meaning you pay your highest tax bracket on 100% of the withdrawal. Ouch.
To make matters worse, the government requires you to start these withdrawals by a certain age, through what are known as Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs).
Much like investing, the best way to mitigate these issues is to start early. Consider these strategies:
These are just a few ideas—not recommendations—but they highlight how careful planning can help you navigate these waters more smoothly than the default course set by the government.
You just need to take the helm and steer wisely.
Conclusion
I know it's lame to post something on the internet today that requires a long-term plan and commitment to achieve, but as I've learned with brisket, the best things take time.
Next week we'll cover estate planning, as this too is overlooked, but today is an important topic.
Families can save taxes every year with a little attention to detail, and they can save A LOT over the course of a lifetime, especially with the right captain at the helm or whatever metaphor I used earlier.
Okay, until next time.
Follow Up to Read or Watch: Steven Jarvis, CPA is one of the best voices in this space IMO, and here is a 30-minute interview with him if you're interested in learning more about how to get started with planning your taxes.
Action Item: Be careful, as usual, with taking any info off the internet. As I mentioned, the tax code can be confusing, but that doesn't mean if you mess things up there aren't penalties and issues you can cause. Always consider a CPA, tax professional, or similar to review your taxes and planning with.
My name is Jordan McFarland and I'm a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER? at SageSpring Wealth Partners in Dallas, TX.
My goal with these brief articles is not to make you an expert, but get you thinking about ways you can optimize your finances and get ahead for tomorrow.
If any questions or thoughts come up during your reading, you can email me at [email protected].
Unfortunately, I must keep these articles rather vanilla and short in order that I do not trip any compliance wires. I'd be happy to meet with you to hear about your specific goals when the time comes.
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