Strategic Tax Planning & Advisory Services
We help our clients reduce surprises, avoid costly mistakes, and identify savings opportunities before deadlines arrive.
At Zastenchik & Co. CPAs, tax planning isn’t a seasonal task—it’s a year-round process. We design tailored tax strategies that reflect your current goals and your future plans. Whether you’re navigating a major investment, planning for retirement, or trying to reduce your quarterly burden, we’re here to help you stay in control of the numbers.
Proactive Tax Strategies to Save You Money
Tax planning is not the same as tax preparation. Tax preparation looks backward, filing last year’s returns based on what already happened. Strategic tax planning services look forward, helping you structure income, investments, and business decisions to minimize future taxes while staying fully within the law.
As a tax advisor that individuals and business owners can turn to year-round, Sagacity Tax & Accounting focuses on practical, “sagacious” strategies that keep more money in your pocket over time. We monitor tax law changes, model different scenarios, and recommend clear steps so you aren’t just hoping for a better outcome next April — you’re planning for it today.
Individual Tax Planning
For individuals and families, strategic tax planning often starts with everyday decisions that add up over time. We review your full picture — salary, bonuses, side income, investments, retirement accounts, education costs, and potential life changes — then design tax planning services tailored to your goals.
Common strategies include:
- Optimizing paycheck withholding so you’re not consistently overpaying or owing big balances.
- Coordinating retirement contributions (IRAs, 401(k)s, and other plans) to reduce taxable income.
- Using tax-efficient investments and capital gain/loss strategies where appropriate.
- Planning education savings (such as 529 plans) to support children or grandchildren.
- Timing income and deductions around major events like selling a home, exercising stock options, or starting a business.
Our goal is to help you avoid surprises during tax season by planning ahead, so you know roughly where you’ll land before your return is ever filed.
Business Tax Planning
For business owners and independent professionals, tax planning is closely tied to how your business is structured and how money flows in and out. Sagacity Tax provides small business tax advice designed to minimize tax liability and support long-term growth.
Key areas of focus include:
- Choosing or revisiting your business entity and tax classification (LLC, S-corp, C-corp, partnership).
- Designing owner compensation and draws in a tax-efficient way.
- Planning quarterly estimated taxes so you’re not scrambling to catch up.
- Timing major purchases — like equipment — to take advantage of deductions such as Section 179 where appropriate.
- Reviewing available credits and incentives that apply to your industry or activities.
- Coordinating with bookkeeping processes so the numbers driving your tax plan are clean and reliable.
Throughout, we emphasize strategic tax planning that minimizes what you owe while staying clearly inside IRS and state rules — no risky shortcuts, just prudent, well-documented decisions.
Year-Round Guidance and Tax Law Updates
Effective tax planning doesn’t happen in a single meeting. Tax laws change, your income shifts, and new opportunities emerge. Sagacity Tax offers year-round strategic tax planning support, with check-ins timed to when decisions actually matter.
What this looks like in practice:
- Mid-year reviews to see whether you’re on track with income, deductions, and estimated taxes.
- Fall or year-end planning sessions to implement time-sensitive strategies before December 31.
- Ongoing monitoring of new credits, deductions, and rate changes that could affect your plan.
- Coordination with your investment advisor, attorney, or other professionals when needed.
If you’ve ever wondered “When should I talk to a tax advisor?” the answer is: as soon as you’re thinking about a major financial or business move, not after it’s already done.
Special Tax Situations
Some situations require especially careful planning to avoid unpleasant surprises:
- Multi-state residency or income when you live, work, or own property in more than one state.
- Equity compensation, including stock options or RSUs, where timing exercises and sales can dramatically change your tax bill.
- Crypto transactions, where recordkeeping and character of gains/losses are critical.
- Coordinating with estate and gift tax planning, often in tandem with your estate attorney, so lifetime gifts and inheritances line up with your overall goals.
As a trusted CPA tax advisor and a firm serving clients in 25+ states, Sagacity Tax can help you untangle these complex issues and create a clear, compliant roadmap.
Dedicated Advisor Access
Unlimited communication, year-round.
Your CPA is never more than a call, email, or text away. We don’t bill for questions—and we prioritize client response times.
Support Includes:
• Real-time advice via email, phone, or text
• IRS/NYS notice assistance
• Referral to legal counsel if audit escalates
The Sagacity Tax Advisory Difference
Many firms say they offer tax planning; Sagacity Tax’s approach is rooted in the firm’s namesake — sagacity: wise and prudent judgment. We don’t just apply generic strategies; we take time to understand your goals, risk tolerance, and long-term plans, then tailor a plan that fits.
What sets our tax planning services apart:
- Personalized, relationship-based advice from a licensed CPA who knows your file.
- Foresight about how today’s decisions will affect future years, not just the current return.
- Clear explanations in plain language, so you can make informed choices confidently.
- A focus on documented, defensible strategies that stand up if questions ever arise.
For example, we might help a small business owner restructure their entity and adjust how they pay themselves — combining salary and distributions — to reduce overall taxes legally while supporting retirement contributions and cash flow. That’s the kind of strategic tax planning that compounds in your favor over time.
Tax Planning FAQs
What’s the difference between tax preparation and tax planning?
Tax preparation is about accurately filing last year’s returns. Tax planning is proactively arranging your finances — income, deductions, investments, and business structure — to minimize future taxes within the law. Ideally, you use both: preparation to stay compliant, planning to stay ahead.
How can I reduce my taxes legally?
Legally reducing taxes comes from using the rules in your favor — not bending them. That can include choosing the right entity, maximizing retirement contributions, taking all eligible deductions and credits, managing investment gains and losses, and timing major transactions thoughtfully. A CPA tax advisor Twin Cities residents trust will identify which of these strategies fit your situation and help you implement them properly.
Do small businesses really need tax planning?
Yes. Even a one- or two-person business can benefit from strategic tax planning — especially when profits start to grow. Decisions about how you pay yourself, when you buy equipment, and how you track expenses can all affect your tax bill. For many small businesses, proactive planning more than pays for itself over several years.
When should I talk to a tax advisor?
It’s never too early. We recommend scheduling a planning session at least mid-year or in the fall, and also anytime you’re facing a major event such as changing jobs, buying or selling a house, starting a business, or moving to another state. Planning before the change gives you more options than after the fact.
Can a CPA help me plan for next year’s taxes if I already filed this year?
Absolutely. Reviewing your most recent return is often the starting point. We’ll analyze what happened, identify missed opportunities or areas of concern, and put a strategy in place so next year looks better — whether that means adjusting withholding, estimated payments, or how your business is structured.
Plan Ahead for Tax Success
If you’re asking yourself, “How can I reduce my taxes legally?” or “What should I be doing now so next year is easier?”, that’s the perfect time to schedule a Tax Strategy Session. Sagacity’s tax planning services give you a clear, actionable plan instead of vague rules of thumb. We’ll review your current situation, outline options, and help you prioritize the moves that make the biggest impact.
Whether you’re an individual, a growing professional services firm, or a solo consultant, our Twin Cities CPA team is ready to provide strategic tax planning that supports your goals — not just this year, but for years to come.
A Simple, Structured Approach
651-829-9776
Call Us Today.
- Review & Diagnose
We start with your past returns, current income, and entity structure.
- Plan Strategically
We outline year-round strategies that optimize timing, deductions, and compensation.
- Update & Adjust
Life and business change—so we review and adapt your plan throughout the year.
