Tax Planning Strategies

Strategies designed to help you keep more of what you earn

Effective tax planning is one of the most powerful ways to preserve and grow your wealth. Our team helps you make thoughtful decisions that support long-term goals, while coordinating with your CPA when specialized filing or guidance is needed.

A forward-thinking approach to taxes

Planning built to anticipate, not react

Smart tax planning goes beyond preparing a return — it shapes how you invest, save, and withdraw funds over a lifetime. We focus on long-range strategies that help reduce unnecessary tax burdens, especially for high-income earners and clients approaching retirement. Through this proactive approach, we ensure tax decisions align with your financial plan, cash flow needs, and long-term priorities.


While we do not prepare tax returns, we work closely with your tax professional to coordinate planning decisions. This collaboration helps avoid surprises, identify timely opportunities, and ensure your strategy reflects both current tax laws and evolving personal circumstances.

Strategies that support smarter tax decisions

Integrated planning enhances every part of your financial picture

We use a range of tax-aware strategies to support your investment plan and overall financial life. Each approach is customized to your income, goals, and anticipated retirement timeline. These strategies help reduce tax drag, smooth income over the years, and create more flexibility in managing your wealth.


  • Tax Diversification of Accounts: Maintaining a mix of taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts creates more options for controlling your tax bracket throughout retirement.
  • Asset Location: Placing investments in accounts where they are most tax-efficient reduces annual tax exposure and improves long-term results.
  • Tax-Loss Harvesting: Realizing losses during market pullbacks helps offset gains and lower taxable income while maintaining your overall investment strategy.
  • Capital Gains Management: Spreading gains across years, donating appreciated assets, or diversifying concentrated stock positions can all help reduce tax impact.
  • Retirement Distribution Planning: Coordinating withdrawals from different accounts helps avoid unnecessary taxes and supports a more predictable income stream in retirement.

Strategies tailored to your life and income

Planning that adapts as your circumstances evolve

Tax planning looks different depending on where you are in your financial journey. For high-income earners, strategies may include optimizing retirement contributions, evaluating backdoor Roth opportunities, and using charitable planning to manage peak-income years. Pre-retirees often benefit from multi-year withdrawal plans, Roth conversion analysis, and careful timing of Social Security to reduce long-term tax exposure.


Retirees face their own set of decisions, including navigating RMDs, avoiding unnecessary Medicare premium increases, and structuring withdrawals to preserve assets. For clients with business interests or stock compensation, we provide guidance around liquidity events, option exercises, and other tax-sensitive decisions. Across all scenarios, we help ensure your tax strategy is both efficient and well-coordinated with your investment plan.

A strategy shaped by experience and intention

Tax decisions made with clarity, not guesswork

Effective tax planning requires both technical knowledge and a clear understanding of your long-term goals. Our team approaches tax strategy as an ongoing process, not a once-a-year review, so opportunities are identified early rather than missed. We balance tax efficiency with sound investment principles to ensure your strategy supports—not undermines—your overall plan.


Because tax laws and financial markets change, we continually adjust our guidance to reflect new rules, regulations, and planning opportunities. We also coordinate with CPAs and other professionals so every part of your financial life works together seamlessly. This level of integration helps you reduce unnecessary taxes while staying aligned with your priorities.

Two speech bubbles; one contains a question mark.

Tax Planning FAQs

Clear answers for complex tax decisions

  • Do I need a CPA if I work with Sterneck Capital?

    Yes. A CPA handles tax preparation and compliance, while we focus on long-term planning and strategic decisions that influence your tax picture. Together, this creates a complete approach that helps reduce your tax burden and eliminates surprises. We collaborate directly with CPAs when needed to ensure proper implementation of planning strategies. A combined team approach provides more confidence and clarity than working with one professional alone.

  • What is a Roth conversion and how do I know if it’s right for me?

    A Roth conversion involves moving assets from a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, creating taxable income now in exchange for tax-free withdrawals later. We analyze your current income, future tax expectations, and retirement timeline to determine whether a conversion is advantageous. These decisions are especially impactful for early retirees or those facing higher future tax brackets. We coordinate timing and strategy with your CPA to ensure the move supports your long-term plan.

  • How can I reduce capital gains taxes on my investments?

    We help manage capital gains through thoughtful timing, asset location, and tax-loss harvesting where appropriate. For clients with concentrated stock or large appreciated positions, we build gradual diversification strategies that help reduce or spread out tax impact. In some situations, donating appreciated assets or layering gains across years can provide meaningful tax relief. Our goal is always to align tax decisions with the broader investment plan.

  • Do you help with tax planning during retirement?

    Yes. Retirement creates complex tax decisions that affect longevity of assets and annual cash flow. We build multi-year distribution plans that coordinate required minimum distributions, Roth conversions, Social Security timing, and charitable giving strategies. This planning helps reduce spikes in taxable income and supports a more predictable long-term strategy. We review these plans regularly so they remain aligned with your goals and current tax laws.

  • How often do you review my tax strategy?

    We review tax strategies throughout the year and evaluate major opportunities during annual planning and year-end reviews. Whenever your income, location, or financial goals change, we assess whether tax strategies should be updated. Markets and laws change frequently, so regular oversight helps identify opportunities early. Our goal is to keep your tax plan current, efficient, and aligned with your broader financial strategy.