Core Process for Tax Planning
The average accountant waits for you to show up with a folder full of stuff around tax time, and you’ll hear from them only when it’s time to write a painfully large check. Once this annual ritual is complete, you part ways (while you lick your wounds) and dread the next time when you’ll start the process again.
Some people have above-average accountants who offer advice and make sympathetic faces as you write out that check (that’s a few zeroes bigger than you were hoping for). And for most individuals and small business owners, this sort of experience is simply accepted as part of life.
Why?
It takes a full year to find yourself in this tax situation; don’t you see it coming? And why would an accountant, someone whose business depends on your business, not want to help you get out in front of this annual sucker-punch?
We don’t know why they don’t do it differently. But, if different is what you’ve got in mind, then you should try Core Group’s Core Tax Process™. We thought we’d outline the steps so you feel what a new world of tax-preparedness might feel like.
Consultation
We start with learning about your business, needs, and challenges. We’ll explain in detail our process, and answer your questions. Then, with your permission, we will review your most recently filed business returns and deliver a No-Cost Preliminary Planning Document that will show you potential ways your business could minimize your taxes with better planning. This information is yours, free of any obligation.
If both of us agree that we’re a good match, we will give you a detailed proposal with fixed pricing, backed up by our 90 day 100% money back guaranty. If we don’t meet your expectations, we will gladly refund your money.
Initial Strategy Session
As we move forward, we’ll dig into the nuts and bolts of your business to develop a tax plan. Now that we’re both familiar with each other, we can customize a strategy that’s effective for your specific situation.
We’ll also introduce you to our Core Financial Process™, which is one of the primary tools we use to help give you the financial information you need for real control over your operation.
Second Strategy Session
This step usually comes two to four weeks into the process. By now you’ll know what we’re about and we’ll have a fair idea of what goes on inside your organization.
We’ve asked our best folks to work on your business and we’ll show you the results of their efforts. We’ll lie out the customized tax plan we’ve prepared, and we’ll show you what to expect with your tax bill. At this time, we should be able to offer alternatives ways that you can lower your taxes. From here, we’ll move into the ongoing communication phase of the process.
Information
Plans have been made, goals have been set, and now we all get to do what we do best. You’ll be focused on driving your company and we’ll be backing you up with solid, timely data that lets you make smart decisions to achieve your goals.
At this point our clients find they can really be effective leaders and managers because they’ve got accurate financials right at their fingertips instead of trying to make decisions based on cloudy figures and too many question marks.
Communication
These last two points (Communication & Planning) aren’t really steps as much as they are ways of operating. When we’re working together, we’re invested in your success. That’s a nice-sounding statement, but for Core Group, that warm and fuzzy platitude has some concrete action behind it.
We work by sharing information and offering you advice all year long. Really good plans deal with change, and as time goes on, we’ll be advising you on how to move with the flow of tax law, economic trends, and market dynamics. This is also a two-way street; we’ll be looking for your input, foresight, and frontline know-how to help us help you.
Planning
Planning isn’t a destination, it’s a journey, and we’re riding this bus together. We’ll meet throughout the year to take a look at where we’ve been and where we’re going. We’ll take stock of short and long-term strategies; we’ll check off the goals that you’ve hit and help make the adjustments to tackle the goals that are still on the horizon. When you leave one of our planning meetings, you’ll know where you are currently, where you’re headed, and how we’re all going to get there together.
For us, this process just makes sense. We can’t imagine that anyone would do it any other way, but that is what makes us different. We know once you’ve had a taste of our Core Tax Process™, you’ll wonder why you ever did anything else.
If you’d like to get a feel for what this process can do in your organization, all you have to do is click the button below your first consultation. We’d love to sit down with you and discuss how a customized plan can help prevent surprises and set you up for long-term success.