Plan Now to Save Later

It’s May and the current tax filing season has finally come to an end (for most of us), and for many with a familiar recurring moan and groan of having paid too much in taxes. Now is the time to take your preventative medicine and avoid the pain next year!

Being human, we all form habits. Some good. Most bad. We try to develop good ones to replace the bad ones and often we are successful, but most successes don’t come without a coach, cheerleader or some kind of support.

Tax time is usually a time of regret over not being successful at last year’s promise to oneself: “I’m not going to pay this much again. I`m going to keep better records and search out a tax planner or some professional help and get smarter about this!” Then summer comes and the golf clubs, fishing gear or other hobby peeks up its head and says to you ”What are you, crazy, we are gonna spend this beautiful day at a tax office planning next year’s outcome when we could be on the greens?”

Here is what you need to do in order to have your cake and eat it too. Watch the weather forecast for the week on Monday. Figure out if there is an afternoon that looks like rain. Tell your boss you’re leaving early, or if you’re retired, don’t say yes when asked to that night’s dinner gathering. Instead, call your local tax planning office and get your most recent return and your current financial statements and make an appointment.

With six months to change behavior, read and self-educate and take baby steps with your planner, it’s not too late to have real success with next year’s tax planning. Procrastinate, and the summer will be gone and your chances of real success will be greatly diminished.