Tax Planning Canberra
Strategic tax planning where we work with your accountant, not instead of them
Your accountant prepares your tax returns. But the decisions that shape your tax bill often happen months earlier, in how your super, investments and structures are set up. That forward-looking tax strategy is our job, and we have no product to sell you.
1%
Only around 1% of financial planners in Australia are independent. We are one of them.
Independent means no commissions, no kickbacks, and no ownership or ties to a product provider like a bank or super fund.
Your tax bill is decided long before the return is lodged.
Most people meet their accountant once a year, hand over the paperwork, and find out what they owe. The accountant does a good job of recording what already happened. But by the time the return is being prepared, most of the decisions that decide the bill have already been made.
​
Lodging a return is looking backwards. Tax planning is looking forwards: super contributions, deciding when you choose to sell an asset, the way an investment is owned, the structure your income flows through. Getting these things right in advance can provide a much better result. A lack of planning can result in you paying more tax than you needed to, often without you ever knowing.
​
While effective tax planning can deliver results yearly, it can make an even bigger impact at a few key moments:
-
Selling an investment property or a parcel of shares.
-
Approaching retirement.
-
Selling a business.
These are the events where a single decision can move the tax outcome by tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
We do the forward-looking part, and we do it alongside your accountant, not in competition with them.
Strategic tax planning, independent and coordinated
We are financial advisers, not accountants. Your accountant prepares and lodges your return, and you should keep a good one. What we add is deliberate considered strategy that shapes your tax position before the financial year closes.
​
Because we are genuinely independent, we take no commissions, we charge no asset-based fees, and we are not owned by a bank or a product manufacturer. When we look at your tax, we have nothing to sell you, so a strategy is only ever recommended because it is right for you, never because it moves a product. That matters in an area where plenty of "tax-effective" schemes exist mainly to sell something.
"Alex took the time to fully understand our financial circumstances and goals, and developed a well thought out plan to help us manage our finances in retirement. He is very responsive, and has helped deal with some complex taxation issues."
- Nick, Adviser Ratings
Tax planning advice with us typically covers
A contribution strategy
How to use concessional and non-concessional contributions, carry-forward cap, spouse and downsizer measures, mapped to your income and timing.
An ownership and structure review
Whether your investments are held in the most sensible place, and whether a trust or company structure is genuinely worth it for you.
Coordination with your accountant
We communicate and meet with your accountant and solicitor where needed to make sure we're on the same page.
A capital gains plan
How and when to realise gains, use the discount, and offset gains against losses, for any assets you are holding or planning to sell.
A pre-retirement tax roadmap
The contribution and timing moves to make in the run-up to retirement, and the transition into tax-free pension phase.
A written plan in plain English
What to do, in what order, and why, so nothing depends on remembering a conversation.
How we build your tax strategy
1
Complimentary introductory call
We talk through your situation and what you are trying to achieve. No cost, no obligation, and a chance to see whether we are the right fit.
2
Discovery and fact-find
If you go ahead, we gather the detail: your income, super, investments, and any structures already in place. We tell you the fixed fee up front before any work begins.
3
Strategy and modelling
We build your tax strategy, model the outcomes, prepare your written advice and coordinate with your accountant.
4
Putting it in place
We work alongside your accountant and, where relevant, your solicitor so contributions, timing and structures all line up.
5
Reviewing it
Tax rules and your circumstances change every year, so we revisit the plan as they do.
Trusted to deliver with your best interests first
"Rock-solid advice, swift action and has allowed us to achieve our goals and dreams."
- Russ, Google review
"Alex is an excellent advisor who communicates very clearly and with enthusiasm. He determined our personal needs with ease using a well structured and detailed process. We are very happy with the investment strategy and are well set up for retirement."
- Sandy, Adviser Ratings