09/28/2026
MONDAY BB TAX — SEPTEMBER | WEEK 4
LESSONS FROM A CPA
SOME OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE TAX MISTAKES NEVER APPEAR ON A TAX RETURN.
After more than 20 years in accounting, this is something I wish more business owners understood.
A client may come in with perfectly organized documents.
The bookkeeping is complete.
The numbers are correct.
The tax return is ready to be filed.
And yet, sometimes I look at the numbers and think:
“I wish we had talked six months ago.”
Not because the return is wrong.
Because some of the most important financial decisions were already made.
The owner may have bought or sold an asset.
Taken too much—or too little—salary.
Missed a retirement-planning opportunity.
Made a major investment.
Changed the business without first considering the tax consequences.
By tax season, we can report what happened.
But we cannot always change when or how it happened.
That is one of the biggest differences between tax preparation and tax planning.
**Tax preparation looks backward.
Tax planning looks forward.**
As your income and business become more complex, timing becomes increasingly important.
Sometimes the best tax strategy isn’t a complicated loophole.
It’s simply having the right conversation before making the decision.
After all these years, one question I wish more clients would ask isn’t:
“How much tax do I owe?”
It’s:
“I’m thinking about doing this. Should we talk first?”
That one conversation can sometimes be far more valuable than anything we can do after December 31.
🌿 Before your next major business or financial decision, ask yourself:
“Should my tax advisor be part of this conversation before I sign?”
📩 At BB Tax, we believe good tax planning should begin before the tax return does. If your business or financial life has become more complex, we’re always happy to start that conversation.
