Is Your CPA Planning Your Taxes — or Just Filing Them?
A 2-minute snapshot for high earners and business owners. See whether your current tax relationship is built on compliance — or strategy.
Most CPAs are excellent at one thing: filing an accurate return, on time.
But filing is history — it records what already happened. Tax planning is the proactive work of legally lowering what you owe before the year closes. Many high earners never get it, and never realize what it's costing them.
This 2-minute snapshot reveals whether there's a gap between the taxes you pay and the taxes you could be paying.
Educational tool only — not tax, legal, or financial advice. Scores are based on your answers, not a review of your returns. Full disclosures appear at the bottom of this page.
Step 1 of 5 — Identity
Step 1 — Identity
Which best describes you?
Choose the one that fits most closely.
Step 2 — Your Tax Relationship
How does your current tax preparer actually work?
Be honest — this is where the gap usually hides.
How often do you hear from them?
Have they brought you a strategy first?
In the last 2 years, have they proactively presented a tax-saving strategy you weren't already using?
When your return is done, it feels like…
Strategies they've walked you through
Which of these has your tax advisor ever proactively brought to you? Select all that apply.
Not every strategy applies to every situation — several require business ownership. Select only the ones your advisor has actually discussed; leave the rest blank.
Step 3 — Your Picture
How big is the picture we're working with?
No exact figures needed — ranges are fine. This tells us how much is at stake.
Annual income or business revenue
Which of the following apply?
None of these? You can continue without selecting any.
Step 4 — Self-Assessment
A few honest questions.
This is the part most tax preparers never ask you.
How confident are you that you're paying the lowest tax legally possible?
4
Not at all confidentCompletely confident
How stressful is tax season for you?
5
EffortlessA scramble
Which statement feels most accurate?
If nothing changes over the next 3 years, what concerns you most?
Step 5 — Your Snapshot
Where should we send your results?
Your Tax Strategy Snapshot™ is ready. Enter your info to unlock it.
Your Tax Strategy Snapshot™
Here's what your answers reveal, and what it means.
Four read-outs based on how your taxes are handled today — and where strategy may be missing.
Tax Planning Gap
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/100
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Higher means a wider gap between what you pay and what proactive planning could save. This is the number to watch.
Proactive Advisory
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/100
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Structural Efficiency
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/100
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Opportunity Index — estimated upside available
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/100
—
Combines your income level with the size of the planning gap. The higher this runs, the more likely real dollars are being left on the table each year.
How your scores are calculated
Each score is a weighted blend of your self-reported answers, normalized to a 0–100 scale. The weights below sum to 100% for each score. "Strategy coverage" is measured only against the strategies available to your profile — strategies that require a business are not counted for a W-2 earner with no business. No score reflects a review of your actual tax returns, financial records, or specific circumstances — they are directional indicators only.
Tax Planning Gap — distance from proactive planning
Estimates how far your current handling sits from a proactive planning approach. Higher means a wider gap.
22% advisor contact cadence · 22% proactive-strategy history · 20% strategy coverage (of the strategies relevant to your situation) · 18% filing orientation · 10% confidence you pay the legal minimum · 8% self-assessment
Bands: 60+ Significant · 35–59 Moderate · under 35 Minimal
Proactive Advisory — how planning-oriented your preparer is
Reflects how forward-looking your current tax relationship is, based on how they engage with you.
Combines what's at stake with the size of your planning gap. Higher suggests more potential value to revisit — it is not an estimate of dollars and does not promise savings.
45% income / revenue level · 40% your Tax Planning Gap · 15% structural complexity
Bands: 65+ High Upside · 45–64 Moderate · under 45 Limited
Your answers suggest the issue isn't how much you earn — it's that your tax relationship may be built on compliance, not planning.
Filing a clean return keeps you legal. It doesn't keep your money. The strategies that actually lower a high earner's tax bill have to be set in motion before the year closes — which only happens when someone is planning ahead, not just preparing in April.
Where the Opportunity May Be Hiding
Based on your answers — these are worth a closer look on a review of your actual returns.
*Ranges are illustrative and hypothetical — general planning scenarios, not a quote, estimate, or guarantee, and not additive. Actual results depend entirely on your facts and current law. See disclosures below.
The Bigger Picture
Tax is the entry point — not the whole picture. The largest savings show up when tax strategy, entity structure, investments, insurance, and estate planning are coordinated as one system instead of separate silos.
We call that Capital Architecture. A tax review is simply where it starts — and where most high earners first see how much their disconnected advisors have been leaving uncoordinated.
Let's Find What You're Overpaying
On a complimentary 30-minute call, I'll personally review your most recent return — and the prior year — to pinpoint specific strategies your current preparer may have missed. No pitch. Just an honest read on whether there's money to recover.
Have your last two returns handy. For high earners & business owners. 100% confidential.
No specific tax savings or outcomes are promised or guaranteed; results depend entirely on your individual facts and circumstances. Completing this assessment or scheduling a call does not create a client or advisory relationship.
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Important Disclosures
Educational purpose only. This assessment is provided for general educational and informational purposes and does not constitute tax, legal, accounting, investment, or financial advice, nor a recommendation to buy, sell, or pursue any specific strategy.
No advisory relationship. Completing this assessment, receiving your results, or scheduling a consultation does not create a client, advisory, fiduciary, or engagement relationship with Golden Tree Wealth Partners, LLC. Such a relationship is established only through a signed, written agreement.
Self-reported, directional results. All scores are generated solely from the answers you provide. They are directional indicators, are not based on a review of your actual tax returns, financial statements, or records, and should not be relied upon as an assessment of your specific situation.
No guarantee of outcomes. No specific tax savings, refunds, results, or outcomes are promised or guaranteed. Any strategies referenced are illustrative, may not be suitable or available to you, depend on eligibility and current law, and can change over time. Individual results vary based on your facts and circumstances.
Savings illustrations. Any dollar ranges shown are illustrative and hypothetical examples of what a strategy can produce in general scenarios. They are not a quote, estimate, projection, or guarantee of your results; they are not based on your actual figures; and they are not additive across strategies. Eligibility for, and the benefit of, any strategy depends on your specific facts and on current tax law, which can change.
Strategy availability. Certain strategies referenced (including entity structuring, the Augusta Rule, Section 125 plans, and dual-entity structures) generally require business ownership and may not be available to W-2 employees or others without a qualifying business.
Seek qualified guidance. Before acting on any concept referenced here, consult a qualified tax, legal, or financial professional regarding your specific situation.
Information & privacy. Information you submit is transmitted to Golden Tree Wealth Partners, LLC and, to deliver your results by email, to our third-party email provider (EmailJS). We do not sell your information. See our Privacy Policy for details on how your information is used and stored.
Golden Tree Wealth Partners, LLC, doing business as Golden Tree Tax & Accounting, is a tax and accounting services firm located in Illinois. Its team includes employees and contractors who hold Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Enrolled Agent (EA), and Master of Business Administration (MBA) designations. The firm is not a broker-dealer or securities firm, is not a registered representative, holds no securities licenses or registrations, and does not provide securities, brokerage, or investment-advisory services. Nothing in this assessment is investment advice or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security or investment product.