Your CPA files the return.
We architect the savings.

For executives, founders and families facing a $1M+ tax bill
RSUs vesting, a company sale, most of your net worth in one stock, an estate over the federal line. The tax on each depends on choices you make before the money moves. We show you which choices the tax code gives you, in writing, with every move tied to a section of the law.
Book a Tax Discovery Call
See what each lever could save you, before you decide.
The System
The Seven Levers™ of Tax Savings
Each lever targets a different aspect of your financial life. Together, they transform it.
1
Start or Expand a Business
S-Corp + deductions + the 20% QBI deduction
2
Invest in Real Estate
Cost segregation + 1031 + 100% bonus depreciation
3
Use Life Insurance Strategically
Death benefit (IRC 101(a)) + loans against cash value + ILIT
4
Maximize Retirement Savings
Defined Benefit Plan
5
Plan Your Estate
Trusts + ILIT + Digital eState Plan
6
Practice Strategic Giving
CRT + DAF + private foundation
7
Invest Through Private Equity
QSBS + Opportunity Zones
A Typical Scenario
$12 million of old RSU shares, about $2.38 million in federal tax
Based on what our clients tend to experience. Your plan is built on your own numbers.

A tech executive's RSU shares were worth $2 million when they vested. That $2 million was taxed as pay back then. Today the shares are worth $12 million. Selling them all in 2026 is a $10 million gain: 20% capital gains tax plus the 3.8% net investment income tax, about $2.38 million in federal tax. State tax comes on top.

The common advice is "just pay it." Fair. Check three things first.

  1. Would you give to charity anyway? Giving long-held shares instead of cash can avoid the capital gains tax on those shares, and the gift has to happen before the sale is locked in.
  2. Would you leave part of it to charity? A charitable remainder trust can sell the shares without tax inside the trust, pay you income for years, and leave what's left to charity. You pay the tax as the income comes out.
  3. Do you want to spread out your risk without selling? A properly built exchange fund can swap one stock for a share of a diversified pool with no tax now. The tax is deferred, not erased, and you usually commit for 7 years.

Each one depends on facts that have to be checked before the sale, not after.

Rates: IRC 1(h), 1411. Giving: IRC 170, 664. Exchange funds: IRC 721, 351(e).

Book a Tax Discovery Call
A $1M+ tax bill deserves a plan before it's due
In 30 minutes we'll tell you which of the Seven Levers™ fit what's coming for you, and whether a paid audit is worth it. If it isn't, we'll say so.
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THE TAX ARCHITECT
Tax is the door. Wealth is the room behind it.
Plain-English tax moves for people with a $1M+ tax bill: what to do before a vest, a sale or December 31. We write when there's a move to make. Unsubscribe anytime.
Al (BiG Al) Darnell, Jr., EA, MBA & Terrence Taylor, EA, Harvard MBA
Enrolled Agents, the highest credential the IRS awards, with unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS · Terrence: licensed insurance producer in 27 states and the District of Columbia
Every strategy is grounded in the tax code. We use the law as written.
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"Tax-free" refers to qualified Roth distributions and properly structured strategies, which carry IRS requirements (for Roth: the 5-year rule and age 59½, with limited exceptions). Guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance carrier. Educational information only, not tax, legal, or investment advice.

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