They tell you what happened, after the decisions that mattered were already made. The work that actually changes a tax outcome happens in the twelve months before filing, not the six weeks before April 15.
Each stage is a separate body of work with a specific output. Engagements move through them in order, then cycle annually.
Where you actually stand. Books, returns, structure, exposures.
Entity, comp model, elections, designations. What locks in for years.
Systems that hold the strategy. Close cadence, payroll, documentation.
Real-time decisions during the year, before they get made.
Multi-year planning. Exit, estate, succession, capital deployment.
Before any planning happens, we look at what you actually have. The books, the returns, the entity structure, the open issues with the IRS or the state.
Most clients arrive thinking they have a tax problem. Often the bill is a symptom of something upstream: depreciation that was never claimed, an S-Corp that was never reasonable on owner compensation, a rental that was misclassified as passive when the facts supported active treatment.
A client arrived expecting to owe. The assessment surfaced a depreciation catch-up under Form 3115 worth roughly $40,000. The return changed. The underlying issue was the books, not the bill.
A written assessment of current position, open exposures, and the highest-impact planning opportunities.
Architecture is the entity, the compensation model, the accountable plan, the retirement structure, the real estate grouping election. It is the part of tax strategy that locks in for years and is expensive to undo.
Most filing-only firms never touch this work. It does not fit inside a return. It does not happen in March. Architecture is where the leverage lives.
Three scenarios where this stage matters:
An entity and structure map, with specific elections, designations, and documents identified.
A clean entity structure does not survive contact with messy bookkeeping.
Implementation is where the strategy becomes operational. The monthly close cadence. The chart of accounts that supports the entity choice. The payroll setup that matches the compensation strategy. The documentation that supports each election filed.
This is the stage where many firms stop short. They write a plan and hand it back. Simonsgroup works alongside the bookkeeper and the payroll provider so the architecture actually holds in practice.
A working set of systems and a clear handoff to the people running them day to day.
Filing-only relationships go quiet for ten months and noisy for two. The Guide stage replaces that pattern with a year-round advisory cadence.
When a piece of equipment gets purchased, when a property gets sold, when RSUs vest, when a distribution gets considered, the question gets asked before the decision is made, not after.
A services firm owner called in October about a $180,000 equipment purchase. The question was timing. The answer involved §179 limits, state add-back exposure, and cash flow. The decision was made before December 31, which is the only window in which that decision could be made well.
Direct access during the year. Decisions discussed before they get made.
Simonsgroup serves clients across the DMV and nationwide. The work concentrates in three audience types where the complexity has outpaced what an annual filing relationship can handle.
Typically $1M to $25M in revenue, organized as S-Corps or partnerships. Compensation strategy, entity structure, and owner draws are usually the highest-leverage points.
W-2 income plus equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs), K-1 distributions, or rental property income. The complexity is outpacing what an annual relationship can handle.
Portfolios with cost segregation opportunities, §469 grouping questions, depreciation catch-up exposure, or multi-state filing requirements.
Tax preparation is one output of the framework. The work that moves the number happens long before the return.
| Traditional Tax Prep | A.L.I.G.N. Framework | |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | February to April | Year-round |
| Primary output | A return | A return plus a strategy |
| Question answered | What happened? | What happens next? |
| Focus | Compliance | Compliance plus strategy |
| Relationship | Annual | Continuous |
| Owner of strategy | The client, alone | The client and advisor together |
Simonsgroup Tax Advisory serves business owners, high-income professionals, and real estate investors across the DMV region.
The firm is led by Tim Simons, EA, MBA. The A.L.I.G.N. Framework is the operating model used across all engagements, from Strategy Partner through Private Office.
Call (202) 495-1404 →If the second one is what you want, the strategy call is the place to start.
Call (202) 495-1404 →Or email info@simonsgroup.net | Contact page →