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Tax Planning Strategies

Fee-only, conflict-free tax strategy for Vermont and New Hampshire households: better decisions on income timing, accounts, and withdrawals, coordinated with your tax professional.

Request a Tax Planning Consultation

100% Fee-Only, No Commissions

Since 1996 Independent Fiduciary Firm

CFP^® Certified Financial Planner™ Professional

VT & NH Winooski & St. Johnsbury Offices

A Fee-Only Approach To Tax Planning

Tax planning is an important part of sound financial planning. Whenever additional income arrives, a bonus, an IRA distribution, or capital gains from selling a business or property, there are often strategies that can change your total tax picture. The question is which decisions are worth making, and when.

At Milne Financial Planning, we work with individuals and families across the Greater Burlington area and throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. Our approach is fee-only, and we sell no commission products. That structure matters when you are trying to make clean, unbiased decisions: our compensation comes from our clients, not from the products we might recommend.

Good tax planning is not about finding one magic write-off. It is about making better decisions that have a positive long-term impact, year after year. When you are ready, we would welcome the chance to show you how that works in practice.

A Major Shift

Most taxpayers now use the standard deduction.

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act roughly doubled the standard deduction, and as a result the large majority of taxpayers now take the standard deduction rather than itemizing, according to the IRS Statistics of Income.

For many households, that means the old habit of simply chasing deductions may not move the needle the way it once did.

Source IRS Statistics of Income

Where Planning Still Matters

Focus on the decisions that can actually change your tax picture.

01

Income Timing

When you recognize income, and what kind of income it is.

02

Account Strategy

How pre-tax, Roth, and taxable accounts work together.

03

Capital Gains

Coordinating gains, losses, and investment decisions over time.

04

Retirement Distributions

Choosing when and where retirement income comes from.

05

Charitable Strategies

Structuring giving in ways that fit your broader financial plan.

06

Business Planning

Coordinating business income, retirement plans, and self-employment decisions.

Thoughtful tax planning today is less about finding write-offs and more about making the right moves with income, accounts, and timing. We help you identify the areas worth focusing on, then coordinate those decisions with the tax professional who prepares your return.

Tax Planning Categories To Consider

We are not here to replace your CPA. Think of us as the strategy layer that helps you spot decisions worth discussing with your tax professional, then coordinates the moving pieces so everyone is working in the same direction. Here is where that work most often shows up.

Bracket-Aware Income Planning

Sometimes you are closer to the next bracket than you think; other times you have room to realize extra income without changing your marginal rate. We look at wages, self-employment income, retirement income, RSUs, rental income, and the whole stack together.

Retirement Tax Strategy

Required Minimum Distributions, Social Security taxation, and Medicare IRMAA thresholds can collide fast, especially for retirees who split time between Vermont and New Hampshire or who see an income spike in a given year. We help you see those interactions before they happen.

Tax-Smart Investing Basics

Asset location is often underrated. Which accounts hold which investments can affect how you are taxed each year. This is not about chasing clever tricks; it is about avoiding avoidable tax drag wherever we reasonably can.

Small Business And Self-Employed

If you are a consultant in Burlington, run a trades business in Winooski, or operate a practice that serves the Upper Valley, tax planning ties into entity structure, retirement plans, estimated taxes, and deductions that need clean documentation. The numbers should match the real business story.

Charitable Giving

Charitable planning can be meaningful and tax-aware at the same time. Donor-advised funds, bunching gifts, giving appreciated shares, and qualified charitable distributions once you are eligible are all options. The right method depends on your situation and your goals.

Coordination With Your CPA

Planning only works when it is implemented. We keep the strategy clear and documented so your tax preparer can act on it, and so nothing important falls into the gap between advice and filing.

Why Vermonters Work With Us On Tax Strategy

Choosing an advisor is really about deciding whom to trust with the decisions that shape your future. Our value comes from experience, transparency, and a standard of care that keeps your interests first.

We are a local Vermont firm with offices in Winooski and St. Johnsbury, so you get a real relationship with the people doing the planning, and advice that is not steered by product sales.

A Fiduciary Standard Of Care

Our advisory recommendations are made in your best interest, structured around your goals rather than product sales.
100% Fee-Only, No Commissions

All of our compensation is paid by our clients. We accept no commissions and sell no products, so the advice stays clean.
Independent Since 1996

Jamie Milne founded the firm in 1996 as a completely independent company, answerable to clients and no one else.
Coordinated With Your Tax Professional

We work as the strategy layer alongside your CPA, so investment, retirement, and tax decisions move in the same direction.

Jamie Milne, CFP^®

Founder, Milne Financial Planning

A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional who founded the firm in 1996 to build something fully independent. He takes his fiduciary oath seriously and keeps every recommendation free from sales quotas and product commissions.

Katheryn Milne

Client Services Manager

A Certified Public Accountant licensed in Vermont who joined the firm in 2023. She brings a strong financial background and a practical, detail-focused approach to keeping client needs moving forward.

Areas We Serve

From our offices in Winooski and St. Johnsbury, we provide fee-only tax planning to individuals and families across Vermont and New Hampshire, including:

Greater Burlington and Winooski, VT
St. Johnsbury and the Northeast Kingdom
Montpelier and central Vermont
Communities across New Hampshire
Northern New England statewide

Fee-only tax planning across Vermont and New Hampshire

Avoid The Next Tax Surprise

If you want to sharpen your tax strategy, whether you are in the Vermont and New Hampshire area or beyond, let us talk. We will start with what is changing in your life, look for the tax pressure points, and outline clear next steps you can review with your tax professional.

Request a Tax Planning Consultation Prefer to talk now? Call 802-249-7107

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Prepare Tax Returns?

No. Milne Financial Planning works alongside your CPA or tax preparer, so the planning is clear and documented and your tax professional can implement it cleanly.

Can Tax Planning Help If I Am W-2 Only?

Often, yes. Retirement contributions, HSA strategy, withholding, and the structure of your investment accounts can all matter. And if you are nearing retirement, distribution planning becomes a bigger part of the picture.

I Live In Vermont But Work In New Hampshire, Or Vice Versa. Now What?

Cross-state income can add layers. We help you gather the right information, map what is happening, and coordinate the questions for your tax professional so you are not guessing.

When Should I Start Tax Planning For Retirement?

A few years before retirement is usually a good window to model Social Security timing, Roth conversion possibilities, and what your Required Minimum Distributions might look like later.

What Should I Bring To A First Conversation?

Recent tax returns, current paystubs or an income summary, investment and retirement account statements, and any big changes you see coming, such as a sale, an inheritance, a job change, or a move.