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Kiplinger
Kiplinger
Business
Joe F. Schmitz Jr., CFP®, ChFC®

What’s the Difference Between a CPA and a Tax Planner?

A businesswoman and a businessman look at paperwork at a table in a conference room.

I was doing a workshop on tax planning in our community in Columbus, Ohio, when a self-assured CPA walked into the room. His confidence was overwhelming as he declared that not only did he already know everything I planned to discuss that evening, but he should be the one delivering the presentation.

I have a bit of a sense of humor, so I had to have some fun with him. During the workshop, I posed challenging questions about tax planning strategies we use with our clients, strategies that often remain unknown or misunderstood by many. I quizzed him on the ins and outs of Roth conversions, the tax implications of claiming Social Security at 62 vs 70 and the concept of a backdoor Roth IRA. As I expected, he did not have the answers.

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