10/14/2026
Your CPA sees the year that just ended. Your financial advisor sees the year ahead. Each one is doing their job well — but they're usually looking at different years, from different offices, and they rarely talk to each other. The space between them is where money can quietly slip away.
Here's how the gap opens. Your CPA files an accurate return based on decisions that were already made — the Roth conversion you already did, the withdrawal you already took, the gain you already realized. By the time the return is prepared, the opportunities to shape those numbers have passed. Meanwhile, your advisor is managing the portfolio but may not be running the tax projection that would reveal whether this is a good year to convert, harvest a loss, or hold off.
The decisions where this matters most are the connected ones. A Roth conversion is both an investment decision and a tax decision. Withdrawal sequencing affects both your portfolio and your bracket. Whether to realize a capital gain depends on your income for the year, your IRMAA position, and how much of your Social Security is already being taxed. These aren't questions a portfolio manager or a tax preparer can fully answer alone — they sit exactly on the line between the two.
In this video, Paul Axberg — a CFP®, CPA, and CIMA® with nearly 30 years working exclusively with retirees and pre-retirees — explains why the handoff between separate advisors creates blind spots, which retirement decisions fall into the gap, and what changes when the investment strategy and the tax strategy are managed as a single conversation.
The gap between a financial advisor and a tax planner is where retirement wealth can quietly erode. Closing it is the entire idea.
One advisor. One fee. Everything connected.
The opinions expressed herein are not meant to provide specific investment advice or serve as a prediction for future stock market performance. We recommend everyone consult with a financial professional for advice related to their own, individual financial situation or plan.
Paul D. Axberg is an investment advisor representative of, and securities and advisory services are offered through, USA Financial Securities, Member FINRA/SIPC. A Registered Investment Advisor located at 6020 E. Fulton St., Ada, MI 49301. Axberg Wealth Management is not affiliated with USA Financial Securities. View USA Financial Securities Form CRS:https://www.usafinancial.com/hubfs/Investor%20Documents/USA%20Financial%20Securities%20-CRS.pdf
For further information, please contact our office:
Axberg Wealth Management
Office: 13613 West Camino Del Sol Suite 3, Sun City West, AZ 85375
Main: 623-398-0128
Web: https://axbergwealth.com
