It happens every December.
You’ve had a good year. Profits are strong. Cash is solid. And then the CPA calls:
“Want to reduce your tax bill before year-end?”
Suddenly, every expense feels strategic... new vehicles, laptops, gear, prepayments. Hey, it’s deductible, right?
But here’s the hard truth: A write-off isn’t a win. It’s just a discounted expense (and even that's not true, as we'll talk through).
In this issue, I unpack the real (and rarely talked about) consequences of tax-driven spending:
- You’re still spending real money
- You may trigger future cash crunches
- You’re likely financing things that reduce future flexibility
- You speed up replacement cycles that compound long-term cost
- You train yourself to optimize for taxes over strategy
I also walk through when year-end spending does make sense, and give you a simple 4-question filter to keep you from trading long-term clarity for a short-term deduction.
If you spend your whole career avoiding taxes, you’ll probably end up poor.
Not because of the IRS, but because you made decisions for write-offs, not return.
This is the tax season reframe most owners need.
