We hope this email finds each of you well and enjoying a flourishing start to 2026! This week, we have three sections for you. Please enjoy, and as always, reach out anytime we can be helpful or answer questions.
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Tax Season Is Upon Us!
Proactive Guide for Getting Ready for Tax Season
A strategic, organized approach can save money, reduce stress, and reveal planning opportunities. Use this streamlined checklist to start strong.
Before You File: High-Impact Prep
- Create a simple checklist: W2s, 1099s/1098s, brokerage tax docs, K1s, Social Security, HSA/529 confirmations, charitable receipts, and last year’s return. Check them off as you receive or download and file them together.
- Verify cost basis and lots: Confirm holdings, basis, and holding periods to avoid overpaying capital gains.
- Max tax-advantaged accounts: IRAs, 401(k)/403(b), HSA, 529. Assess whether a retroactive 2025 contribution helps.
- Plan for slow docs: K1s and corrected 1099s can arrive late. Set expectations to avoid rushed filing.
- Note life changes: Marriage, child, home purchase, equity comp, or new business may shift withholding/deductions.
- Refine charitable tactics: Consider bunching, QCDs (if ageeligible), or a DAF for appreciated assets.
- Small-business focus: Review reasonable comp, 199A/QBI, accountable plans, and Solo 401(k)/SEP funding.
- Know the timeline: “Tax Day” is midApril; extensions move filing to October but don’t delay payment.
Kinetic Wealth’s Tax Return Preparation Services
- Personalized intake/checklist: Tailored document list to reduce backandforth.
- Secure digital workflow: Encrypted sharing and esignature for a paperlight process.
- Planning coordination: Ensure strategies show up correctly on your return.
- Proactive memo: Summary of key items and nextstep planning ideas with your finished return.
After You File: Turn the Return Into a Plan
- Postfile debrief: Review Schedules 1/A/B/C/D/E, Form 8606, and investment schedules for savings ideas.
- Right-size payments: Adjust Form W4 or set quarterly estimates to avoid penalties.
- Evaluate Roth moves: Based on brackets and IRMAA, consider conversions, backdoor Roth, or strategic drawdowns.
- Coordinate with investments: Align asset location, harvest gains/losses intentionally, and monitor fund distributions.
- Retirement checks: Confirm RMDs and document QCDs if applicable.
- Measure bracket headroom: Use space to plan conversions, bonuses, or option exercises.
- Capture credits/deductions: Child/education, energy efficiency, HSA, and dependent care.
- Archive securely: Store PDFs and support; keep at least three years (longer for basis).
Simple Timeline
- Jan–Feb: Gather docs, confirm contributions, update W4.
- March: Final data; decide on extension if awaiting K1s.
- April: File and/or pay by the deadline; set quarterly estimates.
- May–June: Postfile review and execute key planning items.
- Jul–Dec: Implement asset location, charitable tactics, and bracket management before yearend.
Action Items We Can Tackle Together
- Send last year’s return so we can build your tailored checklist and planning memo.
- Schedule a brief prep call to confirm life changes, equity comp, or business updates.
- Decide on charitable tactics (QCD, DAF, bunching) and retirement funding targets.
- Update withholding/estimates for the remainder of 2026.
This material is general and not tax advice. Your situation is unique. If you’d like to explore our tax return preparation services, reply to this message. We’re ready to help! If you have a tax preparer, we’re happy to coordinate with them as well.
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State of the Firm: Kinetic Wealth in 2026
As we step into 2026, we’re energized by big aspirations and a simple promise: deliver excellent service and an enjoyable client experience. In a legacy industry, we’re building something we believe is truly special, and we couldn’t do it without our clients, community, and friends. Thank you for your trust and partnership.
Our north star is clear communication, thoughtful planning, and consistent follow-through so you feel confident about every next step.
What’s in motion
- Year-end planning summaries
Thank you for the ample positive feedback on our year-end planning summary and next-year objectives.
- We’ll keep refining this process each year to set clear expectations, communicate proactively, and stay accountable to outcome-driven planning and engagement.
- Our first tax season together
We’re building streamlined workflows to make tax prep with Kinetic Wealth more organized, more proactive, and more enjoyable than the alternatives. Expect timely reminders, secure document collection, and coordination that reduces friction.
- Growing the team
We plan to make our first hire in 2026. We’ve aligned our business targets to reach this milestone, and we’re excited about the added capacity and expertise this will bring to support our clients.
A quick look back—and a brand refresh
Kinetic Wealth launched on June 3, 2025, but our foundational values have been in the making for decades. Our name, logo, colors, and early branding were created months before launch to reflect what we anticipated building.
Now that the firm has launched and is growing sustainably, we see our identity evolving, much like a great financial plan. We’ve taken time to understand our clients and our work more deeply, and we’re making small updates to our branding and messaging to better reflect who we are today.
- What’s changing: a refreshed voice and updated messaging to align with reality on the ground
- What’s staying the same: same name, same colors, same logo, and most importantly, same high-touch service…all with a new feel
- Newsletter, etc.: we are reorganizing our ongoing communication to you to provide more robust and impactful information to you regularly using various channels
We’re excited to share more as this project unfolds and will keep you posted as it comes to life.
Thank you
Your support fuels our momentum. We’re thrilled for the year ahead and honored to be in your corner. If there’s anything you’d like to see from us in 2026, we’d love to hear it.
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The Heart of Financial Planning: Personal Satisfaction and Growth
Financial planning is not just graphs and numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s about creating a life of abundance…and not just with money. A life that feels purposeful, secure, and aligned with your values. When your money has a mission, you gain confidence in daily choices, clarity about tomorrow, and space to grow. The result is a powerful combination of personal satisfaction and longterm personal and financial growth.
Below is a friendly guide to the core areas of a thoughtful plan, and how each one supports both peace of mind and progress.
Why Planning Fuels Satisfaction and Growth
- Clarity reduces stress: A clear plan replaces financial uncertainty with direction, helping you make decisions with calm and intention.
- Momentum builds confidence: Regular, achievable milestones like funding an emergency reserve or raising contributions reinforce positive habits and motivation.
- Alignment with values: Money decisions become more meaningful when they’re tied to what matters most, whether that’s family, freedom, learning, impact, or adventure.
- Resilience through change: Life happens, and usually it happens fast. A flexible plan helps you adapt without losing sight of your long-term goals.
Investing: Turning Intentions Into Outcomes
Investing is how your goals harness time and compounding.
- Purpose-driven portfolios: Begin with your goals, timeline, and comfort with risk. Align asset allocation to each goal’s horizon.
- Diversification for durability: Spread risk across asset classes and geographies to smooth the ride and stay invested through inevitable cycles.
- Consistency beats complexity: A simple plan that’s easy to execute tends to beat a complicated plan that never comes to fruition.
- Behavior > headlines: A disciplined process and rebalancing help you avoid emotional detours and keep progress on track.
A simple, repeatable investing routine reduces decision fatigue and supports steady growth. Investing can be complicated; we hope to make your interaction with it simple.
Insurance: Protecting What Powers Your Plan
Insurance is a safety net that safeguards the people and progress you care about.
- Income protection: Disability and life insurance protect your earning power and your family’s well-being.
- Health and long-term care: Plans that fit your stage of life can prevent medical events from derailing goals and burdening families.
- Property and liability: Proper home, auto, and umbrella coverage protects assets and future income.
- Right-size over time: Coverage needs evolve as life changes; review policies regularly to ensure they’re still aligned with your plan.
Estate Planning: Clarity, Care, and Control
A thoughtful estate plan is a gift of guidance and grace for loved ones.
- Core documents: Will, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives make your wishes clear during life and after.
- Beneficiary designations: Keep them current on retirement accounts, bank accounts where possible, and insurance policies (these override your will).
- Trusts with purpose: Trusts can streamline administration, protect heirs, and reflect your values.
- Organization matters: Maintain a secure inventory of accounts, passwords, and professionals so loved ones can act with confidence.
Taxes: Keep More of What You Earn
Tax-aware planning helps your dollars go further, both today and over a lifetime.
- Account selection: Use tax-advantaged accounts (401(k), IRA, HSA) where they fit, and locate assets taxefficiently.
- Smart withdrawals: Coordinate Roth conversions, RMDs, and capital gains to manage brackets and Medicare surcharges (IRMAA) over time.
- Strategic timing: Harvest losses thoughtfully, defer or realize gains when advantageous, and align actions with your multi-year plan.
- Documentation discipline: Good records make good outcomes: track basis, carryforwards, and charitable receipts.
Charitable Giving: Aligning Wealth with Impact
Giving can amplify meaning and create tangible community benefits.
- Give with a plan: Define causes, set an annual giving budget, and choose the right vehicle.
- Tax-smart methods: Consider donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from IRAs (when eligible), or appreciated securities to potentially reduce taxes.
- Family engagement: Involve loved ones to build shared family values and a legacy of generosity.
- Measure impact: Revisit your strategy so your giving remains intentional and effective.
- Impact and estate planning: If charitable giving is an important aspect of your estate plan and final wishes, please let us know so we can help you craft an effective and efficient plan.
Bringing It All Together
A strong financial plan is living. It evolves with your goals, adapts to life’s changes, and keeps you focused on what matters most. The payoff is twofold: greater personal satisfaction today and sustainable growth for tomorrow.
Ready to Start or Refresh Your Plan?
Our passion is this: We are here to help you translate hopes into a clear, confident roadmap. If you have questions about investing, insurance, estate planning, taxes, or charitable giving:
- Reach out with your questions, no question is too big or too small
- Ask for a quick review of your current strategies and if changes are prudent
- Let’s meet to explore next steps tailored to you in the office, virtually, or over a meal or coffee
Your goals deserve a plan that feels as good as it performs. Let’s build it together.