The First D of Tax Planning: How Deferral Keeps More Money Working for You
A message from David L. Blain, CFA — CEO, BlueSky Wealth Advisors
Before you write any large check to the IRS, ask one question: is there a legal way to push this out?
Not skip it. Not cheat. Just push it out.
Most people never ask. But the ones who do, and who have advisors who actually know the answer, may keep a lot more of what they earn. Because a dollar you defer isn’t a dollar you lose. It’s a dollar that keeps working for you. And depending on how long you defer it, and what happens to tax rates in the meantime, you might end up paying significantly less than you would have today. Or in some cases, nothing at all.
This is the first D: Defer. And it’s more powerful than most people give it credit for.
If you haven’t watched the intro yet, start there. It lays out the full philosophy and explains why the order of these strategies matters as much as the strategies themselves. But here’s the quick version: most people think about taxes backwards. Deductions come last in sophisticated planning, not first. The first question is always: can we defer this?
In this video, I cover:
- What tax deferral actually means and why timing creates a completely different outcome on the same tax bill
- The three buckets where deferral lives: retirement accounts, transaction structuring, and investment structures
- Installment sales, 1031 exchanges, and QSBS exclusions explained in plain terms
- A “wait, what?” deep dive on Qualified Opportunity Zones, including recent changes to the program, a key 2026 deadline for existing investors, and a partnership timing strategy most CPAs don’t know exists
If you’re sitting on a significant gain and want to know whether deferral strategies apply to your situation, feel free to reach out to us at BlueSky and we’d be glad to help.
