The best tax strategy is the one built before the problem arises. The best estate plan is the one built before it is needed.

For high-net worth individuals, business owners, and individuals with significant assets, strategic tax planning and estate planning are not optional — they are essential. The difference between a well-structured financial life and one that is unnecessarily exposed to tax liability, legal risk, and generational wealth erosion often comes down to one thing: whether the right planning was done at the right time.

At Blackridge Tax, our strategic tax and estate planning practice is led by Geoff Plourde — a Board Certified Tax Specialist, CPA, Enrolled Agent, and attorney licensed in six states whose expertise in this area is widely regarded as unparalleled. This is not a service we offer as an afterthought. It is a discipline Geoff has dedicated his career to mastering — and it shows in the results our clients achieve.

What is Strategic Tax Planning?

Strategic tax planning is the proactive, forward-thinking process of structuring your income, investments, business interests, and financial decisions in a way that legally minimizes your tax liability — before the tax year ends, before a major transaction closes, and before the IRS has the opportunity to weigh in.

For business owners and high earners, the opportunities for legitimate tax reduction are significant — but they require expertise, timing, and a deep understanding of both the tax code and your specific financial situation. Generic advice and one-size-fits-all strategies leave money on the table. Blackridge Tax builds strategies around you.

Our strategic tax planning services include:

• Annual Tax Planning & Projections — forward-looking analysis of your tax liability with specific strategies to reduce it before year end

• Business Structure Optimization — evaluating and optimizing your business entity structure to minimize tax exposure and maximize after-tax income

• Entity Formation & Governance — The foundation of any successful venture. We don’t just "file papers"; we strategically select and form the legal entities (LLCs, S-Corps, C-Corps, LPs) that provide the strongest shield for your assets, the most efficient flow of income, and the lowest possible tax exposure.

• Qualified Business Income Deduction Planning — maximizing the 20% QBI deduction for eligible self-employed professionals and business owners

• Capital Gains Planning — structuring the timing and nature of asset sales to minimize capital gains tax liability

• Retirement Plan Strategy — implementing and optimizing tax-advantaged retirement vehicles including Solo 401(k)s, SEP-IRAs, and defined benefit plans

• Tax Loss Harvesting — strategically realizing losses to offset gains and reduce overall tax liability

• Real Estate Tax Strategy — depreciation planning, 1031 exchanges, and opportunity zone investments for real estate investors and business owners

• Executive Compensation Planning — structuring compensation, bonuses, and equity arrangements for maximum tax efficiency

What is Estate Planning?

Estate planning is the process of organizing your assets, your wishes, and your legacy in a way that protects what you have built — for yourself, for your family, and for the generations that follow. Done correctly, it minimizes estate taxes, avoids probate, ensures your assets pass to the right people in the right way, and protects your wealth from unnecessary erosion.

For high-net-worth individuals and business owners, estate planning is not simply a matter of writing a will. It requires sophisticated legal and tax structures — trusts, entities, gifting strategies, and charitable planning vehicles — that require the kind of expertise Geoff Plourde brings to every engagement.

Our estate planning services include:

• Comprehensive Estate Plan Design — developing a complete estate plan tailored to your assets, your family, and your goals

• Trust Planning & Implementation — revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, dynasty trusts, and specialized trust vehicles designed to protect and transfer wealth efficiently

• Gift Tax Planning — structuring annual and lifetime gifts to minimize gift and estate tax exposure

• Business Succession Planning — ensuring the seamless transfer of your business to the next generation or a chosen successor with minimal tax consequence

• Charitable Planning — donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trusts, and other vehicles that allow you to give strategically while reducing your tax liability

• Generation-Skipping Transfer Planning — structuring wealth transfers to benefit multiple generations while minimizing transfer taxes

• Estate & Gift Tax Return Preparation — accurate preparation of Form 706 and Form 709 filings

• Probate Avoidance Strategies — structuring your estate to ensure your assets pass efficiently and privately without the time and expense of probate

Why BlackRidge Tax for strategic tax and estate planning

Most tax controversy firms do not offer strategic planning. Most estate planning firms do not have a Board Certified Tax Specialist, a CPA, and an Enrolled Agent on staff. BlackRidge Tax sits at the intersection of both — bringing a depth of technical expertise and a real-world understanding of what happens when planning is not done correctly.

Geoff Plourde's passion for this area of practice is evident in everything he does. His ability to see the full financial picture — the tax implications, the legal structures, the long-term consequences — and translate it into a clear, actionable strategy for his clients is simply in a class of its own.

For high earners and business owners who are serious about protecting what they have built and ensuring it lasts — this is the practice you have been looking for.

The BlackRidge Standard

Blackridge Tax provides strategic tax and estate planning services to high earners, business owners, executives, real estate investors, and individuals with significant assets who require sophisticated, personalized planning that goes far beyond what a standard accountant or financial advisor can provide.

You spent a lifetime building it. Let us make sure it is protected — now and for the generations that follow.