Vail Advisory Platform

Posted Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Key Takeaways

  • Year-round tax planning beats April surprises. The Vail Advisory Platform replaces reactive tax prep with proactive, ongoing strategy so decisions are made with tax impact in mind, not after the fact.
  • Confidence is the real product. You are not just buying tax returns, you are buying clarity, reduced surprises, and the peace of mind that nothing obvious is slipping through the cracks.
  • Designed specifically for S Corp owners. Payroll optimization, reasonable salary planning, and entity strategy are baked in for small business owners where these decisions actually move the needle.
  • Structure reduces tax fire drills. Scheduled planning meetings, projections, and year-end reviews keep payroll, estimates, and strategy from becoming last-minute chaos. There are no accounting emergencies, just poor planning.
  • Bootup services get the foundation right. Formation, S Corp elections, payroll setup, and first payroll runs are handled separately so the business starts clean before ongoing advisory begins.
  • Vail can flex beyond the single-owner S Corp. Do you have multiple owners who want flexibility, anonymity and tax savings? Perhaps the mothership baby S Corp construct is for you. Do you and your spouse own separate businesses? Perhaps an S Corp holding company for efficiency makes sense. Let’s review!

Most of our advisory platforms are built for flexibility. Keystone, Copper, and Breck are designed to be customized around your situation. But sometimes you do not need a fully custom engagement. Sometimes you just need the right combination of services, executed consistently, by people who have done it a thousand times.

That is the Vail Advisory Platform and it solves:

  • Paying too much in self-employment taxes
  • No idea what to set for S Corp salary (and paying too much in payroll taxes)
  • Surprise tax bills in April from poor or non-existent planning
  • CPA disappears after tax return filing while your income jumps up
  • Confusion around PTET, estimates, or multi-state issues

Think of it as the Chef’s selection. No custom build out necessary (but there are some common add-ons like pass-through entity tax planning and rental investments). Just a proven, structured platform built specifically for S Corporation owners who want compliance and proactive tax strategy handled under one roof.

The Vail Advisory Platform

Annual Fee

  • $4,500 ($375 monthly)

Compliance & Preparation

  • Form 1120S: S Corp tax return
  • Form 1040: Individual tax return, including rental activities and other investments as applicable
  • Tax Return Review: Comprehensive review meetings with your tax team

Strategic Planning & Advisory

  • Tax Strategy: Two dedicated tax advisory sessions focused on tax efficiency and reduction
  • Tax Projections: One annual household tax projection
  • Payroll Planning: One payroll plan with salary optimization to balance payroll tax savings with QBID and IRS compliance (we will also adjust withholdings to align with overall tax footprint including PTET)
  • Payroll Support: Ongoing payroll support as compensation questions come up (we can be your ADP or Paychex advocate should you need it)
  • Tax Planning: One pre-planning meeting and one tax projection review meeting
  • Routine Support: Three scheduled quick chats (May through November) for ongoing tax matters
  • End of Year Planning: End of year tax planning meeting discuss last minute business and household moves and next year’s outlook
  • Tax Resolution, Audit Defense: Basic audit support and IRS correspondence included (limitations apply)

Common Platform Upgrades

As your tax situation becomes more complex these upgrades expand the Vail platform to handle additional scope and complexity-

  • Business Tax Projections: One annual business tax projections. Required to calculate business related tax burdens
  • Rental Property Investments: Own rentals alongside your business? These activities and rental-specific planning are layered into your engagement based on your portfolio
  • K-1 Income: Partnerships, syndications, and other pass-through investments with K-1s are added based on volume and complexity
  • Pass-Through Entity Tax Planning: If your state offers a PTET deduction (and most do), the optimization and election planning that goes with it is available as an add-on should your state and local taxes (SALT) deduction be limited
  • Multi-State Matters: Operating or living across state lines adds complexity. Nexus, apportionment and non-resident filings are handled as add-ons priced per state

Value Proposition

Some considerations for the value proposition:

  • $50,000 is break-even. At this business profit level (after expenses), your self-employment taxes savings is about $4,500 which is our baseline annual fee for Vail.
  • $10,000 in unnecessary payroll. If you are already processing payroll for your S Corp, keep in mind that every $10,000 in unnecessary shareholder salary is $1,500 in unnecessary payroll taxes. Payroll planning is a must.
  • Breck versus Vail. Vail includes everything in the Breck platform, plus a second tax strategy session, a dedicated payroll plan, and ongoing payroll support throughout the year. It’s built for S Corp owners who want that extra layer of compensation strategy baked in from day one.

The Rhythm Of The Relationship

client communications

Structured touchpoints don't just keep you informed, they prevent the scrambles that feel like emergencies in the first place. As the old adage goes, there are no accounting emergencies, only poor planning.

Here is the typical meeting cadence for our Advisory Services, roughly 8 to 9 meetings and 6 to 8 hours of focused time per year:

Strategic Milestones: We Reach Out to You

These are on us. We will email, text, and call to get these on the calendar.

  • Pre-Planning Meeting (May/Jun): A check-in to jump-start tax projections. We need to understand what changed from last year and where your income is headed.
  • Tax Projections Review (Jul/Aug): Once we crunch the numbers, we meet to walk through the results and discuss any adjustments, estimated tax payments, withholding changes, mid-year moves.
  • End of Year Wrap-Up (Oct/Nov): We tidy up loose ends for the current year and look ahead to the next. Critical for payroll adjustments and locking in strategy before the ball drops.

On-Demand Support: You Reach Out to Us

A good engagement runs both ways. We chase you for the important ones; these are yours to schedule based on your timeline and needs.

  • Tax Return Review (Feb/Apr): A comprehensive walkthrough of your returns before filing. One meeting is typical, two if things get interesting.
  • Tax Advisory Sessions (Anytime): Dedicated 40-minute sessions to apply your specific tax footprint to real reduction strategies.
  • Periodic Quick Chats (May through Nov): Three 20-minute calls for whatever comes up. Buying a car? Selling a rental? Just want to vent about the IRS? That's what these are for.

We prefer scheduled video meetings via Teams but a phone call or in-person works too.

Tax Reduction Strategies

Discover practical strategies for reducing taxes while keeping you on the right side of things.

Advanced Tax Strategies

Impactful tax strategies take three things- money you can part with, effort (participation) and risk (financial and audit).

End of Year Tax Moves

Here is a list of things to consider as December 31 rolls around.

Bootup Services

New to WCG or just getting your business off the ground? The following one-time services get you properly set up before the ongoing advisory work begins. These are transactional, not recurring, and are invoiced separately from your annual platform fee.

Common bootup services include:

  • Business Formation: Articles of organization or incorporation, EIN, operating agreement, bylaws, and accountable plan. State filing fees apply.
  • S Corp Election: Timely election made at formation is included with business formation. Late S Corp elections (the retro S Corp) are also available on existing entities (LLCs, PCs, etc.).
  • Payroll Quick Launch: Full payroll account setup including state registrations, ADP onboarding, and your first payroll run. This gets you properly set up so payroll runs cleanly from day one rather than being retrofitted later.

Pricing for bootup services are detailed below-

Onboarding and Transition

Timing matters when it comes to onboarding, and we want to be straight with you about how it works.

Proration

The Vail Advisory Platform annual fee is $4,500 regardless of when you start. This is because tax return preparation and tax planning including tax strategy are annual events.

As such, if you onboard in April, the fee is prorated over the remaining months of the year, which means your monthly billing will be higher even though the total annual fee is unchanged. The scope of work is the same. We just have fewer months to spread it across.

The August Switch-A-Roo

Starting in August, we restructure how new engagements are assembled. Here is why and what it means for you:

  • Sticker Shock: Prorating a full annual fee including tax return preparation over four or five months can make the monthly number look alarming, even when the annual total is completely reasonable.
  • Pay For What You Need, Like Biberty: Instead, late-year onboarding is structured as a custom advisory fee covering what is actually deliverable in the remaining months. That typically includes pre-planning meetings, tax projections and reviews, tax strategy sessions, scheduled quick chats, and an end-of-year wrap-up.
  • Current Year Tax Prep: Tax return preparation is invoiced separately during the following tax season when we actually prepare the tax return.

Therefore the first year might be a hybrid or transitional year. It remains a Vail engagement with perhaps just a bit less snow. It is a clean slope into the following January when the full platform kicks in properly.

Beyond the Single-Owner S Corp

Vail is built for the single-owner S Corp but the principles behind it apply to more complex situations too. A few variants worth knowing about:

The Mothership and Baby S Corp Construct

Partners who want an eat-what-you-kill income split without getting strangled by S Corp distribution rigidity use a multi-member LLC as the mothership. Revenue flows into the LLC, common expenses are paid out, and the Operating Agreement dictates how profits are split regardless of ownership percentages. Each owner’s share then flows into their own baby S Corp where salary optimization and distributions are managed independently.

The mothership can be owned by the individual humans or by the S Corps themselves, and each version has distinct advantages around state nexus, apportionment, and regulatory compliance. It is a common arrangement for attorneys, medical groups, financial advisors, and insurance agents. Elegant when done right.

Two Spouses, Two Businesses, One Household

When two spouses run completely different businesses under one roof, a holding LLC that S Corp elects can own both as wholly owned subsidiaries. All payroll runs through one S Corp, one tax return covers the whole structure, and each business unit stays independent with its own books and accounts. The result is S Corp tax efficiency without the cost and complexity of running two separate S Corps. It is an elegant strategy for spouses running different businesses, and yes, it might also be cheaper than couples therapy.

If any of these sound familiar, the Vail platform can flex to accommodate them. The annual fee will reflect the additional complexity, and the discovery meeting is where we figure out what that looks like for your specific situation.

Schedule A Discovery Meeting

S Corp owners have unique tax obligations and real planning opportunities. If you want compliance handled properly and a tax strategy designed for your unique situation, this is the right conversation to have.

Request a Meeting with WCG Inc

Let's schedule a 20-minute discovery meeting with one of our Partners or Senior Tax Professionals to understand your tax footprint and objectives, and how WCG CPAs & Advisors might help.

Schedule Meeting
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Call Our Amazing Team

Need to speak to a tax professional now? Give us a call 719-387-9800 and we'll get you connected.

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Chat With a Tax Pro

Taxes can be tricky. Chat with a WCG human now and get questions answered.

Rental Property Tax Preparation

Prep fees, STR loopholes, cost segregation, REPS, 1031 exchanges, and state surprises.

niche assets

Niche Real Estate Beyond Rentals

Specialized assets with serious depreciation potential, ranked from gateway plays to danger zones.

Accounting Services (Bookkeeping)

Best reason to use a small business accountant is to allow you to do what you do best with your time.

Reasonable Shareholder Salary

Determining a reasonable shareholder salary and reasonable officer compensation is the murkiest part of running an S corporation.

Address Changes are Messy

A lot of small business owners, especially solo operators, work from their home office.

Late S Corp Election

The S Corp election takes your LLC (or PLLC or C Corp or PC) and changes the way it is taxed to reduce self-employment taxes. The underlying entity remains intact. Only the way it is taxed changes.

Aspen Tax Strategy Series

Not every tax strategy belongs on your tax return. The Aspen Tax Strategy Series is a structured three-session engagement designed to cut through the noise, pressure-test your options, and deliver a blueprint built around your actual numbers, risk tolerance, and wealth goals.

Series Fee
$1,800
All three sessions
Sessions
3
Foundation, exploration, blueprint
Deliverable
1
Execution
Session 1

Foundation

  • Map Your Wealth Trajectory
  • Diagnose Your Taxable Surface
  • Analyze All Income Sources & Structures
  • Assess Liquidity & Leverage Limits
  • Pressure-Test Material Participation
  • Define Financial Risk Tolerance
Session 2

Strategy Exploration

  • Tie Loose Ends From Session 1
  • Refine Constraints & Reality Filters
  • Mark Tax Strategy Must Haves
  • Eliminate Poor-Fit Strategies
  • Deep Dive Into 2-3 Tax Strategies
  • Evaluate Cash, Effort & Risk Tradeoffs
Session 3

Math & The Blueprint

  • Model 2-3 Surviving Strategies in Real-Time
  • Map Capital Requirements & Cash Flow
  • Analyze Cashless Tax Savings Ratio
  • Calculate First-Year Cash-on-Cash (CoC) Return
  • Forecast 5-10 Year Exit & Recapture Impact
  • Deliver Your Execution Blueprint

Add-On

  • Scenario Tax Plan & IRR Modeling

Is our Aspen Engagement right for you? Learn how we map the taxable surface, pressure-test the path, and build a strategy that works. Schedule a kickoff conversation when you’re ready.

Aspen Tax Strategy Series

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Vail Advisory Platform?

It is a structured business advisory service designed for S Corp owners that combines tax prep, planning, and ongoing support into one consistent, year-round system.

How is this different from a typical CPA relationship?

Instead of hearing from your CPA once a year, you get scheduled planning, projections, and strategy sessions so tax decisions happen before the year is over.

Who is the Vail platform best suited for?

It is built for solo business owners and small groups using S corporations who need help with payroll strategy, tax projections, and overall planning.

What is included in the annual fee?

The fee covers both business and personal tax returns, tax planning, payroll planning, tax strategy sessions, end of year planning and strategy, and ongoing support throughout the year.

How many meetings are included?

Expect around 8 to 9 touchpoints annually, including planning meetings, projections, strategy sessions, and a year-end wrap-up.

Do I still get help during the year or just at tax time?

You get ongoing access with scheduled quick chats and advisory sessions, so you can ask questions when real-life decisions pop up.

Can rental properties or K-1 investments be added to Vail?

Yes, those can be layered in as add-ons depending on complexity, so your full tax picture is handled in one place.

What is payroll planning and why does it matter?

It is the process of setting your S Corp salary correctly to balance tax savings and compliance, including qualified business income deduction optimization.

What happens if I join mid-year?

Your fee is prorated across the remaining months, or structured as a custom hybrid or transitional engagement later in the year to match what can realistically be delivered.

Is this customizable or a fixed package?

It is a structured platform, but it can flex with add-ons and complexity, giving you a proven system without starting from scratch every time.

Tax Planning Season

Tax planning season is here! Let's schedule a time to review tax reduction strategies and generate a mock tax return.

Tax Planning Services
Bookkeeping Services

Tired of maintaining your own books? Seems like a chore to offload?

Accounting Services

Professional Consultation

Did you want to chat about this? Do you have questions about Vail Advisory Platform? Let’s chat!

The tax advisors, business consultants and rental property experts at WCG CPAs & Advisors are not salespeople; we are not putting lipstick on a pig expecting you to love it. Our job remains being professionally detached, giving you information and letting you decide within our ethical guidelines and your risk profiles.

We see far too many crazy schemes and half-baked ideas from attorneys and wealth managers. In some cases, they are good ideas. In most cases, all the entities, layering and mixed ownership is only the illusion of precision. As Chris Rock says, just because you can drive your car with your feet doesn’t make it a good idea. In other words, let’s not automatically convert “you can” into “you must.”

Let’s chat so you can be smart about it.

We typically schedule a 20-minute complimentary quick chat with one of our Partners or our amazing Senior Tax Professionals to determine if we are a good fit for each other, and how an engagement with our team looks. Tax returns only? Business advisory? Tax strategy and planning? Rental property support?

Text WCG Offices

Text WCG Offices

Need to get in touch through a quick text? We'll respond within a day.

Chat our amazing team

Call Our Team

Need to speak to a tax professional now? Give us a call 719-387-9800 and we'll get you connected.

Chat with a tax pro

Chat With a Tax Pro

Taxes can be tricky. Chat with a WCG human now and get questions answered.