The Bunching Strategy: A Smarter Way to Think About Taxes

The Bunching Strategy: A Smarter Way to Think About Taxes

April 01, 2026

Most people don’t have a tax strategy.

They have a tax routine.

Each year, it looks the same:

  • Gather documents

  • Send them to the CPA

  • File the return

  • Move on

And when it comes to deductions, the pattern repeats:

  • Take the standard deduction

  • Or itemize—just slightly above it

It feels productive.

But it’s not strategic.


The Bigger Issue Isn’t What You Deduct—It’s When

Here’s the reality:

Your greatest lifetime expense is likely taxes.

And unlike many expenses in life, this is one of the few you can actually influence—with planning.

Yet most people spend more time planning their next vacation than they do thinking about how to reduce their long-term tax liability.

That’s not a criticism.

It’s just the default.

But default thinking produces average outcomes.


From Autopilot to Intentional Planning

The bunching strategy is a simple example of what happens when you move from reactive to proactive.

Instead of treating every year the same, you begin to think in multi-year cycles.

You create:

“On Years”

Where deductions are intentionally concentrated:

  • Taxes

  • Charitable contributions

  • Other deductible expenses

The objective:
👉 Create a meaningful delta above the standard deduction


“Off Years”

Where you deliberately scale back deductions and:
👉 Take the standard deduction


Then Repeat the Cycle

On Year → Off Year → On Year

Same deductions.

Better timing.

Better outcome.


Where This Becomes Even More Powerful

For clients who are charitably inclined, we can integrate a Donor Advised Fund into the strategy.

This allows you to:

  • Consolidate multiple years of giving into a single high-impact year

  • Capture the deduction when it matters most

  • Continue supporting causes consistently over time

This is what coordinated planning looks like.


But Let’s Be Clear—This Isn’t About One Strategy

The bunching strategy is not “the strategy.”

It’s one of many levers.

Tax-efficient investing
Roth conversion strategies
Income timing
Capital gain management
Business structure decisions

These are all part of the same conversation.


The Real Value: A Process, Not an Idea

Most people don’t need more ideas.

They need:

  • A framework

  • A process

  • Someone to coordinate it

At Jackson Wealth Management, tax planning is not a once-a-year event.

It’s an ongoing, forward-looking process where we:

• Evaluate your current situation
• Model different scenarios
• Identify planning opportunities
• Coordinate implementation

Because insight without execution doesn’t create value.


For Our Clients

If you’re already a client of Jackson Wealth Management:

This level of tax planning is already available to you.

There is no additional fee.

The opportunity is simply to engage more intentionally in the process.


For Those Exploring What We Do

If you’re not currently a client, this is where the conversation begins.

Not with products.

Not with performance.

But with clarity.

If you’d like to better understand:

  • How strategies like this apply to your situation

  • What your tax picture could look like with proactive planning

  • And the broader value of a coordinated wealth management relationship

We can start with a simple conversation.


Next Step

Schedule a 15-minute Clarity Call:

👉 https://oncehub.com/quickchat

No preparation needed.
No obligation.
Just a focused conversation to determine if there’s mutual alignment.


Final Thought

Most people don’t have a tax problem.

They have a planning gap.

And closing that gap—intentionally, over time—can have a meaningful impact on your financial life.

LPL Financial and Jackson Wealth Management does not offer tax advice or tax preparation services.