ADVERTISING: ADVERTORIAL - You Filed Your Taxes. Now What?

Tax season is done. The forms are filed, the refund is on its way or the check has been written, and the last thing you want to do is think about money for a while.

We understand that feeling. But here is something we have seen play out with families across North Idaho for over 35 years. The weeks right after tax season are actually one of the best planning windows of the entire year. Your financial picture is fresh in your mind. The numbers are real and recent. And the decisions you make right now, while everything is clear, can have a meaningful impact on where you stand a year from today.

So before you close the folder and move on, here are three things worth thinking about.

Should you be thinking about a Roth conversion? Most people in North Idaho have the majority of their retirement savings in traditional IRAs or 401(k) accounts. That money has never been taxed. Every dollar you pull from it in retirement gets taxed as regular income by the federal government, and Idaho taxes those withdrawals too. A Roth conversion means moving some of that money into a Roth account now, paying the taxes today, and letting it grow completely tax free from that point forward. The window right after tax season is ideal for this conversation because you know what your income looked like this year and can model whether a conversion makes sense for your situation.

Do you know when you should take Social Security? This is one of the most consequential decisions a retiree makes and one of the most misunderstood. You can start as early as 62, but your benefit grows by about 8 percent for every year you wait past your full retirement age, up until age 70. After that there is no additional benefit to waiting. The right answer depends on your health, your other income sources, and whether you are married. For couples in particular, coordinating when each spouse claims can make a difference of tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. If you have not sat down and modeled this out, now is a good time to do it.

When was the last time you looked at your investment portfolio? Your tax return shows you what your investments did last year, not what you hoped they did. That is useful information. It is a good time to ask whether your mix of investments still matches where you are in life, whether you are taking on more risk than you need to, and whether your accounts are set up in a tax efficient way. Small adjustments made consistently over time add up.

None of these are things you need to figure out on your own. That is exactly what we are here for.

If your tax return raised any questions this year, or if you just want to make sure you are set up well for the year ahead, we would love to have that conversation with you.

Want to go deeper on any of this?

We broke each of these down in full at alpha3wealth.com/blog. It is worth a read before you make any big decisions.

Your tax return is not just a form you file. It is a report card on your financial plan. The smartest time to read it is right now.

Your Next Adventure Starts With a Conversation 

At Alpha 3 Wealth Management — Best Investment Consulting Firm, Best of North Idaho 2025 — we help North Idaho families build the freedom to enjoy life today and the protection to keep everything that matters safe tomorrow. Let us show you what that looks like for your family. Schedule your free consultation at alpha3wealth.com 162 E Hayden Ave, Hayden, ID, (208) 665-5894.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Alpha 3 Wealth Management is an investment consulting firm serving North Idaho. Securities and Advisory Services offered through Centaurus Financial, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor. Centaurus Financial, Inc. and Alpha 3 Wealth Management are not affiliated companies. Best of North Idaho recognition is based on reader voting.