Tax Advisory for Wealth Preservation & Tax Reduction
Whether you're building a business, building your wealth, or building a legacy, we'll help you leverage the tax code to build better. We serve the entrepreneurs, the affluent and the aspiring wherever they are on their building journey. As that journey progresses, we'll make sure you have the right experts working together to help you build and protect.
Jump on the Dark Horse saddle. We've got a lot of ground to cover. As your wealth and income grow, the financial impact of your decisions becomes increasingly magnified. Additionally, more opportunities present themselves as possibilities, many of which have a considerable degree of complexity and risk. You wouldn't blindly follow tax or investment advice from social media but it's not as simple as just hiring a professional. It's exceedingly difficult to hire a great CPA AND a great CFP AND actually get them to collaborate on your behalf in a meaningful way. When you hire Dark Horse, you'll get the trifecta of great CPAs, great CFPs and a cohesive team. As you build, you'll be seeing more of us. We promise we won't be TOO annoying.
Personal Tax Advisory with Dark Horse
Our 3-Step Process
1. Initial Discovery.
We'll develop a working understanding of your existing tax situation and forward-looking changes and opportunities.
2. Tax & Wealth Assessment.
We'll take the info from the Initial Discovery to create a proposal detailing relevant tax saving strategies and investment opportunities with their corresponding ROI.
3. Ongoing Advisory.
We'll build a clear timeline to execute on chosen tax strategies and investment opportunities, ensuring all parties understand their responsibilities. We'll continue to monitor tax laws, economic conditions and changes to your personal situation, adjusting the plan as needed.
There is no shortage of tax saving strategies or investment options. Our Tax & Wealth Assessments bring focus to the opportunities that matter most to your specific situation. We'll detail the cost, timeline and implementation requirements of each strategy and investment. Our aim is to give you everything you need to make an informed decision without overwhelming you with too much information and too many choices. This is a big part of why you pay us, after all. Another reason is that we make sure these opportunities go from spreadsheets into the real world, as planned. The assessment combines our Tax Assessment and Wealth Assessment into 1 deliverable.
Your Professional Network
A Plan Well Executed
It's one thing to have a great tax plan, it's another thing to execute it well. And to execute well, the right circle of professionals is crucial. From attorneys to tax credit specialists to Dark Horse Private Wealth financial advisors, we've got the relationships needed to get the job done right, all of whom are aligned around ensuring clients save substantially more than they spend in fees.
A High W-2 wage earner was looking to purchase short term rental investment property.
In 2023 – Adjusted Gross Income was just over $650,000.
Federal total tax (line 24 of Form 1040) was $161,500.
Effective rate ~ 25%
Client knew there were advantages to owning STRs but was not sure how to maximize this investment. They were also looking for more proactive advice in the event there was more they could do to after the STR investment.
After a Tax Assessment, Dark Horse guided the client through a cost segregation study performed on the property. Client also qualified for a Fee Simple donation which their Tax Strategist ensured was properly executed before year end.
2023 – Adjusted Gross Income reduced to $475,716.
Federal total tax was $65,560
Fed savings of ~$95,940
Effective rate reduced to ~13.7%
*Each tax strategy is unique and requires research into qualifying criteria to ensure a defensible position is taken. Results and savings also vary by client.
Personal Tax Advisory goes beyond basic tax filing—it's a proactive, personalized service that helps you leverage the tax code to grow wealth, build your legacy, and minimize liabilities through strategic planning and expert guidance throughout the year.
We serve individuals and entrepreneurs who are building their wealth, running businesses, or structuring their personal investments. If you're looking for a CPA and CFP team coordinating sophisticated tax strategies, this is for you.
Your journey starts with Initial Discovery to understand your current tax and wealth situation, followed by a Tax & Wealth Assessment outlining high-impact strategies with ROI, then transitions into Ongoing Advisory, executing your plan and adapting it with changes in your life or tax laws.
You'll receive a clear, focused deliverable that lays out recommended strategies—like cost segregation, 1031 exchanges, backdoor Roths, and more—complete with implementation timelines, required investment, and expected savings. We also include a Financial Plan which reviews:
The Tax & Wealth Assessment is $6,000, giving you a high-level yet actionable roadmap tailored for your financial goals. You receive 2 deliverables;
Following your Assessment, we implement chosen strategies in a structured plan. We coordinate with financial advisors, attorneys, or specialists as needed to help turn your tax plan into real-world outcomes. Your go-forward engagement is entirely based on what you select to activate. The assessment is just a bridge to what working together could look like. The results come with execution of the strategies with our CPAs or CFPs.
Tax compliance is reactive—filing based on past data. Tax Advisory is proactive, structuring your financial decisions year-round to reduce liabilities, seize planning opportunities, and align tax strategy with long-term wealth goals.
Yes. We continually monitor economic and regulatory updates, adjusting your tax strategies proactively as laws change or your personal situation evolves. The recent updates to the Big Beautiful Bill is a perfect example. Our strategies shift based on changes to the tax code. New strategies are activated, old strategies may be reused or repurposed with new information (think 100% bonus depreciation or retroactive R&D tax credits).
Cyber threats evolve daily. Our monitoring service keeps systems patched, tracks endpoint and identity health, detects threats in real-time, and delivers executive-level reports—ensuring you’re always protected and audit-ready.
I’m very satisfied with the service provided by Mark Kuca. I don’t usually leave business reviews (I’m basically a review hermit), but their effort and professionalism were exceptional. If you’re a small business owner looking for honest, reliable, high-quality service, I highly recommend him.
After years of feeling underwhelmed by every tax professional I worked with, we finally found Chris Ries at Dark Horse. We did a wide search for a CPA who could handle both our business and personal needs. Chris stood out from the start. He's not just deeply knowledgeable about tax law - he's genuinely thoughtful and strategic in how he applies it to your specific situation. What truly sets Chris apart is how responsive and engaged he is throughout the entire year. Our strategy sessions allowed us to get ahead of issues long before tax season, which made the whole process significantly smoother and less stressful.
You won’t find a more reliable, honest, or trustworthy CPA to work with than Mark. I would give this company more than five stars if I could. Highly recommend him and his services.
Chris is exceptional. He is far more professional, clear in his communication, and knowledgeable than any CPA I’ve worked with. He has expertly managed both my personal and business tax needs and consistently goes above and beyond—helping me make informed, strategic decisions well in advance of future tax filings. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Earlier this year, I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a company in San Francisco and needed a highly qualified business and tax accountant to guide me through the process. After many interviews, I was introduced to Chris and the Dark Horse team—and I’m extremely glad I was. Chris has been consistently responsive, deeply knowledgeable in corporate taxes, and generous with his expertise. He’s taught me a great deal, always looks out for my best interests, and approaches his work with both professionalism and integrity. I am 1000% satisfied with his services—and on top of that, he’s genuinely a great human to work with. My experience with Dark Horse was so positive that I also hired a fractional CFO through them, Susan Snowden, who has been equally impressive. I highly recommend Chris and the Dark Horse team. If you’re looking for smart, trustworthy professionals who truly know their stuff and care about their clients, you won’t go wrong with Chris or Susan.
Provides great service. Very professional. Very responsive to questions and inquiries. Very punctual, I would highly recommend their services.
I’m very satisfied with the service provided by Mark Kuca. I don’t usually leave business reviews (I’m basically a review hermit), but their effort and professionalism were exceptional. If you’re a small business owner looking for honest, reliable, high-quality service, I highly recommend him.
After years of feeling underwhelmed by every tax professional I worked with, we finally found Chris Ries at Dark Horse. We did a wide search for a CPA who could handle both our business and personal needs. Chris stood out from the start. He's not just deeply knowledgeable about tax law - he's genuinely thoughtful and strategic in how he applies it to your specific situation. What truly sets Chris apart is how responsive and engaged he is throughout the entire year. Our strategy sessions allowed us to get ahead of issues long before tax season, which made the whole process significantly smoother and less stressful.
You won’t find a more reliable, honest, or trustworthy CPA to work with than Mark. I would give this company more than five stars if I could. Highly recommend him and his services.
Chris is exceptional. He is far more professional, clear in his communication, and knowledgeable than any CPA I’ve worked with. He has expertly managed both my personal and business tax needs and consistently goes above and beyond—helping me make informed, strategic decisions well in advance of future tax filings. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Earlier this year, I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a company in San Francisco and needed a highly qualified business and tax accountant to guide me through the process. After many interviews, I was introduced to Chris and the Dark Horse team—and I’m extremely glad I was. Chris has been consistently responsive, deeply knowledgeable in corporate taxes, and generous with his expertise. He’s taught me a great deal, always looks out for my best interests, and approaches his work with both professionalism and integrity. I am 1000% satisfied with his services—and on top of that, he’s genuinely a great human to work with. My experience with Dark Horse was so positive that I also hired a fractional CFO through them, Susan Snowden, who has been equally impressive. I highly recommend Chris and the Dark Horse team. If you’re looking for smart, trustworthy professionals who truly know their stuff and care about their clients, you won’t go wrong with Chris or Susan.
Provides great service. Very professional. Very responsive to questions and inquiries. Very punctual, I would highly recommend their services.
Client Login 
