Should You DIY Your Taxes or Hire a Pro?

Speaker A00:00:00

File your taxes yourself or hire a professional. For some people, this decision feels obvious. Like, all right, I know exactly what I'm going to do, Ralph.But for others, it creates deep anxiety, and you start wondering, am I wasting money on help, or am I risking mistakes if I continue doing this alone? So, friend, this episode isn't about pushing you in one direction or the other. It's about helping you choose with clarity and peace.So let's match the method to your reality. Here's the question we're answering today. Should you do it yourself? Taxes, or is it time to hire a professional? And here's my promise for you.By the end of this episode, you're going to understand when doing yourself makes the most sense, when professional help is wise, and how peace of mind is a valid part of the decision. Today's not about pressure. It's not about guilt. It's about wisdom and confidence, Vision. Hey, friend. Ralph Estep Jr. Here.Welcome to Financially Confident Christian, where we learn how to walk through life and money with wisdom, with peace, and with a heart anchored in God's truth.My mission today is to help you break that cycle of financial shame and build steady habits rooted in faith, and become a financially confident Christian. And I'm so glad you're here today. Yesterday, we had a big discussion about deductions and credits.We had a basic understanding to help you make better decisions. Now today, we're going to do the next decision after understanding that. And that is who should actually file this.This is about fit, not about pride, choosing clarity and peace, not pressure. So let's walk through this together and decide. How do we make this decision?Here's a question every single tax season, Ralph, Am I okay doing this myself, or at what point should I hire somebody? Now, I'm gonna tell you right now, I'm biased because I'm the person you hire. And that question isn't about intelligence. It's about fit.If you've ever felt unsure, clicking submit on that return, you're doing yourself. You're just being responsible because you're worried you might be missing something. You wonder if help would have reduced that stress.And because you realize taxes have consequences. So it makes sense to pause before choosing, do I do it myself or do I hire somebody?Because in the end, this is about stewardship and not about overthinking you're being responsible. Here's something important to remember right from the beginning. There is no moral badge for doing taxes yourself.And there's no failure if you ask for help. A lot of men we don't like to ask for help, right? So we're like, oh, we're going to do it ourselves. But there's no moral badge for that.The right choice is the one that fits your situation and protects your peace. And here's the thing, spoiler alert.Sometimes you can do it yourself, but you might have something that happens in your life this year, which means you need to go find somebody. I see a lot of clients and I only see them every few years.So let's break this into simple categories, because I've seen this decision from every angle possible. Like I said, I've been doing taxes for 30 years. I've seen people who should have hired help and didn't, who turned into a train wreck.And I see people who paid for help when do it yourself would have been fine. The best outcomes happen when methods match reality, what happens on the ground. And like I said, this can change year to year.So let me give you a quick example. Person kept doing it yourself even though it stressed them out. I've met people that, like, they hate taxes, but they keep doing that.I don't want to spend any money. Rap. And they spend themselves crazy all weekend trying to learn the forms, trying to figure out software.Now, nothing went wrong, but nothing felt calm either. Do you know what they did the next year? They said, rap, I'm a hire pro. They came and they hired me.And the truth is, when I look at what they did versus what I did, there wasn't anything drastically different. But the experience, let me tell you right now, the experience was dramatically different. I never forget.Lady came across my desk, gave me a big hug, and she said, rob, I. I feel at peace this way. This was the best money I've ever spent. And that peace matters. See, sometimes the biggest return is not money. It's peace.So here's today's central question. What choice will give you clarity? What choice will give you confidence?And bigger than all those things, what choice is going to give you peace this tax season? Because, friend, that answer matters. Let's walk through this gently together. This isn't about right or wrong, and it's about fit.Now here's the start. I'm gonna start by saying this. Do it yourself can be a great option when your return is pretty straightforward.When your return is simple vanilla, you got one job, you got no side income, or maybe just a little thing, you got a couple deductions, maybe a couple credits, and you didn't have any major life changes. If your income's predictable, you got A familiar return year after year. Software can work well if you review it carefully.That's the thing I'm gonna say. Software can talk you into stuff you don't need to do. So pay attention to it. One of the big takeaways. Here's a little insider tip.Look at your return from last year, look at your return from this year. And if things are different, man, red flag. Go check it out and do it yourself isn't about being cheap, it's about simplicity.Now, professional is wise because there's value in that, especially as your complexity of your return increases. Why? I see a lot of people, I do a lot of complex returns. Complexity means self employment.Maybe you've got some freelance income, maybe you've got some business expenses, maybe you went out and bought a rental property or you've got some complicated investments. Another big thing is major life changes like marriage or divorce. Or maybe you moved. The more complexity, the higher risk of missing something.And a good pro doesn't just file. A good pro will explain things to you. They'll ask you questions and they help you think ahead.Listen, the truth is value is not in tax preparation, it's in tax planning. And that guidance that professionalism can save you money and save you stress. A good professional doesn't just file, they guide you.Peace of mind is part of the cost. Pace is not a luxury, it's a valid factor. Think about weeks of stress that cost you constant double checking. Is this return wrong?Am I going to get a notice from the irs Man, I usually get more back. Well, if you're feeling that anxiety, that is a signal worth listening to. Because sometimes the best return, like I said earlier, is confidence.You don't have to make the same choice every year either. Sometimes you have a season where to do it yourself. I forgot I didn't have any complications.Like I said, in my own practice, I see this all the time. I might have a client that comes in.If they bought or sold a house, or maybe they got married or divorced, they had a child, something unusual happens. But for other years, and I've even said this to clients, I said, you know, you can really do this yourself, it's really simple.Now sometimes I'll say to the clients, you're like Ralph, but yeah, you don't understand the confidence that comes here. I don't have to worry about it. Sometimes though, things are complicated, your wisdom has to adapt to that.The long term goal is peace and stewardship, not tradition. Let's get right to our Bible verse today. It comes to us from Proverbs, chapter 15, verse 22. And I've used this on the show many times.It says this Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors, they succeed. Friends, seeking help isn't weakness. So many people say, well, if I get somebody to help me, I should be able to figure this out.Taxes are something I should be able to do on my own. No, seeking help is not weakness, it's wisdom. Counsel doesn't remove the responsibility. You still have the responsibility.But it strengthens a decision making process. And sometimes, more often than not, counsel prevents expensive mistakes that happen later on. And peace can be a sign that you've chosen wisely.Again, seeking help is wisdom. So here's your simple step for today. I want you to write down two things.I want you to write down your income sources and then I want you to write down your comfort level with filing and then ask you something this does do it yourself. Give me confidence or anxiety. It's really that simple. Does doing it yourself give me confidence or anxiety?And once you have that answer, let that answer guide you because that's what really is the decision. It's all about peace and not living in anxiety. Well, how about we pray together? Lord, thank you for wisdom in decisions.And Lord, with this question today, help us choose wisely, whether that means doing it ourselves or actually seeking counseling. Give us clarity, Lord. Give us peace and guide us with every step we take. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.Friend, if money shame has been stealing your peace, I want you to hear this clearly. There is a better way. My latest book is called how to Become a Financially Confident Christian.It's a book about peace and direction and learning to trust God again with your finances. It's not a book about shame or pressure. It's about just that next logical step.And I want to encourage you to get a copy today at financiallyconfidentchristian.com/becoming again. That's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/becoming friend today. As I wrap this up, the goal isn't perfection, it's peace.And when you choose wisely, tax season just feels lighter. You're not behind. You're being thoughtful now. Tomorrow, let's talk about how to avoid a big tax bill next year by starting now.Going to be a great show tomorrow.And if today's episode helped you share it with someone else who might be thinking about doing it themselves versus hiring professional help, just send them a link to the show. Because this show is not about financial shame. It's about walking in wisdom, staying steady and truly becoming a financially confident Christian.God bless you, friend, and make sure you join me again on tomorrow's show.