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Why Average Isn't Enough: The Truth About Taxes They Don’t Want You to Know

Jose Ortiz, CPA, CTC

Updated: Jan 24


Why would the government want you to crack the code? Financial ignorance keeps the system running—and you paying.
Why would the government want you to crack the code? Financial ignorance keeps the system running—and you paying.

You’ve probably said it—or at least heard someone say it—before: “Why didn’t they teach us about taxes in school?” Instead, we spent years dissecting frogs, memorizing the periodic table, and unraveling Shakespearean drama (no shade to Shakespeare, but Hamlet isn’t much help come tax season).


But here’s the kicker: the fact that taxes weren’t taught in school isn’t an oversight. It’s not like some teacher forgot to make a lesson plan on deductions and credits. No, it’s by design.


Taxes are one of the biggest expenses you’ll ever face, but the average person is left to stumble through it like a bad DIY project. Why? Because ignorance about taxes benefits the system. And guess what? Being “average” when it comes to taxes costs you more than just a headache—it costs you real money.


Here’s the lowdown on why they didn’t teach you about taxes—and why settling for average understanding isn’t just bad, it’s expensive.



1. Schools Are Designed to Make Workers, Not Wealth Builders


Let’s start with a little history lesson. The modern school system was born during the Industrial Revolution to churn out good little workers—people who could follow instructions, meet deadlines, and work for someone else. Taxes? That’s just something your boss’s payroll department handles, right?


Wrong. Understanding taxes is crucial to building wealth. But here’s the problem: teaching tax strategy doesn’t fit the system’s goal of creating employees—it’s like giving the keys to the vault to someone the system depends on keeping locked out.


I mean, even I—someone who studied accounting and taxation, passed the CPA exam, and even took fancy graduate-level tax courses—never learned a thing about actual tax planning in school. They taught me how to follow rules, fill out forms, and check boxes, but when it came to the real strategies that help you keep more of your money? Crickets.


It’s like going to culinary school and never learning how to cook—sure, I could tell you all about the ingredients, but putting them together? Nope. The system was designed to teach compliance, not creativity, which leaves most of us flying blind when it comes to tax planning.



2. Financial Illiteracy Isn’t a Bug—It’s a Feature


The less you know, the more you overpay. Period.


Think about it: if you don’t know which deductions or credits apply to you, you’ll pay more in taxes. If you think a big refund is a win (spoiler: it’s not—you just gave the government an interest-free loan), you’re playing into the system’s hands.

Big-box tax preparers? They make their money doing the bare minimum—filling out your forms and telling you, “You’re good to go!” The government? It’s happy to collect more from uninformed taxpayers. The whole system benefits from your financial ignorance.


Meanwhile, you’re over here paying more than you should, year after year, and no one’s pulling you aside to say, “Hey, there’s a better way.”



3. The Tax Code Looks Scary on Purpose


Let’s be real—the tax code is thousands of pages long and written in a dialect that feels like a mix of legalese and ancient hieroglyphics. It’s no wonder people throw up their hands and say, “I’ll just let someone else deal with this.”


But here’s the plot twist: about 90% of the tax code exists to help you save money. Yep, it’s full of deductions, credits, and strategies designed to reduce your tax bill—if you know where to look.


The complexity? It’s a smoke screen. It’s designed to make you think the tax code is impossible to understand so you don’t even try. But trust me, once you break it down, it’s not rocket science. It’s more like reading a recipe—complicated at first, but manageable once you know what you’re looking for.



4. Taxes Don’t Fit the Standardized Test Mold


Let’s face it—teaching taxes in school isn’t as simple as handing out a multiple-choice quiz. Taxes are nuanced. They depend on your job, income, goals, and whether or not you’ve got a side hustle selling handmade candles on Etsy.

Schools love subjects that fit neatly into standardized tests. Taxes? They’re messy.

They require critical thinking and real-world application. So instead, they leave students woefully unprepared for the realities of adulthood—like filing taxes and figuring out why your W-2 doesn’t match the number you had in your head.



5. Understanding Taxes Is Empowering


Here’s the thing: the tax code isn’t just a rulebook—it’s a toolkit. It’s full of opportunities to save, invest, and grow your wealth. But if you don’t know those tools exist, you can’t use them.


The government wants you to start businesses, invest in real estate, and save for retirement. That’s why the tax code is loaded with incentives for those things. But if you don’t know where to look, you’re leaving money on the table.


Learning about taxes is like getting the cheat codes to a video game. Suddenly, the game isn’t just easier—it’s actually fun.



6. Taxes and Wealth Are Taboo Topics


Schools rarely talk about wealth-building, financial independence, or taxes because those subjects challenge the status quo. The system teaches you to rely on a paycheck and an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Taxes? You just pay them and hope for the best.


But here’s the truth: the same tax strategies billionaires use to pay less (legally) are available to everyone. The difference is they know how to use them, and most people don’t.



Why the Average CPA Isn’t Enough


Most CPAs are trained for compliance, not strategy. Their job is to make sure you don’t break the rules—not to help you pay as little as legally possible. It’s like going to a doctor who only treats symptoms without ever diagnosing the root cause of your pain.


If your CPA isn’t engaging in strategic tax planning, you’re probably leaving money on the table. And let’s be real—why would you want to pay more taxes than you have to?



Money Is Emotional, and That’s Why You Need a Strategic CPA


Let’s be honest—money is emotional. Taxes, in particular, can stir up feelings of fear, guilt, or anxiety. An exceptional CPA doesn’t just crunch numbers—they help you make confident, informed decisions that set you up for success.


With the right guidance, taxes stop being a source of stress and start becoming a tool for building wealth.



The Bottom Line


The system wasn’t built to teach you about taxes, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in the dark. The tax code is full of opportunities to save and grow your wealth—you just need the right strategies to unlock them.


Don’t settle for average. Take control of your financial future and start using the tax code to your advantage. Because when it comes to taxes, average simply isn’t enough.



Join the CPA Revolution


Want to turn taxes into your secret weapon? Subscribe to the CPA Revolution Newsletter and get practical, actionable strategies delivered straight to your inbox.


This isn’t your average tax advice—it’s your roadmap to financial empowerment.


Let’s rewrite the rules together!



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