Tax Season Content That Works Year-Round
Executive Summary
It's tax season 2029. Two advisors with identical credentials sit in identical offices. One scrambles to create tax content, hoping to capture some of the annual search surge. The other opens YouTube Studio to find something remarkable: videos filmed three years earlier are generating more qualified leads than ever. Same expertise. Same time investment. Radically different outcomes—determined entirely by a decision made in February 2026.
This is the tax content paradox that most advisors miss entirely. Tax-related videos experience predictable search volume spikes every February through April—but unlike seasonal promotions or timely market commentary, that "seasonal" content keeps working every single tax season afterward. The video Josh Scandlen filmed about taxes and retirement planning didn't just perform well once. It accumulated over 200,000 views and still ranks #2 on YouTube search for its target terms (Sara Grillo, 2020). That's not a one-time win. That's a compounding asset.
The math changes everything when you understand this dynamic. A tax video filmed today doesn't compete with other February 2026 marketing efforts—it competes with every piece of content you'll create over the next decade. And on that timeline, almost nothing else comes close.
The Compounding Effect Nobody Explains to You
Here's what the "create content for tax season" advice misses completely: the return on tax content isn't measured in weeks or months. It's measured in years.
Most marketing operates on a simple exchange. You spend money or time, you get attention, the attention fades, you spend again. Rinse and repeat until retirement or insanity, whichever comes first. As I detailed in the YouTube vs. LinkedIn comparison report, LinkedIn posts typically disappear from feeds within 48 hours. Paid ads stop generating leads the moment you stop paying. Even email campaigns struggling with deliverability issues and also require constant feeding to maintain any momentum.
Tax content on YouTube operates under entirely different rules.
Josh Scandlen at Heritage Wealth Planning discovered this through systematic execution rather than sophisticated strategy. His approach was almost comically simple: film videos about the questions clients actually ask, optimize titles for search, publish consistently. It's the same sustainable production framework that makes YouTube realistic for time-strapped advisors. His "Taxes and Retirement Planning" video didn't go viral in any traditional sense. It accumulated views gradually, climbing search rankings as watch time and engagement signaled quality to YouTube's algorithm. Over 200,000 views later, it continues generating leads without any additional investment (Sara Grillo, 2020).
The compound effect Sara Grillo documented in her analysis of Heritage Wealth Planning reveals something most advisors never consider: successful videos don't just maintain performance—they often improve over time. Each tax season brings renewed search volume. Each positive engagement signal strengthens ranking position. Each year of existence builds authority that newer content can't match.
Pure Financial Advisors structured their entire content strategy around this principle. Their CPA, Alan Clopine, creates tax-centric content designed for longevity. Roth conversion videos consistently deliver their highest engagement rates because the underlying questions never really change (Pure Financial Advisors website; Sanduski/Anderson interview, 2024). Should I convert? How much? What are the tax implications? These questions get asked every single year by a fresh cohort of people approaching retirement.
The strategic insight here isn't complicated, but it requires genuine patience to execute: evergreen tax content should represent roughly 70% of your total YouTube output, following the 70/30 evergreen-to-timely ratio I recommend in the content calendar framework (Murdoch, 2025). The remaining 30% can address timely topics—new legislation, specific tax year changes, deadline reminders. But the foundation must be built on content that answers questions people will still be asking in 2030.
Consider the alternative. You could film "Tax Changes for 2026" right now. It would be relevant for approximately four months. Then it becomes digital archaeology—a timestamp of a moment nobody cares about anymore. Or you could film "How Roth Conversions Actually Work" and watch it generate leads for the next decade. Same time investment. Wildly different returns.
Root Financial's James Conole built a $1.3 billion practice partly by understanding this dynamic at a deep level. His Roth conversion content forms a cornerstone of their YouTube strategy, and the consumption patterns reveal something crucial: prospects typically watch 12-18 months of content before ever reaching out (Kitces Podcast #445, 2024). They're not watching for entertainment. They're conducting due diligence. And evergreen tax content provides the perfect vehicle for that extended evaluation period.
The 90-97% close rate Root Financial experiences from single 30-minute meetings isn't magic (Kitces Podcast #445, 2024). It's the natural result of prospects who've already spent dozens of hours with James through his videos. By the time they book a call, the trust is already established. The expertise is already demonstrated. The fit is already confirmed.
Your tax content filmed this February could be doing the same work three years from now. Or you could spend that time on another LinkedIn carousel that disappears by Thursday.
The Five Tax Videos Worth Filming Before March 1st
Strategy without implementation is just expensive daydreaming. If evergreen tax content compounds over time, the logical response is to create it now—before tax season search volume peaks. Here are five specific video topics designed for longevity, each aligning with the first 10 videos framework I outlined in the 2026 YouTube Launchpad report, each addressing questions your ideal clients will still be asking in 2030.
Video 1: "Roth Conversions Explained: When They Make Sense (And When They Don't)"
This isn't sexy content. It's not going to trend on social media. But people actively searching for Roth conversion guidance represent exactly the demographic most advisors want to attract: individuals with meaningful retirement assets who are thoughtful enough to research major financial decisions before making them. Pure Financial's highest-engagement content consistently centers on Roth conversions because the question never goes away (Sanduski/Anderson interview, 2024). Every year, a new wave of pre-retirees starts asking the same fundamental questions.
Structure the video around decision criteria rather than mechanics. Most existing Roth conversion content explains what a conversion is. Yours should help viewers determine whether a conversion makes sense for their specific situation. Tax bracket analysis, time horizon considerations, estate planning implications—these frameworks remain relevant regardless of what year someone watches.
Video 2: "Tax-Efficient Retirement Income: A Framework That Actually Works"
The sequence matters. Which accounts to draw from, in what order, at what time of year—these decisions can add years to portfolio longevity. But most retirees make these choices based on gut feeling or outdated rules of thumb. A video that provides an actual framework for tax-efficient withdrawal sequencing serves viewers for decades.
Avoid specific dollar thresholds that change with inflation. Focus on principles: coordinating Social Security timing with other income sources, managing IRMAA brackets, optimizing between traditional and Roth accounts. The specific numbers change annually. The strategic logic doesn't.
Video 3: "Required Minimum Distributions: What You Actually Need to Know"
RMD content has an interesting property: it becomes more relevant to each viewer as they age. Someone who watches your RMD video at 65 might not need the information yet, but they'll remember who provided clear guidance when the time comes. This is relationship building that operates on a decade-long timeline.
Cover the fundamentals—calculation methodology, deadline requirements, penalty avoidance—but also address the strategic questions that actually matter to high-net-worth clients. How do RMDs interact with other income sources? What are the options for minimizing lifetime tax burden? When does it make sense to accelerate distributions?
Video 4: "Estate Tax Planning Basics: Protecting What You've Built"
The $15 million federal estate tax exemption (now permanent under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) means federal estate taxes affect fewer families directly. But state estate taxes create exposure at much lower thresholds—$2 million in Massachusetts, $3 million in Minnesota, $4 million in Illinois (Faegre Drinker, 2026). A video addressing both federal and state considerations serves viewers across the country while remaining relevant through legislative changes.
Focus on principles: the marital deduction, the annual gift tax exclusion, the basics of trust structures for estate planning purposes. These fundamentals shift slowly if at all. The specific exemption amounts can be updated in video descriptions without reshooting.
Video 5: "Tax Planning vs. Tax Preparation: Why You Need Both"
This video serves a different purpose than the others. It's not answering a specific tax question—it's reframing how viewers think about their tax situation entirely. Most people conflate tax preparation (filing returns) with tax planning (strategic decisions to minimize lifetime tax burden). Clarifying this distinction positions proactive planning as the valuable service it actually is.
The content naturally leads viewers toward recognizing that tax preparation is a commodity while tax planning requires genuine expertise. That recognition tends to lead toward conversations with advisors who can provide that expertise. Convenient, that.
This Week's Video Opportunities
Tax season content should form your foundation, but timely topics create entry points for new viewers. These three opportunities align current events with evergreen financial planning expertise.
1. "The $15 Million Estate Tax Exemption: What Changed and What to Do Now"
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made the elevated estate tax exemption permanent—$15 million per individual, $30 million per married couple (IRS, 2026). This eliminates the sunset that had been scheduled for 2026 and creates planning opportunities for high-net-worth families. State estate taxes still create exposure at much lower thresholds: New York at $7.35 million, Massachusetts at $2 million, Minnesota at $3 million (Faegre Drinker, 2026).
Target Audience: HNW clients with estates above state exemption thresholds, business owners with succession planning needs
Why Now: Major legislation just passed. Clients are hearing fragments from multiple sources and need coherent guidance. Window is 4-6 weeks before the news cycle moves on.
2. "Fed Holds Rates: What It Means for Your Bonds, Mortgage, and Cash"
The Federal Reserve's decision to hold rates at current levels affects every portfolio with fixed income exposure. But the actual implications depend entirely on individual circumstances—existing bond holdings, mortgage situation, cash allocation strategy.
Target Audience: HNW clients with significant fixed income allocations, those considering major purchases or refinancing
Why Now: Fed decision just announced. Search volume spikes immediately after rate decisions. Window is 1-2 weeks.
3. "Why 70% of Heirs Fire Their Parents' Advisor—And How to Keep Them"
Gen X is inheriting $1.4 trillion annually, and most of that money leaves the original advisor relationship within 12 months of wealth transfer. This isn't because heirs dislike their parents' advisor—it's because no relationship exists. A video addressing multigenerational planning positions you as someone who thinks beyond the current generation.
Target Audience: Current clients' adult children (Gen X, older Millennials), prospects concerned about legacy planning
Why Now: Q1 is natural review season for many families. The topic is evergreen, but annual planning conversations create immediate relevance.
Why Your Competition Isn't Actually Competing
Here's a number that should reframe how you think about YouTube: only 3% of financial advisors have successfully acquired clients through the platform (Broadridge, 2021). Three percent. In a profession where differentiation is supposedly impossible, 97% of your competition has voluntarily removed themselves from the fastest-growing client acquisition channel available.
The math only gets more interesting from there.
Client acquisition costs for financial advisors have risen to a median of $3,800 (Kitces Research, 2024), up from $3,119 just a few years earlier (Kitces Research, 2019). Social media marketing—primarily LinkedIn and Facebook—carries the highest cost per client acquisition of any channel.
Referrals remain the dominant source of new clients—67% of new client assets come from referrals according to the 2024 Schwab RIA Benchmarking Study of 1,288 firms—but the strategy is demographically dying. According to Ficomm Partners' 2024 Consumer Insights Study (as reported by Wealth Solutions Report), 60% of clients over age 60 will only hire an advisor based on a referral, while only 17% of clients younger than 44 need one. That's a 43-point generational gap that widens every year. YouTube content doesn't replace referrals—it amplifies them by giving referral sources something frictionless to share. As I detailed in the Referral Amplifier report, video transforms referrals from passive hope to active strategy.
Heritage Wealth Planning's YouTube strategy delivered client acquisition costs 40-50% below the industry average—roughly $1,940-2,580 compared to that $3,800 median (Sara Grillo, 2020). And unlike paid advertising, those costs decrease over time as the content library grows and compounds.
The asymmetry here is almost absurd. While most advisors spend increasing amounts for decreasing returns on traditional marketing, a small percentage are building assets that appreciate. Josh Scandlen's 8-year video library of 6,765 videos doesn't just generate leads—it generates leads at lower cost each year as older content continues performing while newer content adds to the total capacity.
Oak Harvest Financial Group built a billion-dollar RIA using the same fundamental approach: weekly publishing consistency over an extended timeline, with tax planning content representing one of their highest-engagement categories (Kitces Podcast #383, 2024). The specific tactics vary, but the strategic logic remains constant. Create content that answers real questions. Optimize for search. Publish consistently. Wait for compound interest to do what compound interest does. (For the complete implementation framework, see The 5-Hour YouTube System.)
Ready to build a YouTube strategy that actually compounds? Apply to Work With Us to see if YT Era's approach fits your practice.
Advisor Marketing Intel
Marketing Spend Directly Tied to RIA Organic Growth
A Catchlight/Fidelity Labs survey of 18 RIAs with over $1 billion in AUM revealed wide disparity in marketing investment—from less than 1% to more than 5% of revenue. The core finding: firms investing more in marketing are growing faster organically, and as M&A multiples continue rising (average EBITDA multiples reached 9.98x according to Succession Resource Group), organic growth becomes increasingly valuable. YouTube content represents one of the highest-leverage marketing investments available because it compounds rather than depletes.
Source: Financial Planning, January 14, 2026
YouTube Search Prioritizes Watch Time Over Raw Views
Internal algorithm changes now weight watch time more heavily than raw view counts when determining search rankings. Translation: substantive educational content (the kind financial advisors naturally create) outperforms clickbait-style content that generates clicks but not sustained engagement. This structural advantage won't last forever—eventually, more advisors will figure it out. But for now, the search algorithm is quietly rewarding exactly the kind of content most advisors should be creating anyway.
Source: 9to5Google, January 8, 2026
HNW Investors Reveal What They Actually Value in Advisors
Reddit communities like r/fatFIRE and r/ChubbyFIRE provide unfiltered insight into what $10M+ investors actually say about financial advisors when they think advisors aren't listening. Common themes: they value responsiveness over credentials, proactive communication over impressive websites, and advisors who understand their specific situation over those who offer generic advice. Content that addresses these specific concerns—rather than generic retirement planning topics—resonates because it reflects what clients actually care about, not what advisors assume they care about.
Source: Reddit r/fatFIRE, r/ChubbyFIRE, ongoing community discussions
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for tax content to start generating leads?
Longer than you want and shorter than you fear. Most advisors see meaningful results in 12-18 months of consistent publishing—which sounds like forever until you remember that the content continues working for years afterward. Root Financial's experience suggests prospects often consume content for 12-18 months before reaching out (Kitces Podcast #445, 2024). That's not a bug; it's a feature. By the time they contact you, the trust is already built.
Should I wait until I have professional equipment to start filming tax content?
Josh Scandlen built an 87,500-subscriber channel filming from his home office with minimal equipment. The content quality that matters isn't production value—it's the actual information and how clearly you communicate it. Most advisors use "I need better equipment" as a sophisticated procrastination technique. (I say this with love and personal experience.)
How do I handle compliance concerns with tax content specifically?
Tax content actually tends to create fewer compliance issues than other topics because it's fundamentally educational rather than advisory. You're explaining how Roth conversions work, not recommending that a specific viewer convert a specific amount. That said, run everything through your compliance department. They'll likely be relieved you're explaining tax concepts rather than making performance projections.
What if my competitors are already creating tax content?
Then they've validated that the audience exists. Competition means demand. And remember: 97% of advisors aren't doing this at all (Broadridge, 2021). The question isn't whether you'll face competition—it's whether you'll be part of the 3% or the 97%. Your choice.
How often should I create new tax content versus updating existing videos?
The 70/30 rule applies here too (Murdoch, 2025). Seventy percent of your energy should go toward creating foundational evergreen content. Thirty percent can address timely updates—new legislation, annual deadline reminders, specific year changes. Update video descriptions annually to reflect current numbers; don't reshoot entire videos just because exemption amounts changed.
Can I repurpose tax content for other platforms?
Yes, but recognize the hierarchy. YouTube content is the pillar because it compounds through search. Pull quotes and clips for LinkedIn. Create email newsletter summaries. Record audio versions for podcast distribution. But the YouTube version should be the original, not an afterthought. Slightly better pillar content creates asymmetric returns across all distribution channels.
Weekly Challenge
Film one of the five evergreen tax videos outlined in this report before the end of the week. Not a perfect video—a completed video. Schedule it for publication by February 15th. Then track its performance every tax season for the next three years. Document when it generates its first lead, and how that lead compares to leads from your other marketing channels. This is how you build evidence that changes behavior.
The Part Where We Ask You To Do Something
Tax season 2029 is coming whether you prepare for it or not. The question is whether you'll spend that season creating content from scratch—or watching content you filmed three years earlier generate qualified leads while you focus on serving clients.
The advisors who built YouTube libraries during 2020-2025 aren't worried about where their next client is coming from. They're worried about capacity constraints. That's a much better problem to have.
Apply to Work With Us to see how YT Era helps advisors build YouTube strategies that compound over time. We'll assess your practice, identify your highest-leverage content opportunities, and show you exactly how the model works—whether or not we end up working together.
Disclaimer
This report is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or marketing advice. Results vary significantly based on implementation, market conditions, and individual circumstances. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Any earnings or income statements are estimates based on documented case studies. Your results may differ substantially. Success requires consistent effort, strategic implementation, and ongoing optimization.
Before implementing any marketing strategies discussed in this report, consult with your compliance department or legal counsel to ensure alignment with your firm's policies and regulatory requirements.
Sources
Primary Research Reports:
Broadridge Financial Solutions. (2021). Financial advisor marketing survey. Broadridge.
Charles Schwab. (2024). 2024 RIA Benchmarking Study. Survey of 1,288 RIA firms representing $2.4 trillion in AUM.
Ficomm Partners. (2024). Consumer insights study. As reported by Wealth Solutions Report (July 15, 2024) and InvestmentNews (November 25, 2024).
Kitces Research. (2019, August). Client acquisition costs for financial advisor marketing strategies. Kitces.com.
Kitces Research. (2024). Client acquisition cost analysis update. Kitces.com.
Wyzowl. (2025). State of video marketing report 2025.
Case Study Sources:
Grillo, S. (2020). Heritage Wealth Planning YouTube channel analysis. Sara Grillo consulting research.
Kitces, M. (Host). (2024, March). How Troy Sharpe built Oak Harvest Financial Group to $940M AUM through YouTube marketing (No. 383) [Audio podcast episode]. In Financial Advisor Success Podcast.
Kitces, M. (Host). (2024, October 2). Leveraging educational YouTube videos to drive hundreds of new clients per year with James Conole (No. 445) [Audio podcast episode]. In Financial Advisor Success Podcast.
Sanduski, S. & Anderson, J. (2024). Pure Financial Advisors interview. Belay Advisor podcast.
Industry Data:
Faegre Drinker. (2026, January). State estate tax thresholds update. Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP.
Financial Planning. (2026, January 14). Catchlight/Fidelity Labs RIA marketing survey findings.
Internal Revenue Service. (2026). Estate tax exemption amounts. IRS.gov.
Succession Resource Group. (2025). RIA M&A valuation multiples report.
Platform Documentation:
9to5Google. (2026, January 8). YouTube search algorithm prioritizes watch time.
Books:
Murdoch, A. (2025). Mastering YouTube marketing for financial services. YT Era Publishing.
