Tax Counsel for Deerfield, Bannockburn and Riverwoods

Deerfield sits at the center of one of the region’s strongest corporate corridors, with two rail lines into the city and major headquarters close by. It draws executives and young families who want great schools and an easy commute. Bannockburn and Riverwoods add quiet, wooded neighborhoods for those who want more room.

William D. Briggs has prepared returns and advised North Shore taxpayers for four decades.

Personal Tax Returns, Prepared With Care

Most of our Deerfield clients come to us for the same reason: their return has grown more complicated than they want to handle alone. Salary, investments, a home, a family and a busy career all add up.

Bill Briggs prepares every return himself, working from your original documents and checking each figure against its source. He doesn’t simply accept the software’s answer. When the forms lag behind current federal or state law, he knows where to look and what to correct.

When Your Pay Includes Stock

For many Deerfield professionals, the most complicated part of the return is compensation itself. Restricted stock units, stock options, employee stock purchase plans, deferred compensation and large bonuses each follow their own tax rules and timing.

These are also where returns most often go wrong. Brokerage statements don’t always report cost basis the way the IRS expects, and a missed adjustment can mean paying tax twice on the same income. Bill makes sure each piece is reported correctly.

Buying to Rebuild

Many of Deerfield’s 1950s and 1960s neighborhoods are beginning to turn over, as families buy dated homes to renovate or rebuild. Improvements you make can reduce your tax when you eventually sell, provided they are tracked carefully from the start. If a vest or stock sale is funding the project, its timing deserves planning too.

Planning for a Growing Family

Families move to Deerfield for the schools, and education savings come with tax advantages worth using. Illinois allows a state income tax deduction for contributions to its college savings plans, within annual limits. We help families build that into their planning year after year.

Business Returns and Financial Statements

For owners in the area’s office and business parks, we prepare business returns and financial statements your bank can rely on, built from your bookkeeper’s records.

How We Work

We meet by phone, Zoom or Teams, whichever fits your schedule, and all meetings are by appointment only. Documents are exchanged by secure arrangement. It is how we protect every client’s privacy.

You will work with Bill Briggs directly.

We invest in the work, not the trimmings. Our clients judge us by the results.