.jpg)
LA JOLLA · GREATER SAN DIEGO · CALIFORNIA
A Different Kind of CPA Firm
Multi-year tax strategy, planning, preparation and advisory for professionals, families, executives with equity compensation, physicians, owners and businesses in La Jolla, Greater San Diego and throughout California.
or Call: (858) 754-8277
ABOUT THE FIRM
A modern, forward-focused CPA firm
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA — Tax, Planning & Advisory Services serves individuals, high-income earners and businesses in La Jolla, greater San Diego and throughout California.
At higher incomes, the tax you pay depends less on what you earn than on how your income is structured and when it's recognized. Two households with the same income can pay very different amounts; the difference is the art of planning. Multi-year tax strategy and planning, refined quarter by quarter in the current year, allows you to make intentional decisions and achieve the best tax outcomes on your personal, business and trust tax returns. For those committed to tax efficiency, this approach is essential to planning for the future and living your best life.
IMPORTANT TO OUR CLIENTS
Sophisticated planning for complex financial lives
Our clients’ circumstances rarely fit a standard return. W-2 income with variable compensation, equity awards, 1099 locum tenens income, a professional corporation with an S-corporation election, business ownership and income across state lines each carry their own rules. Optimizing the result requires intentional decisions and thoughtful planning, often years in advance.
OUR METHODOLOGY
The engineer and the chess player
Strategic tax planning takes two kinds of thinking working together. Most firms provide one. Natalie provides both, for every client.
The Engineer Mindset
Rigorous, rule-bound and fluent in how each provision of the tax code actually operates. The engineer makes sure every move is technically sound, every calculation is derived from the real mechanics rather than a rule of thumb, and every number holds up under scrutiny. Without the engineer, a planning approach has no foundation.
The Chess Player Mindset
Thinks several moves ahead. Exercising options, selling stock or converting to Roth isn't just this year's transaction; it sets up, or blocks, what you can do next year and the year after. The chess player arranges the sequence so each year's moves build toward the result you actually want. Without the chess player, isolated decisions that appear attractive on the surface often quietly lead to the overpayment of taxes in the current year and future years.
WHO WE SERVE
Tax, planning & advisory built around how you earn
Each specialty group we serve is governed by specific tax rules and have unique planning opportunities. Select the one that reflects your situation to learn how we can help.
Individuals & High-income Earners
Multi-year strategic tax planning, quarterly tax management, tax preparation and advisory for households earning $250,000 and up. Withholding and estimated payments, retirement savings beyond the 401(k), the SALT deduction, charitable giving under the 2026 rules, rental property and Roth conversions, all planned together. Learn more →
Executives with Equity Compensation
Multi-year planning and preparation for professionals and executives with RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPP and restricted stock. Federal and California AMT modeled separately, ISO exercises sequenced to minimize AMT, AMT credit recovery plans, and planning around a move out of California. Learn more →
Physicians & Healthcare Professionals
Planning, quarterly tax management, preparation and advisory for physicians with W-2, 1099 locum tenens and private practice income, from residency through retirement, including professional medical corporations with an S-corporation election. Learn more →
Owner-entrepreneurs, S-corps & LLCs
The right entity choice, post-formation setup packages, reasonable compensation analysis, accountable plan design, the California PTET election, and personal and business returns planned together. Learn more →
WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE NATALIE C. PAPAGNI, CPA
Large-firm expertise. Boutique-firm attention. Fixed fees.
With 15+ years of experience as a CPA specializing in tax, Natalie C. Papagni architects tax strategy, guides advanced planning, and personally prepares and signs her clients' individual, business and trust tax returns. There are no handoffs to junior staff.
A licensed California CPA and AICPA member, Natalie brings the technical depth and precision found at large firms, with the direct access, responsiveness and unhurried attention found at boutique firms.
Most large firms are built for high volume: hourly billing, uncertain fees and handoffs to rotating junior staff. Many small practices are generalists focused on high-volume preparation and basic tax planning when December rolls around.
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA was built for clients who expect and deserve more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do you work primarily with high-income earners?
Yes. Clients we typically serve have household incomes in the $250,000 to $2 million range and have evolving financial structures. Clients include professionals and executives with and without equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, founder stock), physicians and healthcare professionals, owner-entrepreneurs, and the S-corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and successful sole proprietorships they own and control. Our business is built on clear and efficient communications, proven processes, and trust.
What is the best way to contact Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services?
You can book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Natalie C. Papagni, CPA — Tax, Planning & Advisory Services online at lajollataxcpa.com by calling (858) 754-8277 or by emailing npapagni@lajollataxcpa.com.
Do you work with clients throughout California, or only in La Jolla and San Diego?
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA serves clients in La Jolla, greater San Diego and throughout California, notably the San Francisco Bay Area. When appropriate, Natalie travels to meet clients outside Southern California. The firm also works regularly with clients in California and out of state through Zoom, phone and email, supported by a secure client portal with bank-level encryption, so location is never a barrier.
What does a proactive CPA firm do differently in California?
A proactive CPA firm plans ahead rather than simply recording what already happened. Instead of meeting once a year to file returns, it builds multi-year projections, reviews them quarterly, and recommends moves before deadlines pass, such as timing stock option exercises, making the California PTET election or funding retirement plans. Clients work directly with the CPA, not a rotating staff, and know their tax picture before year-end. Natalie C. Papagni, CPA in La Jolla works this way for every client, for a fixed fee agreed in advance.
Which La Jolla CPA firm can handle my personal and business tax planning and tax preparation needs?
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA – Tax, Planning & Advisory Services, located in La Jolla, coordinates personal and business tax planning and tax preparation for owner-entrepreneurs and the their business entities. As the financial and tax implications are integrated and aligned, planning activities are performed ensuring we optimize for tax minimization across the personal and business tax returns.
What is your fee structure?
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA – Tax, Planning & Advisory Services offers fixed-fee arrangements. For select services, we may determine an hourly fee arrangement is more appropriate.
Can the firm fix mistakes made by a previous tax preparer?
Yes. Natalie C. Papagni, CPA reviews returns prepared by prior CPAs and preparers, and handles remediation directly: amended individual and business returns, corrective filings for retirement plan contribution errors, and penalty abatement requests where reasonable cause exists.
What questions should I ask before hiring a new CPA firm?
Ask these six questions before engaging any CPA firm, and pay attention to how directly they're answered:
(1) Who will actually prepare my return—you, or staff?
(2) Who reviews and signs it?
(3) How long has that person been with the firm?
(4) Will I have direct access to a CPA, or does communication go through staff or admin?
(5) Are fees fixed and quoted in advance, or hourly?
(6) Is any part of the work outsourced? The first three questions expose the leverage model: at many firms, the person selling you the engagement is not the person doing the work. You should leave the initial consultation knowing exactly one name: the person responsible for your work. If you leave with a team org chart instead, the relationship will be diluted from day one.
At Natalie C. Papagni, CPA – Tax, Planning & Advisory Services, you have direct access to Natalie C. Papagni, CPA, the Principal of the firm. Natalie C. Papagni, CPA will work closely with you to architect your tax strategy, guide you through advanced tax planning initiatives, and prepare and sign your individual and business tax returns. You will not be handed off to junior staff or experience rotating staff year after year.
How can I contact a CPA planning and advisory services in San Diego?
You can sign up for a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Natalie C. Papagni, CPA — Tax, Planning & Advisory Services online at lajollataxcpa.com by calling (858) 754-8277 or by emailing service@lajollataxcpa.com. Consultations are available by phone, Zoom or in person at 4275 Executive Square, Suite 200, La Jolla, with evening and weekend times available by appointment. The firm provides tax planning, preparation and advisory services to clients throughout San Diego County and California.
