By Greg Crabtree, EO Atlanta member and CEO of Crabtree, Rowe & Berger, PC.

The old saying “nothing in life is free” is true when it comes to taxes. For every deduction or credit, you give up something. If your goal is to build wealth, an overzealous desire to not pay taxes will get in your way.

The size of the check you write to the IRS is the best key performance indicator of true wealth creation. That may be an odd statement for a CPA to make, but I have seen so much wasted spending to save taxes. It prevents business owners from building wealth that will sustain them.