I do it in the other order. I put the tapers into my preform bar first. Taper from where the guard or bolster will sit to the tip of the blade (in most cases), and taper from the same point but in the other direction for the tang (whether it will be full or through-tang. I don't make hidden tangs, but you would do the same).
After the tapering is done, cut a clip and form it into a point or grind the corners off of the preform with your handy-dandy belt sander. Then, forge the point. Cutting the clip or grinding the corners off helps to reduce the amount of material you are upsetting into itself and helps keep the point relatively thin. I still often find myself drawing the point out a little more to get the right taper when I grind and upset.
I started doing things in this order because of the same issue. With a lot of things, especially dropped and clipped points, it is easiest to cut an angled piece off of the tip of the preform, with the point in line with the what will be the blade edge when finished. Then, forge the edge so that the point rises to be in line with the spine. This extra foring in the area of the point helps keep it thin, too. Taper, cut the clip so the point is in line with edge, forge until point rises, draw whole thing or just spine portion out as needed.
have fun,
kc