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Tax season may come once a year, but tax planning should happen all year long. Unfortunately, we hear a few too many stories from new clients who describe their past advisor relationship as taking a reactive tax approach instead of a proactive one. In some cases, their advisor may not have been allowed to touch the topic at all.
Many firms limit tax guidance to generalizations or disclaimers. Others simply view it as outside the advisor’s lane so even when clients have complex compensation, equity, or business exposure, they get broad planning and narrow results. That is a missed opportunity—and a solvable one.
The Gap in Most Client-Centered Planning
What about highly competent, proactive CPAs? Even the most proactive CPAs often work with limited information. They are great at what they do, but in so many cases, they are handed a partial snapshot: account statements, a K-1, a W-2, maybe some real estate activity. Then they’re asked to build a strategy in reverse.
It is not because they lack skill. It is because they are not the ones driving the broader financial picture. They are reacting to what they’ve been given. That is where a fully integrated advisor team makes all the difference.
When we act as the financial head coach, we can take ownership of keeping the full picture in view for your entire financial team. We understand the liquidity needs, the estate strategy, the equity timelines, and the personal goals behind them. That context is often what makes the difference between filing a return and building a plan.
What It Looks Like in Practice
Before a business sale, we help clients think through structure—holding entities, real estate separation, gain treatment—before the LOI is signed.
With executives, we model deferred comp elections, state tax impact, RSU timing, and benefit transitions—before the offer is accepted.
In gifting and estate planning, we design strategies that work in concert with the family’s long-term intent, so that tax decisions do not just lower the bill, but increase control.
In each case, we coordinate directly with the client’s CPA and legal team to make sure the moves are sound.
Most importantly, we do not wait for tax season to start thinking about them.
Why This Needs to Be Advisor-Led
Fully integrated financial planning means every part of a client’s financial life is working in sync. That includes taxes. Not as a footnote, but as a core planning lens. The reality is that most advisors are not trained or empowered to lead on tax strategy. That is a gap in the industry, and it is one we are committed to filling.
We have seen firsthand what happens when no one’s coordinating. Tax opportunities get missed. Timing gets off. Risk goes unaddressed. In a sense, it is no one’s fault, but it is everyone’s loss.
High-net-worth families deserve more. You deserve a financial team that talks to each other on your behalf. You deserve a strategy that starts early. Let’s normalize a fully integrated financial planning model with a head coach who sees the whole picture and knows how to call the plays.
