A tax strategy built for complexity — and built to last.
For high-earning families, the federal tax code is a landscape of both exposure and opportunity. The opportunity lies in coordination: income deferral aligned with capital gains timing, charitable giving structured to maximize deductions in high-income years, and multi-year Roth conversion ladders engineered for low-bracket windows. Without this level of intentionality, a family in the top federal bracket can lose 37% of incremental income to taxes — and far more on investment gains subject to NIIT and state tax stacking.
Our advisors build a comprehensive tax inventory at engagement — capturing W-2 income, business income, investment gains, deferred compensation, equity vest schedules, and charitable intent — and then model your tax trajectory across a 5–10 year horizon. This isn't reactive tax preparation; it's forward-looking strategy. We identify bracket management opportunities, loss-harvesting windows, and charitable vehicles before the tax year closes, not after.
Estate and gift tax planning is integrated from the outset. For families whose estate exceeds the federal exemption — currently $13.99 million per individual, with uncertainty around future legislative changes — structures like grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs), spousal lifetime access trusts (SLATs), and irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs) can transfer significant wealth outside your taxable estate while preserving liquidity. We work closely with your estate attorney to design and implement these structures, coordinating legal documentation with the financial planning layer.
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Charitable giving is another area where planning creates outsized impact. Donor-advised funds (DAFs) allow you to front-load deductions in high-income years while retaining flexibility over the timing and recipient of grants. Charitable lead annuity trusts (CLATs) can reduce estate tax while directing a stream of income to the charities you care about. For clients with deeply appreciated assets — company stock, real estate, private equity interests — contributing those assets directly to a DAF or private foundation eliminates capital gains tax entirely while generating a deduction at full fair market value.
Every strategy we recommend is documented, explained, and revisited annually. Tax law changes, income changes, and life changes — your plan should change with them.
