Fineberg, Hecker: Filling the Wealth Advisor Gap | Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

Some CPAs have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take over a new service sector.

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By Rory Henry CFP®, BFA™
For CPA Trendlines

As Teddy Roosevelt once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

When people ask why more accountants are incorporating holistic finance services into their practices, it’s because they’re realizing the power of empathy, trust, and the future of financial advice. It starts with a “human first” approach that goes beyond putting numbers into boxes.

MORE Rory Henry and The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

BUY the Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

Seth Fineberg, founder of Accountants Forward, and Philipp Hecker, CEO of Bento Engine, two of the expert contributors to the new book, Holistic Guide to Wealth Management, believe that accountants can leverage their trusted relationships with clients and adopt a more holistic and proactive approach to working with them.

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Use Goodwill to Maximize Exit Readiness 

portrait of Randy Fox
Fox
Randy A. Fox, CFP, AEP is the founder of Two Hawks Consulting LLC. He is a nationally known wealth strategist, philanthropic estate planner, educator and speaker.

Three steps to get you started.

By Randy A. Fox, CFP, AEP 
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

For many of your clients who are successful entrepreneurs, their business represents 80 percent to 90 percent of the value of their estate.

MORE: An Accountant’s Role in Exit Planning | How to Prepare Your Clients’ Kids for Their Inheritance | Annuities and Insurance Growing More Attractive | Quantifying the Value of an Advisor | Raise Your Rates to Change Your Clientele | How WealthTech Is Reshaping the Future of Holistic Advice | Profile of a Modern Firm: Putting the Vision into Practice | Tsunami of M&A, PE Is Disrupting the Accounting Profession | Introducing You to a Fulfilling Return on Relationships
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While it seems like a large number on paper, it’s often illiquid, preventing the owner from enjoying the rewards of all their hard work. The lack of liquidity can also make owners reluctant to do the right kind of planning to maximize their “walk away” money post-sale.

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An Accountant’s Role in Exit Planning

portrait of Christine Nicholson
Nicholson
Christine Nicholson is an award-winning U.K. business mentor, a Top 50 Woman in Accounting 2020 honoree, and a regular keynote speaker about succession and exit planning. Her latest book, SELL IT, helps entrepreneurs with the hardest part of their journey: leaving their business in the hands of others.

Guide business owners to success.

By Christine Nicholson 
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

Have you ever thought about how many of your clients have a thriving business – one that’s been their driving passion and source of income for years? How many of them are starting to think about stepping away from the day-to-day responsibilities and passing on the reins? And how many do you believe are fully prepared for that transition? Not many, I suspect. This is where your role in exit planning comes into play.

MORE: How to Prepare Your Clients’ Kids for Their Inheritance | A Question of Trust: Not Just for the Wealthy | Bridge the Advice Gap for Better Financial Futures | Subscriptions Beat AUM and Hourly Fees for Wealth Management | Pursue Excellence to Win the Battle for Talent | Seven Tech Keys to a Holistic Service Model | Toward a 21st-Century CPA: A Dynamic Vision | Why CPAs Are Best Positioned to Become Financial Advisors | Rory Henry Upends the Traditional Accounting Firm
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Exit planning is a strategy for business owners to transition their business successfully to new ownership or management. With a grasp of the business’s financials and years of insights from compliance services, accountants are perfectly positioned to engage business owners in many aspects of the exit process. You can help businesses prepare a comprehensive exit strategy, addressing all potential challenges and contingencies. Here’s how you can really make a difference.
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How to Prepare Your Clients’ Kids for Their Inheritance 

portrait of Randy Fox
Fox
Randy A. Fox, CFP, AEP is the founder of Two Hawks Consulting LLC. He is a nationally known wealth strategist, philanthropic estate planner, educator and speaker.

Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance causes problems.

By Randy A. Fox
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

After interviewing several thousand high-net-worth families, The U.S. Trust Study of the Philanthropic Conversation found that one-third of respondents (31%) would switch to a new advisor if that advisor could talk to them meaningfully about philanthropy.

MORE: A Question of Trust: Not Just for the Wealthy | Trust and Estate Planning Is for Clients of All Ages | Help Clients Manage and Embrace Investment Risk | Tax Advisory Services: A Pathway to Greater Financial Freedom | Leverage AI to Grow and Protect Revenue: Six Steps | Four Ways to Provide Wealth Management in Your Accounting Practice | What Multiples Mean to Accounting Firms | How Wealth Management Has Evolved | Why Now Is the Time for CPAs to Embrace Wealth Management
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Think about that for a second. One-third of affluent families would switch to a new advisor if that individual was more adept than their current advisor at helping them give their money away. It has nothing to do with investment returns, asset allocation or finding hot alternative investments. It has to do with understanding the client’s values and seeing the whole picture.
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A Question of Trust: Not Just for the Wealthy

Keep an eye on the sunset of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

portrait of Danny Lohrfink
Lohrfink
Danny Lohrfink is the co-founder and chief product officer of Wealth.com. Previously, he was business lead of SoFi’s wealth management division, SoFi Invest, and held several roles at Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management, including VP on the PWM Management team.

By Danny Lohrfink 
The Holistic Guide to Wealth Management

Contrary to popular belief, a person’s net worth is not the only – or most important – factor when deciding if a trust is appropriate for them. After all a trust is simply an agreement between someone who owns an asset and a trusted person whom they choose to hold and manage that asset for them.

MORE: Trust and Estate Planning Is for Clients of All Ages | Annuities and Insurance Growing More Attractive | Quantifying the Value of an Advisor | Raise Your Rates to Change Your Clientele | How WealthTech Is Reshaping the Future of Holistic Advice | Profile of a Modern Firm: Putting the Vision into Practice | Tsunami of M&A, PE Is Disrupting the Accounting Profession | Introducing You to a Fulfilling Return on Relationships
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This common misconception that trusts are only for the wealthy has long prevailed as a leading narrative because of the historically high costs associated with establishing and managing a trust. These costs presented a barrier for many individuals who lacked the financial resources to hire an expensive estate planning attorney. The result was that only the wealthy had these vehicles because they were the only people who could afford them.
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