Mike, what you’re saying is one of my biggest selling points when talking to clients. Tell me if this sounds accurate:
Most accountants are purely reactionary. They record the transactions as they happened and put them on a tax return. They give a basically compliant tax return and keep you out of hot water with the IRS. But they don’t give any advice, except for fairly routine tax advice (e.g. avoiding SE tax)
Good accountants also give advice on tax minimization (other than the routine stuff) and give advice on wealth transfer issues, specifically with regards to estate tax (GRATs, IDGTs, Family LP’s, etc.) But their focus is still on tax minimization. (Not that this is a bad thing.) And if doesn’t affect a tax return, they don’t want to deal with it, because they see it as outside of their purview.
Great accountants seek to maximize client wealth, which includes maximizing their assets (including their non-investable assets). Most accountants, even the good ones, don’t go this far, because (like I said before), it’s outside their area of expertise, and they want to stay in their comfort zone.
doesn’t this imply that they aren’t good? if great = ‘maximizing wealth’, wouldn’t good = ‘attempt to maximize wealth but fails to do so completely’? i’d say you’re pretty terrible if you’re not even attempting to help an ignorant person who can’t help themselves. you’re also a bad person.
Greenman - all great points. The good accountants understand how the tax and estate planning issues are integrated and how to address this with good planning. They understand that you need to quantify the value of the advice to the client and are good at explaining the planning strategy and why they are doing it. (For example, we prepare detailed estate plans for clients which would provide an estimate of their final tax liability. Then we can consider using different strategies to reduce or offset - using life insurance or other to show how we save on tax, preserve the value of their estate…).
For business owners, it gets even more complex. Issues like succession planning, selling the business, valuing a business.
^ no, it’s that i actually know a couple of accountants who work in FA firms, and have several contacts with accountants outside of Big 4, and they tend to be middle-of-the-pack or bottom-of-the-barrel in terms of quality. and if you’re not trying to help where you can, even a little, you’re doing a $hit job. it’s like me saying, i can’t talk about taxes because i’m a CFA and an FA so i can’t help you because i couldn’t testify in court as a tax expert.
I know an Accountant who manages a tax practice and is also an FA. He makes (probably) $4 million a year. (hacksaw). (and in Canada, that’s a lot). Guess he should quit and do some consulting at KMPG?
If you’re giving advice on things you know nothing about, are you really helping your audience?
Fact is–most accountants, even tax accountants, don’t know much about investments/retirement planning/personal finance. Unless it relates to tax. If it doesn’t manifest itself on a tax return somehow, they don’t understand it and don’t want to get involved.
“But I know someone who works at a Big 4…But they’re a really good accountant…Butt they love working 60 hours a week for shitty pay…”
I’ll have to disagree with you on this one Matt. Fact is, I used to work in public accounting, was a really good accountant, now I am an FA (who does tax/consulting for inv clients only) & do better than the partners at the firm I was at at a way younger age.
One of the most typical kinds of advisor is a financial advisor. This type of consultant is a person that manages individual’s cash balances as well as plans for significant lifestyle choices that will affect their economical well being. This could include indicating or evaluating investment strategies in stocks, bonds, natural resources, or insurance. Or assisting to uncover the best tax benefits or making budgets.