At Mercer Advisors, we help you connect the dots on your comprehensive wealth plan. Our broad-spectrum approach reflects our belief that your wealth advisor shouldn’t operate in a vacuum, focusing only on retirement needs or portfolio management. Instead, your advisor works in tandem with a spate of professionals, all under one roof—including in-house investment strategists, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals, Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), estate planning attorneys,* and trust specialists.** Tailoring their services to your unique needs, these professionals can help you strategically manage your wealth. After all, what good is managing a portfolio or building wealth, if a lack of tax or estate planning decimates that wealth?
We’ve asked key members of our tax planning team to provide insight into why tax planning is important and what the process looks like for clients at Mercer Advisors. Read on to find out how tax planning is crucial for everyone—from those living on fixed income to ultra-high-net-worth investors (many of whom are also penny-pinchers).
The importance of tax planning
Tax planning is a critical part of financial planning: It ensures that a taxpayer realizes the greatest tax savings allowed by law, taking advantage of any applicable tax breaks. The main purpose of tax planning is to ensure an efficient approach to taxes. Tax planning can reduce tax liability by employing effective strategies not only to decrease taxes, but also to secure a solid financial future and retirement. Comprising considerations such as taxable income, filing status, adjustments, exemptions, tax deductions, tax credits, major purchases, and investments, tax planning ensures all elements of the financial plan work together to help minimize taxes. It is crucial to achieving financial objectives, both for businesses and for individuals.
—Bettina Marchetto, CPA, MBA, MS Taxation, Senior Tax Manager
The Mercer Advisors’ tax experience:
Determine whether tax planning is right for you
The Mercer Advisors tax planning team works with clients in all walks of life and all stages of their wealth plan. For some, our tax team’s value is evident throughout the year as, alongside their wealth advisor, we proactively assist with investment and compensation decisions as they arise. For others, the value may be the confidence of knowing what to expect come tax deadline, as we work seamlessly with their wealth advisor. Because we are working under one roof, we eliminate much of the hassle involved in gathering tax documents. Plus, we offer our clients access to a team of highly experienced tax professionals throughout the year, whenever needed. Tax planning is not only for clients with highly complex tax matters, but also for those who seek the comfort of knowing their tax matters will be handled accurately and efficiently, with as little hassle and as few surprises as possible.
—Stevan Downs, EA, Tax Manager
Conduct in-depth research and analysis
Our research involves using tools and methodology to evaluate the tax authority and to apply our findings to the clients’ specific tax situation. When we perform research, we rely only on official sources (e.g., relevant tax laws codified under the Internal Revenue Code, pertinent administrative rulings and regulations, and the most recent tax court decisions applicable to the tax issue or controversy at hand).
—Ben Lim, CPA, MS Taxation, Tax Manager
Engage in a comprehensive wealth planning process
The Mercer Advisors tax team works primarily with each client’s WMT to provide the best tax planning and preparation services. We work closely with the client’s financial advisor, to better understand their sources of income, future work and life plans, and any additional tax-related concerns the client may have. Our goal is to minimize the client’s tax liability through strategic tax planning and compliance with tax laws. Simultaneously, the WMT focuses on growing, preserving, and managing the client’s wealth. The tax planning team may provide tax-efficient strategies for the WMT to implement, and the WMT may inform the tax planning team of any changes to a client’s financial situation that could impact their tax liability. Our shared goal is to provide clients with a cohesive, integrated plan that balances their tax needs with their financial goals.
—Lakshmi Mohindroo, CPA, MBT, Tax Manager
The Mercer Advisors difference
Mercer Advisors is committed to a holistic approach to your financial health. To this end, we leverage the expertise of our in-house tax professionals, who stay up-to-date on ever-evolving tax regulations. Our goal is to provide yearly opportunities to estimate and strategize for future tax liabilities with a dedicated tax advisor, who receives support and input from your trusted wealth advisor. The Mercer Advisors team uses tax planning software designed to incorporate information provided by you, your advisor, and historic tax returns to calculate tax projections that may help determine estimated tax payments and identify possible tax-saving strategies. Knowledgeable in-house tax professionals help your tax advisor and wealth advisor ensure that tax day brings no surprises.
—Mariah Rason, CPA, Tax Advisor
From relatively simple annual tax preparation to comprehensive tax planning, your team at Mercer Advisors works in tandem to ensure the dots are connected on your comprehensive wealth plan.
