Wealth Strategy That Supports Your Creative Life
As an artist or entertainer, your financial life doesn’t follow a standard path. Irregular income, intellectual property, royalties, and contracts can make planning complex.
At Mercer Advisors, we help you turn creative genius into long-term financial success, with discretion, strategy, and personalized support. We work with high-net-worth creatives across the entertainment and media landscape, including:
- Writers, producers, creators, and showrunners
- Directors and composers
- Studio and media executives
- Touring musicians, performers, and visual artists
Whether you’re managing royalty payments, negotiating contracts, or planning for retirement, our unified in-house team helps protect what you’ve built, and gives you the freedom to pursue your passion.
Why Creatives Need
Specialist Financial Advice
Artists and entertainers face unique financial challenges: fluctuating income, unpredictable royalties, and protecting intellectual property. Without tailored expertise, you risk tax inefficiencies, undervalued assets, and financial instability.
Mercer Advisors offers specialized wealth planning strategies designed for high-net-worth creatives, helping you protect what you’ve built and plan for what’s next.
Specialized Services for Creative Professionals
- Cash Flow Modeling: Forecast episodic or project-based income for financial planning.
- Advance & Royalty Income Tax Structuring: Minimize taxes on lump-sum advances and royalty payments.
- Guild & Union Compensation Compliance: Help ensure earnings align with SAG-AFTRA, WGA, DGA requirements.
- Intellectual Property Trust Structuring: Help protect IP and distribute royalties through custom trust structures developed in partnership with attorneys.
- Privacy-Focused Asset Structuring: Shield personal assets using trusts, LLCs, and nominee entities.
- Art & Collectibles Acquisition Consulting: Integrate fine art, jewelry, cars, and other collectibles into your wealth and estate plans.
- Studio Executive Equity & Bonus Planning: Optimize deferred comp, equity vesting, and liquidity events.
- Creative Career Transition Planning: Plan retirement, philanthropy, and legacy from creative careers.
Specialized Services for Creative Professionals & Artists
- Integrated wealth management for personal and professional finances
- Royalty income optimization to help provide for more predictable cash flow
- Partnership with attorneys to help safeguard intellectual property rights
- Business management services to relieve creative professionals of the burden of routine money matters
- Risk management & asset protection to help provide long-term security
- Investment strategies to help build wealth beyond your career cycles
- Estate planning guidance for helping long-term financial continuity
Mercer Advisors is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to clients. All estate planning documentation preparation and other legal advice is provided through select third parties unaffiliated to Mercer Advisors, depending on the complexity of the estate, additional fees may apply. Tax preparation and tax filing services typically requires a separate fee from our investment management and planning services.
Build a Long-Term Wealth Plan
We’ve worked with high-profile artists, entertainers, and creators, and we know how to bring clarity and structure to complex financial lives.
From Project-Based Income to Wealth Growth
Turn royalties, contracts, and performances into lasting financial security through diversified investments and structured cash flow planning.
Private Wealth Planning Services That Align with Your Goals
Whether you’re preparing for early retirement, expanding your philanthropic efforts, or supporting family needs, we provide a holistic approach to wealth management designed for creatives.
Legacy and Retirement Strategies
Plan for the future with estate planning, family office services, and structured financial solutions that help ensure your wealth supports you and your loved ones long after your peak earning years.Additional Solutions
Protect your intellectual property and secure your legacy with personalized estate plans that reflect your values, beneficiaries, and future royalties.
Protect Intellectual Property and Financial Rights
Your intellectual property as a creative professional is often both your legacy and your livelihood. Our goal is to help ensure your creative rights are well-protected and financially optimized. We help you:
- Work with an intellectual property advisor to help protect copyrights, trademarks, and licensing rights
- Understand and structure your IP income for long-term wealth preservation
- Collaborate with legal partners on contract terms, IP law, and trade secrets
- Explore IP trusts and LLCs to secure ownership and minimize estate tax exposure
Plan for Taxes and Irregular Income
Tax planning is critical for creatives with fluctuating income. We offer:
- Tax strategy for royalties, lump-sum advances, and deferred compensation
- Estimated payment modeling and income smoothing techniques
- Strategic timing of royalty distributions and advances to stabilize cash flow
- Collaboration with law firms, CPAs, and patent and trademark offices to help ensure compliance and efficiency
- Structuring of LLCs, trusts, and other vehicles to enhance privacy and reduce liability
Whether you’re receiving residuals from past work or negotiating new deals, our advisors help you build a financial plan that supports your lifestyle and future goals. We also help you avoid tax spikes and build a plan that supports long-term liquidity and growth.
FAQs for Creative Professionals
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We use tracking tools, income modeling, and strategic withdrawal schedules to help stabilize cash flow. Whether you’re touring, producing, filming, or licensing, we help turn income into stability and creativity into lasting legacy.
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An IP trust or LLC can help distribute royalties efficiently, minimize estate taxes, and secure ownership.
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Yes, we can assist trough deferred compensation planning and other income smoothing strategies.
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We help design estate plans that preserve royalty income and direct it according to your legacy goals.
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Many high-net-worth entertainers benefit from structured entities that offer privacy, control, and tax efficiency. Our advisors prioritize discretion, customization, and alignment with your personal and professional vision.
Creative Wealth Planning Checklist
Success in the arts can be unpredictable—but your financial strategy doesn’t have to be. Use this checklist to help stay on top of royalty income, tax obligations, and long-term planning, so your creativity and career remain supported by financial clarity and confidence.
