In-House CPAs: Beneficial for Clients, Firms

By Marianela Collado, CPA/PFS, CFP^®, CDS^®

As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a Personal Financial Planner certification (PFS) and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® practitioner, I’ve spent my career working at the intersection of tax strategy and financial planning. Over the years, one belief has remained constant: tax awareness should not sit on the sidelines of financial planning; it should be embedded into the process itself.

At Tobias Financial Advisors, this belief is deeply rooted in our history. The firm was founded in 1980 by Ben Tobias as a CPA firm, long before financial planning and investment management were added to support a more holistic approach to wealth management. While our services have expanded over the decades, that original tax-centric foundation continues to shape how we think, plan, and advise today.

The Ongoing Process of Financial Planning

Financial planning is not a one-time event or a single recommendation; it is an ongoing process that involves a series of interconnected decisions, many of which carry tax implications. Retirement planning, investment strategy, business decisions, charitable giving, and estate planning all intersect with tax laws in meaningful ways. Understanding those intersections allows for more informed conversations and better alignment between short-term decisions and long-term goals.

This is one of the reasons we made a deliberate decision to maintain CPAs and tax professionals in-house. Today, our tax function is led by a Director of Tax Services, Lonnie Sluchak, CPA, who is supported by an internal tax team that works closely with our advisors. Their role goes far beyond tax preparation; they are actively involved in the planning process.

How the Process Works for Clients

For new wealth management clients, our tax team often conducts a comprehensive “tax physical.” This review looks at prior returns, income sources, deductions, credits, entity structures, and planning opportunities within the context of the client’s broader financial picture. The goal is not to relitigate the past but to identify themes, potential inefficiencies, and areas where future planning may benefit from a more coordinated approach. Occasionally, we are pleasantly surprised with significant refund opportunities due to errors and omissions.

For many clients, this work continues through annual tax planning and targeted tax projects. These services may include evaluating income timing, reviewing withholding and estimated payments, assessing the tax impact of retirement distributions, coordinating charitable giving strategies, or reviewing planning considerations related to equity compensation or business ownership. 

Working closely with our clients’ tax preparers from a wealth management lens is a meaningful differentiator. Through this collaboration, they have visibility into the full financial picture, including investment strategy, retirement projections, and long-term planning goals. This coordination reduces the likelihood of missed details and allows us to confirm that the planning strategies are reflected on the tax returns themselves. It also creates continuity from year to year, as tax decisions are evaluated in the context of an evolving financial plan.

Offering a Higher Level of Ongoing Support

This strong partnership with our clients’ tax preparers also allows us to provide a higher level of ongoing support. For many clients, this includes assistance with quarterly estimated payment reminders, IRS correspondence, and proactive communication around timelines and next steps. Rather than treating tax season as a standalone event, our goal is to create a process that feels organized, transparent, and supported throughout the year. Clients truly value knowing there is a dedicated team monitoring details and available to help navigate questions as they arise.

We are also mindful of the client experience and continue to invest in tools and processes that support efficiency and accessibility. For example, we adopt platforms that allow clients to securely upload and access documents, communicate with the team, and stay engaged wherever they are. Streamlining workflows benefits both clients and professionals, supporting clarity around expectations, communication, and timelines while maintaining a high standard of work.

The Benefits of Collaboration

Another important aspect of our model is collaboration. Members of our tax team often join client meetings alongside advisors to provide an additional perspective on planning discussions. This allows tax considerations to be addressed in real time, within the broader financial context, rather than as a follow-up or separate conversation. Clients benefit from hearing how different planning disciplines evaluate the same decision through complementary lenses.

Beyond client-facing work, our tax team also serves as an internal resource for the firm. They regularly train and educate our financial planning team on tax-related topics, planning considerations, and regulatory changes. This ongoing knowledge sharing helps ensure tax awareness is not limited to a single department but woven into planning conversations across the firm.

In addition to our CPAs, several of our advisors hold Enrolled Agent (EA) and Certified Tax Specialist (CTS®) designations. These credentials reinforce a shared commitment to understanding tax law and how it intersects with financial planning. While credentials alone do not define quality, they support a culture where tax considerations are consistently part of the planning dialogue.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

From a business standpoint, maintaining tax expertise within the firm supports consistency, coordination, and scalability. Advisors and tax professionals operate under the same planning philosophy and have access to shared client context. We also see a growing number of prospective clients who express frustration with fragmented planning models, where wealth management and tax planning and preparation are handled separately. In those situations, a lack of coordination can lead to duplicated efforts, missed context, and planning that feels disjointed. By integrating tax expertise in-house, we can offer a more cohesive planning experience. Since expanding our internal tax capabilities, we’ve seen increasing interest from clients who value having coordinated tax and financial planning. More importantly, this structure allows us to deliver service in a way that reflects the interconnected nature of financial decision-making.

Tax laws are complex and subject to change, and no planning process can eliminate uncertainty. However, incorporating tax awareness earlier can help clients better understand trade-offs, timing considerations, and potential risks. Rather than reacting after decisions are made, our objective is to approach planning with a broader, more informed perspective.

At Tobias Financial Advisors, we view tax planning and financial planning as complementary disciplines. Each informs the other, and together they support a thoughtful, coordinated approach to managing the financial lives of our clients. Our structure, team composition, and planning processes are intentionally designed to reflect that belief.

As our firm continues to evolve, our commitment to tax-aware planning remains central. It is part of our history, part of our present, and an important element of how we continue to support clients navigating increasingly complex financial landscapes. 

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Marianela Collado, CPA/PFS, CFP^®, CDS^®, the CEO of Tobias Financial Advisors, has over two decades of tax planning and investment experience at industry leaders like Arthur Andersen and Bessemer Trust. She is passionate about financial and tax planning and continuously strives to offer innovative strategies that support her clients’ interests.

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