Advisory Team Playbook.

Coordinating Your Estate Plan With Your Accountant And Financial Advisor

Better Outcomes Happen When Your Attorney, CPA/EA, And CFP®/RIA Row in the Same Direction—Strategy → Drafting → Funding → Maintenance.

"Can I get my Financial Planner and Accountants on board? I need a team..."

We can help!

Here's how and why we build a coordinated, NJ-savvy plan with your tax and investment advisors, why it matters, and the programs (AMP/CCP) that keep everything aligned year after year.

When your lawyer drafts in one silo, your accountant files in another, and your financial advisor reallocates in a third, the people you love pay the price. Accounts drift out of alignment. Beneficiary designations contradict your trust. Portability (the DSUE—Deceased Spousal Unused Exclusion) is missed. Crummey notices for your ILIT (Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust) get lost. And the plan that looked perfect in a binder quietly falls apart in real life.

We do it differently. We coordinate. From design through funding and maintenance, we work hand-in-hand with your CPA/EA (Certified Public Accountant/Enrolled Agent) and your CFP®/RIA (Certified Financial Planner®/Registered Investment Adviser) so tax strategy, investment strategy, and legal structure reinforce one another. The result: fewer surprises, less court, less conflict, and more of your wealth ending up with your family and causes.

What Coordination Really Means

  • One Map, Three Drivers: We set a single strategy that your attorney (documents and funding), your CPA/EA (tax filings and elections), and your CFP®/RIA (asset location, risk, rebalancing, beneficiaries) all follow.

  • Funding Is Non-Optional: We don’t stop at documents. We quarterback deeds, titles, and POD/TOD and beneficiary changes—then your advisor confirms they remain correct after every portfolio change.

  • Cadence, Not Chaos: Instead of ad-hoc emails in April, we run scheduled touchpoints: AMP (Annual Maintenance Program) or CCP (Continuing Counsel Plan) with defined agendas and action items.

  • Plain English + Professional Detail: We explain outcomes to you in human terms and provide precise instructions to your professionals (706/DSUE, QSST/ESBT elections for S-corp stock, GST allocations, HEMS standards in trusts, etc.).

Why This Matters in New Jersey

  • Probate Is For Creditors, Not Families: NJ probate is public and typically produces a 3–7% all-in administrative drag once you add executor commissions, legal/accounting fees, bond premiums, appraisals, and delay. A fully funded RLT (Revocable Living Trust) with tight advisor coordination minimizes that exposure.

  • Shore Homes And Rentals: Coordinating title, insurance, and cash-flow between legal and investment teams avoids gaps (e.g., who pays taxes/repairs from which trust sub-account).

  • Inheritance Tax Classes: Your CPA/EA helps model when non-Class-A beneficiaries (siblings, nieces/nephews, friends) could trigger NJ inheritance tax; we adjust bequests and trust timing accordingly.

What We Coordinate with Your Team

Tax Filings & Elections (CPA/EA):

  • Portability (DSUE) via Form 706, even when no tax is due.

  • Reverse QTIP elections and GST allocations for dynastic planning.

  • QSST/ESBT elections for S-corp shares held in trust.

  • Crummey contributions tracking for ILITs, gift-splitting, and Form 709 gift tax returns.

  • SECURE Act strategy for IRAs/401(k)s (10-year rule modeling, accumulation vs conduit design via SRT—Stand-Alone Retirement Trust).

  • IRA/Roth Conversions coordinated with trust distributions and bracket management.

Investment & Titling (CFP®/RIA):

  • Beneficiary wiring to trusts (RLT, CST—Credit Shelter Trust, QTIP—Qualified Terminable Interest Property Trust, SNT—Special Needs Trust).

  • Account retitling and sub-accounting for traceable funding (e.g., CST vs QTIP sleeves).

  • Asset Location (tax-efficient placement across taxable, IRA, Roth) matched to trust distribution standards (HEMS).

  • Spend-Down & Liquidity planning for survivorship and trustee cash needs.

Legal Structure (Us):

  • Drafting and customizing your RLT, CST/QTIP, Disclaimer Trust pathways, DPOA (Durable Power Of Attorney), AD (Advance Directive/Healthcare Proxy), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) Authorization.

  • Funding deeds (Bargain & Sale), titles, and beneficiary forms; building trustee guidance; and training fiduciaries.

  • Coordinating MAPT (Medicaid Asset Protection Trust), SNT, ILIT, SLAT/IDGT/GRAT/QPRT where indicated.

  • Post-mortem administration playbooks to keep everyone on the same page when it matters most.

Our Meeting Rhythm (So Nothing Slips by)

  • Design & Discovery Meeting (DDM): We invite your CPA/EA and CFP®/RIA (with your permission). We map people/assets, set goals, and flag elections and funding tasks.

  • Draft Review Huddle: 30–45 minutes with advisors to confirm titling, beneficiary plans, and cash-flow expectations (unitrusts, power-to-adjust, required distributions).

  • Signing + Funding Workshop: Your advisor team gets our funding checklists, custodian letters, and template beneficiary language.

  • AMP (Annual Maintenance Program): Annual review/scorecard, funding and beneficiary audit, minor amendments/codicils, vault maintenance, and trustee refresher.

  • CCP (Continuing Counsel Plan): Quarterly Advisor Summits with CPA/EA, CFP®/RIA, insurance, and trust officers; we handle ILIT Crummey notices, SRT oversight, QSST/ESBT compliance, GRAT annuities, and more.

Common Coordination Failures We Prevent

  • Missed Portability (DSUE) Because “No Tax Was Due.”

  • Unfunded Trusts (accounts never retitled; real estate left outside the RLT).

  • Conflicting Beneficiaries (custodians naming individuals when your plan requires trusts).

  • SECURE Act Drafting Traps (conduit-only language forcing taxable accelerations).

  • Crummey Notice Failures (invalidating ILIT contributions).

  • QSST/ESBT Election Omissions (blowing S-corp eligibility).

  • Advisor Silence During Life Changes (new accounts, refinance, business sale, inheritance, or a move to a NJ shore property not reported to the team).

FAQs

Q: My CPA/Advisor is Busy—Will This Create Extra Work For Them?
A: We provide concise checklists, custodian letters, and calendar invites. Most advisors love the clarity—and it saves them April-surprise cleanups.

Q: I Don’t Have A CPA Or CFP®/RIA. Can You Recommend One?
A: Yes. We maintain relationships with NJ-based tax and advisory firms. We’ll introduce options and let you choose.

Q: What If My Advisors Disagree with Parts of The Plan?
A: Healthy debate is welcome. We model alternatives (tax, cash-flow, and risk) and document a unified decision so implementation stays clean.

Q: Will You Share My Documents and Data?
A: Only with your written permission. We use secure portals, limit access by role, and log all transmissions.

Q: How Often Do We All Meet?
A: AMP: annual coordination review. CCP: quarterly Advisor Summits, plus ad-hoc meetings for major events (sale, refinance, inheritance, new business).

Q: Can You Work with Out-Of-State Advisors?
A: Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with teams across time zones; NJ-specific issues (probate, inheritance tax, deeds) remain our responsibility. We are limited, however, in our ability to practice law in other jurisdictions and will suggest outside counsel if something is beyond our practice area. 

Book A Strategy Call

Book A Strategy Call and bring your CPA/EA and CFP®/RIA into the conversation. We’ll set the plan, fund it correctly, and keep it synchronized through AMP or CCP so your family avoids court, conflict, and chaos.
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