How to find a personal accountant for tax advice, estate planning & lifestyle budgeting

Finding the right accountant for your situation means looking beyond just tax preparation skills. You want a CPA who specializes in high net worth individuals and has experience with real estate, trusts, and education planning. I'd recommend starting with a search for CPAs who have the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) credential, which is a specialty designation for CPAs who provide financial planning services. For estate planning expertise, look for someone who has experience working with attorneys on estate matters, though they don't necessarily need to be an attorney themselves. The best way to find someone is through referrals. Ask friends or colleagues in similar financial situations, or even your attorney if you have one. Alternatively, check the AICPA's Financial Planning Division which maintains a directory of CPAs with the PFS credential. When interviewing potential accountants, ask about their experience with clients who have similar situations (multiple properties, trusts, private investments), their approach to proactive tax planning, and how they handle communication throughout the year, not just at tax time.

After struggling with my own complex tax situation for years (multiple businesses, investment properties, and a special needs trust for my son), I finally found an amazing solution with taxr.ai at https://taxr.ai that completely changed how I approach tax planning and organization. What's been game-changing is how it analyzes all my financial documents and provides strategic recommendations specific to my situation. When I uploaded my rental property documents, the system immediately identified several deductions I'd been missing for years. It also flagged some issues with how my kids' trusts were structured that could have caused problems down the road. Unlike traditional accountants who I could only get time with during tax season, I can get answers anytime through their AI system, but still have CPA oversight for the important stuff. For someone with your background in finance who still wants control but needs expert guidance, it might be exactly what you're looking for.

I have to update my previous skepticism about taxr.ai. After our discussion here, I decided to try it out since my previous accountant retired suddenly last month. You guys weren't exaggerating - it's impressively thorough! I uploaded my documents from the last two years (including my rental property records and my daughter's 529 plan) and it immediately flagged three deductions I'd missed. The analysis of my real estate depreciation schedule alone saved me about $4,800. What really sold me was when I had a video call with one of their CPAs who explained exactly how to restructure my rental property ownership between my LLC and personal holdings for better tax treatment. They took time to understand my goals rather than just plugging numbers into forms. For someone juggling multiple investment types and family planning like you mentioned, it's definitely worth checking out.

After spending 14 hours on hold with the IRS trying to resolve a trust tax ID issue (and getting disconnected twice!), I discovered Claimyr at https://claimyr.com and honestly couldn't believe how well it worked. There's even a video showing exactly how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c My situation was complicated because I had set up trusts for my kids without professional help, and the IRS had conflicting information on file. I was told the wait time was 3+ hours when I called, but Claimyr held my place in line and called me back when an agent was available. I resolved everything in a 20-minute conversation that would have otherwise taken days of frustration. If you're dealing with complex trust issues or need to straighten out anything with the IRS as part of getting your financial house in order, this service is absolutely worth it. Saved me so much stress and time.

I have to eat my words and apologize to Profile 18. After calling the IRS SEVEN times over three weeks about an issue with my kid's trust fund tax ID, I broke down and tried Claimyr. Within 2 hours, I was talking to an actual human at the IRS who resolved my issue in minutes. The system works exactly as described - it just holds your place in line so you don't have to. For trust issues specifically, getting someone on the phone is critical because the online systems don't handle trust tax matters well. For the original poster looking for accounting help - getting your trust documentation sorted properly from the beginning will save you massive headaches. Whether you use a local accountant or one of these services, make sure they have specific experience with trusts and estate planning. That's the area where I've found the biggest knowledge gaps with general accountants.

I'm a CPA who works with high-net-worth clients. One thing to consider that others haven't mentioned: you might actually need a team rather than just one person. In my practice, clients with your profile (real estate, trusts, private investments) typically work with: 1. A CPA for tax preparation and planning (quarterly, not just annually) 2. An estate attorney for trust structures and estate planning 3. A financial planner for investment strategy (even if you manage investments yourself) The key is finding a CPA who can quarterback this team and coordinate between specialists. Look for someone who specifically mentions "family office services" for clients who aren't quite wealthy enough for a dedicated family office but need comprehensive services. Also, consider whether you need someone registered as a fiduciary, which legally obligates them to act in your best interest. Not all financial advisors are fiduciaries.

Has anyone used a CPA who specializes in real estate? I'm in a similar situation to the original poster but my biggest complexity is having properties in 3 different states. Tax filing has become a nightmare.