Advisors' biggest blind spot? Tax and estate planning, says Integrated Partners president

Tax and estate planning — not market volatility — is the area where advisors most often fall short for clients, according to Andree Mohr, president of Integrated Partners, who says that the RIA has the tools to solve this problem.

Integrated Partners, which supports more than 280 advisors, has long touted the importance of simplification and advisor-centric planning, as well as technology. Last year, for example, the company launched its Integrated Advisor Dashboard and RAI, its AI assistant.

But what does Mohr see as the biggest headache advisors face today?

“I would definitely say it focuses around tax and estate planning - so less around like your basic financial planning, but more focusing on tax and estate planning and how do they bring solutions to their clients,” she told InvestmentNews.

“A lot of times our clients are worried about things like the markets,” she added, but noted that shortcoming in tax planning, over the long term, can erode clients' wealth faster than the markets can.

“Because the advisor doesn't have a partnership with a CPA, it's hard for them to provide really complex tax advice to their clients,” Mohr said.

Read more: What advisors and wealth firms gain from CPA partnerships

The Integrated Partners president noted that, since its founding in 1996, the RIA has been integrating advisors and CPAs.

“Back in 1996, [Integrated Partners CEO and founder] Paul [Saganey] realized that the CPAs had access to the most complex clients, and if we could help them monetize their most trusted advisor status by partnering them with an advisor to have wealth management services, then we could elevate not only our advisors but the CPAs and create better outcomes for end clients,” said Mohr.

The company now partners with over 250 CPAs through its CPA Alliance Program

The worlds of financial advisors and CPAs have certainly been getting closer as advisors and their clients look for solutions to an increasingly complex wealth management landscape. RIA Stevens Capital Partners, for example, recently acquired a Dallas CPA firm.

While touting its ability to help advisors manage complexity, Integrated Partners has hit a significant milestone. On Wednesday, the company announced that it has surpassed $30 billion in assets under advisement.

“We added almost $27 billion of that $30 billion in the last 10 years,” said Mohr.

Advisors, she added, are asking for more independence. “They want to be able to make the decisions that are the best decisions for their business and their clients,” Mohr told InvestmentNews. “And a lot of times that actually is more complex planning support and more collaboration.”

“Even in the age of AI where you can have access to all this information at your fingertips, it's still nice to be able to talk to a person who has seen those situations before, been in front of those types of clients before,” she added. “And going upmarket and working with clients of greater complexity has always been one of our unique abilities.”

Also this week, Integrated Partners Adrian Duran announced on LinkedIn that he has been promoted to the role of chief growth officer. Duran, who joined Integrated Partners in October 2022, had previously served as vice president and head of advisor recruiting.

“We have added just about $4 billion in recruited AUM this year,” said Mohr. “And that's obviously a kudos to Adrian, but it's more a kudos to our story and how much it is resonating now in the industry.”