Mega-RIA Focus Financial Partners taps Vialto for expanded tax services

Mega-RIA Focus Financial Partners has entered into a strategic relationship with Vialto Partners, a global provider of tax and mobility solutions, to bolster the tax services available to clients of select Focus partner firms.

Under the agreement unveiled Tuesday, Vialto will support Focus’s in-house tax offering, which already serves clients with a range of needs, from straightforward domestic filings to more complex, cross-border tax situations.

The move comes as demand grows among high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients for more integrated financial and tax planning. According to the 2025 CFP Board Professionals Taxes Survey Report, 80% of advisors say their clients consider the tax implications of their financial plans important or very important when describing their financial goals. Ninety-five percent of advisors in the survey were also mindful of the tax upshot of financial plans.

As more clients consider living or working abroad, RIAs are also increasingly seeking partnerships that can help them address complex cross-border tax needs. Apart from the appeal of golden visas, geopolitical events and next-generation family members' moves overseas are making those factors top-of-mind.

Advisors and business managers within Focus’s network will remain the main point of contact for clients, but will now have the ability to collaborate with both Focus’s tax division and Vialto’s specialists.

“As the needs of our clients evolve, so must the solutions we are able to offer them,” Jeffrey Hole, head of Focus solutions and partnership strategy at Focus Financial Partners, said Tuesday.

Hole added that the partnership with Vialto will allow Focus to “scale our collective efforts, leverage first-class technology, and enhance our expertise across Focus Partners.”

Focus has been actively growing its presence outside the US, with established operations in Canada and Australia. Globally, its network of partner firms manages more than $450 billion in client assets.

Vialto, which was spun out of PwC’s global mobility business in 2022, operates in more than 150 countries and territories and employs over 6,500 professionals. Notably, Vialto was acquired by Clayton Dubillier & Rice as part of its 2022 spinout, while Focus was taken private by CD&R in a $7 billion deal completed in 2023, with Stone Point Capital retaining a portion of its investment. 

Vialto's services include tax compliance, immigration, payroll, and remote work solutions for multinational corporations and their employees. CEO Neil Masterson highlighted the firm's reputation for helping clients work compliantly across borders and tax jurisdictions, completing hundreds of thousands of individual tax returns each year.

“Working with Focus Partners, we will extend that same deep expertise and value-added advice to their private clients,” said Girish Shankaran, a partner at Vialto who leads the private client practice.