Most people with a financial advisor assume they're covered. The research says otherwise. Take 5 minutes to find out what might be missing — and whether it matters for your situation.
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The Gap Nobody Talks About
Industry research consistently shows a striking gap between what financial advisors believe they're delivering and what their clients actually feel they're receiving. The consequences are real — in taxes paid unnecessarily, estate plans left uncoordinated, and strategies never surfaced because nobody thought to ask.
85% of advisors say they provide tax planning. Only 25% of their clients believe they're receiving it. The difference is usually thousands of dollars per year.
Most clients have estate documents. Far fewer have an estate plan that's been recently reviewed, coordinated with their investments, or updated for tax law changes.
Assets spread across multiple accounts with no unified strategy. Investments duplicated in three places. No one connecting the dots between your advisor, your CPA, and your attorney.
Stock options, RSUs, deferred compensation, executive benefits — the more complex your financial life, the more likely your current advisor hasn't fully addressed it.
What You'll Receive
Based on your responses, we'll generate a free personalized report that shows you exactly where people in your situation most commonly find gaps in their financial coverage.
Who This Is For
Not everyone needs this. But if you recognize yourself below, it's worth five minutes.
How It Works
No trick questions. No lengthy forms. Just the information needed to give you a meaningful, personalized picture of your situation. Takes about 5 minutes.
Your personalized report is generated and delivered to your inbox within minutes. It's specific to your situation — not a generic checklist.
Read it. Think about it. If your report surfaces something worth a conversation, we'll introduce you to a specialist. If not, you'll still walk away knowing more than you did.
What Your Advisor Should Be Doing
If you have a financial advisor, you're probably paying somewhere between 0.5% and 1.5% of your assets annually. On a $1 million portfolio, that's $5,000 to $15,000 per year. The question worth asking isn't whether that fee is typical — it is — but whether you're actually receiving the full value of what a comprehensive financial advisor relationship should provide.
Research consistently shows that tax planning is the single largest gap between what financial advisors believe they're delivering and what their clients feel they're receiving. Proactive tax planning isn't about filing your taxes — that's your CPA's job. It's about making strategic decisions throughout the year that reduce what you owe: timing capital gains and losses, identifying Roth conversion opportunities during lower-income years, structuring charitable giving efficiently, sequencing which accounts to draw from and when. These decisions, made consistently over time, are often worth more than investment returns.
Most advisors will recommend that you work with an estate attorney. Far fewer will actually follow up to make sure it happened, review what was put in place, or coordinate their investment strategy with your estate documents. Outdated beneficiary designations, assets held in the wrong structure, and estate plans that haven't been reviewed since tax laws changed can mean a meaningful portion of what you've spent a lifetime building doesn't go where you intended — or gets significantly reduced by taxes and legal costs in the transfer.
If you receive stock options, RSUs, performance shares, deferred compensation, or other equity-based compensation, your financial situation has a layer of complexity that most generalist advisors aren't fully equipped to handle. The tax implications of exercising options, the timing of RSU vesting and sale, the coordination of deferred compensation with your broader income strategy — these decisions have significant financial consequences. The right advisor doesn't just manage the accounts; they help you think through the decisions before you make them.
Research from Bank of America Private Bank found that nearly two-thirds of wealthy individuals work with multiple financial professionals — advisors, CPAs, estate attorneys, insurance agents. The problem isn't having multiple professionals. The problem is when no one is coordinating across all of them. When your investment strategy isn't informed by your tax situation. When your estate plan hasn't been reviewed alongside your accounts. When your CPA doesn't know what your advisor is doing. The advisor who connects these dots and takes responsibility for the full picture provides dramatically more value than one who manages only the portfolio they can see.
These aren't accusations — they're simply patterns worth examining:
None of these are reasons to immediately fire your advisor. They're reasons to ask better questions — and to understand what a more comprehensive relationship could look like. The assessment below is designed to help you do exactly that.
Common Questions
A comprehensive financial advisor should be doing far more than managing your investment portfolio. They should be proactively addressing tax planning strategies throughout the year, coordinating with your CPA and estate attorney, reviewing your executive compensation or equity compensation, keeping your estate plan current and aligned with your investments, and providing cash flow planning for both your working years and retirement. Research consistently shows a significant gap between what advisors believe they're delivering and what clients feel they're receiving — particularly around tax planning and estate coordination.
Beyond investment returns, a good financial advisor should be proactively reaching out to you — not just responding when you call. They should be discussing tax strategies throughout the year, not just in April. They should have reviewed and coordinated with your estate attorney. They should understand your full financial picture including income, equity compensation, insurance, and cash flow — not just the accounts they manage. If your advisor hasn't brought up Roth conversions, tax loss harvesting, beneficiary designations, or executive compensation planning in the past year, these are gaps worth examining.
A fiduciary financial advisor is legally required to act in your best interest at all times. Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) are held to the fiduciary standard. You can verify whether your advisor is a registered investment adviser by searching the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database at adviserinfo.sec.gov. If you're unsure whether your advisor is a fiduciary, ask directly — and get the answer in writing.
Key questions include: Are you a fiduciary? How are you compensated, and do you receive any third-party commissions? What tax strategies have you implemented for my account in the past year? When did you last review my estate plan and beneficiary designations? How do you coordinate with my CPA and attorney? What is your process for reviewing executive compensation or equity compensation? How will you help me transition from accumulation to retirement income? These questions reveal whether your advisor is providing comprehensive planning or primarily investment management.
The most common fee structure is a percentage of assets under management (AUM), typically ranging from 0.5% to 1.5% annually. A 1% annual fee is roughly average for comprehensive wealth management. More important than the percentage is whether you're receiving full value. A comprehensive advisor who proactively manages taxes, coordinates your estate plan, and provides holistic financial planning typically delivers far more value than the fee cost — while an advisor who only manages your portfolio without broader planning may not justify even a lower fee.
The Assessment
Answer 8 questions about your current financial situation. Your personalized gap report will be delivered to your inbox in minutes — at no cost and with no obligation.
This site is operated by BAS Enterprises LLC, an independent financial education and marketing company. Content on this site is intended for general educational purposes only and does not constitute personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Results of the assessment reflect general patterns among people in similar situations and should not be construed as advice specific to your circumstances. Any advisor introduced through this site is an independent professional; BAS Enterprises LLC is compensated for marketing services. Always consult a qualified financial professional before making financial decisions. Privacy Policy · Terms of Use