How Plumb Securely Handles Wire Transfers, ACH, & Check Payments for the HNWI

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When managing the bill pay needs of high-net-worth individuals and families, it’s imperative to have bank-level security for all payments being sent – whether those are wire transfers, ACH, or old-school checks.

Plumb has the strictest of protocols to protect our clients and their money. And with our decades of experience working with HNWI, families, and family offices we have our payment security procedures down to a science.

 

First-time wire safety procedures

Any first-time wire transfer requests require verbal confirmation on a recorded line with the client or designee to confirm the transaction.

  • To authenticate the individual, they are asked a series of security questions.
  • Additionally, we reach out to the beneficiary on a recorded line to verbally confirm the written wire instructions that were provided.
  • A change to wire instructions also prompts a verbal confirmation from both the client and the vendor to reconfirm the instructions.

New vendor safety procedures

Any new vendor, an invoice with a 200% variance, or a vendor that hasn’t been paid in over a year requires a verbal with the client/designee before processing.

Employee cybersecurity training

Our team is also wholly trained in cybersecurity and participates in monthly security updates. They know what to look out for, how to spot a “scam” and what to do in the event that they suspect malintent: pick up the phone and confirm with the beneficiary, their designee, and the vendor. This step is as imperative as it is simple, and it can prevent fraud, months of headaches, loss of funds, and loss of the trust we have built with our clients. Preventing these events is of paramount importance to the Plumb team.

Is one payment option better than the other?

Although each payment option varies slightly in terms of how quickly a payment will be delivered or their associated costs (see below for more details), Plumb remains impartial when it comes to these different options.

Due to our stringent security measures and our internal system of checks and balances to ensure accuracy, payments made on behalf of clients via wire transfer, ACH, or check are all equally safe. While approximately 80% of our payments are made via wire transfer – especially those payments that are more urgent –  if a client prefers ACH over wires due to the fees incurred with wire transfers, we will always honor the client’s wish.

What’s next?

As a result of the pandemic and the improvements in bill pay technology, we have noticed a shift towards more electronic payments over the past couple of years. We don’t expect this trend to slow down any time soon. What we know for sure is that wherever the future of bill pay takes us, Plumb will be prepared with our best-in-class bill pay staff, high-touch service, and the latest security measures.

Glossary of Payment Terms

Wire Transfers

  • Speed of Payment: Same day.
  • Associated Costs: Fees can be incurred for both the sender and recipient depending on the bank. (Typically, $15-$30).
  • Safety: Funds are accessible immediately, so recipient is technically at an advantage.
  • Recourse in case of fraud: Once completed, there is no way of reversing. Internal process with the bank to handle the funds being returned (if applicable).
  • $ Limit: No limit for Plumb. (Daily limits with specified bank that can be increased as needed.)
  • Other Info: Currency rate/exchange fees can be incurred.

ACH (Automated Clearinghouse Network)

  • Speed of Payment: 1-3 business days.
  • Associated Costs: No cost.
  • Safety: More secure for the sender as funds can be reversed after funds have been sent (in most cases).
  • Recourse in case of fraud: Payments can be reversed by the bank (sender advantage).
  • $ Limit: $1MM limit.
  • Other Info: Limited to the US.

Check

  • Speed of Payment: Can take up to a week (or longer) to be delivered to a vendor.
  • Associated Costs: No cost associated with sending aside from postage fees.
  • Safety: Safe; Plumb’s policy is to send any high dollar checks, DMV payments, or tax payments via certified mail with tracking.
  • Recourse in case of fraud: Dispute and open a case with the bank.
  • $ Limit: No limit.
  • Other Info: International checks are typically sent using alternative methods like UPS or FedEx.

 

Plumb Wins Prestigious PAM Award

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Plumb is honored to have won the prestigious and coveted Private Asset Management award for Best Partnership Accounting System.

We were also shortlisted for the Best General Ledger System,

Thank you to the team at the PAM Awards for recognizing our accomplishments and contribution to family office accounting and bill payment.

Congratulations to the winners of the other categories, and to all who were shortlisted.

Plumb Family Office Accounting & Bill Pay is a high-touch, hi-tech family office accounting and bill pay service provider whose solutions are custom designed to meet the needs of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients and family offices.

With decades of experience in this distinctive and niche market, Plumb delivers financial peace of mind by assisting high-net-worth individuals and family offices know where their money is going, so their trusted advisors can effectively manage it. We work in partnership with their team — including wealth, CPA, and other advisors — to provide the highest quality of data and financial reporting to establish a holistic view of their assets and financial holdings. This gives them true control of their wealth and establishes the foundation for effectively implementing their financial strategies.

Let’s talk about how we can help you build trusted relationships with your clients.

Plumb Shortlisted for 2 More Awards

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2022 was a great year for Plumb, and 2023 is certainly getting off on the right foot!

We’re thrilled to announce that we are shortlisted for 2 awards from The Family Wealth Report:

  • Property & Household
  • Leading Individual – for our very own EVP, Anneke Stender

We are also shortlisted for these 3 awards as we announced last month:

Thank you to The Family Wealth Report Awards for including us on your shortlist, and congratulations on 10 years of award-giving.

We wish the best of luck to our impressive list of co-shortlisted companies.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the winners.

Plumb Family Office Accounting & Bill Pay is a high-touch, hi-tech family office accounting and bill pay service provider whose solutions are custom designed to meet the needs of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients and family offices.

With decades of experience in this distinctive and niche market, Plumb delivers financial peace of mind by assisting high-net-worth individuals and family offices know where their money is going, so their trusted advisors can effectively manage it. We work in partnership with their team — including wealth, CPA, and other advisors — to provide the highest quality of data and financial reporting to establish a holistic view of their assets and financial holdings. This gives them true control of their wealth and establishes the foundation for effectively implementing their financial strategies.

Let’s talk about how we can help you build trusted relationships with your clients.

How do you define financial clarity for your HNWI/UHNWI clients?

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Each one of your HNWI/UHNWI clients has a unique financial situation and looks to you to sort through the details to provide simple, clear reports that are meaningful to their lifestyle goals. Bringing clarity to a potentially complex financial landscape is no easy challenge, especially when each client is so unique.

To achieve that higher level of financial clarity, you need tools that will help you define and deliver. In the ebook 6 Essential Tools to Help You Manage HNWI/UHNWI Clients: Your Guide to Ensure Financial Clarity and Data Security, we help you understand design financial reporting that is focused on the unique needs of each one of your clients.

Built to fit

Your HNWI/UHNWI clients are unique, with diverse sets of portfolio and investment strategies that support very individual lifestyle goals. In the past, financial advisors often believed the only way to get the specific information they needed was to manually enter data from multiple sources into custom made spreadsheets. At Plumb, we are laser-focused on UHNWI clients and understand how emerging technologies, changes to accounting and reporting requirements, and security advances will impact your clients. Our team is dedicated to providing focused reporting that gives you the timely, clear insights that will allow you to be proactive with your clients. We can help you “pull it all together” with tracking and recording of 1099’s, K-1’s, charitable contributions, medical expenses, sales of stock, and all other income. You’ll have all the information your CPAs needs to prepare tax returns at your fingertips.

Agile, intelligent technology

With all the moving parts in the financial affairs of your HNWI/UHNWI clients, you need to continuously monitor and respond quickly. You need agile, intelligent technology to take a proactive approach to managing your client’s financial landscape. Plumb’s extensive experience with UHNWI clients combined with our understanding of Sage Intacct’s intelligent functionality can give you that edge. Tools built into Sage Intacct continuously monitor and analyze financial transactions to identify and alert for discrepancies and outliers—advancing your services from simple accounting to intelligent financial management.

Plumb uses Sage Intacct to automate reporting processes that connect disparate data sources and provide timely, complete information. Consolidation of multiple entities, bill payment, and streamlined financial planning processes all deliver focused reporting through customized, real-time financial dashboards.

Anytime, anywhere access

Financial clarity is only complete if you have the information you need on your phone or laptop anytime, anywhere. Complete transparency through web-based apps allows you to answer your client’s questions instantly. Customized, real-time financial dashboards deliver deeper insights into all areas of your client’s financial affairs. Secure web and mobile-based apps allow you to bring those insights with you safely no matter where you go.

Learn more about financial clarity for your HNWI/UHNWI clients

To help you simplify financial management and reporting your clients, please check out the ebook titled 6 Essential Tools to Help You Manage HNWI/UHNWI Clients: Your Guide to Ensure Financial Clarity and Data Security.

When you entrust the accounting, reporting, and data security details to true experts, you can focus on deeper, personalized, more strategic service delivery to your HNWI/UHNWI clients.

Plumb Family Office Accounting & Bill Pay is a high-touch technology family office accounting and bill pay service provider dedicated to serving the needs of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. Plumb ensures that your client’s bills are paid on time and works in partnership with you to deliver the highest quality data and financial reporting. In addition to our bill pay services, we also provide comprehensive Family Office Accounting support including tracking and recording of 1099’s, K-1’s, charitable contributions, medical expenses, sales of stock, and all other income.

Let’s talk about how we can help you build trusted relationships with your clients.

Plumb Shortlisted for 3 Awards

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We are thrilled to be recognized by two different organizations for our contributions to the family office accounting and bill pay space this year.

Plumb has been shortlisted for the Technology Innovator of the Year Award at Citywealth’s Magic Circle Awards – and you can vote for us by visiting this link.

We’ve also been shortlisted for the Best General Ledger System and the Best Partnership Accounting System at the Private Asset Management (PAM) Awards. We appreciate this acknowledgement from both Citywealth and PAM.

This recognition comes on the heels of a year of tremendous growth for Plumb Family Office Accounting & Bill Pay, and the development of our proprietary bill pay app. We are in great company as our fellow shortlisted firms are the best in the business, and we wish them all the luck.

We are grateful to our clients, our partners in wealth management, and our incredible Plumb team.

How You Can Ensure Privacy and Data Security for Your HNWI/UHNWI Clients

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High net- and ultra-high net-worth individuals (HNWI/UHNWI) and family offices require a higher level of privacy and security assurances. As a trusted advisor, the tools you use to service your client’s financial needs need to meet world-class security standards. It’s difficult to focus on deeper, personalized relationships when you are constantly worried about protecting the privacy and data security of your clients.

In the eBook 6 Essential Tools to Help You Manage HNWI/UHNWI Clients: Your Guide to Ensure Financial Clarity and Data Security we’ll give you a clear understanding of what kind of security measures you should expect from your accounting and financial management partners.

Work with partners experienced with client privacy

At Plumb, we take security of customer data seriously. Operations are designed to ensure compliance with all data protection laws and regulations. State-of-the-art bank-level security and an in-house IT department provide additional monitoring and oversight. Plumb trains all employees specifically in the privacy best practices that apply to HNWI/UHNWI and family office clients.

Use software with world class privacy protection and data security

Highly confidential financial data requires software housed in data centers that meet high audit standards and are monitored 24/7/365 by security professionals. Security that only a world class software company like Sage Intacct can provide.

Sage Intacct applies the physical, network, application, and data security standards that protect the most private, critical data of your clients. External audits and other third-party certifications ensure financial information will be protected in a highly secure environment. Security features built into the Sage Intacct application prevent unauthorized programs, systems, and users from gaining access to resources and data. World class data centers are monitored 24/7/365.

Consistent quality control measures

Checks and balances are the keystone of professional level accounting and financial management. Quality control measures should ensure that no one person has control over all parts of a financial transaction. When working with a partner to deliver services to your HNWI/UHNWI clients, it’s critical that they can demonstrate how they establish the proper checks and balances in financial management.

Plumb follows a 7-phase process that features segregation of duties, multiple levels of review, and secure access. Using Sage Intacct as the unified accounting platform, transactional processes, consistent reviews, required authorizations, and user access are all systematically applied. Multiple sets of examination provide the checks and balances to prevent fraud and ensure accuracy.

The quality control measures integrated into the Plumb procedures, and the automated processes of Sage Intacct  reduce the opportunities for human error and fraud. Connecting data directly to vendors and other applications reduces the chance of errors due to manual data entry. By working with the experts at Plumb and their experience with Sage Intacct, you can take advantage of secure electronic payment options and timely reconciliations.

Learn more about privacy and security assurance for your HNWI/UHNWI clients

To help you maintain your focus on security as you work with your clients, please check out the eBook 6 Essential Tools to Help You Manage HNWI/UHNWI Clients: Your Guide to Ensure Financial Clarity and Data Security.

When you entrust the accounting, reporting, and data security details to true experts, you can focus on deeper, personalized, and even more strategic service delivery to your HNWI/UHNWI clients.

Plumb Bill Pay & Family Office Accounting is a high-touch technology family office accounting and bill pay service provider dedicated to serving the needs of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. Plumb ensures that your client’s bills are paid on time and works in partnership with you to deliver the highest quality data and financial reporting. In addition to our bill pay services, we also provide comprehensive Family Office Accounting support.

Let’s talk about how we can help you build trusted relationships with your clients. Contact us at sales@thinkplumb.com to learn more today!

 

Spending too much time managing bill payment for HNWI/UHNWI clients?

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Managing the bill payments for high net- and ultra-high net-worth individuals (HNWI/UHNWI) clients is a time-consuming and often frustrating task. Tracking down potential discrepancies, monitoring fraudulent transactions, working with vendors, and doing regular reconciliations are critical to maintain your client’s trust but take valuable time away from more strategic functions.

By working with a partner who specializes in bill payment for HNWI/UHNWI clients, you can spend less time in the accounting weeds and more time on high-value services. Plumb personal bill payment services handle the details of monthly personal bills and expenses.

Unique client requirements

As a trusted advisor to a special class of clients, you can’t risk working with inexperienced partners. At Plumb, we are laser focused on helping financial professionals like you serve HNWI/UHNWI and family offices. We have a proven track record of delivering bill payment, accounting, and financial reporting services to the clients you serve.

Proven HNWI/UHNWI client bill pay processes

Because bill payment services are one of the most time-consuming accounting tasks for HNWI/UHNWI clients, it makes good sense to consider outsourcing. A turnkey bill pay service should be designed to manage all the details of your client’s accounting, payment, and vendor management. At Plumb, accounts are closely monitored to identify any discrepancies or questionable transactions. Cash flow reporting, expense tracking, and bill payment are handled reliably and securely. Approving bills, viewing bill payment status, and communicating with the Plumb team takes full advantage of modern technology.

State-of-the-art technology supports better reporting

To maintain the levels of service your clients expect, bill payment needs to be managed by experts in both the Family Office space and the best-performing software for this niche audience. Plumb utilizes Sage Intacct  which can provide you with clear, detailed information that allows you to answer questions instantly. The automated processes of Sage Intacct simplify multi-entity consolidations, streamline bill payment, and provide timely reporting—all while reducing manual processes that take time away from higher-level services

Practices and processes to ensure data security

Security must always be top-of-mind for any service you provide to clients. Plumb’s bank-level security practices include real-time, 24/7 network monitoring and detection from in-house IT professionals. In addition to good data security practices, bill payment services should also have tight process controls in place.

Segregation of duties in bookkeeping and financial management provide an added level of security protection for your clients. Sage Intacct’s bill payment platform has checks and balances built in through automated processes. Plumb’s bill payment services include multiple sets of examinations to prevent fraud and ensure accuracy.

Learn more about the tools you can leverage to manage HNWI/UHNWI clients

To help you focus on the most important aspects of working with your clients, including bill pay, please check out the ebook 6 Essential Tools to Help You Manage HNWI/UHNWI Clients: Your Guide to Ensure Financial Clarity and Data Security.

When you entrust the accounting, reporting, and data security details to true experts, you can focus on deeper, personalized, and even more strategic service delivery to your HNWI/UHNWI clients.

Plumb Family Office Accounting & Bill Pay is a high-touch technology family office accounting and bill pay service provider dedicated to serving the needs of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. Plumb ensures that your client’s bills are paid on time and works in partnership with you to deliver the highest quality data and financial reporting. In addition to our bill pay services, we also provide comprehensive Family Office Accounting support.

Let’s talk about how we can help you build stronger relationships with your clients.

 

How Can I See Where My Cash is Going Each Month?

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Having clarity regarding your monthly spending and cash outflow provides not only important insights that can help you make smarter, more informed decisions but also the peace of mind knowing that your finances are in order.  

 

We outline below some pivotal steps you can take to ensure you understand where your cash goes every month. 

We all know that tracking your monthly personal and business expenses is very important, yet it can be a surprisingly difficult task when your finances are complex and you have a lot to manage.

 

Staying informed becomes even more challenging when you own multiple properties, businesses, investments, or other assets. As your personal finances grow, the maintenance required changes and intensifies. Not knowing where you stand every month related to your expenses can generate stress and hinder your growth plans – or can potentially force you to make poor decisions. Understanding clearly how your money is being spent allows you to correct course if and when needed, so you can continue to move in the right direction.  

 

A comprehensive monthly report is the tool you need to help you gain clarity into your monthly finances. Like a rearview mirror that prevents blind spots, a monthly report will give you perspective on your positioning. Often the first few monthly reports can be a sobering experience, even for those who feel they generally have a good hold on their finances, but do not worry. With these new insights you can make any of the necessary changes to get yourself back on track. One important note: make sure your monthly report categorizes your expenses so you can get a good feel about where to cut back and where to allocate more resources.  

 

A monthly cash report allows you to compare your spending month to month and year to year. Plumb Family Office Accounting tracks against expense categories and sums up the over/under variance, focusing on year-to-date changes. Having this report allows for more efficient meetings with financial planners. At Plumb we use the latest software to provide you with all views and angles of your spending so you can see the whole picture. 

 

When you work with Plumb, we make sure every deduction in your spending is accounted for, which makes filing taxes significantly easier. Accessible monthly cash flow reports let you keep tabs on your finances, so you and your financial team can make better decisions together.  

Plumb Family Office Accounting is an expert at delivering the clarity and financial peace of mind high-net-worth individuals and family offices need. Let us know if you would like to get in touch for more information. We work in partnership with your team — wealth, CPA, and other advisors — to provide the highest quality financial reporting. This gives you true control of your wealth and establishes the foundation for effectively implementing your financial strategies.

 

 

5 Ways Plumb Addresses Capital Call Challenges

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Our clients often ask us how we can help them manage capital calls and alternative investments. Our years of experience working with investors and ultra-high-net-worth individuals has allowed us to create best practices for a seamless, secure, and transparent process. 

In years past, the timing of capital calls used to be more clearly scheduled and defined, but we have noticed a recent change: capital calls are no longer always scheduled out in advance, but rather they are being made when a fund has the need and/or finds a new investment. This trend results in an even greater need to understand the nuances of a capital call, and to have a clear and safe process in place to address them. 

Below we have outlined some of the ways in which we alleviate the administrative burden and stress of capital calls while providing clarity, organization, and security around this pivotal piece of investing. 

 

1. Plumb assists clients with completing Subscription Agreements. 

The first step in investing is often the required completion of a Subscription Agreement. These can be lengthy and somewhat tedious forms to complete, but they are a necessary part of investing in a Limited Partnership. We perform this important administrative service for our clients, so they can focus on the big picture. All they need to do is review it and sign. 

 

2. We are proactive in the management of capital calls to ensure our clients are never in breach of contract. 

Many of our clients are investors across myriad funds and banks, which can make staying on top of portals, notifications, and deadlines extremely challenging. We create organization around this process. We have access to all the necessary portals so that we can receive and verify all notifications and issue payments on time. Whether our clients’ financial advisors are managing the fund or not, Plumb will track, manage, and issue payments for any and all capital calls. 

 

3. Plumb has a strict and critical wire approval and verification process. 

In this age of wire fraud and digital hackers, Plumb has created a best-in-class and hyper-vigilant wire approval and verification process. Our approach gives our clients, their financial advisors, and the funds in which they have invested the peace of mind needed so they can put their focus and energy elsewhere.  

 

4. We provide transparent commitment tracking. 

We understand that it can be difficult to track how much money has been paid out and how much might still be owed. We provide our clients with clear and transparent reports that demonstrate precisely how much of their commitments have been met, and what they still will be called upon to pay so they can plan accordingly. 

 

5. Plumb collects, documents, and organizes all necessary K1 forms. 

Another critical function of Plumb is to gather and organize the K1 forms for our clients at the end of the year. These forms are often difficult to collect, especially when dealing with varied investments and investment portals. We ensure that all K1 forms are received and shared with the CPAs of our clients in advance of tax season. 

 

At the end of the day, Plumb shines when it comes to managing the administrative and transactional function of capital calls. We are experts in the due diligence and organization necessary to ensure that our clients respond to their capital calls in a timely and secure manner. 

Plumb Family Office Accounting delivers financial peace of mind by assisting high-net-worth individuals and family offices know where your money is going, so your trusted advisors can effectively manage it. We work in partnership with your team — including wealth, CPA, and other advisors — to provide the highest quality of data and financial reporting to establish a holistic view of your assets and financial holdings. This gives you true control of your wealth and establishes the foundation for effectively implementing your financial strategies. Please let us know how we can help you or your clients. We’d love to hear from you.