8 Tips for Navigating the Conversation: Outsourcing Bill Payment for HNW Parents

Written by

Our Top 8 Tips for How to Talk to Your Parents About Outsourcing Their Bill Payment

When it comes to discussing financial matters with high-net-worth parents, the conversation can be more complex than with the average household. High-net-worth individuals often have multiple investments, assets, and financial complexities that require careful management. If you’re considering broaching the topic of outsourcing bill payment for your high-net-worth parents, it’s crucial to approach the conversation with sensitivity, respect, and a focus on their financial well-being.

  1. Understand Their Financial Landscape

Before initiating the conversation, take the time to thoroughly understand your parents’ financial situation. This includes their assets, investments, income sources, liabilities, and financial goals. High-net-worth individuals typically have diverse financial holdings, and it’s essential to grasp the big picture.

  1. Emphasize the Benefits

Highlight the advantages of outsourcing bill payment with an experienced and hands-on team like Plumb. Mention how it can optimize their financial management by ensuring that no payments are missed, preventing late fees, and streamlining record-keeping. Emphasize that not only can this free up their time for more strategic financial planning and investment decisions, but it will give them more time to enjoy their lives and do what they love – whether traveling, spending time with friends and family, or just relaxing.

  1. Address Their Concerns

Acknowledge that your parents may have concerns about relinquishing control over their financial affairs. Listen actively to their worries and address them one by one. Discuss how they can maintain oversight and retain decision-making authority while delegating routine tasks. At Plumb, we understand these concerns and hear them from prospective clients almost daily. In fact, we created our proprietary Bill Pay App specifically for our clients. Our app provides bill pay transparency and insights that we know our clients want. Read more about our app here.

  1. Present Professional Options

Research and present professional options for outsourcing bill payment, like Plumb. We have a proven outsourced bill pay solution, including a proprietary bill pay app, with high-touch customer support, and expert bill pay accountants who ensure bills are paid accurately and on time.

  1. Discuss Privacy and Security

Assure your parents that their privacy and financial security are paramount. Choose a service provider like Plumb with bank-level security and a strong track record of safeguarding sensitive financial information. Explain the robust security measures in place to protect their data – you can learn more about Plumb’s focus on confidentiality and security here.

  1. Transparency in Costs

Be transparent about the costs associated with outsourcing bill payment services or hiring financial advisors. At Plumb, we are very upfront with our fees and take the time needed to walk our clients through exactly what they can expect in return.

  1. Ensure a Comprehensive Approach

When discussing outsourcing, stress the importance of a comprehensive approach to financial management. Explain that the chosen service provider will work in tandem with your parents’ existing financial team, including accountants, attorneys, and investment advisors – just as we do here at Plumb.

  1. Offer Ongoing Support

After the decision is made, offer ongoing support to ensure a smooth transition, but work with a bill pay service provider who will make this an easy and pain-free change. You’ll also want to find a firm like Plumb who offers high-touch, full-access client support.

Broaching the subject of outsourcing bill payment for high-net-worth parents is a delicate but necessary conversation that can enhance their financial well-being and peace of mind. By approaching this topic with empathy, knowledge, and a focus on their specific needs, you can help your parents make informed decisions that optimize their financial management while respecting their autonomy and preferences. Ultimately, this can contribute to their financial security and their overall happiness.

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. We’d love to help answer any questions you may have. Feel free to schedule time to speak with Anneke Stender, our EVP, at your convenience.

Personal Financial Reports that Create Financial Clarity (Top 4)

Written by

Personal financial reports & insights that you need to make knowledgeable decisions about your wealth.

Plumb Family Office Accounting delivers financial peace of mind by providing personal financial reports with the highest quality of data to show a holistic view of personal wealth.  A typical Plumb client leads a busy life with complex financial undertakings, such as multiple investments, corporate entities, private equity, trusts, international exposure and collective properties.  In order to stay organized in their financial life, Plumb provides personal financial reports that reflect the multifaceted assets and financial holdings.

“The month-end personal financial reports that Plumb Family Office Accounting provides to my high-net-worth clients give a clear, aggregated picture of their current financial status and helps establish wealth preservation.” – Estate Attorney 

Plumb Family Office Accounting services are customized to meet the need of any situation from basic bookkeeping with bill pay to personal financial management and cash flow analysis.  Plumb works in partnership with their client’s personal financial team to streamline their efforts, giving them the backdrop to make better financial decisions.   Learn how Plumb Family Office Accounting works with Professional Advisors.

Plumb Family Office Accounting | Personal Reporting & Accounting Services:

  • Personal Financial Reporting & Analysis
  • Personal and Family Bill Pay
  • Cash Flow & Budget Management
  • Bank & Credit Card Reconciliation
  • Household Employee Payroll Services
  • Trust Accounting & Foundation Accounting
  • Personal Insurance Review & Coordination
  • Outsourced Personal/Executive Assistant Services

Personal Financial Reports & Analysis

Below are samples of the different types of personal financial reports that Plumb Family Office Accounting provides to their clients.  All the details of the report are collected per the 7-Step Process which is set-up at the beginning of the engagement. The main benefit of the personal financial reports is that they show consolidated and accurate numbers that reflect all the assets of the client.

Statement of Cash Flow:

The Statement of Cash Flow Report is a monthly snapshot of inflow and outflow of cash.  As a consolidated report listing all the cash coming in each month and what is being spent, it provides a big picture of overall cash position.  This personal financial report is helpful to execute the financial plans of the client and to be more disciplined with spending and saving, if necessary for retirement.

 

Net Worth Statement:

The Financial Recap or Net Worth Statement Report is a consolidated list of assets by asset class and shows a holistic view of all investments from month to month.  The change variants are explained and analyzed into further detail in the financial notes section of the personal financial reports.

 

Family Monthly Budget:

This report is for the affluent family or successful entrepreneur who wants to track against a budget.  Typically, the outline of the budget is put into place in the beginning of the year with the help of the client’s financial planner.  Plumb Family Office Accounting tracks against Expense categories and sums up the over/under variance.  By having this family budget report it allows for more efficient meetings with financial planning and focuses on year-to-date changes.

 

Vacation | Second Home Expenses:

Since most of Plumb Family Office Accounting clients own a second home or more, we’ve developed a Vacation Home Expense Report.  This is a cost analysis report on the typical recurring expenses that center on real estate on a monthly basis.  It shows any trends or spikes in expenses and helps to identify any issues and be proactive as to why they may be occurring.  For example, one client had a spike in their water bill for two months, and Plumb Family Office Accounting identified that there was a leak in their pool and had it fixed to lower their expenses.

 

Experience the Plumb Family Office Accounting Difference with Customized, Personal Financial Reports and Take Control of your Wealth



Personal Financial Reports – Related Posts:

 

 

Organizing Financial Records with Plumb Outsourced Accounting

Written by

Be Year-End Ready

Here we are in the 4th quarter.  This is the time of year that Plumb works closely with their business clients and high-net-worth families, preparing and organizing financial records for year-end planning.

Effective year-end planning starts with organizing financial records to present accurate information and reliable data to our business client’s trusted advisors, such as CPAs and commercial bankers. This gives everyone a financial baseline to pave the way for the remainder of the year and kick off 2022 planning.

As part of Plumb’s 7-Step Process, the end of the year means “pulling it all together” and producing accurate accounting information with a year-end wrap up.  A tax package example from Plumb includes:

  1. Year-to-date Financials (Balance Sheet, Income Statement, General Ledger)
  2. Any significant adjustments that plan to be made before the end of the year
  3. Year-do-date fixed asset depreciation schedule, and the details of any purchases and dispositions made during the year
  4. Year-to-date Work in Progress Schedules
  5. Federal and state tax payment detail
  6. Charitable contribution detail
  7. Bank and credit card reconciliations

Get Started Now: Preparing for Year-End

When year-end and tax time rolls around, will your financial records be ready to present to a CPA or the IRS? Being prepared for year-end starts with setting up the right accounting systems and internal controls to process transactions appropriately.  Transactions must be correctly classified, current, consistent and compliant.  Organizing financial records starts with establishing accounting internal controls and procedures.  For top considerations for creating accounting internal controls, click here.

The Plumb Process:

With the start of every new engagement at Plumb an initial system map is designed, complete with tasks associated with daily, weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual transactions. Once finalized with the client, Plumb’s proprietary system map is then uploaded into task management software with a calendar reflecting financial and administrative due dates.  These time-sensitive activities lead up to the year-end wrap up and final task of producing the annual tax package for the client’s CPA and trusted advisors.

Organizing Financial Records

The task management system at Plumb notifies accountants from their dashboard when items are due for specific clients.  With this organized and timely system, it allows for tracking income and expenses. It also keeping up-to-date with bank and credit card reconciliations and monthly journal entries.

Other notable tasks that help with creating accurate year-end financials:

  • Making sure income and expense categories are correctly classified.
  • Prepaid insurance and expenses must be amortized over the life of the term.
  • Reconciling unearned revenues.
  • Follow-up with collections.
  • Review fixed asset purchases.

“Working with Plumb gives me financial peace of mind knowing that I’m audit- and tax-ready every month of the year; my CPA has confidence in my year-end financials and takes less time processing my tax returns, which saves me money,” -Plumb Outsourced Accounting Client

Ready to organize your financial records and start your year-end planning?


>

Find us on

3 Things to Know About Form 1099-NEC

Written by

What is Form 1099-NEC (Nonemployee Compensation)?

The IRS is bringing back a form last used in 1982s —Form 1099-NEC, to be used beginning with 2020 information returns. The draft 2020 version of the form has been posted by the IRS to the agency’s website. Part of the rationale for the new Form 1099–NEC was that the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015.

It will be used to report at least $600 payments made to each person during the calendar year for your business:

  • Services performed by someone that was not your employee
    • Include parts/materials used to perform the service
  • Cash payments for fish (or other aquatic life) you purchase from anyone engaged in the trade or business of catching fish
  • Payments to attorneys

Withheld any federal income tax under the backup withholding rules regardless of the payment amount.

Common examples of who will receive Form 1099-NEC:

  • Attorneys
  • Architects
  • Accountants
  • Graphic Designers
  • Web Developer
  • IT Consultants
  • Freelance writer
  • Non-employee Sales Commission
  • Freelance Contractors
  • Landscapers
  • Other self-employed individuals

Form 1099-NEC:

Due to IRS & Recipient 2/1/21

  • A IRS
  • 1 State Tax Department
  • B Recipient
  • 2 Recipient copy to be filed with state income tax return (if applicable)
  • C Payer

 

Form 1099-MISC:

Due to recipient by 2/1/21 or 2/16/21 if reporting in box 8 or 10. Due to IRS by 3/1/21 (paper) or 3/31/21 (electronic)

  • A IRS
  • 1 State Tax Department
  • B Recipient
  • 2 Recipient copy to be filed with state income tax return (if applicable)
  • C Payer

 

Ready to start your new year with organized financials in preparation for tax season? Plumb Family CFO works in partnership with your CPA and personal financial team.  Fill out the form below to find out more.

Landing Page Contact Form

Related Posts:

Find us on

Personal Income Tax Organizer: Preparing your Financials for Filing Tax Returns

Written by

Personal Income Tax Organizer, an Outsourced Recordkeeping Solution by Plumb Family CFO

In this client case study, Plumb Family CFO gives an overview of the recordkeeping and accounting services that go into putting together a personal income tax organizer that streamlines year-end tracking and creates financial organization in order to file tax returns.

Client: High-net-worth real estate investor with multiple properties, S Corp, and brokerage accounts.

Net Worth: $35MM

Background:  This real estate investor has a large portfolio of multi-family rental and mixed-use properties, along with an S Corp, and complex personal accounting needs. With limited time and resources to organize his financial records and supporting tax documents, he turned to Plumb Family CFO as an outsourced accounting solution.

The Solution:  Plumb Family CFO collects, tracks and organizes the client’s financial data to create a comprehensive and audit-proof financial package for year-end.  This allows for the client’s CPA firm to be more cost-effective with their time and helps to maximize standard deductions. Plumb also supplies the CPA with quarterly financial reports to properly adjust estimated tax payments as needed to avoid any penalties and interest chargers with the IRS or Franchise Tax Board.

By having accurate recordkeeping throughout the year, with up-to-date reconciliations and properly tracked income and expenses, the client experienced tax season with the peace of mind knowing that he had the highest quality of data and financial reporting to file tax returns. With a clear financial picture, he was able to make informed decisions with his wealth and property portfolio.

View: Additional Family CFO Case Studies

“Plumb Family CFO tracks and organizes my client’s financials and paperwork throughout the year and I never have to worry about any last-minute fire drills or missing information during tax deadlines”.  – Client’s CPA

Download: Sample copy of Annual Tax Organizer / Personal Income Tax Organizer

Personal Income Tax Organizer: “Pulling it all Together”

In order for Plumb Family CFO to organize and compile all the data for the client’s CPA to file tax returns, we follow an accounting preparation guideline, including:

  • Step 1: Fully reconcile and close out year-end financials
  • Step 2: Print a P&L statement for each entity to use as reference tool
  • Step 3: Work with the client’s CPA to use their standard personal income tax organizer or create document using Plumb Family CFO template
  • Step 4: Outline and track any major purchases made throughout the year that may have a tax impact – for example, purchase/sale of real estate, purchase of electric vehicle or IRA contributions

Financial Recordkeeping & Supporting Tax Documents

Here is a sample list of the supporting tax documents that Plumb Family CFO will collect throughout the year for the personal income tax organizer package.

  • Wages/Salary – W2
  • Interest/Dividend Income:
  • 1099s from bank and brokerage firms
  • General Ledger for private loan/note interest received
  • Capital Gains/Losses
  • 1099 from brokerage firms
  • K1 Schedules
  • Private Equity
  • Hedge Funds
  • Privately Held Companies
  • Property Income/Expenses
  • Include P&L by investment property to be included on Schedule E of the tax return
  • Standard Deductions
  • Include GL detail for each category
  • General Expense Categories
  • Medical and Health Insurance
  • Legal – Estate Planning
  • Interest Expense – either 1098 form for mortgage or investment interest
  • Property Taxes for Residence(s)
  • Donations – include donation receipt for amounts over $250 per annum
  • Tax Payments (IRS and State)

Ready to start your new year with organized financials in preparation for tax season? Plumb Family CFO works in partnership with your CPA and personal financial team.  Fill out the form below to learn more.

Landing Page Contact Form

Related Posts:

Find us on

Plumb Family CFO Asks: Who’s Managing your Wealth?

Written by

A top priority for affluent families is managing wealth.

To make things clear, Plumb Family CFO does not provide services that manage wealth or advise on investment strategies. Plumb Family CFO works with their client’s personal financial team to provide an accurate view of wealth through consolidated reports and financial statements.  Consistent communication with the family’s professional advisers leverages their total expertise and provides a backdrop to make better financial decisions to sustain wealth.

In this article, written by Tony Robbins for MarketWatch, he gives his opinion on how to take charge of your money and managing wealth by knowing the difference between a financial adviser, broker-dealer and an independent registered investment adviser.  Go to Tony Robbins person website >> here

Managing Wealth: Considerations for Choosing a Financial Adviser

These statements are taken from a series of articles written by Tony Robbins who explains how to improve investment and personal-finance skills. Managing wealth is a complex topic and by knowing the answers to these questions it will help you learn the financial system better.

  1. What’s the difference between a Financial Adviser, Wealth Manager, or Investment Consultant vs. Registered Investment Adviser?
  2. Does the investment firm have an affiliation with a Broker-Dealer?
  3. Does the firm offer proprietary mutual funds or separately managed accounts?
  4. Does the firm receive any third-party compensation for recommending particular investments?
  5. Where is the money held?
  6. Does the firm offer any financial planning services beyond investment strategy or portfolio management?

Managing wealth can include various tasks outside of financial planning and investment.  This is where Plumb Family CFO can help by handling personal accounting services not provided by the client’s CPA or family office.  Read: “Top Ways that Plumb Family CFO Works with Trusted Advisers”

Plumb Family CFO Provides:

Gain Financial Peace of Mind with Plumb Family CFO.  Fill out the form below to get started:

Landing Page Contact Form

Related Posts:

 

 

Tax Deduction Survey for Tax Season

Written by

Take the Tax Deduction Quiz!

Just in time for tax season

Do you think you know what qualifies as a tax deduction?  Here at Plumb, an outsourced accounting firm in San Diego and Orange County, we have a full team of accounting professionals who organize our client’s financials to get prepared for filing tax returns.  We are not a CPA firm, rather a company that supports businesses and high-net-worth families with their part-time and outsourced accounting needs.

Whether you are a CPA, tax professional, accountant or simply handle your own personal tax returns, test your knowledge with this quiz!

 >> Tax Deduction Quiz! <<

Plumb works in partnership with our client’s CPAs to handle all the preliminary tax work for year-end.  With our customized 7-Step Process, Plumb delivers an Annual Tax Organizer, consisting of a one-page tax summary sheet outlining information sent to the CPA.  With our pre-tax accounting services, it ensures accurate record-keeping, and reconciliation of all asset accounts.  For more information on our Annual Tax Organizer, click here.

Pre-Tax Accounting Services:

  • Tracking and recording 1099’s,
  • Tracking and recording charitable contributions
    • Any contribution over $250 must have a letter or receipt
  • Tracking and recording medical expenses
  • Tracking and recording sales of stock
    • Enter gross proceeds and gross cost basis
  • Record and calculate Gross Distribution, Taxable amount and taxes withheld from Wages, Pensions or Gambling Winnings
  • Re-classify income per 1099
  • Verify 1099-G; money received from State & Local Tax Refunds

If you want to experience financial peace of mind this tax season, Plumb is here to help.  

Landing Page Contact Form