why the ultra-wealthy might prefer them.
by russ alan prince and anthony glomski
your $5-million high-net-worth practice
in many ways, the accounting industry is under pressure from fee compression and seriously increasing competition. the current crisis is exacerbating the problems some accounting firms are having.
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at the same time, certain types of clients and sets of services prove to be extremely profitable for accounting firms. one such type of client is the ultra-wealthy. furthermore, a potentially highly profitable segment of the ultra-wealthy is those with single-family offices.
there are six, sometimes overlapping, reasons single-family offices can be exceptional clients for accounting firms, including:
- single-family offices are booming, creating greater demand for the expertise accounting firms can provide. while some accounting functions are internal to many single-family offices, many are not. with the increase in the number of single-family offices, there is an expanding cohort in need of many accounting firms’ services.
- by working with single-family offices, accounting firms create a halo effect that can be leveraged to bring in additional ultrawealthy families as clients. what is very telling is that the ultra-wealthy families who become clients because the accounting firm is recognized as a thought leader working with single-family offices turn out to be, in the aggregate, more profitable for these firms than the very profitable single-family offices.
- as single-family offices are becoming more high-functioning, senior management and the ultrawealthy family is increasingly inclined to outsource strategically. more and more, single-family offices tend to focus on a small set of deliverables and turn to external experts for other services and products. in effect, a significant number of them are disaggregating, providing tremendous opportunities for accounting firms to acquire tax planning, compliance, and a wide range of consulting work.
- when the accounting firm’s expertise is properly positioned in serving single-family offices, the fees charged by accounting firms are not a problem. by focusing on value instead of cost and highlighting differentiated as opposed to commoditized offerings, accounting firms can be well compensated for their services. along the same lines, with this orientation around value, realization with single-family offices is rarely problematic.
- single-family offices tend to have a multitude of needs and wants. because of the array of services single-family offices outsource today, accounting firms can likely provide a wide range of expertise.
- international single-family offices are increasingly relying on local accounting firms for various services. for example, many times they are looking for accounting firms to provide services and support to family members traveling to other countries as well as on-the-ground oversight of investments in those countries.
according to jason zayon, a partner in the business management & family office group at armanino llp, “single-family offices are looking for a one-stop-shop to handle all of their financial affairs for multiple family members and their children. an accounting firm can provide bookkeeping, household employee payroll and hr assistance, tax consulting and preparation services, estate planning, generational wealth transfer, and education, insurance oversight, real estate transaction assistance, due diligence on business ventures, etc. the accountant becomes the true ‘trusted advisor’ for everything the family office client needs not only today, but for the future generations as well.”
in sum, the ultrawealthy in general, and single-family offices in particular, are regularly extremely lucrative clients for talented, capable and forward-thinking accountants. single-family offices tend to have wide-ranging needs and wants and will pay well for high-quality solutions and swift responsiveness.