Study: Millionaires need tax help. Who will provide it?

High-net-worth clients are looking to advisors for tax help, but in many cases, advisors aren’t delivering.

Fidelity’s recent Millionaire Outlook study surveyed more than 1,000 HNW households, including over 600 millionaires.

More than half of the millionaires surveyed said they are willing to pay more for an advisor who is able to help them navigate the recent tax reforms, while also minimizing their tax bill. In fact, four in 10 millionaires surveyed say their advisors have not proactively reached out to them on the issue of tax reforms.

Clients may be willing to pay for tax specific advice, but it doesn’t mean advisors are able to give it. Comfort and the level of expertise can play a part in why advisors aren’t discussing tax reform issues with investors.

“A lot of the reason why advisors are not talking tax strategy, in particular qualified opportunity zone, is it’s complicated,” says advisor Avy Stein, managing partner of Cresset Capital in Chicago, a custodial client of Fidelity. “The other reason is it’s new and the regulations which underpin or interpret the legislation just came out [this month] and there will be more to come.”

It takes a lot of time, effort and understanding across multiple disciplines including private equity and real estate as well as taxes and accounting in order to “truly understand what’s going on here,” Stein says. This could be why advisors are avoiding this subject with clients, which could end up hurting their clients in the long run.

Taking a similar approach in the future might help advisors better serve their clients and it is in looking toward the future that clients have the greatest concerns. Fidelity conducted the survey out of an interest in the attitudes, outlook and sentiment of millionaires to use as a harbinger for what’s happening with other investors within the market.

Looking ahead, investors are bullish on the market with a near record low future financial outlook, the study says. However, investors with an advisor are more positive on all metrics, including future outlook, than those without, showing how valuable financial advisors can be.