Most high-income taxpayers have a CPA and a financial advisor — but rarely do those two professionals share the same picture of your finances in real time. Brickley Wealth Management breaks down where the coordination gap costs the most and what a truly integrated approach looks like.

The headline sale price and the after-tax cash you actually keep are rarely the same number—and the gap is where planning creates the most value. A multi-year tax and cash flow model maps the transaction year and the years that follow, surfacing decisions around NIIT exposure, estate planning windows, installment sales, and post-liquidity Roth conversions.

Naming a trust as the beneficiary of an IRA or 401(k) can provide control and protection when a loved one isn't equipped to manage a sudden inheritance. The strategy carries real trade-offs—SECURE Act distribution rules, compressed trust tax brackets, and added administrative cost—that warrant careful coordination among legal, tax, and investment advisors.

A tax return is more than a compliance document—it's a diagnostic tool that surfaces income sources, carryforwards, and thresholds a portfolio review alone may miss. When investment advisory and CPA services sit under one roof, those details can inform decisions before the tax year closes.

Most Anthropic employees hold a mix of RSUs, ISOs, and NQSOs—each with different tax consequences and different planning windows. This three-phase framework walks through what matters before the IPO, during lockup, and after shares become tradable.

A liquidity event converts concentrated equity into real wealth—but it also introduces new complexity. Post-liquidity planning requires coordinated investment management and CPA guidance to align taxes, portfolio strategy, estate planning, and long-term financial independence.