Tax-first wealth management for complex financial lives.
We coordinate tax strategy, financial planning, and investment management so your decisions are made with the full picture in view — proactively, throughout the year.
“We do not guess. We review the documents, propose, and implement.”
- Proactive year-round planning
- Document-first process
- No hourly billing
Two coordinated teams, one plan
Total Wealth Tax Advisory
CPA tax advisory — proactive planning & filing
Total Wealth Services, LLC
SEC-registered RIA — planning & investments at Schwab
Your tax decisions and investment decisions aren't made in a vacuum — we coordinate them.
The platform behind your plan
Why Total Wealth Tax
Precision is the minimum. Strategy is the difference.
Anyone can file a return after the year is over. We coordinate tax, planning, and investments so decisions get made with the full picture in view.
Tax-first, integrated
Tax decisions and investment decisions are coordinated — not made in separate silos.
Proactive, not rear-view
We plan during the year, not just document it after. Worst case, we break the news in November — best case, we change the outcome.
Document-first process
We review the actual documents before we propose. It keeps the advice precise and honest.
No hourly billing
Call us when decisions come up. You shouldn't avoid a call because the clock is ticking.
What We Do
A full-service CPA firm, led by advisory
From proactive tax advisory to preparation, bookkeeping, payroll, CFO support, and IRS representation — coordinated under one relationship.
Tax Advisory
Financial planning for taxes — our flagship
Proactive, year-round tax planning instead of rear-view-mirror filing. We meet on a quarterly cadence, build projections, and evaluate which strategies may apply — so you understand your tax position before the year closes, not after.
Learn moreTax Preparation
Accurate, defensible federal & state returns
Preparation and e-file of federal and state returns — individual and entity — with correct treatment of complex forms like brokerage statements, K-1s, and real estate. Often coordinated with advisory so the return reflects the plan.
Learn moreCFO Services
Financial leadership for growing companies
Fractional CFO support — projections, cash-flow visibility, KPI reporting, and the financial decision support a growing business needs — integrated with the tax plan rather than bolted on.
Learn moreWho We Help
Built for complex financial lives
The strategies that may apply depend on who you are. Find your situation.
Business Owners
The largest set of strategies lives inside your business.
See strategiesReal Estate Investors
Depreciation, timing, and structure done deliberately.
See strategiesReal Estate Agents
Compete on value, not commission.
See strategiesConcentrated Equity
Plan the liquidity event before it happens.
See strategiesHigh-Income W-2
Fewer levers — used well.
See strategiesRetirees & HNW Low-Income
Sequencing, conversions, and bracket management.
See strategiesHow We Work
We don't guess. We review, propose, and implement.
Step 1
Review the documents
We start with your actual return and statements — not assumptions. We don't guess.
Step 2
Propose
We come back with a clear plan: what we'd do for tax prep, and which advisory strategies may apply to your situation.
Step 3
Implement
We put the plan into action and meet on a quarterly cadence, so you know where you stand before year-end.
Strategies
The levers we evaluate
Plain-English explainers for the strategies that may apply — from S-corp elections to cost segregation to Roth conversions. Whether any fits depends on your facts.
Who We Are
Two coordinated teams, one relationship
Brandon Berman
CPA, CFP®
Founder & Principal Advisor
Joseph Gutierrez
CPA, PFS
CPA & Tax Advisor
Niko Giannakopoulos
MBA
Wealth Advisor
Start here
Not sure where you stand? Take the 4-minute assessment.
A short, branching questionnaire that mirrors our discovery call. You'll get a personalized summary of the strategies that mayapply and the documents we'd review — no obligation.
Questions
Frequently asked
Tax preparation documents a year that's already over. Tax advisory is proactive — almost like financial planning for taxes. We meet throughout the year, build projections, and evaluate which strategies may apply, so you understand your position before year-end.
Yes. Our office is in Westlake Village, but we work with clients across the country. Document exchange happens through a secure portal, and meetings are by phone or video.
We do not bill hourly — you should call us when decisions come up, not avoid calls because the clock is running. Engagements are scoped after we review your documents.
Typically your last filed federal and state return, current-year tax forms (W-2/1099/K-1), and — if we're going to be holistic — investment statements so we can see cost basis and inefficiencies. We review the documents first, then propose.
No. We can often identify inefficiencies, but whether a strategy helps depends on your specific facts, timing, and documentation. We use can/may/depends language deliberately, and we'll tell you if there isn't enough value.
Not at all. We respect existing relationships and never try to infringe on them. To be holistic we like to see the full picture — and sometimes we can offer tidbits you can take back to your current advisor.
Have another question? Get in touch.
Let's start with the documents.
Book a short discovery call. We'll review your situation, tell you what we'd evaluate, and be honest if there isn't enough value.