What We Do
A full-service CPA firm, led by advisory
Total Wealth Tax Advisory offers tax preparation, bookkeeping, payroll, and IRS representation — but the firm is built around proactive tax advisory. The difference is a year-round relationship where strategy decisions are made before year-end, not documented after. Tax decisions and investment decisions are coordinated, not siloed.
Total Wealth Tax Advisory
CPA / tax advisory
Our CPA firm. Full service — tax preparation, bookkeeping, payroll, CFO support — but the focus is proactive tax advisory throughout the year.
Total Wealth Services, LLC
SEC-registered investment adviser
Our investment firm — a registered investment adviser, with client assets custodied at Schwab. Financial planning is the cornerstone of the practice.
When your CPA and your investment adviser are coordinated — reviewing the same documents and modeling the same numbers — decisions that would otherwise fall through the gap get caught. That coordination is the core of how Total Wealth Tax is structured.
Advisory
Advisory
Proactive, year-round planning that changes what you may owe — before the year closes. Quarterly projections, entity strategy, retirement planning, and CFO-level guidance coordinated across your business and personal picture.
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 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 moreCompliance
Compliance
Accurate, deadline-driven filings prepared by licensed CPAs. Individual and entity returns, IRS notice response, and state agency representation — every obligation met and every position defensible.
Tax 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 moreIRS & State Help
Notices, audits & representation
Help responding to IRS and state notices, audit support, and representation under a power of attorney where appropriate. We review what's actually being asked and respond on your behalf.
Learn moreAccounting
Accounting
A clean, current financial back office — bookkeeping, payroll, and entity accounting handled by our team. The foundation that makes proactive planning possible.
Bookkeeping & Accounting
Clean books that make planning possible
Year-round bookkeeping, entity compliance, and accounting support. Clean, current financials are the foundation of accurate projections and defensible business-owner strategies.
Learn morePayroll
Compliant payroll, coordinated with strategy
Payroll processing and filings, coordinated with reasonable-compensation planning for S-corp owners and accountable-plan reimbursements so the numbers line up with the strategy.
Learn moreHow we work
Advisory comes first. Compliance follows.
Most firms lead with the return. We lead with the plan. The return is a by-product of a year spent making deliberate decisions — entity structure, payroll, retirement funding, timing of income and deductions. Compliance services are more accurate and defensible when they reflect a documented strategy.
Quarterly planning cadence
Advisory clients meet quarterly so projections reflect actual numbers, not year-end guesses. Worst case, we break the news in November. Best case, we change the outcome.
Document-first process
We do not guess. We review the documents, propose, and implement. That means your actual return, statements, and entity documents — not a conversation about general strategies.
Licensed and credentialed team
Brandon Berman, CPA, CFP®, leads the practice. Joseph Gutierrez, CPA, PFS, handles complex tax and advisory work. Niko Giannakopoulos, MBA, coordinates the planning relationship.
Nationwide — no office visit required
Our office is in Westlake Village, CA. Clients are served remotely across the country. Document exchange and meetings happen through a secure portal and video call.
Coordinated with the RIA
Total Wealth Services, LLC is our SEC-registered investment adviser. Tax and investment decisions are reviewed together — not by separate teams who never speak.
No hourly billing
Engagements are scoped after we review your documents. You should call us when a decision comes up — not avoid the call because the clock is running.
Not sure where to start?
Start with your situation, not the service list
We work with business owners, real estate investors, high-income households, and anyone navigating a complex tax situation. The right service depends on your facts — not a menu. A short discovery call is the fastest way to understand what applies to you.
Business owners
S-corps, LLCs, and partnerships with consistent profit — entity structure, payroll, retirement funding, and year-round advisory.
See what appliesReal estate investors
Rental operators, developers, and syndicators who want depreciation, timing, and structure decisions made deliberately.
See what appliesHigh-income W-2
Employees with RSUs, brokerage accounts, or significant withholding complexity who want coordinated investment and tax planning.
See what appliesConcentrated equity
Pre-IPO equity, RSUs, or low-basis public stock — tax-managed diversification coordinated with the investment side.
See what appliesRetirees
Withdrawal sequencing, Roth conversion windows, IRMAA management, RMD planning, and charitable strategies.
See what appliesReal estate agents
1099 earners who want entity setup, retirement-plan options, and the business deductions their situation may support.
See what appliesNot sure which service is right for you?
A 15-minute discovery call is free. We'll listen to your situation and tell you honestly what services make sense — and which ones don't.