Fiduciary Services

Why Do Fiduciary Services Matter?

Fiduciary services are especially important for high-income professionals, business owners, and executives who often face complex, high-stakes financial decisions. These services are objective and holistic,  encompassing every aspect of your financial life, from cash flow and tax planning to investments and retirement strategies.

If you work with a broker or sales agent instead of a fiduciary, they are more likely to push products that boost their sales and commissions—even if they aren’t ideal for your financial needs. One wrong choice can have damaging consequences to your portfolio that may be hard to recover from.

When you work with a fiduciary, you have the confidence of knowing their investment recommendations are made with your best interest in mind.

What Is the Fiduciary Standard?

Investment professionals who act as fiduciaries are bound to uphold the Fiduciary Standard, a set of five key principles designed to protect consumers.

1. Your EP Wealth Certified Financial Planner (CFP) is legally and ethically required to put your interests ahead of their own. Our commitment is to our clients, first and foremost.
2. We act with skill, care, and good judgment, with the highest level of competence based on generally accepted investment theories.
3. We work to avoid conflict of interest when it comes to the products and services we recommend.
4. We disclose any conflicts.
5. Transparency is another core principle of our fiduciary services. We provide accurate and timely financial guidance, always explaining the benefits, risks, fees, and alternatives for the actions we recommend. This allows you to stay informed and engaged throughout the process.

Fiduciary Services We Offer

Think of your EP Wealth advisor as a trusted advocate, offering comprehensive financial guidance to guide you towards a more secure financial future.

Here is an overview of the fiduciary services we offer.

Financial Planning

A healthy financial plan is like a roadmap that gets you where you want to be. To build this roadmap, we begin with a detailed understanding of your net worth. We build upon that, developing goals that reflect your financial priorities and timelines. Together, we’ll create a practical budget to meet your needs today, tomorrow, and 30 years from now.

Investment Management

A one-size-fits-all approach to building wealth does not work. EP Wealth investment advisors create an investment portfolio that is highly customized to meet your unique short and long-term goals.

We achieve this by conducting an extensive financial health assessment to look for risks, gaps, and room for growth.  We also help clients plan for major financial milestones, such as acquiring real estate, funding education, or navigating career transitions. 

Tax Planning

We know you work hard to build your wealth and want you to hold on to as much of it as possible. That requires strategic tax planning designed to support investment efficiency and help manage your overall tax exposure. 

EP Wealth also offers tax preparation services for clients who meet our $1M investment minimum and are receiving fee-only wealth management.

Business Planning

Business owners often face unique financial decisions that require coordination across both personal and business priorities. We work with clients to assess how ownership structure, compensation, and succession planning may affect their long-term goals.

Our approach to business planning includes evaluating cash flow, retirement plan options, entity structure, and buy-sell agreements. We help navigate complex decisions that involve business continuity and personal wealth planning.

Retirement Planning

Wondering when you’ll be able to retire? We help assess your current trajectory and explore strategies that reflect your preferred retirement timeline.  

With smart savings and investment strategies, you can close the gap between your yearly income and the income you need to retire. Effective retirement planning addresses income longevity, helps account for unforeseen expenses, and supports lifestyle goals throughout retirement. 

Estate Planning

Our clients want to know that their legacy wishes will be fulfilled, whether that means providing financial distributions to loved ones, or supporting a charitable cause that inspires them. We know the key to protecting your legacy is preserving, managing, and distributing your assets now and after your passing.

Wills, trusts, real estate transfers, and other advanced planning strategies help you avoid the public and time-consuming probate process and protect your assets while minimizing the tax impact on your estate. Taking these steps allows you to feel confident that your assets are distributed in accordance with your wishes, even if you’re no longer able to make decisions directly. 

How Fiduciary Services Apply in Real Life

Below are a few hypothetical examples, based on real situations we've encountered, that reflect the kinds of challenges our clients face and how a fiduciary relationship can bring clarity and direction.

Business Owner Preparing for a Sale

Client Snapshot
A founder of a successful design firm is negotiating a business sale after two decades of growth. She wants to understand how the sale will impact her taxes, retirement planning, estate structure, and philanthropic goals, but she’s unsure where to begin or how to prioritize decisions.

How EP Wealth Fiduciary Services Can Help

• Structure the sale for tax efficiency
• Allocate proceeds into diversified investment accounts
• Update her estate plan to reflect the new liquidity event
• Plan for charitable giving aligned with her values

Executive Facing Equity Decisions

Client Snapshot
A technology executive receives a mix of RSUs, ISOs, and NSOs and holds a significant portion of his net worth in company stock. As he nears retirement, he wants to reduce risk, manage taxes, and integrate his equity strategy into his broader financial plan.

How EP Wealth Fiduciary Services Can Help

• Create a multi-year equity liquidation plan around trading windows
• Evaluate tax implications of ISO and NSO exercises
• Incorporate charitable trusts into the strategy
• Rebalance his overall portfolio to align with long-term income needs
  
  

Professionals Managing Multiple Income Streams

Client Snapshot
Two physicians jointly manage income from private practices, investment properties, and taxable portfolios. With little time to spare, they want help simplifying their finances, minimizing tax burdens, and creating a long-term plan for retirement and wealth transfer.

How EP Wealth Fiduciary Services Can Help

• Help coordinate income timing and quarterly tax payments
• Structure retirement contributions across multiple entities
• Advise on entity structure for liability protection and tax efficiency
• Create a long-term plan to consolidate and simplify asset management
  
  

Attorney Planning for Early Retirement

Client Snapshot
A partner at a mid-sized law firm earns a high income through salary, profit sharing, and deferred compensation. She’s considering early retirement and wants to understand how to transition from accumulation to distribution, manage tax exposure, and plan for the next phase of life.

How EP Wealth Fiduciary Services Can Help

• Analyze timing and structure of deferred compensation payouts
• Model retirement income strategies and drawdown timing
• Coordinate investment, tax, and estate planning across accounts
• Evaluate options for maintaining health coverage pre-Medicare
  
  

EP Wealth’s Approach to Fiduciary Services

Managing your money can be a daunting task at any stage of life. It requires time, skill, and attention. Even then, it’s hard to know if you are making the wisest choices not only for your financial present, but also for the future. The good news is that you don’t have to make these critical decisions alone.

EP Wealth Advisors provide informed and objective financial guidance throughout all of life’s transitions.  We work for you, not the financial products and companies we recommend.  

If you're ready to take a more deliberate, coordinated approach to your financial life, schedule a consultation with an EP Wealth advisor to see how fiduciary planning can help support your goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are fiduciary services?
Fiduciary services refer to financial advice and planning provided by professionals who are legally and ethically required to act in your best interest. These services often include investment management, tax planning, retirement planning, estate coordination, and more—delivered with a client-first approach that prioritizes transparency and objectivity.

How is a fiduciary advisor different from a broker or commission-based planner?
A fiduciary advisor is legally and ethically obligated to act in your best interest, without being influenced by commissions or product sales. Brokers and commission-based planners may be held to a lower suitability standard, which allows them to recommend products that are merely appropriate rather than truly aligned with your goals.

What does fiduciary responsibility mean in practice?
It means your advisor provides objective, client-first guidance. This includes transparency about fees, disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, and a duty to recommend strategies that reflect your best interest based on your full financial picture.

Do fiduciary services include coordination with my attorney or CPA?
Yes. We often collaborate with outside professionals—such as your estate attorney or tax advisor—to help align your planning across legal, tax, and financial considerations. This coordination is especially valuable for clients with complex estates or business interests.

Can a fiduciary help with planning for a business sale or succession?
Yes. Fiduciary advisors can help evaluate the financial implications of a sale or transition, plan for liquidity and tax exposure, and integrate the outcome into your retirement and estate planning.

How can a financial advisor help with fiduciary services?
A financial advisor offering fiduciary services can help you make decisions that reflect your financial goals, not product incentives. This includes creating a comprehensive plan, coordinating with other professionals like attorneys or CPAs, and offering recommendations designed to serve your long-term interests.

How can fiduciary services benefit high-net-worth individuals?
High-net-worth individuals often face multi-layered financial decisions involving trusts, tax strategy, charitable giving, and concentrated assets. Fiduciary services provide coordinated guidance that considers how these elements work together over time, helping to manage risk and preserve wealth across generations.