ACCOUNTING FIRM · MALIBU
A Malibu accounting firm for UHNW households, entertainment principals, and wildfire-affected estates.
A boutique CPA and family-CFO firm for Malibu principals — writers, directors, producers, actors, founders, and multi-generational families — with a specialized practice in §165 casualty-loss planning for wildfire-affected properties along PCH. Partner-led since 2013.
SCHEDULE A DISCOVERY CONVERSATION →§165 casualty planning for wildfire-affected Malibu properties
Federally declared disaster areas — including the recent fires affecting the Malibu coastline — open a specific, time-sensitive tax posture under IRC §165(i): the option to claim a casualty loss on the return for the year before the disaster, receiving refund relief sooner rather than later. The mechanics are unforgiving. Basis substantiation, appraisal timing, insurance-proceeds netting, involuntary-conversion elections under §1033, and coordination with rebuild plans all matter. Our firm has walked clients through this after Woolsey, and we are actively doing it now.
If your Malibu property was affected and you have not yet run a §165 analysis, that is a specific conversation we would welcome.
Practice areas
- UHNW household tax — federal, California, and multi-state returns with K-1s, foreign accounts, PFIC exposure, and complex investment income.
- Casualty-loss and involuntary-conversion planning — §165 basis workups, §1033 replacement-property elections, and insurance-proceeds tax coordination.
- Entertainment principal tax and loan-outs — for writers, directors, producers, and above-the-line talent based on the coast.
- Family CFO and business management — bill pay, cash flow, household staff payroll, and coordination with wealth advisors and attorneys.
- Trust and estate tax coordination — 1041 preparation, GRAT/QPRT/ILIT tracking, and estate planner coordination.
- Court & trust accounting — Probate Code §1060-1064 and §16063 compliant filings for LA County Superior Court.
Malibu — Colony to Trancas
Our Malibu book runs from the Colony north to Broad Beach, Point Dume, Zuma, and Trancas, with a smaller cluster along the Serra Retreat and Malibu Country Estates side of PCH. Entertainment principals with production entities. Founders with tech and consumer businesses. Multi-generational families with real property, art, and closely-held interests. Rebuild projects. The connective tissue is that these are households where the tax return is one small output of a much larger financial picture.
Credentials
Founder Daniel Litvin. Partner David Meyer, CPA. Every engagement lead is a CPA with an MBA. In practice since 2013. All staff US-based — we never send client data to foreign countries. Partner-to-client ratios stay small on purpose.
Why a boutique firm at this scale
UHNW work rewards continuity. A partner who has worked on the return for five years knows which K-1 arrives late, which entity is a passive activity, which trust is the beneficiary of what. A national firm rotates that context out every two or three years. We keep the partner on the account and price for the relationship, not the transaction.
What clients say
"Daniel and his team replace a full-time accounting team at a fraction of the cost. They let me focus on my client work while they handle my financials. I couldn't ask for a simpler solution with such a high level of service."
— Igor Avidon, CEO @ Avidon Marketing Group
Frequently asked
Q: My Malibu property was affected by a recent fire. When should I call?
A: Now. The §165(i) prior-year election has a tight window. Before any insurance settlement finalizes and before any rebuild spend is committed, a basis workup and a preliminary §165 vs §1033 analysis matter enormously.
Q: Are you an insurance advisor?
A: No. We coordinate with your insurance broker and public adjuster. Our lane is the tax and accounting treatment of the loss and the settlement — not the claim itself.
Q: Do you work with our family office?
A: Yes. Either as the CPA firm alongside a full family office, or as the accounting-and-tax layer for a household that does not have (and does not need) one.
Q: Multi-domicile situations — CA and NV or NY, for instance — do you handle those?
A: Yes. Multi-domicile analysis, day-count tracking, and the specific California residency questions that come up for coastal principals are routine work.
Q: How confidential is the engagement?
A: All staff US-based. We never send your private data to foreign countries. NDAs available on request. Egnyte with role-based permissioning; Bill.com with role-based approval.
How to start
A 30-minute call with a named partner. Free, no obligation. For wildfire-affected properties we can move faster if the timeline requires it.
Malibu accounting firm. Discreet. Partner-led. §165-fluent.
UHNW household tax, entertainment loan-outs, casualty-loss planning, and family CFO work — one boutique roof, one partner on the file. Thirty-minute discovery conversation.
SCHEDULE A DISCOVERY CONVERSATION →CALL (866) 222-6060
Frequently Asked
Malibu — questions we hear.
What services does an accounting firm in Malibu offer to HNW residents?
A Malibu accounting firm typically offers HNW tax planning and preparation, trust and estate tax work, business management, real estate investment planning, wildfire casualty loss support, and entity structuring. Services often extend into personal bill pay, insurance oversight, and multi-entity coordination for families holding vacation properties, rental portfolios, and irrevocable trusts. The firm generally acts as the financial quarterback for coordinated advice.
What's the difference between a solo CPA and an accounting firm in Malibu?
A solo CPA in Malibu handles simpler individual returns. An accounting firm brings a team with capacity for HNW planning, multi-entity work, trust returns, and business management. For Malibu families with real estate holdings, coastal exposure to casualty events, and multi-generational planning needs, a firm typically delivers stronger coordination and better internal controls than a solo practice — especially important when bill pay and client fund handling are involved.
What should a Malibu HNW family ask before hiring an accounting firm?
Ask about experience with HNW coastal families, direct partner access, and coordination with wealth managers and estate attorneys. Ask specifically about wildfire casualty loss experience and Section 1033 involuntary conversion planning. Ask about internal controls on client funds — dual signatures, monthly reconciliations reviewed by a CPA, and segregation of duties. Long client tenure at the Malibu firm is usually a good signal.
Do accounting firms in Malibu handle multiple entities under one umbrella?
Yes, and it's common in Malibu. HNW families here often carry personal returns, several LLCs for real estate holdings, family limited partnerships, and irrevocable trusts. A capable Malibu accounting firm consolidates the books, coordinates the tax filings, tracks California LLC and franchise tax obligations, and produces a combined view so the family sees the whole picture rather than fragmented reporting from separate providers.
Can a Malibu accounting firm coordinate insurance and disaster recovery planning?
Yes, indirectly. A Malibu accounting firm doesn't sell insurance but regularly coordinates with insurance professionals on coverage adequacy, casualty loss documentation, and Section 1033 involuntary conversion planning after wildfires. Proper coordination between the CPA, insurance broker, and estate attorney usually preserves more wealth after a disaster than reactive claims work. This is where boutique Malibu firms with local experience add real value.