CPA · MALIBU
CPA in Malibu — a boutique firm for UHNW, family offices, and complex real-estate holdings.
Since 2013. MBA-holding CPAs on every engagement. Tax, accounting, business management, and court & trust — with a deep bench in multi-state, multi-property, family office, and estate coordination. You're never left in the dark. We never send your private data to foreign countries.
BOOK A CONSULTATION →What we do
We are a boutique CPA firm serving Malibu from our office at 256 South Robertson Blvd, Suite 206 — an easy run down PCH and east on the 10 from Malibu Colony, Point Dume, Broad Beach, Serra Retreat, Zuma, and Trancas. MBA-holding CPAs. Named partners on every engagement. Boutique by design. Trusted advisor, not a mere client.
Malibu clients don't have simple returns. Our practice is built for that reality:
- UHNW individual and family taxation — federal, California, and multi-state returns for individuals, spouses, adult children, trusts, and family entities, coordinated across the household with year-round planning. - Multi-state and multi-property structuring — coordinated returns and entity structures for clients with properties in California, Nevada, Wyoming, Florida, New York, and other states, including residency planning and state-nexus analysis. - Casualty and disaster tax planning — coordinated response for wildfire, landslide, and coastal-property casualty losses, including §165(i) elections, insurance-proceeds tracking, and rebuild-basis planning. - Business management — fully-managed bill pay, cash flow, CFO oversight, and coordination with agents, managers, attorneys, household staff, and family office personnel. - Family office coordination — closing books across household entities, LLCs, trusts, real estate holdings, and investment vehicles, with clean reporting to family principals. - Court & trust accounting — court-ready trust, probate, conservatorship, and guardianship accountings for LA County Superior Court and inter-family trust reporting. - Strategy — coordination across the family's attorneys, wealth advisors, insurance advisors, bankers, and household staff.
We do not sell securities. We do not manage investments. We do not accept referral commissions from other advisors. Our advice runs one direction — from us to the client.
Who this is for
- Malibu UHNW individuals and families with multi-entity, multi-generational, and multi-state tax pictures.
- Family offices operating out of Malibu or serving Malibu principals.
- Entertainment principals — actors, directors, producers, showrunners, and executives — with loan-outs, production entities, and residual streams.
- Complex real-estate holders with California, out-of-state, and international properties.
- Property owners recovering from casualty events (wildfire, landslide, storm) needing coordinated §165 casualty-loss and insurance-proceeds work.
- Trustees, executors, and fiduciaries administering Malibu family estates.
Deliverables
- Individual, entity, and trust tax returns — federal, California, and multi-state, prepared and reviewed by named partners.
- Multi-state and residency planning — coordinated across the family's property and income footprint.
- Casualty-loss and insurance-proceeds workpapers — for clients affected by wildfire or other qualifying disaster events.
- Year-round tax planning — quarterly touch-points and structural analysis.
- Business management back office — bill pay, payroll, cash management, and household reporting.
- Monthly bookkeeping on QuickBooks Online, CPA-reviewed.
- Court and trust accountings — Probate Code §1060-1064 and §16063 compliant.
- Strategic coordination with attorneys, wealth advisors, insurance, bankers, and household staff.
Frequently asked
Q: Where is your office in relation to Malibu?
A: 256 South Robertson Blvd, Suite 206. An easy run down PCH and east on the 10 from Malibu Colony, Point Dume, Broad Beach, Serra Retreat, Zuma, and Trancas. In-person meetings welcome by appointment; on-site coordination and secure remote workflows for clients who prefer not to make the drive.
Q: Do you handle multi-state and multi-property tax structures?
A: Yes. Malibu clients frequently have residences in Nevada, Wyoming, Florida, New York, and other states — often layered with rental, trust-held, or family-office property. We do state-nexus and residency analysis, coordinated multi-state returns, and entity-structure review across the full property footprint.
Q: Do you handle wildfire and casualty-loss tax work?
A: Yes. For clients affected by qualifying disaster events, we coordinate §165 casualty-loss analysis, §165(i) prior-year elections, insurance-proceeds tracking, and rebuild-basis planning, working alongside insurance counsel, contractors, and family office personnel.
Q: What sets a boutique Malibu CPA firm apart from a national branch office?
A: Named partners on every engagement. MBA-holding CPAs doing the work. No offshoring. No 1,000-clients-per-partner ratio. Practical differences: partner-reviewed returns, direct partner-to-client access when it matters, and consistent staffing year over year — critical when a single family engagement spans multiple entities, states, and generations.
Q: Are you a full-service CPA firm?
A: Yes. Tax, accounting, business management, court and trust accounting, and strategic coordination — all in-house, all coordinated. One monthly price on recurring business-management work. Fixed-fee on court accounting. Quoted per return on tax-only engagements.
Q: How secure is client data?
A: Enterprise-grade. Egnyte (SOC 2, encrypted at rest and in transit) for document exchange. Bill.com for audit-logged bill pay. Role-based access on every system. All staff are U.S.-based. We never send your private data to foreign countries. For Malibu clients — where privacy and physical security are inseparable — that boundary is not negotiable.
Q: How do we start?
A: A 30-minute consultation with a named partner. Free, no obligation. We review your situation and provide a written engagement letter with scope and fee before any work begins. In-person, video, or telephone — client's choice.
Malibu CPA firm. Boutique. Partner-led. Built for complexity.
Tax, multi-state and multi-property structuring, family office coordination, casualty planning, and court & trust — all under one roof. MBA-holding CPAs. Thirty-minute consultation.
BOOK A CONSULTATION →CALL (866) 222-6060
Frequently Asked
Malibu — questions we hear.
What does a CPA in Malibu do for coastal HNW residents and real estate investors?
A CPA in Malibu primarily serves HNW residents, real estate investors, and entertainment industry clients. Given Malibu's property values and coastal exposure, typical work includes real estate investment planning, casualty loss deductions after wildfires, trust and estate coordination, and residency planning. Malibu CPAs also handle entity structuring for property holdings and coordinate with wealth managers, estate attorneys, and insurance professionals.
How much does a CPA cost in Malibu?
In Malibu, individual HNW returns typically run $2,000-$8,000 depending on K-1s, multi-state exposure, and real estate activity. Trust returns usually price at $1,500-$5,000 each. Business management engagements for HNW families often range from $5,000-$25,000 per month. Real estate-focused engagements with cost segregation studies and 1031 exchange coordination often add $5,000-$20,000 in project fees.
Can a Malibu CPA help with wildfire casualty loss deductions?
Yes. Malibu CPAs regularly handle wildfire casualty loss deductions given the area's recurring exposure. When a federally declared disaster hits, taxpayers can claim casualty losses on the current or prior year's return, whichever provides better cash flow. The rules on adjusted basis, insurance reimbursement offset, and replacement property under Section 1033 are technical — proper documentation and timing frequently make the difference between substantial deductions and denied claims.
Do Malibu CPAs handle real estate investment tax planning?
Yes. Real estate is a defining asset class in Malibu, and CPAs here regularly handle rental property depreciation, cost segregation studies, 1031 like-kind exchanges, short-term rental treatment, and passive activity loss rules. Given Malibu's high property values, real estate professional status planning can shelter significant income when the taxpayer or spouse qualifies. California's passive loss rules add wrinkles that generalist preparers frequently miss.
How do I choose a CPA in Malibu?
For Malibu HNW clients, choose a CPA with deep experience in HNW families, real estate, and coastal-specific issues like casualty losses and short-term rental compliance. Ask about direct partner access, response times, and coordination with wealth managers and estate attorneys. Confirm familiarity with California PTE elections, residency planning, and Prop 19 property tax reassessment rules that affect multi-generational property transfers.