Tax-first wealth planning

Tax strategies built for high-income W2 earners in California.

You do not have a tax problem. You have a W2 tax problem.

Households earning $1 million or more in W2 income face exposures that standard advice does not address. The strategies that move the needle are more specific than what most advisors offer.

Find your strategies
~50%
Combined marginal rate at the top W2 bracket
13.3%
California’s top marginal rate
$1M+
Household income

The W2 problem

Most tax strategies were built for business owners. You earn W2 income.

Standard advice assumes pass-through entities, depreciable assets, and the ability to restructure compensation. W2 income with equity compensation, RSUs, restricted stock, and performance bonuses does not work that way.

Most advisors do not address this difference.

Equity compensation, RSUs, restricted stock, and bonuses. The tax code addresses each one specifically. Your planning should too.

The triggers

  • RSU vest
    Pushes you into the highest bracket with no plan in place.
  • Q4 bonus
    Under-withheld at source and compounds liability with penalties.
  • ISO exercise
    Creates AMT exposure and forfeits advanced planning options.
  • Restricted stock
    83(b) election timing carries permanent consequences.
  • Income crosses $1M
    The old playbook no longer applies.

How Serra thinks

01

Tax first

The single largest destroyer of wealth for a high-income earner is an unplanned tax position.

02

Scrutiny-ready

Every strategy rests on the Internal Revenue Code, court case law, and Treasury regulations.

03

The earliest stage

Serra operates at the moment before the tax bill arrives — when the decisions that determine long-term outcomes remain available.

Find out where you stand

The decisions that matter are still available.

The assessment identifies which strategies fit your income profile and California tax position and connects you with the specialists who implement them.

Find your strategies