Carson Group is launching a tax strategy program for advisors, seeded through its acquisition of Taylor Financial, a Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based wealth management firm with about $385 million in assets.
Debbie Taylor, a CPA and tax expert, runs the 10-person team. Her firm will now operate as Carson Wealth Franklin Lakes.
“For 25 years, I’ve helped clients unlock hidden financial gains by mastering an area often overlooked—tax strategy,” Taylor said in a statement. “By leveraging tax planning solutions, advisors can help their clients optimize their financial outcomes, minimize tax liabilities or increase after-tax returns, which have a compounding effect on wealth.”
Carson Tax Strategy goes live this quarter, and the program will provide advisors with the tools and resources to incorporate tax planning into the client conversation.
“We’re defining the future of wealth management and how advisors approach tax planning,” said Burt White, CEO of Carson Group, in a statement. “This initiative equips our advisors with expertise in tax strategy, creating opportunities to deepen client engagement and practice growth. By taking a holistic approach to financial health, advisors can help clients work toward their goals beyond relying solely on market-driven returns.”
This follows Carson’s full acquisition last week of Carson Wealth Cedar Rapids, an Iowa-based independent Carson firm managing about $1 billion in client assets.
The launch of the tax strategy comes after a tumultuous year for Carson Group, including several high-profile executives’ departures.
In April, CEO and Board Chairman Ron Carson stepped down while retaining majority ownership, with Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer Burt White taking over as CEO. Carson claimed the move was to devote more time to his “family’s humanitarian impact.”
Envestnet alum Dani Fava took White’s former position in the aftermath, while former LPL executive Heather Randolph Carter became the firm’s chief marketing officer. Orion alum Daniel Applegrath joined as chief financial officer to replace Nick Engelbart, who now oversees the firm’s M&A strategy.
In December, Aaron Schaben, a divisional president at Carson Partners, left the firm to be the CEO of Ron Carson’s family office. Just one week prior, Carson Group President Teri Shepherd announced she’d be leaving the company, with CEO Burt White saying the firm supported her decision to “focus on her family.”
Carson’s setup includes approximately 50 fully-fledged Carson Wealth locations and more than 150 partner offices throughout the country. The firm works with about 51,000 client families and manages more than $40 billion in assets.