If you are a W-2 employee with material RSUs (and maybe ISOs), you may already pay two professionals: a CPA who files in the spring, and a financial advisor who manages investments or writes a plan. Each invoice can look reasonable on its own. The harder question is what you get when those two people do not share one picture of your vesting calendar.
This article uses public fee ranges and common planning failure modes. It is educational, not personalized advice, and it does not invent client savings numbers.
What separate CPA and advisor fees usually look like
Public industry ranges (not a promise of what you will pay):
- Tax prep for a complex W-2 return. Households with equity, multiple states, or investment income often land in the hundreds to a few thousand dollars a year for CPA or EA preparation. Simple wage-only returns cost less. Large multi-entity or crypto years cost more.
- Traditional financial advice. Many advisors charge about 1% of assets under management (AUM) per year. On a $1M managed balance, that is about $10,000 a year, and the fee rises as the portfolio grows.
- Flat-fee planning. Industry estimates for flat-fee planners often land around $2,000 to $9,000 a year, set by complexity rather than balance. Nino’s published membership plans run $2,000 to $6,000 a year with tax filing available through the in-house CPA team. See pricing.
- Hourly planning. Common published ranges sit around $200 to $400 per hour for project work without ongoing management.
Stack a mid-range CPA invoice with a 1% AUM fee on a seven-figure taxable account, and the combined annual cost is often already in five figures before you count trading costs, fund expense ratios, or a second firm for estate documents. For a fuller fee comparison, see how much a financial advisor costs and what a flat-fee financial advisor is.
The fee math is only half the story. With RSUs, the expensive miss is usually the handoff.
Where siloed CPA and advisor advice fails on RSUs
1. The withholding gap
When RSUs vest, the fair market value is ordinary income on your W-2. Employers often withhold federal tax at the flat supplemental rate of 22% (or 37% once cumulative supplemental wages pass $1 million). Your return still taxes that income at your ordinary bracket for the full year.
If your household lands in the 32% or 35% federal bracket, 22% withholding can leave a gap you settle when you file. Sell-to-cover funds the payroll deposit. It does not guarantee the deposit matches the Form 1040. Details: RSU tax withholding and why RSUs are taxed so high. Run a specific vest through the RSU tax calculator.
A separate advisor may treat net shares as a portfolio decision. A separate CPA may only see the W-2 in March. Nobody owns the mid-year estimate while the vesting calendar is still open.
2. Vest timing versus the rest of the year
RSUs rarely vest in isolation. Bonus targets, a spouse’s equity, a same-year ISO exercise, or a home sale can push you across brackets or into higher Medicare premiums. Selling extra shares for diversification in a high year can be the right portfolio move and still be the wrong tax-year move if nobody models both.
That is a coordination problem, not a software problem. See tax and financial advisor for how Nino frames the split-firm gap.
3. ISO AMT next to RSU W-2 income
If you also hold incentive stock options, an exercise-and-hold can create Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) on paper gain even when you have not sold. Layer that on a year with large RSU W-2 income, and cash planning gets harder: you may need cash for AMT while payroll is already withholding on RSU vests at a rate that may not match your final bill.
ISO versus NSO mechanics: ISO vs NSO. Service view: ISO AMT planning.
4. Liquidity events that outgrow the annual filing relationship
IPO unlocks, tenders, and secondaries turn paper equity into cash and a denser tax year. A CPA who only files, plus an advisor who only rebalances, is a common setup that breaks under unlock calendars. Use the post-liquidity planning page and the post-liquidity checklist when that year is on the calendar.
What you are paying for when tax and planning share one team
The useful product is not “two logos on one website.” It is one model that includes:
- Remaining RSU tranches and expected W-2 income
- Whether 22% or 37% federal withholding will cover the year
- Sell-to-cover versus selling more for cash or diversification
- ISO exercise timing and AMT cash, if options are in the mix
- Estimated payments while the year is still open
Nino pairs a dedicated CPA and CFP on one flat annual fee so those questions sit in one place. Start from RSU tax advisor for vest-year work, or tax and financial advisor if you are replacing a split CPA plus advisor setup.
Book a demo while the August window is open
If you want to walk through your vesting calendar and current advisor setup, book a free 25-minute demo. Through August 31, 2026, new members who start a one-year membership get $500 off their first year. Every plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bring a recent grant summary, a sense of other 2026 income, and what you already pay your CPA and advisor. The useful output is a clearer fee and coordination map, whether or not you join.
