Financial Advisory - Tax Manager

Kestra Holdings•Madison, WI

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Bluespring Wealth Midwest is a wealth management firm serving individuals, families, and business owners from offices in Madison, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis. The firm brings three established practices together as one team of more than 40 people, and it is a member firm of Bluespring Wealth Partners, a national platform that provides the technology, operations, and support behind our local teams. Our work sits at the intersection of wealth and taxes. Our tax professionals work in house, alongside the advisors who build each client’s plan, so a return is prepared with the full financial picture in view and planning opportunities surface while there is still time to act on them. Many of our clients lead complicated financial lives: business owners approaching an exit, executives with concentrated stock, families managing wealth across generations, and people stepping into retirement. The Tax Manager prepares individual and business income tax returns for clients enrolled in the firm’s tax services and keeps each engagement moving from document collection through filing. The role works under the review of the Head of Tax, alongside the Tax Lead and Tax Administrator, and in close contact with the Wealth Advisors and Financial Planning Specialists who serve the same clients. The Tax Manager also meets with clients periodically to review their returns and provide proactive tax advice. This position suits a preparer with two to four years of experience who produces careful, accurate work, stays composed through filing season, and is ready to advise clients directly.

Requirements

Two to four years of experience preparing individual or business income tax returns, or both, in a public accounting firm, tax practice, or wealth management firm.
Bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field.
Solid working knowledge of individual taxation, including investment income, capital gains and cost basis, retirement account distributions, and pass-through income reported on K-1s.
Proficiency with professional tax preparation and research software and with Excel.
Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage many open engagements at once through deadline periods.
Clear, courteous communication, and the confidence to explain a return and discuss planning opportunities with clients in plain language.
Availability for extended hours during filing season.

Nice To Haves

CPA or Enrolled Agent credential, or active progress toward one, preferred.
Experience with Wisconsin returns and multistate filings is a plus.

Responsibilities

Prepare individual and business income tax returns, including Forms 1040, 1065, and 1120-S and the related state filings, for review by the Head of Tax.
Reconcile client source documents, including brokerage 1099s, K-1s, and cost basis records, against the account data the firm already holds.
Prepare extensions and quarterly estimated payment calculations.
Document workpapers so every return can be reviewed and supported, and clear review notes promptly.
Draft responses to IRS and state notices for review.
Prepare tax projections and scenario analyses, such as Roth conversions, gain harvesting, and charitable giving, with the Tax Lead and the advisory team.
Flag items on a return that raise a planning question and bring them to the client’s Wealth Advisor.
Stay current on federal and state tax law changes affecting individuals and closely held businesses.
Manage document collection and client follow-up throughout the tax cycle in coordination with the Tax Administrator.
Maintain status tracking and client records in the tax workflow system.
Coordinate e-filing, payment processing, and delivery of completed returns.
Meet with clients periodically to review their completed returns, explain the results, and walk through what changed from the prior year.
Provide proactive tax advice on the year ahead, including withholding and estimated payments, the timing of income and deductions, and planning opportunities identified during preparation, in coordination with the client’s Wealth Advisor.
Respond to client questions with warmth and clarity, and route complex technical questions to the Tax Lead or Head of Tax.