Avantax® Inc. (Avantax), a unique community within Cetera Holdings and a leader in tax-focused financial planning and wealth management, welcomes independent financial advisor Carolyn Bare, founder of Trust Matters Financial, a wealth management firm that prioritizes working with small-business owners and clients who want legacy planning and wealth transfer advice. Based in Greenville, South Carolina, Bare has more than 16 years of licensed experience in the financial services industry.

“The single most advantageous aspect of choosing Avantax over other broker/dealers was being able to transition nonqualified accounts without taxable consequence to the client,” Bare said. “Advisors have been asking the industry for a tax software overlay product for decades and Avantax has the solution.”

Whether helping retirees with their day-to-day financial needs and long-term legacy planning or advising small-business owners on being more intentional about reaping the financial benefits of their business, Bare said she’s always looking through the lens of tax as she seeks to help clients manage, protect and transfer their wealth. Bare said her emphasis on tax efficiency regarding investment portfolios, including minimizing clients’ capital-gains tax, was key to her joining Avantax.

“I’m always looking to optimize clients’ wealth by using advanced tax and investing strategies, which aligns with Avantax and their tax-intelligent approach to financial planning,” Bare said. “A tax-efficient model is what I’ve pursued because it is both extremely important and often overlooked by clients. Avantax has been wonderful in that regard. Their software is out of this world; their tools pop up on my screen every day showing my clients’ capital-gains situation. You can’t do that manually as an advisor with a sizeable business. Utilizing Avantax tools I can make decisions and take action for clients much more efficiently and timely.”

Acknowledging that transferring to a new broker/dealer is never easy, Bare applauded Avantax and its team approach to the transition process.

“Transitions are hard, but Avantax put together a great transition team. They set up the process in phases that are very clear. There are several people on the team, each with specialized skills which is great because one person can’t know how to do everything, and it takes more than one person to guide you through the entire process,” Bare said. “Avantax staffs their transition teams very well and made it the best it could be. I had a wonderful experience. I can’t say enough good things about the transition teams and the sophistication of tax-advantaged tools available at Avantax. I am pleased with my decision to join Avantax.”

Before founding Trust Matters Financial, Bare operated a consulting firm that educated financial advisors on advanced trustee services. She also served as a postgraduate economics instructor at California and Nevada universities for eight years while serving as a Wealth advisor.

In welcoming Bare to Avantax, Laurie Stack, VP, Business Development said: “Carolyn has done a wonderful job networking with attorneys to support clients’ legacy planning needs, and we’re pleased she saw Avantax and our tax-intelligent approach as a natural fit. I love hearing Carolyn talk about how she stands up for her clients, which she does by blending empathy and assertiveness. Her commitment to long-lasting client connections is the same approach Avantax takes with our amazing Financial Professionals.”

Tax and financial professionals can learn more about Avantax by clicking here.

About Avantax^®

Avantax, a unique community within Cetera Holdings, delivers tax-intelligent wealth management solutions for financial professionals, tax professionals and CPA firms, supporting its goal of minimizing clients’ tax burdens through comprehensive tax-intelligent financial planning. Avantax has two distinct, but related, models within its business: the independent Financial Professional model and the employee-based model. Avantax refers to its independent Financial Professional model as Avantax Wealth Management^®. Avantax Wealth Management (AWM) works with a nationwide network of Financial Professionals operating as independent contractors and offers its services through its registered broker-dealer, Avantax Investment Services, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, registered investment advisor (RIA), Avantax Advisory Services, Inc., and insurance agency subsidiaries. We refer to our employee-based model as Avantax Planning Partners℠. Avantax Planning Partners offers services through its RIA, insurance agency, and affiliated broker-dealer, Avantax Investment Services, Inc., and partners with CPA firms to provide their consumer and small-business clients with holistic financial planning and advisory services. Collectively, Avantax had $92.8 billion in assets under administration as of Dec. 31, 2023. For additional information, please visit www.avantax.com.

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