Fintegrity is an independent, fee-only fiduciary adviser (CRD #292421) serving New York City families who invest more than $2 million. You work directly with founder and managing principal Jeffrey Barnett, and our performance reporting is independently verified for GIPS compliance. See how we meet the four criteria every high-net-worth family should demand.
The New York City wealth picture
New York City concentrates wealth like nowhere else in the country — finance and private-equity principals, law-firm partners, media and tech executives, physicians, and business owners, much of it tied up in equity compensation, carried interest, deferred pay, and closely held or co-op real estate. That wealth is also taxed more heavily, at the margin, than almost anywhere in America. For a household with a large or variable income and illiquid, concentrated holdings, the difference between coordinated and uncoordinated planning is measured in six and seven figures.
Problem one: you pay the highest combined income tax in the country
NYC residents stack a city income tax (up to 3.876%) directly on top of New York State’s tax (up to 10.9%), for a combined top rate of 14.776% — the highest state-and-local income tax burden in the nation. Unlike a suburban commuter, a city resident cannot escape the city layer. New York also taxes capital gains as ordinary income with no preferential rate, and high earners face the additional 3.8% federal net investment income tax on top. That makes the timing of a business sale, a large stock sale, or a compensation event enormously consequential. We build tax strategy directly into portfolio decisions — asset location, loss harvesting, and the sequencing of gains and income — and coordinate with your CPA so investment and tax decisions aren’t made in separate silos.
Problem two: New York’s estate-tax “cliff”
New York’s estate tax is one of the most punishing in the country, and it’s built on a trap most people don’t see coming. The state exemption is approximately $7.35 million per person in 2026 — but if your taxable estate exceeds about 105% of that (roughly $7.72 million), you don’t lose the exemption only on the excess; you lose it on the entire estate, which is then taxed from the first dollar at rates up to 16%. New York also does not allow spousal portability, so a married couple can forfeit one spouse’s exemption entirely without the right trust structure. For a successful NYC household — where an apartment, retirement accounts, and investments quietly add up — landing near that cliff is common, and the fix has to be built in advance.
Problem three: your wealth is concentrated and illiquid
Much of NYC wealth sits in a single form — employer stock and RSUs, private-fund or carried-interest positions, deferred compensation, or a co-op that can’t be sold in a hurry. Concentration magnifies both tax exposure and risk. Through staged diversification, tax-lot management, and charitable strategies, there’s a disciplined path to reducing that concentration without an outsized tax bill — exactly the kind of problem a fee-only fiduciary should solve with you rather than around you.
Geography is a non-issue
Most New York City clients work with us primarily by secure video, with in-person meetings available by appointment at our Tenafly, New Jersey office — about five miles from the George Washington Bridge and a short trip from Manhattan. Wherever in the city you live, the relationship works the same way.
What working with Fintegrity looks like for a NYC family
Illustrative scenarios, not specific clients:
- A Manhattan private-equity principal with carried interest and deferred compensation, who needs the timing of income and liquidity events planned around the 14.776% combined rate.
- A media or tech executive with concentrated RSUs and a co-op, who wants a diversification plan that manages both tax and risk.
- A business owner preparing to sell, who wants the transaction and estate structures in place — and the estate-tax cliff addressed — before the liquidity event, not after.
