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 exclusion is $7.35 million in 2026, but the available estate-tax credit phases out rapidly above that amount. If a taxable estate exceeds approximately $7.72 million, or 105% of the exclusion, the credit is eliminated and New York estate tax is calculated on the full taxable estate at graduated rates reaching 16%. New York also doesn’t provide portability of a deceased spouse’s unused state exclusion.tax.
For families approaching this range, investment growth, concentrated positions, real estate, and liquidity needs should be reviewed in coordination with their trusts-and-estates attorney and tax adviser. Fintegrity helps align the investment portfolio with the client’s attorney-developed estate plan but doesn’t provide legal or tax advice.
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. We also welcome the opportunity to meet with clients at their convenience, whether in the comfort of their NYC home or at the Harvard Club in Midtown, by appointment. 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.
