The professionals at Meisel, Tuteur & Lewis, P.C. provide a full range of advisory, accounting, administrative and tax services to the financial services community. We are proud to be actively engaged in a highly competitive northeast market, where our team of advisors has earned a reputation for delivering the resources necessary for clients like you to stay ahead of emerging pronouncements, regulatory requirements and industry best practices. As the adage goes, we are not too small and not big, but rather we are just the right size to deliver the sophisticated services our clients require with a proactive, customized approach.
Due to our expertise and commitment over the years, we have fostered a substantial presence in the financial services sector. Well-regarded for our understanding of the challenges faced by fund managers and management companies, we are respected for helping clients like you navigate around a competitive landscape while successfully addressing the increasing demands of the underlying investors.
It has been our experience that as Limited Partners you are likely to seek greater transparency, timely reporting, and an earned sense of security from the funds with which you invest. You also appreciate a hands-on, individualized approach and consistent interaction with partners who are dedicated to serving you and your fund. To accomplish this, we will team with you to alleviate the stress that accompanies all of the compliance and administrative functions you face daily.
In that way we let you focus on what you do best while we focus on providing the advice you and your clients need to thrive.
Here is a listing of the comprehensive portfolio of services we provide to a wide range of clients:
Hedge Funds
Business leaders like you appreciate the value of the full-service approach that you experience at MT&L. We deliver the complete spectrum of services that are most valued by you, and as a result, you enjoy the benefits of working with a firm that has access to institutional knowledge regarding your long-time strategy and goals. Because of our low turnover, you are assured that the professionals on your team will work with you throughout the entire process, delivering your audit as well as tax planning and compliance and business insights on trends and changes in the industry. We apply this uniquely personalized approach to hedge funds, general partnerships and individuals.
As a result of the continuity of our relationship with you, you gain the benefit of access to a clear vision and effective insights based on constant interaction with you.
Fund of Funds/Venture Funds
While fund of funds exhibit some different characteristics than hedge funds and venture funds, nonetheless, there are many similarities. The activity level is much higher at a Fund of Funds versus a Hedge Fund, but the need for an accurate and timely audit along with state of the art tax advice remains the same. Working closely with MT&L you will experience the advantages of our personal, partner level attention as we make time to interact with you, pose questions, respond to queries, and go beyond your expectations to deliver the information you need.
Our cumulative experience in financial services extends from hedge funds to fund of funds and includes venture capital funds as well. This area is of great importance to us. As such, we have invested much time and training in the people who staff this practice. We are dedicated to ensuring that they are well-qualified to assist you with all your needs.
As the environment changes, we are always ready and alert to the specific implications for your situation. For example, while there have been offshore funds for decades, the trend to investing in them was accelerated by Covid 19. Since then, this has become an increasingly interesting alternative investment opportunity for foreign investors allowing them to proceed without triggering United States tax filing rules. Functioning as subsidiaries of hedge funds and venture funds, these funds are attractive vehicles that we can support by addressing their audit and tax filing needs.
Real Estate Strategies
When we apply our expertise in financial services to assist clients like you in the real estate sector, we assist in the preparation of exit strategies while offering suggestions on if, or when, certain tax elections should be made. We will also confer on whether or not to bonus depreciate key assets with an ultimate sale date in mind.
Further, we will help you manage the required state income tax withholdings and analyze how those requirements are impacted by your company’s complex ownership structure. We will also prepare any required audited or reviewed financial statements you might need as a part of our full-service approach.
Employee Benefit Plan Audits
At Meisel, Tuteur & Lewis we recognize that assessing and reevaluating employee benefit plans is an ongoing process and requires constant monitoring and review. With the Department of Labor (“DOL”) and Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) constantly changing laws and regulations, engaging with a knowledgeable partner like MT&L, a firm backed by years of hands-on experience providing companies with tailored plan blueprints and assistance with plan execution, is of the upmost importance.
You can be confident that we strive for more than just compliance with DOL, committed instead to considering your personal needs as a client while striving to provide you with an exceptional audit experience that is efficient, stress free and promises no-surprises.
Backed by years of experience in accounting and taxation, our dedicated team of employee benefit plan auditors is comprised of experienced industry professionals who apply an independent, risk-based focus to each engagement. At MT&L, our specialized practitioners are known for maintaining their current knowledge of applicable professional standards, rules and regulations for ERISA employee benefit plan audits. Over the years we have expanded our services to best serve you with the following menu of essential services:
- Performing audit, accounting and tax services (such as Form 5500, Form 990, Form 990-T, Form 5330, Form 8955-SSA)
- Preparing financial statements
- Addressing agreed upon procedures
- Evaluating compliance with DOL and other regulations and standards
- Reviewing internal controls
- Developing best practices
Our credentials extend to membership in the AICPA’s Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center (EBPAQC) is a firm-based voluntary membership Center designed to ensure that CPAs meet the challenges of performing quality ERISA audits and are held to the highest industry standards. In order to obtain this accreditation and become members of the EBPAQC, we had to meet the rigid membership requirements established by the Executive Committee and approved by the AICPA Board of Directors. This includes meeting the quality control standards requirement for monitoring, establishing annual internal inspection procedures that include a review of the firms ERISA employee benefit plan audit practice, and continuing professional educational requirements.
It is through these core competencies that we are able to identify and monitor the issues affecting our clients’ employee benefit plans. We are recognized for our ability to work with a range of employee benefit plans, including these three key categories:
Defined contribution plans
- 401(k) plans
- Health and welfare benefit plans
- Money purchase pension plans
- Multiple employer plans
- Profit sharing plans
Defined benefit plans
- Cash balance plans
- Health plans and welfare plans
- Multiple employer plans
- Pension plans
Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)
- Ownership structure
- Tax advantages
- Succession planning
- Employee engagement