How consistent, concierge-level audit & tax support builds investor confidence year after year.
CBIZ (formerly Marcum LLP) Alternative Investment Group leader Beth Wiener remembers the year-end ritual like it was yesterday: dragging around audit bags full of heavy manual workpapers to her NYC clients, her worn copy of the Dec 31 Wall Street Journal in hand, to verify stock prices one by one. Today, her team carries around three-pound laptops; pricing data arrives in clean, auditable feeds; files move through secure portals, and electronic workpapers standardize what used to live in heavy paper-filled binders. Technology has evolved. The expectation of top-notch service hasn’t. And that expectation is where the Alternative Investment Group lives.
For 25 years, the Alternative Investment Group has been built on one promise: high-quality, consistent service. That means deadlines that hold up under scrutiny, knowledgeable, seasoned teams that stay up to date with the industry and its standards, and a seamless process in which audit and tax move in lockstep with administrators, prime brokers, and counsel. It isn’t flashy, and it doesn’t need to be. In alternative investments, confidence is earned in the ordinary moments: the on-time delivery of audits and tax returns, the proactive call received from the team, and our expert insights.
What 25 Years Teaches You: Beth Wiener’s Perspective
What hasn’t changed (and shouldn’t) about serving alternative investment firms?
- Timeliness and meeting deadlines
- Responsiveness and going the extra mile
- Proactive discussions throughout the year to avoid having to undo a transaction or structure
- Staying on the cutting edge of industry regulation and best practices
How does CBIZ set itself apart from other accounting and advisory firms?
While the final product, an audit or tax return, may be similar for all accounting firms, how you get to the finish line is a whole other story. Because of the following characteristics, our team sets itself apart from others:
- We are a boutique, highly specialized practice inside of a larger, global firm.
- Our team focuses solely on the alternative investments industry and has deep experience working with fund managers.
- High-touch managing directors have a high level of engagement and accessibility.
- Innovative mindset allows us to view each of our clients as unique and to tailor our services accordingly.
- Our leadership team and industry focus have remained consistent.
How has CBIZ’s Alternative Investments Group evolved over the past 25 years?
We’ve gone from the traditional core services of audit and tax compliance for funds, advisors and their principals to advisory on transactions (pre and post), structuring and internal controls. With the coming together of Marcum and CBIZ, we also offer a wide range of technology solutions, tax co-sourcing, and global information reporting, as well as benefits and insurance for investment advisory firms.
How has CBIZ’s Alternative Investments Group built repeatable quality?
- We have assembled a team with diverse strengths across all aspects of our work, united by a commitment to developing and continuously improving our service offerings.
- Efficiency is top of mind at all times.
- Technology is at the forefront. Wherever possible, we automate processes and forms used across all audits and tax returns.
- We created our own K-1 program to make the tax return process smooth and systematic.
Where do audits and taxes tie together most, and how do you make that seamless?
Our audit and tax teams work closely together to ensure an integrated and efficient service experience for our clients. This collaborative approach enables us all to be better informed and deliver more effective services.
- Whenever our audit or tax teams have discussions with clients throughout the year, we promptly share any significant information. This way, the client doesn’t have to repeat themselves, and everyone on the team operates with full knowledge of the client’s activities.
- The tax team participates in the audit planning meeting to make sure everyone is up to date on the client’s current environment. The tax team also alerts the audit team to any transactions that should be flagged to the tax team before the audit kicks off.
- Towards the end of the audit, we have a ‘hand-off’ call with the tax team to let them know of any findings they should be aware of as they prepare the tax returns.
In your recent experience with clients, what have you seen fund managers underestimate?
- Cybersecurity threats and preparedness
- Regulatory requirements
- Operational complexity as assets under management grow
- Capital raising challenges
- Investor scrutiny and demands for reporting and transparency
What Clients Remember: Early Intervention and On‑Time Delivery
Over 25 years, the moments clients remember most fall into two categories: catching a critical issue early enough to change the outcome and delivering with certainty when conditions are anything but. The stories below capture both.
The “Tax-Free” Deal That Wasn’t
A client was preparing to sell a portfolio company and believed the transaction would be tax-free under a reorganization structure. When the CBIZ Alternative Investments Group reviewed the purchase agreements, they spotted a cash component that would have triggered taxable income, which was a detail overlooked in early guidance from their counsel. Because the CBIZ team raised it before the deal was finalized, the client and counsel were able to adjust course with eyes wide open and avoid an unexpected tax result after closing. The client appreciated the early catch and has continued to bring new funds and engagements to CBIZ.
March 2020 K-1 Deadline: Met
When COVID lockdowns hit in March 2020, many other alternative investment firms struggled to keep work moving. But CBIZ clients still needed investor K-1s by March 31. Because the CBIZ team was already set up to work remotely securely and efficiently, its professionals stayed on track, met every deadline, and maintained steady communication when it mattered most.
Building Confidence for the Next 25 Years
Have a new fund launch, investor reporting deadline, or complex transaction on the horizon? Connect with CBIZ’s Alternative Investments Group to see how our audit, tax and advisory teams can help you move forward with clarity and confidence. We’re proud to support alternative investment firms nationwide, and we look forward to doing so for the next 25 years and beyond.
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“CBIZ” is the brand name under which CBIZ CPAs P.C. and CBIZ, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including CBIZ Advisors, LLC, provide professional services. CBIZ CPAs P.C. and CBIZ, Inc. (and its subsidiaries) practice as an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and applicable law, regulations, and professional standards. CBIZ CPAs P.C. is a licensed independent CPA firm that provides attest services to its clients. CBIZ, Inc. and its subsidiary entities provide tax, advisory, and consulting services to their clients. CBIZ, Inc. and its subsidiary entities are not licensed CPA firms and, therefore, cannot provide attest services.
