Consultation
A first conversation is designed to create clarity quickly.
Before there is an engagement, there is a conversation. Its job is to get the facts straight, define the real issue, and recommend the right path forward — whether or not that path runs through Fortress.
What a first conversation is — and what it is not.
What to expect
A focused first call
Senior-led and oriented around your facts. We listen first and ask the questions that define the issue.
A clear read on fit
We are direct about whether this is work we should do, work that can wait, or work better placed elsewhere.
A recommended next step
You leave with a defined issue and a path forward — whether or not it becomes an engagement.
What to have in mind
The decision or deadline
What prompted the call — a transaction, a notice, a filing, or a question that has grown past your current advisor.
Your structure, roughly
The entities, ownership, and any elections involved. Exact figures aren't needed to start a useful conversation.
Who else is at the table
Counsel, a CFO, a wealth advisor — the people a sound position has to hold together with.
What it isn't
Not a sales call
There is no script and no pressure. If now isn't the time, that is a legitimate outcome of the conversation.
Not a quote
We define the issue and the timeline before we discuss scope. Precision comes before price, not after.
Not generic advice
We don't issue positions on a first call. We frame the question correctly so the work that follows can hold.
The Fortress Hold Method
A first conversation follows the same method as the work itself.
The Fortress Hold Method is our way of turning complex tax facts into durable positions. It is also how a relationship begins — the opening call moves through the first steps before anyone talks about scope.
- 01The first conversation
Define the facts
We start by understanding where your position actually stands — entities, elections, ownership, and the planning horizon. The opening call is about getting the facts straight, not pitching a service.
- 02Framing the issue
Evaluate exposure
We map where the real risk and ambiguity sit, and what is worth examining before it becomes a problem. This is where a vague concern becomes a defined question.
- 03Scoping the work
Build the structure
If there is work to do, we scope it deliberately — positions designed to be documented, internally consistent, and sound across years rather than optimized for one.
- 04In the engagement
Coordinate execution
Tax is integrated with your legal, finance, and wealth counterparts so the structure holds together in practice. The advisor in the first call is the advisor on the file.
- 05The relationship
Monitor change over time
Positions are maintained as the law moves. The same advisors who built the structure keep it current against enforcement, reporting, and legislative change.
Common questions
What to expect, answered directly.
- What happens in a first conversation with Fortress?
- It is a focused, senior-led call oriented around your facts. A senior advisor listens first, asks the questions that define the issue, gives a direct read on whether this is work Fortress should do, and recommends a next step. You leave with a defined issue and a path forward — whether or not it becomes an engagement.
- Is the consultation a sales call?
- No. There is no script and no pressure. If now is not the time, that is a legitimate outcome of the conversation. Fortress does not issue positions on a first call; the goal is to frame the question correctly so the work that follows can hold.
- Will I get a price or quote on the first call?
- Not before the issue is defined. Fortress defines the issue and the timeline first, then scopes the engagement that fits. Precision comes before price, not after — scope follows the conversation rather than the other way around.
- What should I have ready for the conversation?
- Roughly: what prompted the call (a transaction, a notice, a filing, or a question that has grown past your current advisor), your structure at a high level (entities, ownership, and any elections involved), and who else is at the table — counsel, a CFO, a wealth advisor. Exact figures are not needed to start a useful conversation.
- Will I work with the same advisor throughout?
- Yes. The advisor in the first conversation is the advisor on the file. Fortress is senior-led by design: the same advisors who build a position coordinate its execution and keep it current as enforcement, reporting, and legislation change.
Start Here
When the situation has outgrown the current advisor, this is the conversation worth having.
Share the decision, the deadline, or the question on the table. A senior advisor will respond within one business day.
No script, no pressure, and no quote before the issue is defined.