Note: I am a luxury real estate expert, not a financial advisor or practice management consultant. The observations below reflect what I see from the real estate side of Act 60 relocation — specifically, the role that financial advisors play in the client’s decision journey.
This is Week 13 of The Act 60 Briefing.
Why the Best Advisors Bring Act 60 to the Table Before Their Clients Do
We are nearing the end of the series and this week I want to talk directly about your role as an advisor — and why the advisors who are adding the most value to their HNW clients right now are the ones who bring Act 60 to the conversation before their clients bring it to them.
This is not a post about tax strategy or real estate. It is a post about positioning. About how a single conversation — or the absence of one — can define whether your client sees you as a strategic partner or a reactive service provider.
Two Scenarios. One Client. Very Different Outcomes.
Let me paint two scenarios that I observe from the real estate side. Both involve the same client profile — an entrepreneur with $30 million in assets and $3 million in annual capital gains.
Scenario A: The client discovers Act 60 without you.
Your client hears about Act 60 from a friend at a YPO event. They do their own research. They run the numbers with their CPA. They engage an Act 60 attorney. They fly to Puerto Rico to look at properties. And then one day they call you and say: “I’m moving to Puerto Rico. I need to start planning the financial transition.”
You are now reacting. You are learning about Act 60 for the first time from your own client. You are scrambling to understand a decision that has already been made. And in the back of your client’s mind, a quiet question forms: why didn’t my advisor know about this?
That question does not always get asked out loud. But it lingers. And it creates a crack in trust that is difficult to repair — especially when the client’s friend who told them about Act 60 says: “My advisor was the one who brought it up.”
Scenario B: You bring Act 60 to the client.
During a quarterly review with the same client, you say something like:
“I have been researching something that I think is worth putting on your radar. Puerto Rico has a tax incentive program called Act 60 that is attracting a significant number of entrepreneurs and investors in your wealth bracket. I want to be transparent — I am not a specialist in this area. But I have connected with a luxury real estate expert on the ground in Dorado Beach who can walk you through what it looks like in practice. It may or may not be right for your situation, but I think it is worth understanding.”
What just happened? You demonstrated that you are thinking proactively about your client’s financial optimization. You showed awareness of a strategy their peers are using. You were honest about the limits of your own expertise. And you offered a connection to a specialist. You did not give tax advice. You did not overstep. You added value by being informed and proactive.
Your client walks away from that meeting thinking: that is why I pay my advisor.
What I Observe from the Real Estate Side
I see both scenarios play out regularly. And the pattern is consistent:
Clients whose advisors brought Act 60 to the table arrive in Dorado Beach more prepared, more organized, and more confident. Their financial transition is smoother because their advisor, their CPA, and their Act 60 attorney are all coordinated from the beginning. The advisor is part of the team rather than catching up after the fact.
Clients who discovered Act 60 on their own often arrive with more anxiety, more unanswered questions, and sometimes with the beginnings of a trust gap with their existing advisor. Some have already begun conversations with new advisors — advisors who did know about Act 60 and who they met through the relocation process.
I am not sharing this to alarm anyone. I am sharing it because the pattern is clear and the opportunity is real. The advisor who is informed and proactive strengthens the relationship. The advisor who is unaware risks the relationship.
You Do Not Need to Be an Expert. You Need to Be Informed.
I want to be very clear about what I am suggesting — and what I am not.
I am not suggesting you become an Act 60 specialist. That is not your role. The client’s Act 60 attorney handles the legal structure. Their CPA handles the tax planning. I handle the real estate. Each professional stays in their lane.
What I am suggesting is that you be informed enough to:
- Recognize which clients in your book might be a genuine fit. Generally: entrepreneurs, investors, or business owners with significant capital gains exposure, $10M+ in assets, and a willingness to genuinely relocate. Not every HNW client qualifies. But many do — and you know your book better than anyone.
- Start the conversation with confidence. You do not need to explain the tax code. You need to say: “I have been learning about Act 60 in Puerto Rico. I think it is worth looking into for your situation. Let me connect you with the right people.” That is enough.
- Connect your client with specialists. An Act 60 attorney for the legal side. A Puerto Rico CPA for the tax side. And a real estate specialist on the ground for the property and relocation side. Your value is in being the coordinator — the person who brings the right team together. Not in doing everyone’s job yourself.
The 2027 Deadline Makes This Conversation Urgent
I have made this point throughout the series but it bears repeating in this context: the capital gains rate under Act 60 increases from 0% to 4% on January 1, 2027. Clients who file in 2026 lock in the most favorable rate. The decree process takes six to twelve months.
What this means for you as an advisor: the window to add value on this topic is narrowing. If you bring up Act 60 in September 2026, your client may already be too late to file before year end. If you bring it up today, they have time to evaluate properly and make an informed decision.
The advisors who are bringing this conversation to their clients right now are not just adding value — they are adding time-sensitive value. And in wealth management, time-sensitive value is the most memorable kind.
This Is the Law. Bringing It Up Is Not a Risk.
Some advisors hesitate to bring up Act 60 because they worry about recommending something they do not fully understand. That hesitation is understandable. But there is an important distinction:
Making a client aware of a legitimate law is not the same as recommending a tax strategy. You are not telling your client what to do. You are telling them that something exists that may be relevant to their situation and offering to connect them with the appropriate professionals to evaluate it. That is information sharing, not advice giving.
Act 60 is codified law with legislative certainty through 2055. Over 3,500 participants are currently enrolled. It has been covered in Mansion Global, The New York Post, and Yahoo Finance. Your compliance department has nothing to flag about making a client aware that it exists.
The real risk is not bringing it up. The real risk is your client learning about $1 million or more in annual tax savings from a friend on the golf course and wondering why their trusted financial advisor never mentioned it.
Continue the Conversation
If you are ready to be the advisor who brings Act 60 to the table, I am here to support you. I can answer your questions from the real estate side, provide the market intelligence you need to have the conversation with confidence, and be the specialist on the ground when your client is ready to explore further.
→ Schedule a Wealth Manager Partnership Call — A confidential conversation about how to bring Act 60 to your clients
→ Download The Puerto Rico Tax Advantage— A free relocation guide you can share with clients evaluating the move
Next Thursday: Week 14 of 15 — The Wealth Manager Partnership: How We Work Together to Serve Your Client
About Christian Kleiner
Christian Kleiner is the founder & CEO of Christian Kleiner Luxury Real Estate, Puerto Rico’s premier luxury real estate brokerage specializing in Act 60 relocation and Dorado Beach luxury properties. A full-time Dorado Beach resident with over 32 years of real estate experience, Christian works with high-net-worth entrepreneurs and investors — and their financial advisors — navigating every aspect of the Act 60 relocation process. He has been featured in Mansion Global, The New York Post, and Yahoo Finance and was a featured speaker at the 2026 Uncorrelated Alts Conference in Puerto Rico.