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4275 Executive Square Suite 200
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 754-8277
NATALIE C. PAPAGNI, CPA
Tax, Planning & Advisory Services
A Different Kind of CPA Firm
for
High-Income Earners, Physicians, Entrepreneurs & Privately-Held Companies
That Expect & Deserve More.
La Jolla Tax CPA & Tax Strategist
for Individuals, Physicians, Owners & Privately held Businesses that Expect and Deserve More.
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA — Tax, Planning & Advisory Services is a modern, forward-focused firm serving high-income professionals, executives with equity compensation (ISOs, RSUs, NSOs & restricted stock), physicians and healthcare professionals, and owner-entrepreneurs — S-corporations, LLCs, partnerships and successful sole proprietorships — in La Jolla, greater San Diego and throughout California.
Recognized among the best CPA firms in La Jolla (Times of San Diego / La Jolla Village News, 2026), we pair the technical depth of a leading firm with the direct access, responsiveness and unhurried attention of a boutique — without the elevated fees.
We understand how overwhelming taxes can be for high-income earners with complex lives.
Our clients have high standards and value grounded conversations, quiet confidence and a steady hand.
Working with us, we will help you transform complexity into clarity, tax savings and peace of mind.
Clients We Serve
For individuals & high income earners with incomes typically ranging from $250K to $2 Mil+, we act as a proactive tax strategist, coordinating the moving parts of a complex financial life - including wages, equity compensation (ISOs, RSUs, NSOs & restricted stock), bonuses, investment income, K-1s, rental real estate, and business income - into a firm yet flexible plan designed to minimize tax liabilities, effective tax rates, uncertainty, and year-end surprises.
Throughout the year, we provide quarterly tax management services to update and refine projections and quarterly estimated tax payments, keeping our clients focused and on track to achieve year-end goals.
At year-end, we prepare our clients' individual, business and trust tax returns in full compliance with federal and state tax laws - capturing all deductions planned for, earned and deserved.
For physicians and healthcare professionals — from residency through retirement — we serve as your proactive tax strategist, coordinating the income streams unique to medicine — W-2 wages, 1099 and locums compensation, practice income, K-1s, complex investments, and rental real estate — into a firm yet flexible plan designed to minimize tax liabilities, effective tax rates, uncertainty, and year-end surprises. Additional matters that need to be addressed, including student loan debt, practice ownership, and plans for financial independence.
Throughout the year, we provide quarterly tax management services to refine projections and estimated payments.
At year-end, we prepare our clients' individual, business, and trust tax returns in full compliance with federal and state tax laws — capturing all deductions planned for, earned, and deserved
Business Owner - Entrepreneurs
S-corps, Professional Corporations, LLCs, Partnerships & Successful Sole Proprietorships
Owner - entrepreneurs navigate entity selection decisions, multi-layered entity-level filings and tax obligations, unique S-corporation, LLC, and partnership tax rules, and a shifting regulatory landscape. Services for business owner - entrepreneurs and businesses include:
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Entity Selection & S-Corp Optimization
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Advanced Tax Planning for Shareholders and the Businesses they Own
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Compensation, Benefits & Multi-Layered Retirement Plans
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QBI & PTET Optimization
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Shareholder Basis Tracking & Distributions Guidance
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Tax Preparation for Shareholders and the Businesses they Own
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Tax Consulting
Working together, we will help you transform complexity into clarity, align your entity structure with your intentions, optimize the benefits of business ownership, minimize tax liabilities, risk and uncertainty, and close each year out strong.
Why Clients Choose Natalie C. Papagni, CPA
Direct, Year-Round Access to the Principal
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA works directly with high-income professionals, physicians & healthcare professionals, executives with equity compensation, business owner - entrepreneurs, professional medical corporations, S-corps, LLCs, partnerships and successful sole proprietorships on tax strategy and planning initiatives, the preparation of their individual, business and trust tax returns, and personalized advisory and consulting interests.
Most CPA practices are built for volume: compliance-driven, historically focused, rigid in their guidance, provide limited service, frugal with their time and structured to view clients as a transaction. Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services was built for clients who expect and deserve more.
Technical Expertise Found at Leading Firms with the Personalized Service found at Boutique Firms - without the Elevated, Hourly Fees
With more than 15 years of experience as a tax CPA, Natalie Papagni architects tax strategy, guides advanced planning, and personally prepares her client's individual, business and trust tax returns. A licensed California CPA and AICPA member, Natalie offers the credentials, technical depth and precision found at large firms, with the direct access, personalized attention and responsiveness found at boutique firms - without the elevated fees.
Serving Clients in La Jolla, Greater San Diego and throughout California
Natalie C. Papagni is a CPA, Tax Strategist and Trusted Advisor in La Jolla with 15+ years of experience serving high income earners and businesses throughout La Jolla, greater San Diego, and the state of California.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do you work primarily with high-income earners?
Yes. Clients we typically serve have household incomes in the $250,000 - $ 2 Mil range and have evolving financial structures. Clients include professionals and executives with and without equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs. founder stock), physicians & healthcare professionals, owner - entrepreneurs and the S-corporations, LLCs, partnerships and successful sole proprietorships they own and control. Our business is built on clear and efficient communications, proven processes and trust.
What is the best way to contact Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services?
The best first-step is to schedule a complimentary consultation with Natalie C. Papagni, CPA on the link provided at www.lajollataxcpa.com, sending an email to npapagni@lajollataxcpa.com or calling (858) 754-8277.
Which La Jolla CPA firm can handle my personal and business tax planning and tax preparation needs?
Located in La Jolla, CA Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services serves clients in La Jolla, greater San Diego and throughout California, and specializes in coordinating the personal and business tax planning initiatives, tax preparation and financial planning activities for our business owner clients at levels providing them the best opportunity to target and achieve optimal outcomes.
What issues do individuals you meet for the first time often have?
Most clients who come to us previously worked with CPA firms — small, mid-sized, or large — whose approach was compliance-driven, high-volume, and reactive rather than strategic. They grew frustrated with impersonal service models: rotating staff, inconsistent communication, slow responsiveness, high fees, avoidable errors, and mediocre results. Often, they had stayed with those firms for years without ever receiving meaningful guidance on the tax and financial issues that mattered most to them. They received generic, one-size-fits-all planning instead of strategy tailored to their circumstances and goals. As a result, they were left unclear about what actually drives their tax liability, which planning opportunities apply to them, and how major financial decisions affect their long-term outcomes. Instead of making informed decisions in advance, they found themselves reacting after the fact.
Compounding the problem, many were receiving fragmented advice from professionals working in isolation — their CPA, financial advisor, and attorney rarely coordinating. The result: conflicting strategies, missed opportunities, and no cohesive long-term plan.
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services was specifically built to overcome these obstacles.
How is working with a CPA specializing in tax planning different from a traditional CPA relationship?
Many CPAs view their client relationships as transactional and retrospective. At Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services, we value and respect every client we serve and invest the time to build a productive, high-trust relationship. Unlike most CPAs, we are forward-focused, act as your tax strategist and ensure our clients have the information they need to make smart, timely and effective decisions to achieve optimal tax outcomes - year after year. We excel in building financial and tax projections factoring in scenario analysis, tax strategies, applicable tax laws and explicit decision frameworks to guide actions throughout the year. For most of our clients, the preparation of year-end federal and state tax returns is the final step of the year's tax planning initiative - not the primary service we provide.
What should I look for when searching for a CPA near me in La Jolla, greater San Diego and California?
You will want to definitely look for a CPA with deep expertise in areas relevant to your financial and tax structures that places a strong emphasis on building a relationship, understanding what matters to you most, and how you like to communicate, and has an unwavering commitment to quality, integrity, transparency, upholding tax laws and service excellence.
Do you work with clients throughout California, or only in La Jolla and San Diego?
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA serves clients located in La Jolla, greater San Diego and throughout California - notably the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout the year, when appropriate, Natalie C. Papagni, CPA travels to visit clients located outside of Southern California. We also regularly communicate with clients in La Jolla, greater San Diego, throughout California and out-of-state through zoom meetings, phone calls and email. Coupled with our firm's secure file sharing portal encrypted with bank-level security, at Natalie C. Papagni, CPA location is never a barrier.
What is the company's culture?
Our company is rooted in four key values– quality, compassion, integrity, and always striving to add high-impact value and results. We are committed to building authentic and genuine relationships, deliver excellence, exceed expectations and supporting the clients and communities we serve.
Can I work with Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services if I'm not currently a high-income earner however that is my future?
Yes. Natalie C. Papagni, CPA- Tax, Planning & Advisory Services is, in fact, currently working with a number of Residents in the last year of their Residency, professionals with ISO and RSU grants and new business owners with evolving financial structures that are not currently high-income earners. These clients are able to materially benefit from our financial and multi-year strategic tax planning guidance and related services, and we value them as clients.
I have a busy schedule, making it difficult to schedule a meeting business hours. Are you available to meet early evenings and on Saturdays?
Yes. Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services frequently schedules early evening, Saturday and Sunday appointments (by appointment only) for busy professionals via phone, Zoom and/or in-person. In fact, we prefer to schedule meetings in the early evening, on Saturday or on Sunday vs during business hours if a meeting during business hours would be inconvenient, or our meeting would be rushed.
What is your fee structure?
Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services, offers fixed fee arrangements - agreed up in advance.
Can the firm fix mistakes made by a previous tax preparer?
Yes. Natalie C. Papagni, CPA reviews returns prepared by prior CPAs and preparers, and handles remediation directly: amended individual and business returns, corrective filings for retirement plan contribution errors, and penalty abatement requests where reasonable cause exists.
What questions should I ask before hiring a new CPA firm?
Ask these six questions before engaging any CPA firm, and pay attention to how directly they're answered: (1) Who will actually prepare my return — you, or staff? (2) Who reviews and signs it? (3) How long has that person been with the firm? (4) Will I have direct access to a CPA, or does communication go through staff or admin? (5) Are fees fixed and quoted in advance, or hourly? (6) Is any part of the work outsourced?
The first three questions expose the leverage model: at many firms, the person selling you the engagement is not the person doing the work. You should leave the initial consultation knowing exactly one name: the person responsible for your work. If you leave with a team org chart instead, the relationship will be diluted from day one.
At Natalie C. Papagni, CPA - Tax, Planning & Advisory Services, you have direct access to Natalie C. Papagni, CPA, the Principal of the firm. Natalie C. Papagni, CPA will work closely with you to architect your tax strategy, guide you through advanced tax planning initiatives, and prepare and sign your individual and business tax returns. You will not be handed off to junior staff or experience rotating staff year-after-year.
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