Peak W2

They are the go-to confidants and advisors for hundreds of A-listers, and two of the most popular guys from the Hamptons to Hollywood-even though they're well versed in saying no to the kind of people used to hearing yes. No, they aren't streaming service bigwigs or deep-pocketed producers. Meet the accountants.

- IAN FRISCH

It was 2016, and Sarah Jessica Parker—alongside her husband, the Tony-winning actor Matthew Broderick—had been scouring the real estate market for years without any luck. But then one day Broderick spotted something promising: side-by-side brick townhouses offering a total of 14,000 square feet on West 11th Street in Manhattan. There was only one problem: The Sex and the City actress was out of town, and they had to move quickly if they wanted a shot at buying the property. Parker’s first instinct was to call Frank Selvaggi, her longtime accountant and business manager and co-founder of Altman, Greenfield & Selvaggi. Selvaggi knew her taste—and her finances—like the back of his hand. If anyone within her inner circle could help, it was he.

Selvaggi was with Broderick when he first toured the space, and he immediately saw its potential. It had versatility, old-school flair, a private garden, even an elevator. With some careful remodeling, Selvaggi knew it could be a forever-home. “I could tell it would suit their needs,” he says. Parker recalls what Selvaggi said when he called her after seeing the townhouse: “The good news is it’s amazing. The bad news is you have to buy it.”