Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to work in tech?

No. While tech professionals are our core focus - we have deep experience with equity compensation, IPOs, and volatile stock grants - we also work with pre-retirees and early retirees, helping turn their nest egg into tax-efficient retirement income.

Do I have to move my investments?

No. Pricing is the same regardless. You can keep your investments at your current custodian while we provide holistic portfolio design and guidance.

Do you have any account minimums?

No minimums, since we don't charge based on assets under management. That said, our ongoing services are best suited for those with $300k+ household income, $1M+ in assets, and/or equity compensation.

Are you a fiduciary?

Yes, we are legally obligated to act in your best interest above our own. Andy Moran is also a CFP®, which requires that they commit to acting as a fiduciary at all times when providing financial advice.

Why "fee-only"? What about "fee-based"?

Fee-only means our compensation comes exclusively from client fees - no commissions, no third-party payments. Fee-based advisors can also receive additional compensation through product commissions, which can create conflicts of interest.

Why flat fees instead of AUM?

As a flat-fee firm, we charge a fixed dollar-amount fee rather than charging a fee based on a percentage of assets managed or receiving commissions on products sold.

Flat fees mean our advice is always aligned with what's best for you, whether that's paying down a mortgage, exercising options, or investing more, rather than what benefits my bottom line.

We believe in providing an all-inclusive service that ensures you will never have to worry about getting billed for an extra hour or two of work when you want to ask us a question.

We believe that a flat-fee model is a particularly great fit for Bay Area tech professionals.

Are you a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®)?

Yes. Andy Moran is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, which requires rigorous education, examination, experience, and a commitment to acting as a fiduciary at all times when providing financial advice.

Do you work with clients outside SF and Boston?

Yes! While most of our clients are in the SF Bay Area and Boston, we work with folks nationwide. All meetings are virtual.

What is your investing philosophy?

We primarily use index funds for equity allocations, emphasizing tax-efficient asset location.

We also partner with providers like Quantinno, Cache, and Alpha Architect to offer more advanced tax-aware investing strategies.

Can you do my taxes?

Tax planning is integral to our financial planning services, but we don't currently offer tax preparation and will coordinate with your tax preparer to make sure everything aligns with the plan. However, we may add this service for the 2026 tax year after doing around 100 tax returns over the past two seasons.

How do you store and safeguard my data?

We take data privacy seriously. You can find details in my Privacy Policy, and we're happy to answer specific technology questions directly.

What's included in the free intro call?

A 20-minute conversation to understand your financial situation, discuss what you're looking for, and determine if we might be a good fit. No pressure, no sales pitch.