Frequently Asked Questions
You’re in finance. Why should I trust you?
- Skepticism of financial professionals is completely understandable. As someone raised with a strong distrust of any sales-oriented profession and 10 years of engineering experience, I get it. While I cannot necessarily eliminate all your fears, I will share that the greatest lesson I learned from my undergrad economics courses was the extent to which incentives shape outcomes over the long-term. To this end, I have striven to reduce conflicts of interest as much as possible in my practice by forgoing any commissions, kickbacks, and hidden fees.
- I strive to operate a practice embodying radical transparency. If anything here seems unclear to you, shoot me a message, and I’ll take into account your feedback and add additional clarification on the site.
- Just look at me! I am clearly not the attractive and suave fast-talking salesperson you fear. 🙂
Do I have to work in tech to work with you?
- Tech and associated issues like equity compensation are a specialty of ours, but you do not need to be in tech to work with us.
Do you only work with Millennials and Zoomers?
- We also work with some members of Gen X.
- We do not generally work with retirees or pre-retirees as that is not our expertise.
Are you a fiduciary?
- Yes, I am a fiduciary financial planner who is legally and ethically obligated to act in your best interest and put your interests ahead of my own. I have signed a Fiduciary Oath with XY Planning Network and I hold myself to the fiduciary standard by holding myself out as a Candidate for CFPⓇ Certification. I am thus required to disclose and manage any conflicts of interest and provide transparent information about my services.
What does it mean to be a “fee-only” firm?
- As a fee-only firm, we are compensated exclusively by fees paid by those whom we serve for services provided.
- We do not receive commissions, referral fees, or other third-party compensation. We aim to provide objective and unbiased advice that is solely in your best interest.
What does it mean to be a “advice-only” firm?
- As an advice-only firm, in addition to being compensated exclusively by fees paid by those whom we serve for services provided, we do not charge for, or offer, investment management services at this time.
- We believe this can further minimize conflict- whether you buy a new home or invest in the market makes no difference to our bottom line.
- If you would like to see investment management offered as a service, please Contact Us. (This would always be optional, never required.)
What does it mean to be a “flat-fee” firm?
- 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.
- We aim to provide the most transparent pricing possible. While there is no “perfect model”, we’ve done our best to come up with a reasonable model for all parties.
What is a “fee-based” firm?
- A fee-based firm charges directly for financial planning but can also receive additional compensation through commissions on financial products such as insurance and mutual funds.
- We do not receive any commissions outside of what is directly paid to us by you, so we are fee-only and not fee-based.
Are you a Certified Financial Planner (CFPⓇ)?
- I have passed the Certified Financial Planner exam and am currently working on tackling the experience requirement for the designation.
- I am 100% prepared to submit the Ethics Declaration.
Do you have an office?
- At present, we do not have a physical office space and only meet virtually.
- We are based out of the Las Vegas, NV area.
- I travel frequently to the SF Bay Area, San Fernando Valley, and the West Coast more broadly.
What is your investing philosophy?
- Invest according to your time horizon.
- Generally, the boring thing is the right thing.
- If you want to do some exotic stuff, we can account for that in the plan.
- We may offer investment management services and direct indexing in the future. Contact Us if you are interested.
Can you do my taxes?
- Tax planning is a crucial aspect of financial planning, as virtually every financial decision has tax consequences.
- We do not currently offer tax preparation services but will work together with your tax preparer to ensure that your taxes are filed correctly in accordance with your plan.
- We are considering adding tax preparation as a service for clients. Contact Us if you’d like to see this service added.
How do you feel about debt?
- Debt is a tool that can benefit or harm. That said, I do lean more debt averse in my own financial life and am likely not the planner for you if you plan to take on a high degree of leverage in yours.
How do you store and safeguard my data?
- We take your data and privacy seriously.
- Please read our Privacy Policy and Contact Us if you have further questions about specific technology solutions.
