I had a brief conversation with David seeking advice on some inherited property. He was very clear in his explanations and laid out my options for me. It was abundantly clear that he had my best interest at heart. Wouldn't hesitate to hire him for additional financial service needs. read more

I called David out of the blue to discuss a better approach to managing long term debt vis-a-vis retirement saving. While my needs aren't quite in line with David's central specialties (I'm also outside of his typical client age range), he was more than willing to have an honest and engaging conversation with me to help point me in the right direction. I could easily tell that David is a measured, articulate advisor even after only speaking with him briefly. I felt comfortable sharing information about my financial situation as well as my aspirations, and received the assurance I was looking for to make decisions I'd been struggling to make on my own. If you find yourself even unsure about whether or not you should reach out, hesitate no longer. You have nothing to lose and I'd wager a great deal to gain. read more

David Beck did my 2019 IRS tax filing very quickly and at a good price. In this COVID-9 world where most accountants only work remotely, he accommodated my computer illiteracy by agreeing to have me drop off my materials at his home, then pick them up later. I am an 81 yo with only social security as income. I don't own a home or other property. The only "complication" is stock investments and a carry forward page. Given my incompetence with computers I have never wanted to do my taxes on line. In the past I have used AARP's free service for seniors, but COVID-19 ended that, so I postponed filing, hoping perhaps that AARP might resume. That did not happen. So I looked at yelp and tried to identify a person who could do my taxes at a good price. I quickly learned that most CPAs deal with more complicated cases and charged high prices. I also learned that most worked exclusively remotely. Further, at this late date, many were not accepting new clients. Others were not returning my phone calls. I had a worrisome night, but the next day I reached David and we worked out the arrangement where I hand-delivered my materials, then picking them up when he finished. He called me almost exactly 24 hours after I dropped off my materials to tell me that he had completed the work. So my worry changed to relief and David's quick response was the salve I needed. read more

What a pleasure, and relief, it has been to have David Beck look into my financial affairs and give me some very thoughtful and helpful advice. He was terrific to talk to, very patient and articulate, and perceptive to my current situation in terms of current earnings, assets and expenses. I would without hesitation recommend him to anyone thinking mid-life about how my retirement might look like. Thanks David! read more

David Beck is stellar at was he does! David was extremely patient with all my questions. He was spot on with tax advice and counsel. Very kind and knowledgeable. I recommend David whole heartedly! 5 star service! read more

David was very prompt in responding to a question I had regarding a topic he didn't cover. He could have just not responded but he spent time writing me a detailed thoughtful response in order to help me even though it wasn't a service he provides. I appreciate that very much! Thank you David! read more

I can't imagine having a better tax preparer than David Beck. We used to get our taxes done through HR Block, but now we call upon David yearly to help us through taxes we'd be hard pressed to do ourselves (Schedule C, itemized deductions, etc.) He is patient, friendly, and helpful, getting us through even the most complex decision-making and record keeping issues with calm confidence. Even better, he does housecalls. So when given a choice, you could pay about the same and have to drive to HR Block for a lot less personalized service......but I don't know why you'd want to!?! read more

David is a very patient, thorough and systematic advisor. A consummate professional and a thorough gentleman! He has a tried and true process that he meticulously follows to provide accurate, honest and reliable advise. I truly thank my stars that I happened to meet him and listen to his talk at our local high school. David helped us understand and navigate through the convoluted college funding & financial aid process. I have used his services for three years in a row now and I can safely say, without him showing the way, we would have been thoroughly lost. Thanks for all your help David! _/|\_ read more

David Beck is one the best financial wizards west of the Mississippi. He has great knowledge and experience in retirement, tax, college planning and investing. You will be greatly served by working with an honest and value-driven CFP (R) professional like David, holding the top designations in the industry. You will learn that he cares for each of his clients like family. Thank you David. read more

All I can say is WOW. David went above and beyond to provide me with detailed information on college financial aid planning for my daughter. By having him prepare the information it saved me countless hours. Not only that but I know what to expect and what not to expect when it comes to financial aid. I also know that it was prepared by a professional and I didn't miss something that could save us thousands of dollars per year. David prepared a detailed report showing our family's expected family contribution for both the federal methodology and the institutional methodology. This tells us the amount of various family resources we're expected to contribute in general. Then David did a detailed financial evaluation of each college my daughter is considering and showed how much we would need to contribute for each school and what other forms of aid we can expect at each one. Last but not least, David prepared a details college comparison for the schools showing their selectivity, test scores, graduation rate, etc. We talked about various strategies for maximizing aid and reducing the amount of family contribution. David is extremely knowledgeable in this area. By going over this with him I now have the peace of mind that I didn't overlook something that could save us thousands of dollars per year. After meeting with David to go over the information he did more research based on information from our meeting and prepared additional data and sent it to me. This was definitely above and beyond. I highly recommend David and Bay Area Planners for your collage planning needs. Oh yeah, and he doesn't charge an arm and a leg like many companies. You'll get tremendous bang for your buck with David and it will be money well spent. read more

I had a thorny issue involving retirement planning which I could not figure out for myself. After providing David with the required info, he set up several financial plans which encompassed all likely scenarios. He was patient, knowledgeable, and answered all of my questions. David was a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend him. read more

My child is a senior, and applied to colleges already and has heard from a few. I got a confirmation from David, an "expert" on my EFC, expenses & likelihood of aid, but in the context of my child's academic performance and our specific financial situation. He also clarified how to approach the appeal process RELEVANT to my situation. I was impressed and this far exceeded my expectations. Usually when questionare's are filled out before a consultation, I have found that the info was not used. I was wrong! David prepared a detailed analysis and very realistic projection of what to expect for each college. What is key is that David left us with a framework/spreadsheet for evaluating the colleges from a financial standpoint for my child -- EXACTLY what I needed -- the tools needed to be successful in carrying out an analysis. He not only fed me fish, he taught me how to fish -- all in one session. read more

David Beck from Bay Area planners is a good man with lot of knowledge who can give details about college financing basing on our credentials and our financial status. $185/hr is little high but I believe it's worth since we need to spend in thousands for our children's college studies. David also doesn't mind to answer our questions through emails. I believe it's worth a try if you are not familiar with college financial planning. David will also give detailed smart search guide of schools of our interest with likey/unlikely/far reach categories with complete details which is very helpful to plan financially in advance. He is at 19925 Stevens Creek Blvd. Ste 100, Cupertino, CA 95014 read more

We've got three kids heading off to college in the coming five years so -- needless to say -- we are scrambling. David Beck understands the finer points of college aide as few financial planners do. We were so grateful for his time and expertise, as well as his willingness to meet with us outside of regular business hours. You know absolutely that he's giving you the straight scoop (however painful) and the detailed information/spreadsheet he put together prior to our meeting backed that up. Highly recommend! read more

I am so pleased and grateful that a friend recommended David Beck to me for help with our taxes. I panicked when our usual tax preparer's schedule filled up less than a week before tax day. With my private business, a mortgage refinance and tax rebates, our taxes looked daunting to me. David immediately put me at ease with his competence and knowledge and a complex and stressful tax filing process quickly became painless. And, on top of it all, his services cost less than our previous tax accountant's! read more

David was nothing less than professional and kept to all appointments (met at my place in person) which was a huge surprise to me as I expected that I would have to go to him! I had my taxes completed for 2 years consecutively with BAP and was treated very professionally each time. I was provided prompt professional advise and never rushed. I highly recommend David for his services and recommend anyone requiring financial advise and tax preparation. I used to got to H&R and paid much more just to have my info plugged into their program and left with may question I didnt feel the agent could answer confidently. After going to David it was good bye H&R.... read more

My wife and I needed to get a clear picture of our finances as we prepped our daughter to apply to college this year. David Beck was terrific -- he gave us a thorough understanding of the college financing process and a neat set of strategies to bring to it from our own particular situation. He more than earned his very modest fee and I look forward to working with him in the future. Highly recommended. read more

David Beck provided a clear, step-by-step approach to college financial planning. He is very professional and knowledgeable He clearly does his research carefully, and places great importance on understanding the unique needs of each family. read more

Last year, I was badly burned by a well known college financial aid consultant, and extremely dissatisfied. I felt that my money was totally wasted. One thing that scared me the most was that I didn't even know why some of our forms were filled out the way they were, and all of a sudden that consulting firm submitted our forms already. This year, very luckily, I found and switched to David. I was favorably impressed by how he conducted the business. David appeared to be quite professional, meaning he was very knowledgeable, thorough, organized, and provided excellent services, e.g., by responding to my inquiries timely with great info or details. I was also impressed by his software calculation tools which could provide some helpful analysis related to getting grants or funds. Moreover, I think his fees were fairly reasonable--comparing to other college financial aid consultants who really over-charged (a rip-off). read more