Tom was excellent! He helped me out significantly with a 30 minute appointment to see if he and I…read morewere a good fit. Because of particulars of my case, we were not a good fit, but he recommended several people who would be. He also told me what to look for in a financial planner/wealth management specialist. It was incredibly helpful. Tom was great at active listening and making sure he was getting the correct information from me. While other specialists I've talked to were knowledgeable, they were not as careful or thorough as Tom about making sure they understood my assets, income, living situation, and goals as Tom was.

My husband and I had a great 30-minute session with Tom. He was very thorough in understanding our…read moresituation and assessing what next steps are based on our goals. As someone who isn't particularly confident managing my personal finances, it was reassuring to have a professional like Tom take us through what we should be thinking about and how to work toward our goals. We left with some recommendations that will help us stop being ostriches and actually learn to manage better long term.

Jeff spent a lot of his valuable time to provide me with great advice about selling my business,…read morewhen I was confused and apprehensive about the process. He is genuinely interested in helping people--even those who are not his regular clients--navigate a confusing and muddled process. I highly recommend him and his services.

Provided a lot of information snd good advice and direction for the next tax return. His staff were…read morepleasant helpful and attentive

We've been clients for almost 10 years and have worked with most of the firm as they've grown…read more Tessara (fka Ballast point financial planning) has been instrumental in guiding us as our income and net worth has climbed. Shawn has also been a trusted resource for referrals to other services we have hired in the Bay Area and we're so appreciative of him. Most recently, Vidalia is our lead planner and she is fantastic! She is knowledgeable, responsive and personable. I admire how she handles my questions in such a calm and composed way which I know can be challenging sometimes since I handle clients in my own career. We've "graduated" now that we have a stable financial plan but will have no hesitation becoming clients again if our planning needs change in the future.

Shawn with Ballast Point helped us do a one-time consultation of our finances. Shawn was incredibly…read morethorough, looking over all of our financials then providing advice on specific questions we had (if we should keep our home as a rental vs selling, advising us on stock options, etc) as well as letting us know where we could make some adjustments to our savings and brokerage accounts. We got advice on our kids' 529 accounts and upping our life insurance policies and Shawn gave us the name of a fantastic law firm who handled creating our living trust. The Google spreadsheet with the breakdown of our finances and things for us to consider in the short and long term was also great and something we will absolutely be using in the future to track our assets. Very grateful for Shawn and BPFP!

Just interviewing different financial firms. I''m finding Fischer to be very pushy. Not asking…read morewhat your goals are which they brag about putting the client first. It's more like are we taking over all your accounts? What is your net worth? If you roll over your 401k into an IRA, we could manage your retirement also. Bad sales tactics. A real turn off in my book! They just want a bigger commission the more net value your portfolio is. I want to see how they handle one first before turning over my entire estate. Made me very uncomfortable, and that was with an area manager. Still searching for someone compatible.

I was shopping around for an investment firm. When Matt from Fisher called me back to follow up, I…read moretold him I went with another investment firm. He tried to convince me that they were the best firm. I told him I was already with another firm and happy with them About two months later, he called me again. I told him I thought you were not to call me anymore. I told him again I went with another firm. I told him to put me on the do not call list. He hung up on me before I could even hung up on him. Rude and pushy.

Aaron was recommended to us by a friend when we were trying to figure out what we should be doing…read morewith our money to feel comfortable in the future. We have always been savers, but knew we weren't making the most of what we had... and we were worried that we'd never be able to retire, or even if we could survive without two huge incomes in the Bay Area. Aaron listened to all our concerns, looked at our finances, and then went over everything he'd do so we could feel comfortable about our future. He likes to say he's not a therapist, but I literally got more out of his meetings than I would with any therapy. Aaron makes you think about what's really important to you in life, and how best to use money to actually be happy. With his guidance, my husband and I are so much more comfortable with our future. Aaron is so easy to talk to and we mesh well with him. We had actually talked to another advisor before him (another recommendation), but didn't feel very comfortable with him. Every meeting we have with Aaron, we always comment how we're so glad we found him! Highly recommend!

Aaron has been an amazing financial advisor and a rockstar of a planner…read more He showcases his breadth of knowledge on all things finance-related when I bring up an unfamiliar topic or a confusing finance document, and he helps me understand counterintuitive financial principles, calls out my financial blind spots, and helps me see perspectives on how to approach a life/financial decision that I wouldn't have ever considered. After vetting a handful of financial advisors five years ago, I ended up choosing Aaron in large part because I value how his approach to financial planning is more than merely quantitative. Aaron spends the time to understand me, what drives & motivates me, what I want to do in life, and then he's able to craft a plan with my finances to get me to where I want to be. Because of this, Aaron never pressures or burdens me with a investment decision; he explains everything to me in a very digestible way, but defers to me for the final call. Aaron also has a very affable personality, and it's super easy to talk about anything and everything with him, which I greatly appreciate because finances permeate deeply into all aspects of life that it requires a relationship built on trust to be to share vulnerably and openly. Even as my goals and desires change, or as my family grows, Aaron pivots along with me, and he gives me the confidence to wholly entrust all my finances to him so that I can focus on the non-financial aspects of life. I'm also super thankful of Aaron's flexibility. Sometimes our conversations run long, but I never feel rushed. Other times, I'm at a crossroads with a big financial decision, but Aaron has gone above and beyond to take an impromptu phone call in order to give me the advice that helps me make the right choice. I've been recommending Aaron to anyone who asks me for a financial advisor, and will continue to do so. There's no other CFP I can envision working with!

We committed to working together, I felt they were unresponsive once we started uploading docs…read moreetc., and they then suddenly told us they'll no longer work with us with no explanation and didn't respond to any follow-up questions. We're now left with very little time to find a replacement and we'll probably lose a lot of money as a result of this surprise from them. Facts: we agreed to work together at the start of this year. They shared a portal for us to upload docs into. It took us a few weeks to get started uploading those docs but we're still within their purported time-frame in mid-February. We had some access issues that, for myself, they fixed; that was not fixed for my wife and we had to bug them several times in the last week before our scheduled tax prep meeting. They then reached out to me, saying that they can no longer work with us and that they'll delete all the files I uploaded to their vault. When I asked them why, they did not respond.

I've been working with Akram at All About Your Taxes since 2021, and I can honestly say he is the…read morebest tax professional I've ever had. Before finding him, I was going to a lady in Chinatown because her prices were cheaper, but I quickly learned you get the kind of service you pay for. Mistakes were made on my taxes, and I needed someone reliable and knowledgeable to fix them. That's when I found All About Your Taxes, and Akram helped me amend the errors and get everything corrected. Since then, I've stayed with him every year because he is extremely thorough, detail oriented, and professional. The entire process is always smooth, seamless, and stress free. Akram truly goes above and beyond. He takes the time to explain everything clearly, answers all of my questions, and always acknowledges my emails. Akram gives great advice that is tailored to my situation. I always feel confident that my taxes are being handled correctly. I am so happy I found Akram and I highly recommend him and the team at All About Your Taxes.

After thoroughly vetting several financial advisors, my husband and I found Jim last summer and…read morehave been working with him for about nine months. He is humble, professional, personable, and highly trustworthy. His experience, expertise, and communication skills truly stand out. Jim charges a very reasonable flat fee (unlike most financial planners) and is extremely detail-oriented. Although we've managed our own investments for over 30 years (primarily in index funds), transitioning into retirement felt overwhelming. Jim's guidance gave us the clarity and confidence we needed to set our retirement dates and stop worrying about finances. 10/10 recommend!

we've been clients for 4 years now and value our relationship with Jim and his team. The plan is…read moreflexible with regular reviews and adjustments as our needs change. The results have exceeded our expectations and we recommend the service for those desiring straight forward guidance for a reasonable fee.

Kalvin offers comprehensive financial knowledge as we plan for a growing family, buying a home, and…read morestarting a business. Despite my own lack of financial knowledge, Kalvin was able to explain things in a way I could understand, and feel understood. He listened well, offered advice in line with our family's values and goals, and had all the next steps and referrals we needed.

I have worked with Kalvin for several years now. He is very knowledgeable about investment…read morestrategies. I greatly appreciate that he makes himself available to my phone calls and always offers sound financial advice. Kimie S./Santa Clara

Fantastic service!…read more We'd been searching for a financial professional for a while now and was very surprised when we could book a one-on-one free consultation with Ms. Teh the very next day. We detailed our plans to her, she gave us her professional opinion and gave us homework to do. She was pleasant, communicative and obviously knew her profession. We'll be using her in future for sure!

I have met with Christine Teh three times now. As a math teacher and professional, I have always…read morefelt a bit of shame and embarrassment about not being able to get a handle on taxes and finances. Christine was so encouraging. She took the mystery out of all the mess and gave me the confidence to take ownership of my finances. I always felt safe to ask any question, and she always answered in a way I could understand. This coaching experience has been life-changing! I cannot speak highly enough of Christine Teh and the invaluable financial guidance she has provided.

I reached out to McKinley to explore some financial possibilities. Mark took me on as a prospect…read moreand was fantastic. He was incredibly friendly, obliging, and easy-going. He fielded no shortage of questions and consistently gave thoughtful and helpful answers. The level of service he provided was head and shoulders above other financial professionals I spoke with. If you're going to have someone manage your money, Mark is a great choice--trustworthy, transparent, and thoughtful. I recommend him unconditionally.

After losing a large portion of our savings in the market crash, we wanted to find more stable…read moreinvestments to improve our financial security. Troy has been excellent in providing comprehensive investment advice, including identifying investments with significant upside, but with very limited risk of loss. In the first six months, we earned 30% across all investments. We now have investments that will provide tax-free annuity payments when we retire, as well as investments earning above-market rates that are liquid and can be used without penalty in the event of an emergency. Troy and the McKinley Financial Group have restored my family's confidence in our financial future.