Faruk was a pleasure to work with! As we wanted to plan further for our future, our goal was to…read moreidentify areas where we are doing well and can improve upon. From the start, Faruk was personable and clear in communicating his services along with having a genuine interest in what our expectations were from this exercise. Fast forward a month, we have gained invaluable clarity and actionable next steps for our finances. Today, we still reference learnings and information shared by Faruk to help influence any financial decisions we may or will make. 100% would recommend Faruk to any family looking to understand their finances.

Faruk is a fantastic guy. I feel very fortunate to have crossed paths with him. He has been great…read moreat setting up our investments to be positioned well, even when the market is volatile. He has consistently grown my investments since working with him (not by single digit percentages either). He is very attentive and always takes the time to explain goals/positions clearly. Faruk is also very friendly, approachable, and genuinely cares about my financial goals. I trust his judgment and appreciate his proactive approach. I highly recommend him!

I asked Kara and several other tax advisors for help regarding a potential investment. I was not…read moreaware that the tax rules are very simple. While several other advisors wanted to charge a lot of money for an hour of consultation, Kara provided all the information for free. I appreciate Kara's honesty and would be interested in working with her in the future.

From the owner: Dille & Koo, LLP (D&K) is a CPA firm that specializes in outsourced CFO work for businesses, HNW…read moreclients, family offices and nonprofits. --Firms We work with businesses that need outsourced CFOs to develop and maintain systems and operations with proper controls, integrity, timely reporting and transparency. --Families & Individuals We work with family offices and HNW individuals to assist with family office set-up, maintenance, assistance, special projects, tax, estate planning, reporting and more. --Nonprofits We are honored to specialize in nonprofits that need help setting-up controls, systems, reporting and transparency to effectively manage nonprofits in a cost effective manner.

I've been a client of Michelle's for YEARS, and she has seen me through some tough times, most…read morenotably the financial meltdown a few years ago. I can contact her with a question or concern regarding my finances, and get a carefully considered response by the next day, if not within the next hour. She treats her clients like family, and does whatever is necessary to execute our investment plans -- several times she has set up three-way conference calls with Fidelity in order to adjust my 401(k) options. She has been invaluable; I will be at a loss if she retires before I do!

Yes. Bell Investment Advisors have helped up tremendously in preparing for retirement. We…read moreappreciate Tiffany helping us with college funding for our two daughters. They have now graduated and working and Tiffany even provides great advice to them as they begin saving and investing.

The Bell Team is indeed nice, contributing to the community, to music, theater, sports. They are…read morenot as great in their results for your investments. Their "active" investment strategy, the "momentum method," has fallen behind the S&P 500 for at least the past 10 years. Their claim to have beaten the S&P 500 over time is true only for investors who have been with Bell since the time BEFORE the momentum method. In other words, if you had instead been "passively" investing by choosing S&P-like funds (which isn't always easy), you would have done much better. What is "much better"? Well, in 2011, for instance, the S&P 500 had the same value at the end of the year as at the beginning, it gained and lost nothing. A typical Bell account lost at least 10%. Which means that your $1,000,000 portfolio lost $100,000 in 2011, while you friend, passively following the S&P 500, still has his $1,000,000. Why are they not more successful? The momentum method, which is based on data suggesting that up (and down) movements of the market have a certain inertia, they keep going up (or down) for a while. This is a fact one might be able to take advantage of. Bell hasn't been able to. The reason: they have no reliable method to get on the bandwagon in time, and they've left the bandwagon too late too often. These mistakes will not show long in your portfolio because those losers will eventually have been sold and disappeared from your eyes. What stays in your portfolio is, like the grin of the Cheshire Cat, the loss relative to a standard index like the S&P 500. If you are considering Bell as your advisors, ask them in detail (year by year, not annualized over 15 years!) about their performance relative to a certain standard. For instance for 2013. It was a great year for many indexes, Bell did o.k. for me too, but if I had had the patience to go with "passive investment," I would have doubled my gains. Why am I still with them? Lazy. Most people have financial advisors, because they don't want to bother (or can't be) managing their portfolio themselves. In addition, only a minority of money managers - rumor has it at 30% - actually beat the indexes, such as the S&P 500. Bell is safely in the majority.

I've had such an outstanding experience with Laura and Bob at RWM insurance that I wanted to show…read moremy appreciation with a 5 star review. I have a complicated medical history that may have made it hard to get life insurance as well as disability insurance, but Laura and her team were incredibly supportive, knowledgeable, thorough, and responsive throughout out the whole process. I am now finally covered with good insurance plans and am so relieved. I could not have asked for a better experience. Really kind and trustworthy people here who truly understand this complicated and vulnerable process! Thank you!

I figured it was time to get some life insurance after getting married and wanting to start a…read morefamily. I did a lot of research online about coverages and rates and was fairly confident I knew what I wanted and needed. I was referred to Bob at RWM by a friend as a resource to bounce my ideas off and it was the best thing I did. He helped walk me through the amount of coverage I needed and brought up things I had underestimated. In the end, he helped me buy the right amount of coverage at a lower cost than I was quoted online. How does that happen?? As a knowledgeable life insurance agent, Bob not only was helpful to get the right coverage, he saved me money over the online tools I tried on my own (and made it fun in the meantime).

Exceptional! I…read morereached out to Kenny about multiple insurance products - long term care, term life, whole life. Let me step back and say this first - My family has a long history of buying all sorts of insurance over the last 30 years. In that time, we have met many people in the insurance industry across various roles. With that context in mind let me say this. Kenny is amongst the most thorough, knowledgeable, and helpful people I have ever met. He is not trying to just "sell you something." Instead he works hard to understand why it is that you think you need the insurance you have asked him about, he uses his intellect and creativity to suggest other options if they are appropriate (his feedback many times proved better than my own initial assumptions and work), and wants above all to help you. He is responsive, razor sharp, and high integrity. I started this review with the word "exceptional" - well, there is "exceptional" and then there is "truly exceptional" and then there is "rarely seen level of exceptionalism" - and for me, Kenny is just that.

Was overwhelmed with trying to figure out my financial future, and Kenny took the reins. He was…read morepatient, comprehensive, and extremely helpful in providing lots of options. Definitely a trusted provider that I can't recommend enough.

Stopped by on my way to work to pick up some cash from a teller and it turns out they've only…read morescheduled one teller today and she's on lunch . What a terrible way to manage this location.

I came here to pay my bill and when I came inside I was greeted right away and helped. I haven't…read morefilled out my check for the payment and she was patient with me qnd there was nobody behind me to wait in line. I was impress how fast I was helped and she gave me time to fill out my check for the payment. I have passed by th Citi back whenever I am in Orinda but I thought what the heck and pay my Citi payment. I will say that my service at Citi was wonderful. Parking is limited qt this location but you can park qt the Safeway lot. No complaints about not finding parking at this location. Check out Citi bank

I love The Bach Group and appreciate their flexibility in working with my peculiarities as a…read moreclient. Having been inspired by a best selling book authored by a Bach Family member called, "Smart Women Finish Rich", I was motivated to work with the Bach group professionally. They are fastidious in keeping me notified and updated, I'm able to wire money internationally nearly effortlessly in addition to keeping my unique portfolio stable, producing income and growing.

I contacted Pam Burk of The Bach Group by phone - upon the recommendation of a friend who has her…read moremoney invested with them. Pam asked me a few questions and asked me to come in to the Orinda, CA office for a free consult. I was instructed to bring tons of financial info. When We had our face to face meeting, she reviewed my documents and was as nice as can be. She said she would review the material and get back to me. I was contacted by phone a few days later and told that my investments were not what they wanted to handle. I asked her why not? I also asked her if I needed a minimum amount of $$ to be a client. At First she said it was because of where I had my money invested in - as the reason for their refusal to take me on as a client. After a few more inquiries, Pam Burk said that Yes, indeed I fell short of the 1/2 a million dollars ($500,000) needed in order to retain the Bach Group as an investment advisor (for a fee of 1% of my portfolio annually). If she had only made that info clear in the initial phone call and or at the meeting, that would have saved me a lot of personal time and effort getting to the office and getting all my financial material ready for her. So, in summation, if you do not have at lease 1/2 a million dollars to invest , stay clear of these folks. I was not happy with their business practice at all!!!

Holly Henkel from Pacific Union in Orinda was an amazing realtor!…read more She quickly sold my 1 bedroom condo in Oakland & then helped us close on a 2 bedroom on Alameda in about 3 weeks. She was recommended by a friend & I would highly recommend her for anyone looking to sell or buy in the East Bay!

From the owner: Pacific Union is the leading luxury real-estate brand in Northern California. For us, "luxury" is…read moremeasured by the quality of our people and our service, not the price of a property. Whether you are buying or selling a home in the Bay Area, Pacific Union is committed to providing you an extraordinary experience. We pride ourselves on exceeding expectations at every turn, whether it's with our unparalleled neighborhood knowledge, our willingness to go the extra mile, or our unmatched professional expertise and experience. With 21 offices in the Greater Bay Area - more than any other independent real-estate firm - we offer a full range of personal and commercial real-estate services, including buying, selling, and relocation. In addition, our exclusive relationship with Christie's International Real Estate, the property division of the legendary auction house, enables us to market our sellers' properties to more buyers in more places than any other brand.

There are few people that I trust with the most important elements in my life that I simply cannot…read moredo myself, but are essential to my wellbeing: my hairdresser and my financial advisor. I've had the opportunity to work with Dave Carroll on devising a financial strategy for my business, and trust him immensely. He is a professional that knows his industry so well, he can explain it to non-financial gurus, such as myself, in a way that not only makes perfect sense, but also gets me jazzed about the possibilities that exist in my financial future. Even better, Dave is fair, honest, and does not throw in any surprise fees or confusing financial commitments. He can provide you with a full picture of your finances and help you navigate through your choices with an educated mindset. I highly recommend him to anyone seeking personal or professional financial advice and guidance.

Dave Carroll brings confidence, knowledge, and experience to the critical and often confusing task…read moreof managing financial investments. Dave keeps me in the loop with regular and personal communications. When we talk, he takes the time to make sure I understand what all of the options are and why he's recommending one over another. I trust Dave and feel so much safer with him managing my finances.