Tom was excellent! He helped me out significantly with a 30 minute appointment to see if he and I were 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. read more

My husband and I had a great 30-minute session with Tom. He was very thorough in understanding our situation 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. read more

Although I will not be working with Tom, I appreciated the time he took to get to know my situation and the wonderful referrals that he gave me for financial planners that will be a better fit. read more

Tom has helped guide me and my partner through several major life events, from a company IPO to buying a house and estate planning. Moreover, he expertly managed our investments and gave us helpful tips on how to make the most of our retirement accounts. He's approachable, friendly and professional. I would highly recommend him for anybody needing a financial adviser. read more

Tom is very helpful and is a wealth of resource for information on financial planning. He is patient and provides sound & fair advice. Would 100% recommend him for your financial needs read more

Tom has partnered with my family for many years. Tom has been a great partner in helping us define our goals, working out a clear path to achieve them (with buffer for normal uncertainty), and managing the execution and ongoing maintenance of our investments. Whether you are knowledgeable on personal finance / investing or not, Tom will be a great partner in helping you to reach your financial goals. read more

TL;DR - You wont be disappointed scheduling time with Tom for financial advice and investing. Tom really creates a great atmosphere to ask any questions you may have. Highly recommend. I was lucky enough to receive a webinar invite from Tom which led me to have a virtual consultation to discuss potential financial moves. I am not really knowledgable with financial related things and Tom was really patient and thoughtful with his explanations. He also asked great clarifying questions to understand my actual short term and long term goals. Though our consultation was only 30 mins, I left feeling more confident with the potential decisions that I'm going to be making. I can't emphasize how thankful I am that Tom took time to host a webinar and to take time to meet with me. I have not thought of having a financial advisor before but I'm glad that now I have Tom as a contact who I could have to help with that realm of things. read more

Tom was very helpful in listening and understanding my situation. Even though I'm not a match for his service, he referred me to the right kind of service that I need. I learned something new speaking with Tom. Overall highly recommended! read more

Tom was supremely helpful! He really took the time to understand my situation and walk me through what my options were. He gave plenty of context and kept me very informed, with the utmost respect as well. My situation wasn't the right fit for ongoing support, and Tom discussed that honestly with me and gave me great recommendations. He also has a great blog with clear and useful information, especially for those new to the equity game. read more

Tom is very courteous and friendly. I contacted him to discuss working together, and although we determined early on he wasn't the right fit for the situation I described. Nevertheless, he was very generous with his time and knowledge and provided me with severral referrals to resources that he thought could be useful. read more

I had a virtual consultation with Tom today, so impressed how much I learned from that one session. He is so knowledgeable and experience. I highly recommend your first consultation with Tom. read more

My wife and I put our trust in Vested Financial Planning and we've been pleased with Tom Lo. In current times, we are so busy working that it's difficult to keep up with the ups and downs of the investing and financial planning world. Tom has made our planning very simple and has put our minds at rest for the best planning for our retirement. We strongly advise any young or middle aged working people on the peninsula or in Silicon Valley to use Tom or anyone on his team! read more

Tom was incredibly helpful, he gave me thoughtful, unbiased advice. For my current position we both agreed it wasn't the right time for me to take him on as my advisors, but he took the time to give me very useful resources and free advice regardless. I'll definitely be recommending Tom and reaching back out when the time is right. read more

I first met Tom when he was a Silicon Valley Tech Marketer. Even then, I loved going out to lunch with him to ask for his advice on what to do with our company's RSUs and ESPPs. He was always so knowledgeable and willing to share. Years down the road, my husband and I now have a house and two kids and we knew that we needed some guidance beyond just maxing out our 401ks. In the meantime, Tom had left Marketing to pursue his passion in financial planning and it was an easy choice to hire Tom as he was someone I was already completely comfortable with and trusted. Tom really helped us take a step back and think about financial planning in a new lens. We had always just invested randomly to "maximize returns", but Tom gave us much needed advice to set goals, and then invest accordingly to achieve those goals. He's helped us answer the big questions of "Are we on track?" after we set our goals for retirement and education planning. I appreciate that he will often lay out a couple options, but then present the recommendation based on what he knows of our goals and risk tolerance. I feel much more confident in our financial health after having Tom provide his guidance! read more

Tom is very impressive. I reached out to see if my circumstances were a good fit for his services. Tom took time to understand the full scope of my issue asked me several questions that addressed both the technical financial components as well as the emotional drivers of the decision I need to make. Approachable, warm and insightful. Tom clearly has significant expertise which is best suited to a very specific demographic. He knew within minutes that my situation was not one where he delivers most value but he still took time to give me general pointers. He even followed up promptly after our conversation with an email which included referrals to professionals better matched to my needs. "Consumate professional" is a phrase which belongs in any sentence includes the words "Tom Lo" - you'll be glad to spend time with him. read more

My company went through an IPO last year, and Tom helped me to sort through and understand the "whys and hows" of selling stock, including the tax implications, as well as providing some very helpful advice on how much stock to sell, and how much to hold onto. He's very good at explaining financial things clearly -- for example, he helped me to understand ISOs, RSUs, and the tax advantages related to "qualified small-business stock" (QSBS). Overall, I highly recommend Tom, and I definitely trust his skills and judgement. He's easy to talk with and doesn't give you the hype or sales pitch that you might get from others in the finance world. He's great at understanding what you're looking for and providing useful advice based on your situation. read more

Most people, whether they realize it or not, need some expert help in preparing financially to buy or remodel a home, save & invest for education, prepare for retirement or care for aging parents. Tom is truly dedicated to helping others reach their financial goals. I have found him to be incredibly patient and helpful, a clear communicator and practical in his advice. He is fully transparent and sets expectations with you up front. Each meeting with Tom, I learn something new and gain more confidence in my approach toward being financially prepared for my family's future. If you are looking for a coach to keep you on track with your financial goals, Tom is great to work with and accommodates various needs, whether you just want to set up a financial plan with guidance, want professional asset management or fall somewhere in between. You will get high integrity service and a knowledgable partner who will guide you with a balanced, prudent and comprehensive approach. read more

I don't view my personal financial situation as typical. Startup founder and hitech worker, my income varies and my investments are complex. I am also not the kind of guy who likes to ask for help. Finances to me are personal. But... given the complexities of my situation (startup, kid in college, divorce, etc) I thought it would be helpful to sit down with Tom and talk through stuff. I really appreciate the time and level head he has. He was great at assessing the situation, taking time to explain stuff to me and gave me a plan that makes sense. I understand it and it addresses my priorities. read more

Tom is an amazing financial advisor. Before I met him, my money was just sitting in my bank account. I had been burnt before in the past with my finances, and so was a little cautious before I met Tom. Tom really was great at walking me through all the options I had. He really took the time to understand what my life goals were, and gave me some financial options to choose from. He really explains boring and difficult financial concepts in a very easy way. He also explains the pros and cons of each financial decision he's proposing so that I had ownership with each decision. My finances were in great hands with Tom and my portfolio has grown quite a bit. In addition, he ALWAYS makes time. There were so many times that I needed urgent financial advice. For example, when I needed to finish my taxes and had a quick question, he'd get back to me in real-time as my accountant was finishing my tax forms. Or, when I was getting my mortgage refinanced, he immediately got back to me to provide the info I needed. Tom is someone who I completely trust with my finances. He deeply cares about his clients and goes out of his way for them. read more

My husband and I were in search of a financial planner and Tom was exceedingly thorough and professional in our video chat interview meeting. In the end, we found we aren't a great fit, but his thoughtfulness, transparency and obvious skill at his profession left us feeling both appreciative and turned toward the right direction. We would definitely recommend Tom to anyone in need of sound financial advice. read more

I relied on Tom Lo @ Vested Financial Planning for insights and advice related to incentive stock options, and how these factored into my overall financial planning for the future. As others have said, Tom is very friendly and approachable, and asks the good question to understand the situation and structure a comprehensive approach and strategy. I would definitely recommend anyone seeking guidance about company equity and financial matters to reach out to Tom / Vested Financial Planning. You will be happy that you did. read more

Tom educated me about how to prepare for my company's IPO - covering taxes, selling strategies, and how to manage this in light of my overall financial strategy. His advice was so clear and convincing that he completely reshaped my thinking within the first session. I now feel much better equipped to navigate it. He's generous with his advice, quickly informing you. I was impressed by how much ground we covered in a short session. He's also kind and friendly, making it easy to talk to him, and I found his approach reassuring - focusing on how you can improve your financial situation no matter the circumstances. I'm very grateful to Tom, and I'd definitely recommend him to others, especially those with start-up equity. read more

Tom's financial consultation were provided through my workplace recently. He explained all the complex tax/stock related terms so simply. Learned a lot of things which were new and important. He gives you his unbiased opinion and strategies to makes the best of the resources you have. He listened to my questions intentively and guided me in the right direction. Give him a try and you will know what I am talking about. He didn't try to pursuade me to buy in his services, which trust me a lot of people will do. read more

I called several people for financial planning guidance and Tom Lo was the most helpful person I spoke to. Highly recommended.

Tom was very knowledgeable and on point about what to do with the stocks when your company get acquired. Also gave great advices about long term investment. read more

Awesome! Tom clearly knows his stuff and in particular is an expert in understanding how to approach dealing with things like option exercises, along with a whole set of other financial questions. It was refreshing to talk to someone so focused on my demographic and with so much knowledge of financial considerations of those in the startup ecosystem. read more

My husband and I have traditionally managed our own finances: retirement planning, college savings, mortgage, etc. We felt we were doing OK, but realized it was mostly because the Silicon Valley economy had been doing OK, not because of brilliance on our part. We'd pretty much stuck our financial planning on auto-pilot, and wanted to get our situation professionally evaluated since there were some big changes coming up (kid going to college in a 4 years, retirement in 10-15 years). So we decided to reach out to Tom based on a recommendation from a friend. Tom was able to help us think through the bigger picture. We came away with a prioritized to-do list based on our goals. His advice is thoughtful and timely, and made a lot of sense. Above all, I appreciate Tom's advice because I know he has gone through many of the life events which we're going through now. Highly recommend! read more

Tom Lo came to our office and gave 1:1 sessions to advise us on our personal financial situation. I mostly asked him questions about stock options and tax implications, and where to get additional help when it came to tax questions. He is super knowledgeable and precise when answering questions. He's also very relatable for tech professionals. read more

He came to our office to explain about strategies and taxes for ISOs RSU's and ESPP's, and was very thorough and professional. Answered every question, was very patient and spent some extra time for personal questions. I see myself going to him privately. read more

Tom has done it again. Tom sent me a personalized, courtesy "end of the year" email with advice on how I can optimize my retirement goals due to my irregular income year. Not only did he recommend what actions I should take, but he also walked me through the exact steps I needed to execute to make it happen. The best part was that I did this all online with several button clicks! I never had to get on a phone call with anyone. As a lazy, unaware, socially-anxious millennial, this was perfect for me. Tom is the man. read more

Tom was a referral from a trusted friend and he has more than delivered on that friend's promise. We had a two huge, impending financial decisions that required quick thinking and action and Tom was able to help guide us through several challenging situations (not least of which was buying our first house). He's forthcoming, doesn't bullshit you, communicates clearly and often, and makes you feel totally at ease, no matter what you're discussing or deciding. Couldn't recommend more highly. read more

My husband and I met with Tom to go over some of our financial questions. Tom is super knowledgeable, was very friendly and met with us for a virtual consult. He helped answer all our questions and additionally gave us referrals for tax accountants to use in the future. Thank you Tom! read more

Tom Lo was very helpful to my husband and I during our initial phone conversation. He is very knowledgeable in employee equity and provided valuable information that helped us make an important financial decision. We're looking forward to working with him in the future. read more

Your search has ended! Tom Lo is an extremely professional and talented financial advisor.  He takes his job and client relationships very seriously and that's apparent every time we talk or have a meeting. He's an incredible person who makes you feel comfortable and well educated in every decision that you make.  If you're looking for an advisor with integrity and someone who truly has your best interest in mind, I would urge you to contact Tom. Rest assured, he can provide a great financial game plan that will align with all of your goals. read more

I have a background in financial services and enjoy staying on top of my family's personal finances, though I still needed help with some blind spots. Tom came to our house and gave us an extremely valuable first consultation. He introduced us to a lot of strategies we hadn't heard of and helped us prioritize tasks to get our estate in order. For example, we covered lesser known topics like donor-advised funds to minimize taxes in big-income years, backdoor Roths to take advantage of low-income years, term life insurance, umbrella liability insurance to protect assets, and setting up a living trust to better direct our assets. I also appreciated Tom's more simple advice like remembering to sit down with my wife regularly to ensure we both know how to access and administer all of our accounts. And best of all, Tom is just a solid human being that you can trust to have your best interests in mind. He will listen first and then craft a personal plan that makes sense for you. Don't hesitate to call Tom for a tuning session even if you feel like you have a good handle on everything - he'll uncover opportunities you wish you would have known sooner! read more

Tom came out to my workplace company and did information sessions around equity education. He is very knowledgeable with all aspects of stock options, stock grants, and ESPPs, especially in the important area of tax implications. I also sat down with him in an individual session to pick his brain about financial planning, estate planning, and investment management. He gave me lots of specific and useful advice around college cost planning, life insurance, living trusts, and wills. I would trust Tom to help according to your best interests and future in mind. He offers services of financial planning and even investment management. I am seriously considering these services from him after seeing how knowledgeable and sharp yet still so personable he is. read more

I recently met with Tom to walk through a number of 401(k) and IRA holdings I've collected, over the years, from various employers and some inheritances. As a Silicon Valley technology professional, I've changed jobs and investment plans fairly often, so my retirement savings had become a bit scattered. Tom sat down and helped me map out a strategy for combining accounts into a Rollover IRA and explained the pros and cons of the IRAs vs. 401(k) plans. Tom asked some insightful questions to gauge our comfort level with risk and about our plans for retirement. We found some low-cost, goal-appropriate holdings for my current investments and new contributions and a plan for consolidating funds for better control and consistency. Thanks, Tom, for restoring some order to my chaos of accounts! We will definitely be scheduling some more time with Tom to review my wife's accounts as well as consider some income property investment ideas. read more

Tom was very helpful in walking me through how to handle some IPO stock I was fortunate enough to obtain. He took the time to understand my situation and how best to optimize given my overall financial goals and tax situation. He clearly knows his stuff when it comes to matters involving employee equity grants - both as an advisor and as someone who worked in Silicon Valley for many years. Even if you think you have a handle on your own equity situation I would still recommend giving Tom a call. Plus he's just a super personable guy! read more

I've known Tom Lo for almost 20 years. We worked together at a variety of Bay Area start-ups and large tech companies. So, it was only natural that, when I decided to dial back my career and leave Silicon Valley, I would turn to him to help us chart a new financial path. We would be going from having two Silicon Valley salaries, down to one. And, this was at a time when we had two active children involved in lots of (expensive) extracurricular activities. Before I left my career, we sat down with him to understand the trade-offs we might have to make as well as how to preserve the investments we already had. Our biggest concerns were being able to pay for college for at least one child and also being able to retire at reasonable ages. Tom was great in helping us figure out what we had to work with and what it would take in terms of lifestyle changes to allow me to leave the Silicon Valley tech world. We had always taken a DIY approach to our financial planning and assumed we were doing fine. But, with such a radical shift in our finances, we thought we needed some "expert" help. The most complicated part of what we were dealing with was stock options. If I left, we had to decide what to do with the options I had accumulated and what the tax implications would be given a variety of scenarios. He really took the time to sit down with us and guide us through what to do. Tom had also switched careers so it was also nice to hear from someone who had already "been there, done that." Overall, he provided the guidance and reassurance that what we were doing wasn't nuts, as longs as we were smart about planning our finances. If anyone is asking themselves, "Am I planning my finances the right way," I would wholeheartedly encourage you to call Tom Lo. read more

I met Tom several years ago when he was first looking into leaving his marketing career to work in financial planning. Over the years, I stayed in touch with him about how the career switch had been going and things seemed to be going really well. More recently, he let me know that he had gone out on his own. So, naturally, when I decided to dial back my career as a software engineer, I looked to him for guidance. I didn't have a radical shift. Rather, I was looking at cutting back from full-time work to about 3/4 time. I had the luxury of keeping all of my benefits during this shift. So, where I needed help was on how to handle our investments given that less money would be coming in on a regular basis. We had saved well early on, but we needed help on how to allocate our investments and how to adequately save for retirement, given my more limited income. I sat down with Tom and he gave us a great roadmap for how to manage our "new normal.".Obviously we knew there would be lifestyle adjustments. But what we really wanted to know was whether or not we should change our investment strategy and also how we might continue to save, albeit at a slower pace. Tom was super helpful in this and I'm happy to say that we've been able to maintain the abbreviated schedule for a while now. If you are thinking about how career changes or life changes might impact your financial situation, it would be a worthwhile call to reach out to Tom. read more