I found Taylor Schulte through his Live Wealthy podcast which I can highly recommend! When we…read morelearned their team was accepting new clients, we quickly got in touch to see if they may be a good fit for us. We had just recently retired and we felt that our "traditional financial planner" was not meeting our needs. We met with Taylor and Tyler, and to say we were BLOWN AWAY is not strong enough! These guys have Retirement Planning dialed in!! They were very thorough, asked the right questions and came through with a complete financial plan that was easy to understand and covered many things we had yet to think about. They showed us how Roth conversions could make a huge difference in our lifetime tax bill. They uncovered the (often mysterious ) fees we were paying within our various accounts and helped us simplify the assets to make them more manageable. For MANY years we paid our advisor but did not feel we were receiving what we needed. We couldn't articulate what we were missing because you don't know what you don't know!! Taylor and Tyler turned the lights on for us and we are very grateful. I also must mention that their office manager, Karen, is WONDERFUL too! She is professional, kind, proactive, and wonderful at detail and follow-up - she plays a critical part! These are ALL-STARS, and if you are seeking a team for your financial planning needs - look no further!!

Working with Taylor, Jon and the Define Financial team has been amazing and we couldn't have asked…read morefor a better partner for our finances. We love the fact that they're a fee-only fiduciary and are always looking out for what's best for us. They truly go above and beyond to make sure that no stone is left unturned when it comes to minimizing investment costs/taxes, reducing stress + complexity and maximizing returns. Before we ever decided to work together, Taylor and Jon met with us on multiple occasions to educate us on their philosophy and make sure we were aligned on a long-term, low-cost, diversified investment approach. We found it incredibly helpful to understand the "why" before getting caught up in the specifics of any individual investment decisions. Taylor and Jon are tech-savvy, data-driven and very well researched when it comes to modern advances in portfolio theory. Their investment philosophy is grounded in timeless fundamentals and is a no-nonsense approach that avoids so many of the common pitfalls with investing. They provide each client with a custom portal to manage all of your finances and also regularly provide action items to work on. Over the past 6 months of working together, we've made huge strides on so many big projects from investments to insurance and so much more. They've also helped introduce us to a wonderful new accountant, a great estate planning attorney, and have made multiple connections within their network of highly qualified experts. Above all, they're just really good people who are a joy to work with. It's clear from every interaction that they care deeply about each and every one of their clients. We're looking forward to working with Taylor & Jon for many years to come and are grateful to have them as part of our team.

In December 2011, I had the pleasure of working with Lawrence for the first time on some…read moreopportunities for improved financial planning. I was very impressed with the comprehensive and detailed analysis he provided. His initial analysis found an error in my paycheck withholding for my company's group long-term care insurance that I was able to have corrected, saving me over $100 a month. Since that time, Lawrence has identified many opportunities for improved financial planning. These include: 1) Presenting life insurance options that I had never considered, 2) Recommending a home refinance that brought me immediate monthly savings, 3) Transferring a poor yielding IRA account to a managed account that is much more diversified, and 4) Recommending fund reallocation in my company 401(k) plan to provide better returns. I continue to work with Lawrence to plan for my future. He has a sharp eye for opportunities and can explain the opportunities very well in terms that I can understand.

I've been working with Larry for about 6 months now. I sought help from Larry for advice on…read morepurchasing my first chiropractic office. Though some of the negotiating help I needed was (admittedly) not Larry's expertise, he was able to guide me and provide resources that would ensure financial success for myself and for my business. I could not be happier with the outcome of working with L Squared and highly recommend this business! Thank you Larry for helping me realize my dream!

I've been with Copley for at least 8 years now. These folks operate from integrity , they are…read moresmart with my investments and highly personable. They know how to listen which is at least half of any conversation. When I opened my account it was for my family. My daughter was 2 years old and was treated with love and delight every time we visited. As an added perk, they have hosted an annual dinner recapping the year just past and offering predictions for the one to come. These events are educational, we get to associate with fellow clients AND the evening is DELICIOUS !

I went to the Copley Financial Group seminar at Ruth Chris Steak House in Del Mar, California. I…read moredid not agree with much of this financial seminar although I admit I did learn something there. Two positives so two stars, no more because I feel sorry for the family I met there who I believe sold great properties using a 1031 exchange into a DST to avoid taxes on a Roth IRA conversion .. property they could have left for their daughter. I called Copley Financial Group's office and asked them to send me a contact email, I asked for confirmation that Matthew Copley is series 65 certificated because Matthew mentioned this and I didn't see any material from the seminar confirming this, and to explain the investment strategy Matthew mentioned at the seminar to do a Roth conversion and avoid the taxes which I believe is sell your real estate using a 1031 exchange into an investment guaranteed to create a tax loss called a DST to offset or eliminate paying the IRS taxes on the Roth IRA conversion. No email from Copley so I'm writing this Yelp review. My financially savvy colleague tells me this investment strategy is the dumbest idea he's ever heard, buying a losing investment to avoid taxes, and what happens if you get a letter from the IRS saying you still owe taxes. The fact is you want to try to make intelligent investments and make as much money as you can and not worry about the taxes but still use simple tax strategies. I have yet to find a financial advisor I trust who has a better strategy than buying the S&P 500 and BRKB. After the seminar I asked about CA Prop 19 because of significant tax increase in inheriting a home but no solution. In elementary school I read a book entitled "How to Make Big Money in the Stock Market" by Samuel Mitchell - I was just a kid but even now I like the title - one concept in that book is not to lose control of your money, so I don't like the idea of a DST due to lack of control, illiquidity, fees, potential for low returns, financing opportunity risks (can't refinance to lower rate), and tax complexity. I don't like the idea of reverse mortgages if you have kids. I'd rather rent out extra rooms rather than reverse mortgage because I care about my kids. There is nothing wrong with paying traditional IRA taxes due to RMDs (required minimum distributions). The IRS forces you to sell 4% of your IRA at age 72 and the RMD goes up each year because you deferred the tax. Fair is fair. I plan to enjoy spending part of the RMD, pay the taxes, and reinvest what's left each year. Every financial advisor I have listened to wants you to do a traditional to Roth IRA conversion. My take is delay and minimize paying taxes as long as possible. The fact is if you contribute to a Roth IRA you are taxed upfront maybe 50% to the IRS if you're lucky enough to make that much, lets say your Roth portfolio grows to $500,000, that same portfolio would grow to $1,000,000 in a traditional IRA which is taxed later starting around age 72 when you're likely in a lower tax bracket. The RMDs aren't taxed like qualified dividends which in 2024 they are taxed at 0% if under $94,050, 15% under $583,750, or 20% above that. It only makes sense to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA if your tax rate is lower going in (use a Roth) or lower at age 72 (use a Traditional IRA). Now to the main seminar about Social Security and the suggestion that because of inflation it can make sense delaying social security (at ssa.gov) because the ssa payments increase each year and max out at age 70, plus payments will be higher if you delay due to ssa COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment). The fact is you likely get COLA increases whenever you collect (even age 62) and each year after that. COLA increases are behind inflation so delaying ssa is not beneficial because purchasing power goes down vs true inflation. Also if you delay payments until age 70 vs 62 you lose 8 years of benefits which could be compounding in investment. Say you'd get $3000/mo for 8 years that's 8x12x3000 = $288,000 which if you die at age 69 1/2 you get $0 to leave to your family vs $288,000 starting ssa at age 62. My spreadsheet I created shows investing early ssa at 8% delaying ssa has no benefit (or let my investments ride and spend the ssa), at 10% I'm well ahead collecting early, at 35% I'd become a billionaire collecting early (its my speadsheet I can enter any value). In my case I retired at age 64 and ssa.gov's break even age was 82 if I delay ssa until age 70 - yet the SSA actuarial table shows my expect life expectancy is only age 84. What the actuarial tables don't tell you is only half the people make it to that age.. I'm working again so social security stopped my payments until I reach full retirement age around age 67 at which time my benefits will be continued and be recalculated with the increase. These are all considerations I looked at in deciding when to collect Social Security.

The Jarman family are the most earnest and hardworking financial consultants . They have worked…read morewith my family for over 20 years and we trust them with all our financial investments and decisions. Highly recommend to anyone needing financial planning or consulting!

Although I am not reviewing as a client, I am leaving this review as a future client of Root…read moreFinancial Partners. If you're reading this, then most likely you are on the journey in getting better informed financially for retirement. And because you're looking up Root, then most likely you ran across videos of Ari and/or James on YouTube just like me, or on Podcast. When I initially started researching retirement for my wife and myself, I was fortunate enough to have "the algorithm" direct me to Root with James and Ari. The more I watched their videos, the more I became informed of answers to questions I did not know I had. What really drew me in to watch more of their videos, was their holistic approach to retirement, which was an option I was never aware of. And combine that with their ability to explain complicated strategies using their software with real case studies was a bonus. Anyways, back to the review... I reached out to Ari directly via email, and to my surprise, he responded directly to me (I was expecting a form letter). He personally answered the general questions I had and we scheduled a meeting to determine if they can bring value, to justify their fee structure. Unfortunately, when he reviewed my current portfolio structure/allocation in detail, he was honest and said they could not bring value to justify their fees. He then proceeded to offer some guidance to other advisors they recommend, and further explained how specific advisor strategies would be better attuned to my needs in the near term. I really appreciated his candor... But what really stands out is his willingness and continues to help as much as he can, of course without providing specific investment guidance. Up until now, even though I'm not a client, he continues to take the time to respond and answer questions I have from time to time. And not just basic answers, but simplified, detailed video explanations for a better/easier understanding. I can go on with this review, but after a while, it might sound too good to be true. All I can say is reach out to Ari (Root), and you'll see what I mean. Once we're closer to retirement and can take advantage of the holistic approach they provide, we'll be sure to reach out again. Thanks again Ari!

The team at Root Financial Partners are impressively knowledgeable. James has a way of making…read moreeverything easy to understand and follow, and their charts and calculators simplify the process. He answered questions we didn't know we had! We feel very secure entrusting our financial retirement future to James and the Root team.

I have been working with Sean Chung for over a year and it has been a life changing experience. I…read morehave told all of my friends about it. I wanted help understanding my finances but struggled to find somewhere that didn't require me to have over 100k in savings. Sean walked me through a comprehensive financial analysis and through that process I finally feel like I understand my finances, how to manage my debt, feel comfortable with my budget and am finally investing. I have significantly increased my net worth by utilizing the strategies Sean has taught me. By far the best decision I have made for myself! I highly recommend TruFinacial.

I worked with Daniel and I am very pleased with his knowledge, service and professionalism. He took…read morethe time to explain everything to me. He answered all my questions and concerns. I highly recommend him.

I've been a client of David's for the past 7 years (since I moved to North County). Originally, his…read moreoffice was located in Carlsbad but he later relocated to Poway and I still make the trek out to see him from Oceanside. Why? He's the most knowledgeable tax accountant I've worked with. He sincerely does try to get me the best refund possible... and every year, he doesn't fail to impress me. Not only do I see more return value than with any other tax preparer but I learn about how the changing laws affect me, write-offs I missed, and future tax saving ideas. Having a former federal auditor prepare your taxes is honestly the best way to go. David started filing my taxes as an individual and now files for both hubby and I. I honestly haven't been able to find anyone with the same qualifications and experience as David. As a disclaimer, I will say, David's skills are in high demand and keeps him very busy. I usually schedule my tax prep as soon as I get my W-2s and have all my paperwork sent to him well in advance. I realize some people wish to have their taxes/tax experience expedited but patience must be appreciated for quality service. If you're a new prospective client, my recommendation would be to email/contact a few tax preparers (rather than wait on one) since he has a high clientele or, if able, either contact David before tax season starts to get started. Finding a good tax preparer can be frustrating, but I believe investing time in someone you trust is worthwhile. Best of luck to everyone and may you get the maximum refund possible!

If there was an option to give this unethical company zero stars, I would have done so - it was…read morethat bad of experience. I have never experienced anything so terrible before. It was the worst $500 ever spent. David will take weeks to get back to you, if he ever does at all. Saying this experience was disappointing is a vast understatement. We selected Rundlett last year around this time because we had purchased a home in 2015 and need some extra help with our taxes. Rundlett had a 4 or 5-star rating at the time, and great reviews, so we went with them. We should have gotten the hint when they took a week to respond to our first email, and we had to contact them multiple times to get a response, but we thought it was tax season, so we'd give them a break. Eventually, they gave us a list of items to bring into the office and we had an appointment with David & Matthew, one of David's associates. After that they told us that he would call us in a two weeks to set up another appointment to review the outcome. Two weeks came and went - no call, no email, no communications whatsoever. We had to call and email again, multiple times to get David and Matthew to finally respond. We finally got an appointment with them one week before taxes were due, and we went over our options. When we met with them, they highly recommended that we file an extension because they want to try to save us more money. We owed a lot on our taxes, so we decided it was the best thing to do. When we agreed to the extension, we thought that meant a few extra weeks - so May instead of April. However weeks went by without any communication from them - no status of our taxes, no email telling us an expected date, nothing. We had never been through this process before, as we told them, and the lack of communication was astounding. I called, emailed and texted for weeks until I finally got an answer. And the answer was that we had until October, so "don't worry, there is no rush". We did not want to wait until October just because we had until October, we just wanted to get them submitted and move on -- so I had to convince them to finish my taxes. By the time all of this back and forth happened, it was mid-June until we could submit these and finally be done with this completely unprofessional company. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. In August, we got a statement from the IRS that we still owed money from our taxes and that we had a penalty on our account because we filed our taxes late and had never filed an extension. How is that possible? ... Well, other than the fact that David is completely incompetent and shouldn't touch anyone's taxes, he also claimed to file our extension, but couldn't seem to find our paperwork or proof that the extension was ever filed. I had multiple emails asking him to send a copy of the extension paperwork and a mail receipt for my records, and never did produce the documents. His assistant mailed me a copy of a receipt a month before we even met with them to stop me from bothering them, but I called them out on it and never did get anything for my records. On top of that, David failed to tell us that when you file for an extension, the money you owe accrues interest and you have to calculate that and pay that to the IRS when you pay for your taxes. It was a minimal amount (under $50), but for us it was the point. Again, he is the expert and failed to tell us this important detail. I called, emailed, texted them multiple times again and it took over two weeks, until the day before the payment was due, to get a response. I had to tell one of their associates that it was an emergency to get a call back. David and Matthew finally got back to me and said they were calling the IRS to ensure we didn't have a penalty on our account and promised that wasn't the case and there was a mistake. A week later, I had heard not a peep from them. Again, I called, text, emailed and tried to get in touch with no response. I had to call the IRS myself and wait on the line more than one hour to talk to someone to find out that there was a penalty on our account, but because I called and explained what happened, they removed it and confirmed they had accepted the payment. If you are looking for a professional company to complete your taxes in a timely manner, and communicate with you as any normal business would do, then you've come to the wrong place. You will do yourself a disservice by using them. Stay away, stay far away.

We needed some financial advice, so we contacted David. We had a telephone conference for about 30…read moreminutes. He was knowledgable and quite kind because he refused any payment! We were quite satisfied with David's advice and would highly recommend his services.

David has been our financial planner and money manager for 6 years. We, at least I, have not been…read morethe easiest to deal with. David took care of all our financial interests for 6 years. Unfortunately my husbands mental and physical decline caused many problems and with that many questions and uncertainties in my mind. At times I was very angry, with things not necessarily related to David, yet unable to communicate with my husband, I lashed out at David with angry emails and messages, about which he legally couldn't discuss with me. David never sunk to my level. He always maintained a professional, even concerned demeanor, offering to come and speak to my husband and I together. Life is hard and can be confusing and tricky, especially when you don't understand the actions and behavior of someone you love. David is a good man. I'm sure this review will never make up for the things I have said and done. David has suffered the brunt of my anger and frustration with my husbands behavior, and never said "if you're not happy with me, go find someone else." If I were in his shoes, I would have. David not only handled our money, but also handled a very angry, mean, relentless woman who took a lot of her frustrations out on him, and he did it with calm, professional kindness. Honestly he has done much more than I think you could reasonably ask of anyone. Thank you David, Beth Marshall