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.

My brother referred me to Daniel Weissman to invest some money and he was amazing. He gave me such…read moregood advice, got my account set up right away. He followed up with me if I had any questions. Scott Salerno who works with Daniel followed up with me also. It is so nice to have a contact if I need anything. The service was superb. I highly recommend Daniel and Scott from Schwab.

Helpful and responsive staff, with ample street parking out front…read more Compared to the Schwab branch in downtown SF, this one is a lot smaller but still gets the job done quickly. I called in the morning requesting an appointment, turns out, depositing doesn't require an appointment. Swung by after work, got the deposit done in less time than I expected. 5 stars for the staff working here.

I have been VERY disappointed in the service I have received from John Hancock while trying to…read moresurrender (a.k.a. "cash-out") a small life insurance policy. Unbelievably, in 2025 this process cannot be accomplished online, but requires paper forms which must be mailed to a post office box in Boston. When contacting "Customer Service," calls are sent to an overseas call center where the representatives seems to specialize in saying, "I apologize," and "All I can do is send an e-mail message to (insert department name)." It really is quite ridiculous that this company seems to be so technologically behind the times and more focused on making excuses than actually providing service. I would never even consider doing business with John Hancock again.

I bought John Hancock insurance with their subsidiaries sedgwick and Starr…read more This is the worst I have ever had in 60 years of traveling. I went to Mexico and had my luggage stolen at the airport. I filed a police report there, this was in February. I never got paid.They fraudulently said the report was a plea bargain when it says clearly on the first line it is about the theft of luggage at the airport. I went back and forth many times, and they just added more hoops for me to go through. It still is in limbo this April.

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!

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!

My husband and I have been working with Jim for a few years now, and couldn't be more pleased with…read moreour professional relationship. Jim breaks things down into manageable, understandable explanations, and always offers various scenarios. He listens carefully and fully considers our input. His market insights and guidance have been very helpful, and we've seen our portfolio steadily grow. We feel confident about our financial future as old people! In addition to being so smart, Jim is a pleasure to talk to. He is matter-of-fact, kind, and funny. I truly appreciate being equally included in all meetings and decision making. I highly recommend Jim and his services!

King Wealth Advisors took great care of my elderly mother. Matt was very patient, and provided a…read morepressure-free consultation. He discussed all of her options regarding her nest egg, and she was excited about the possibility of supplementing her fixed income with dividends. She is by no means a millionaire, but Matt really made her feel like one.

Matthew King is my most trusted wealth advisor. I go to him for conflict-of-interest-free…read morerecommendations on the right amount of life insurance, and really any insurance for that matter. Further, as a trust attorney, I represent trustees who sometimes have no idea about investing large sums of money. Matt is my go-to for these types of issues as I know Matt's experience and intelligence will secure my clients and ensure that they're meeting their fiduciary duties. Lastly, Matt has a great FREE newsletter and I live by it. One of his lessons was to spend with cash, instead of a credit card. It stings more to hand over the cash, and that's for a good reason! Thanks Matt.

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

When I left the corporate world and started doing contract work on my own I wanted someone to help…read moreme grow my retirement plan. A friend recommended Dave Magnuson and I haven't looked back. Dave is incredibly smart, knowledgeable and very easy to work with. He took the time to get to know me, my longterm goals and what I was comfortable with. He is great with communication and lays out options in a way that you understand but also feel empowered as you gain more knowledge of your financial health. After seeing my retirement portfolio grow we have now added financial planning for our children. We feel so secure with Dave handling all of our family's needs. Last summer my mom retired and back we went to Dave to make sure she was making the best decisions for her life during retirement and that she would have a comfortable financial future. My mom feels very stable in the decisions they made together and so appreciates the comfort level she felt with Dave during a huge life change.

David is exactly what I was looking for - an extremely bright guy (Stanford grad, Georgetown law)…read morewho can advise on and manage all of my financial needs. Not only can he manage IRA and other retirement accounts, he can advise on employer's 401k investment options (even though he can't manage them directly) and he can take care of estate planning and other family-related legal needs. He's super friendly and easy to talk to - not pushy or salesy, and very patient with questions. He makes complicated investment concepts easy to understand, and backs up his strategy with decades of data.