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.

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

Mr Jeffrey and his team are always soo professional helpful!…read more Highly recommended. Veronica is super Awesome Thank you

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.

Do not give these people your contact information!…read more I know what you're thinking....."what's the harm in just talking?" Sure, see what they offer, and just ask questions.....Right? These people have called me twice asking nosy questions and wasting my time. They are just screeners for the brokers. They don't call them financial advisors, they call them brokers. Real investment firms don't operate like this. Fisher uses flyers, popup ads online, and fake surveys on Facebook. If Fisher gets your phone number, practice saying "no thank you."

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!

Aaron has been an excellent guide during this difficult time in my life. Because of him I feel…read morebetter about my financial health and he has help to ease a lot of anxiety about money and my future.

Akram & John have done a great job for us every year. They are organized and make the process…read moreeasy. We highly recommend them.

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.

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!

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

As someone who uses Yelp a lot, I don't hand out 5-star reviews lightly, but Christine Teh…read moreabsolutely earned this one. I reached out because I'm working hard, but still not seeing enough in my paycheck to get ahead. Christine immediately spotted things I completely overlooked, including helping me adjust my dependents correctly, which honestly made a noticeable difference in my overall paycheck. That alone took a huge amount of stress off my shoulders. What I appreciated most was how professional and down-to-earth she was throughout the whole process. No pressure, no talking down to me, no "finance influencer" gimmicks. She explained everything clearly and gave practical advice that actually applies to real life. She also helped me focus on budgeting in a way that finally clicked for me. Not restrictive. Not unrealistic. Just smart habits and structure that made me feel more in control of my finances, rather than constantly reacting to bills and expenses. You can tell Christine genuinely cares about helping people improve their situation, not just selling a service. She's knowledgeable, patient, professional, and easy to talk to, which makes a huge difference when discussing personal finances. If you're trying to improve your finances, better organize your budget, or simply understand where your money is really going, I highly recommend hiring Christine Teh. Definitely a well-earned 5 stars from me.

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.