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.

Jeff spent a lot of his valuable time to provide me with great advice about selling my business,…read morewhen I was confused and apprehensive about the process. He is genuinely interested in helping people--even those who are not his regular clients--navigate a confusing and muddled process. I highly recommend him and his services.

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

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.

I made the mistake of filling out online information to get advice regarding retirement and have…read morebeen bombarded with phone calls while I am working. I told an advisor not to call me, he should schedule a meeting. When he was unable to (keeping in mind that I had tight deadlines these past several weeks) I kept getting hammered with phone calls while I am trying to focus on my job. I complained to the caller on Friday saying this is no way to treat clients. He had the audacity to correct me and inform me that I was not a client (is that supposed to make a difference?) so I clarified and said I was a prospect. He then sarcastically said "Have a nice day" and hung up. These are investment professionals that I am supposed to trust with handling my retirement savings? No thanks.

Aaron was recommended to us by a friend when we were trying to figure out what we should be doing…read morewith our money to feel comfortable in the future. We have always been savers, but knew we weren't making the most of what we had... and we were worried that we'd never be able to retire, or even if we could survive without two huge incomes in the Bay Area. Aaron listened to all our concerns, looked at our finances, and then went over everything he'd do so we could feel comfortable about our future. He likes to say he's not a therapist, but I literally got more out of his meetings than I would with any therapy. Aaron makes you think about what's really important to you in life, and how best to use money to actually be happy. With his guidance, my husband and I are so much more comfortable with our future. Aaron is so easy to talk to and we mesh well with him. We had actually talked to another advisor before him (another recommendation), but didn't feel very comfortable with him. Every meeting we have with Aaron, we always comment how we're so glad we found him! Highly recommend!

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.

This was the most financially complicated year of my life and I needed to do both my taxes and my…read moredeceased fathers taxes. I've never worked with a tax professional before. Akram made it feel easy, he answered all my questions, had clear communication both via email and phone, and was a pro with all the paperwork handling. Taxes are stressful, it was great having All About Your Taxes handle it.

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.

I have been working with James for many years now and only have good things to say. He is very…read morekind and helpful along with keeping my money safe and growing. I highly recommend him!

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!

I had recently retired early due to medical reasons. I worked for the Federal Aviation…read moreAdministration government sector and have a TSP fund. Unfortunately, there are many companies just waiting for the opportunity to get their hands on your retirement. I am so grateful that Jesus Christ lead me to Kalvin. I was not prepared for retiring so early, it is very scary place to be and my finances was chaos in my mind. When I contacted Kalvin he gave me sound counsel regarding my current financial status. It is very hard to find someone who listens well especially when you are feeling terrified about your financial future and overwhelmed by all the laws and how the market runs etc. Kalvin reassured me and gave me some sound advice and already my TSP has shown some gain. I will continue to work with Kalvin, he truly is an ANGEL sent from God. Simply put if you are looking for someone who cares about giving sound advice to help manage your financial needs in a world where it seems everything is crazy, I highly recommend you contact him. He will help you by helping you understand stand you financial state in simpler terms and if you have questions he will answer them for you. Trust is a hard sell these days so it was a relief to find someone who has my best interest for my future and that is Kalvin. Also, Kalvin thank you for all you patience as I cried throughout our counsel session. :}

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.

Fantastic service!…read more We'd been searching for a financial professional for a while now and was very surprised when we could book a one-on-one free consultation with Ms. Teh the very next day. We detailed our plans to her, she gave us her professional opinion and gave us homework to do. She was pleasant, communicative and obviously knew her profession. We'll be using her in future for sure!

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.