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!

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.

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.

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.

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

This is a great company. Love their customer service at the Montgomery branch. Alex and Evan were…read morebig help. Especially Alex he was so patient with me and he helped me set up my HSA account. Thanks Alex!!!

Very good service, great cd rates and very good follow up. Always get someone local or at least in…read morethe United States. They make every effort to solve any problem you may have.refreshing that they do not out source to foreign countries

Morgan Stanley's idea of "financial advising" seems to be keeping you busy while they keep your…read moremoney busy. The call option business is outsourced to Spider Rock, and both companies profit regardless of outcome. Spider Rock is incentivized to chase premiums over safety, while Morgan Stanley profits from fees. What better way to make you sell than forcing it through covered calls. It's less "financial guidance" and more "financial double-dipping." If you want advice designed to serve your interests rather than theirs, do it yourself. They don't have any secret sauce, and the advisors are more salespeople than advisors. Here, your portfolio isn't managed--it's milked.

TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!…read more The financial advisors are careless. I went through three different financial advisors with Smith Barney in San Mateo and all three relationships ended BAD! I would leave message after message after message and never get a return call. I finally walked into the branch one day and the receptionist said my financial advisor was with clients. She asked if I could come back in a hour which I did and my financial advisor "was out to lunch." The following day I called AGAIN to speak with my advisor and AGAIN he was, "out to lunch." I never recieved a call back. Four days later I gave it one last attempt. I called, financial advisor was with clients and of course.......NO CALL BACK! Smith Barney obviously does not take customer service seriously. Customer service is their last priority. Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanely and Charles Scwabb are all in the same area and my exprience with all of them were great. Hope this helps someone because I got screwed. Too many times I needed to transfer assests, sell bonds, sell stocks etc......and because my calls were not retunred, I got screwed many times.

DO NOT PUT YOUR MONEY IN TD AMERITRADE BROKER ACCOUNT! They…read moreare a huge RIP-OFF! They ripped me off out of $60.00. The manager, named, Sterling who I've spoken to was very nonchalant and lacked morale, and the necessary logic to reason with me. I deposited $500.00 and they cashed me out of a $60.00 deduction of my trading deposit before I even had a chance to trade with it my money! They refused to give me back my money because they lied and said I owed them for trades that they never made any previous attempts to communicate such about. They stated I made trades without having any money in my account. They are so scandolous! I want to move my portfolio ASAP!!! I am so disgusted !!! They are nothing but money hungry thieves!

Disclosure: Al is a friend of mine, we used to work together sometime ago back in the middle ages…read morealmost (Just kidding!) but I can say with confidence that Al is hands down honest, competent, friendly, and and just a great guy to talk to and work with. And he searched and got me a really good deal on all my insurance needs that got me good coverage and saved me $$. I recommend him to anybody.

Most of the people I called looking for insurance gave me the runaround. But not the Connells! They…read moregave me a rate that was significantly lower than all of the other agencies and were willing to expedite the process in order to help me maintain my clients. I don't think I've ever been so happy to pay for insurance. Great guys and great service!

My wife and I have worked with Jeff for more than 15 years, and he's been a truly wonderful…read moreadvisor. Jeff helped us get organized well before we retired and his guidance through retirement made the process a lot less stressful. Since then, he's managed our investments, reviewed our tax return each year, and even introduced us to an attorney who helped set up our trust. What we appreciate most is that Jeff always takes the time to explain things in plain English. He's honest, easy to talk to, and genuinely cares about his clients( we feel like Family). It's very comforting knowing our finances are looked after by someone who truly cares about his clients. Robert L

Jeff Weber is the best financial advisor we've EVER worked with…read more He's not only exceptionally knowledgeable but also kind and considerate of what your needs are. He cares immensely for you and your finances. My husband and I love what Jeff has done for us so far and we look forward to meeting with him and chatting about our future plans. We have been with him for years and trust him and his decisions. Jeff also assists in any financial issues we have at the present moment and does so with the utmost professionalism. He loves what he does and it shows. You want a financial advisor who loves his job. I highly recommend Jeff to my friends and family and now to you, too! No one else compares to him!!