Often the first thing that comes to mind when looking for an advisor is managing investments. Bull…read moreOak does this of course--their philosophy is logical and evidence-based. But what set Ryan, Peter, and their team apart to us was that they were clear early in our partnership that they wanted to bring value through other avenues: tax planning and efficient financial planning, just as examples. We appreciated that they accomplished this while also factoring in our goals and especially our values. We feel lucky to be with Bull Oak and highly recommend working with them.

The Bull Oak team has been great; the only regret I have is not signing on with them sooner…read more.. I love the methodical focus on minimizing costs and maximizing returns at scale, as well as the detailed approach Ryan, Peter and team take to financial planning specifically. They are patient with education about all aspects of financial planning and investment. It's valuable for novices and seasoned investors alike, as I pride myself on financial literacy, but Peter taught me a few new tricks as well! I also love how the firm uses modern planning tools to stay connected with me at all times! I highly recommend Bull Oak, and

I contacted Brian through Yelp a couple weeks ago and made it VERY clear from the beginning I was…read morelooking for a quote for tax filing/preparation only for this year. My initial message: "Hi Brian, I am just looking for a quote for 2023 tax filing, not to actually start it yet. We will be needing help on a couple of tax situations this year." His exact response: "Understood. I will provide a quote for 2023 during our call. I just sent the questionnaire." He then emailed me the questionnaire; I put I was interested in "Individual taxes" and sent it back to him, I NEVER put I was interested in Investment management or any other kind of financial services. So he knew this whole time I only wanted tax preparation. He still proceeded to call me today and asked a few questions related to our tax situation. Then at the end of the call he asked if I was looking for someone to manage our investments, I said not at this point...we are only looking for tax preparation now. His tone completely changed and he abruptly told me in a condescending manner we are not a good fit because they are saturated with tax preparation clients and he's looking for clients who want investment management. I was pretty shocked at the change in his tone and his annoyance once I told him I didn't need someone to manage our investments. Again, I made it VERY clear from the start I was looking for tax preparation services only from my initial message AND the questionnaire he had me fill out. I honestly don't know why he still called and was rude when he knew he couldn't take on any more clients who only wanted tax filing.

I hired Brian a few years ago when when I neede to navigate the complexities of selling our company…read moreand managing stock investments in the new parent company. Since then, Brian and his team have been preparing my tax returns each year and providing ohter financial consulting as needed. He also helped me establish a family trust and is helping my wife establish an intestment portfolio. Brian is extremely proficient and knowledgeable, and his team is super helpful and responsive. I sleep well at night knowing we have Brian and his team in our corner.

Excellent experience working with PWR. Linda helped me and my wife come up with a short-term action…read moreplan and longer-term financial strategy, and we are very happy overall. Linda was patient with our questions, easy to work with, and extremely knowledgeable in all the right areas. We feel like we have a much better grasp of our finances, and are confident in our ability to build wealth and navigate toward our retirement goals. I highly recommend working with Linda and PWR.

Linda has provided financial planning services for us for about 3 years now and we are very…read moreimpressed with her professionalism and knowledge.  We selected Planning Within Reach due to the fact they are a fee-only financial planner.  Basically, this means you pay for services provided for the time they spend on your plan and not a percentage of your assets.  The service provides inclusive planning for everything from asset allocation, verification of insurance coverage, savings plans, and cash flow with your personal financial goals in mind. At the initial meeting, we discussed our financial goals and subsequently provided requested information for the plan.  Once the plan was prepared we had another meeting to review the plan including action items for us to perform.  This included things like rebalancing 401(k) and other investments in addition to other action items to complete.  We do annual checkup planning meeting with Planning Within Reach and find the discipline very helpful to stay on track with financial goals. If you are starting out or a few years from retirement, this service is worth every dollar.  We have confidence and peace of mind having our plan in place and recommend it to anyone looking for financial planning services.

Great service I love Next Gen. I will continue to use in regards to financial planning. Need more…read moreinformation, then call them and they will give you their all and more. Love it love it.

Working with Steven and the Next Gen Financial team is such a worthwhile investment. I found Steven…read moreyears back and was drawn to his approach to financial planning and his commitment to listening to me and creating a plan that fits my goals and my lifestyle. I liked that he intended to be a lifetime resource for me, as I was under 30 at the time, and I am not good with long term financial planning beyond just saving as much money as possible. Steven helps you strategize with your money and make decisions that are right for you and your situation. Having this relationship brings so much peace of mind and I can't recommend Next Gen strongly enough.

I highly recommend Rod and Credit Corner. Rod is professional, knowledgeable, and very easy to work…read morewith. He took the time to go over everything with me, answer my questions, and explain the different steps I could take to improve my credit. I especially appreciated his transparency. He doesn't try to oversell anything or promise overnight results. Instead, he gives you a clear understanding of your situation and a realistic plan for improving it. The communication and customer service were excellent throughout the process. If you're looking for someone who understands credit and will actually take the time to help you, Credit Corner is definitely worth contacting.

I am not a real customer per se because I am only getting tips from Rod. We only spoke about 10…read moreminutes, and he did some analysis with me on the phone. But he was vey genuinely providing answers and solutions to me even I did not sign up for anything yet. He also sent me a follow up text message based on our conversation after we spoke. How rare is it these days when a consultant provide you answers without making you sign up or pay for anything! I would like to Thank you him from the bottom of my heart Rod!

Our advisor is not only gracious, friendly and…read moreunderstanding, she tailored a portfolio designed SPECIFICALLY for us while listening to the goals we hoped to achieve. We respect and have great affection for her..

I paid Pure Financial Advisors $2,000 for a project-based financial plan. After multiple attempts…read moreand extensive clarification of my circumstances and objectives, the final product was still not something I would trust for major financial decisions. The plan contained numerous factual errors, contradictory assumptions, unexplained figures, incomplete treatment of important income and expenses, and basic data-entry problems that should have been identified through routine quality control. Important assumptions were not reconciled to the financial information I provided, and some recommendations changed several variables at once, making the conclusions difficult to interpret. The retirement analysis was especially disappointing. It was essentially a deterministic projection using the same investment return every year, rather than a meaningful assessment of market volatility and sequence-of-returns risk. It also incorporated assumptions that substantially worsened the long-term result without clearly explaining or testing them. The report ultimately projected a multimillion-dollar late-life shortfall and concluded that we needed to save more, spend less, or work longer, but I did not find that conclusion credible given the quality of the underlying model. At the same time, the recommendations were very specific about transferring $317,000 to Pure for management at an initial 1.60% annual advisory fee, reallocating or liquidating investments, and moving more assets into the managed portfolio. The report did not clearly demonstrate that this advisory fee was deducted from the investment returns used in its projections. I cannot know whether the problems resulted from inadequate technical capability, an overly standardized planning process, commercial incentives, or some combination. I can only evaluate the work I received. In my opinion, the process felt much more effective at identifying assets Pure could manage than at producing a rigorous, individualized, and internally consistent financial plan. Pure had multiple opportunities to demonstrate its planning capability. What I received did not demonstrate the technical competence, attention to detail, responsiveness to client input, or quality control that I would expect from a firm asking to manage a substantial portion of our wealth under an ongoing annual agreement. I will not be entering an advisory relationship with Pure, and I would not recommend relying on its planning work without a thorough independent review.

Whether you are a financially sophisticated gazillionaire running a web of companies from your…read moremegayacht or the kind of person who goes to the ATM to see if they have any money, you need a financial advisor. But not just any financial advisor. You need Keith Paglierani. Keith will grasp all the details while staying focused on the big picture. Even if you have everything figured out, he'll have a few more ideas for you and see at least one issue and a solution you missed. And if something financially major suddenly happens (say you win the lottery or lose a job), you can pick up the phone any time, and Keith will be there for you with great advice based on rigorous analysis. Always delivered straight but with kindness. I met Keith when he did an analysis and financial plan for a relative who asked me to tag along as the financial version of a medical advocate. I was so impressed by Keith that I hired him as my advisor. I've worked with him for nearly five years now and have referred him to friends. Two other reasons I feel so good recommending Keith - Having shopped for advisors, I feel confident that his fee schedule represents the best value in financial advice you will find. - Because Keith has a group of support people around him, he can deal with lots of data, fast. A couple of times, I've buried him in paper, thinking it would be a couple of weeks before I'd get anything back, and each time he'd been back in touch in a day or two with great thoughts based on close analysis. Keith is money. Literally.

Jan and Karen have been our advisors since 2005 and we loove them! They are like friends to us…read more Ameriprise is known to be expensive, but they really help us out and never pressure us into doing things we don't want to do. They saved us from losing lots of money during the downturn in the economy. To me, they are worth every penny to make sure our investments are on track and to keep me from stressing about it all. I was originally referred to Ameriprise by a friend. His advisor was a family friend, so I trusted him. I was with him for about a year before I moved out here. My old advisor referred me to someone here in San Diego who would not return my calls or emails, so I was about to give up on Ameriprise. Then, I was referred to Jan Pretorius. I made an appointment and went in to visit him at the La Jolla branch. I then discovered he had a partner with him, Karen Purvis. He likes to take care of retirement and 401 (k) stuff and she likes to take care of expenses, insurances, your financial goals, etc. Eventually, they moved out into their own office at the Morena Blvd location. They acquired a paraplanner, Tracy, who is just as great. When we go in for our twice a year meetings, we are greeted by name and everyone is super friendly. During our visits, we track our spending and savings, mostly with Karen. We focus on how on track we are with our goals and talk about making changes if needed. Jan will then talk about the market and our 401 (k) and changes he's wanting to make, etc. I love not having to deal with all that! They've even made calls to try and help us out with things during our meetings and put the call on speaker phone for us to hear. Every once in a while, they will try to sell us the idea of something new, like life insurance. But, in the end, it is all our decision and have never ONCE felt pressured by them. I'll admit, we've gone against their recommendation before. They return all emails and calls usually in the same day. This office is very personable. They send us chocolate for Christmas, they sent us a wedding gift off our registery, and they call us for our birthdays. Seriously, I couldn't imagine using anyone else as our financial advisors. Based on other reviews of Ameriprise, it all depends on who you get as an advisor. We got lucky. They do a terrific job and anyone interested should call them up for a free consultation.

I have been using Top Hat Taxes for many years! Daryl Hale, owner, personally does each and every…read moreperson's taxes! He is accurate, prompted and ready to assist. Give him a call! https://miramesataxpreparation.com/

I originally found Darryl Hale on Yelp and had him prepare our taxes the last couple of years…read morewithout issue. This year Darryl reached out directly offering tax planning services. After paying the $2,500 assessment fee Darryl recommended two tax strategies, both of which raised significant concerns: 1) GFX Trading - a complex Series LLC foreign currency structure. This strategy was presented as a way to generate large tax deductions through foreign currency trading. When I asked for written explanations of how the strategy worked, what the economic substance was, and how it would hold up under IRS scrutiny, the answers were incomplete and at times inaccurate. When I declined to proceed, he called me immediately, insisting "everyone is doing this," and became defensive. I later understood that his affiliated company receives commissions from this arrangement, which was not disclosed before he recommended it. 2) DNA Harmony - involving the purchase of gift certificates for Jazz Band Splash red-light therapy. This was presented as a deductible expense through a separate Series LLC structure. Again, I requested information in writing about the IRS basis for deducting these types of purchases, but the responses did not address compliance, valuation, or audit exposure. When I decided not to move forward with either strategy based on the lack of clear documentation and concerns about risk, I requested a refund of my $2,500 fee. The request was denied. My experience did not meet the level of professionalism I expect from a tax advisor. I would not return nor recommend Darryl Hale and will be filing a complaint with the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility and notifying the California Franchise Tax Board.

My husband and I have had the opportunity to utilize Bill Ipsan's services regarding credit reports…read moreand concerns involving fraudulent activity and the misuse of our personal information. From the very beginning, Bill provided us with a tremendous sense of ease and comfort during what could have been a very stressful situation. His knowledge, professionalism, and expertise are truly exceptional. If you have concerns about your credit, identity theft, fraudulent activity, or your personal information, don't think twice--call Bill Ipsan! You will be in excellent hands. We highly recommend his services!

I am sharing my experience to help others make informed decisions before engaging Bill Ipsan or…read moreIpsan West. Over several years, I paid for credit-related services and repeatedly requested documentation showing that Mr. Ipsan and his company are properly registered as a Credit Services Organization (CSO) with the California Department of Justice, as required under the California Credit Services Act (Civil Code §1789.10 et seq.). Despite multiple written requests, no CSO registration or surety bond information has ever been provided, and the DOJ confirmed that neither Bill Ipsan nor Ipsan West appears on the state's CSO registry. Based on my review of California law and my own experience, I observed several potential compliance issues, including: * Advance fees collected before full performance (Cal. Civ. Code §1789.13(a)); * Missing disclosure of the surety's name, address, and the buyer's bond-claim rights (§§1789.14-1789.15); * Failure to complete services within 180 days of contract execution and no valid justification for delay (§1789.15(a)); * No agent for service of process identified in the contract (§1789.16(a)(4)); * Marketing and contracting for "credit services" while unregistered (§§1789.13(j), 1789.25). I have provided this information to the District Attorney and Attorney General for review. My goal is not personal -- only to document my experience and encourage others to verify registration, bonding, and performance timelines before engaging any credit-service provider.

I recently look a class on business and it mentioned to look into a financial/wealth coach, so I…read moregoogled and San Diego Wealth caught my attention. And I am so glad it did. I did my first intake session with Cory and he was a lot of help. I've been nervous to look into any kind of financial advisor, but he made me feel safe and understood. The approach is different than anything I have heard, googled or read. I was given advice, resources and strange enough, compassion. The things that are essential when it comes to money and finances but often forgotten. Along with this, Cory has much intelligence and knowledge yet is very humble and down to earth. I want to recommend him and San Diego Wealth to anyone interested, even if its the beginning stages of curiosity. They can help lead and guide to what is best for you. I would recommend just reach out, ask questions, and let them take it from there. Thank you Cory/San Diego Wealth!

When my husband and I got married we knew we differed in our perspectives and experiences regarding…read moremoney! And, when we did speak about money matters we agreed that our conversations weren't that pleasant! Eventually, we felt like instead of treading water between ourselves, it would be prudent to work with a financial advisor who could support us in navigating our financial conversations and working towards our goals. We reached out to Cory and his team because of their long standing presence in San Diego and because we had known Cory personally for some time. Our planning conversations with Cory and Aries are always open and honest - my husband and I both feel we can express ourselves and be heard (without getting heated!), despite our differences. My husband thinks more short term and I think more long term, and Aries is able to strike a balance in our approaches with his feedback, guidance and vision. We are so grateful for the team at SD Wealth and the effort, time and energy they put into supporting us.