Fee-only financial planning and investing for the next generation

Build confidence in your financial future with professional guidance.

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Holding ourselves to higher standards

We are proud to support the organizations that help our clients, communities, team, profession, and world to thrive. As fiduciaries, we are designed to put clients’ best interests first with transparent pricing based on what’s fair, not on what we can get away with. As a fee-only financial planning firm, we are only paid directly by clients and receive no commissions, kickbacks, or referral fees. Every financial planner on our team is a CFP® professional or actively working towards fulfilling the requirements to become one (and we see that as only the beginning).

Financial Planning
For The Next Generation

How We Help

We specialize in helping high-earning professionals in their 20’s-40’s make better financial decisions, and teach them to use money as a tool to balance today’s pressing needs with tomorrow’s dreams.


We can help you answer the financial questions that you’ve been wondering about such as:

  • What do I want my future to look like, and what role do financial decisions play as I design my ideal life?
  • We just had a baby, should I start saving for their college education? How do my disability and parental leave benefits work, and what will our new budget look like?
  • What’s the best way to balance paying down my debt while trying to save for the future?
  • Should I refinance or consolidate my student loans? How do special student loan programs like SAVE, PSLF, PAYE, and ICR work?
  • I’m thinking about a major life change like getting married or starting a business. How does that affect my finances?
  • It’s open enrollment time at my company and the options are overwhelming. How do I know which selections to make to maximize my employee benefits?
  • I want to save for retirement, but how do I know how much I need to contribute or which funds to invest?
  • I haven’t looked at my life, auto, or home insurance policies since buying them several years ago. Do I have the right coverage for me, and am I paying too much?
  • Do I need a will, trust, or other estate planning documents?
  • How does my equity compensation plan work? Should I exercise my incentive stock options, purchase ESPP shares, or sell my RSUs?
  • I just received a big bonus at work! Should I invest it, pay down my mortgage, or finally take that Caribbean diving trip I’ve been itching for?

Once you realize that every decision is a financial decision, it changes the way that you approach financial planning for your future. We can help you orient your financial picture to align with your goals and values, and provide insight on how all of the puzzle pieces fit together.

Investing

Stop aimlessly chasing performance, and start actually working towards your goals with an investment portfolio that is aligned with your financial plan. Our approach is broadly diversified, low-cost, tax-smart, research-backed, and easy to understand. No account minimums or hidden costs.

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Student Loans

For many young professionals, massive student loans feel like an enormous burden that they’ll never be able to escape from. Your student loans don’t have to put a hold on the rest of your life plans! A financial advisor will help you navigate all of the options for refinancing, enrolling in income-driven repayment plans such as PAYE or ICR, and applying for forgiveness programs like PSLF in a way that makes sense within the context of your broader financial plan.

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Tax Planning

Effective tax planning strategies such as shifting the timing of income and deductions, taking a thoughtful approach to equity compensation, or using tax-efficient investments and account types can all help ensure that you’re maximizing your after-tax income. We’ll stay on top of the evolving tax code so that you don’t have to.

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Estate Planning

This critically important area is overlooked far too often, especially by those who think that they aren’t wealthy enough or old enough to need an estate plan. Private asset management can help you ensure that your assets are carefully managed, both now and in the future. A financial advisor will help review your beneficiary designations, assess the need for documents such as wills or trusts, or powers of attorney, optimize asset titling, and address any other estate concerns in collaboration with your estate attorney.

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Cash Flow & Debt

Managing monthly spending along with repaying debt like credit cards or auto loans can be challenging, especially for those with variable income streams because of bonuses or commissions. We can help find ways to smooth things out, along with reviewing related topics like credit scores and liquidity of your assets.

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Insurance

Financial planning isn’t just about building wealth, it’s also about protecting what you’ve built. A financial advisor will review your current insurance policies such as life, disability, health, long-term care, homeowners, umbrella, and auto to ensure that you have appropriate coverage at fair rates. As a fee-only financial planning firm, we never sell insurance ourselves and we make objective assessments to give recommendations that are in your best interest.

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READ MORE ABOUT HOW WE DO FINANCIAL PLANNING DIFFERENTLY

Who we serve best

Young Families

Equity Compensation

Student Loans

We are not your father’s
financial planner!

(in fact, we’re quite proud of that)

Financial planning is no longer just for your wealthy grandparents with millions of dollars to invest. Unlike the stuffy old traditional wealth management firms, we are not simply “willing” to work with Gen X or Gen Y clients like you in the hope that you’ll someday have a large investment portfolio for us to manage and charge a fee on. 

Everything we do is built around helping YOU face the decisions that shape your future. We’re proud to serve the working professionals in their 20s-40s that the old-school fancy wealth management firms will turn away.

You know you are a good fit to work with us if you are:

  • Eager to learn and take action towards improving your financial life
  • Comfortable with using technology such as Zoom video chats or online banking. We serve clients nationwide through virtual meetings, you don’t have to be in San Diego!
  • Looking for personalized service that treats you like the unique individual you are, rather than an account number or a series of financial spreadsheets
  • Seeking professional advice on how to live well today while still having confidence that you’re on track for future plans
  • Overwhelmed with the feeling that you “don’t know what you don’t know” with your financial life now getting more complicated and big decisions to make around investing, repaying student loans, tax planning, insurance, etc
  • A busy young professional with no time for (or interest in) learning everything about personal finance and would rather outsource to somebody who loves doing this stuff
  • Interested in working with an independent fee-only (a.k.a. “commission-free”) financial planner who always puts YOUR best interests first and doesn’t sell financial products
  • Fun to work with! We can only serve a certain number of clients, and life is too short to spend with people who suck

We’re probably not a good fit for you if you are:

  • Under the impression that financial advisors have to be wealthy old guys in fancy suits, who work in expensive offices downtown with walls full of leather-bound books that smell of rich mahogany
  • Focused on trying to outperform the market by picking the next hot stock, rather than taking a more sensible low-cost passive indexing approach to invest that’s more likely to succeed over the long term
  • Seeking advice on complex estate planning issues to pass along your bazillion-dollar estate to your heirs and favored charities
  • Retired (or soon will be) and looking for advice on Social Security, Medicare, or generating retirement income from your portfolio. Retirees need financial advisors too, but that’s just not who we serve best!
  • Trying to be the richest person in the graveyard someday, and focusing on accumulating more stuff rather than creating experiences that contribute to your ideal life

Results that speak
for themselves

Kind words from real-life clients

HP

“If you want someone to guide you through a long-term financial plan and actually help you understand HOW to do it, Steven is your guide. He explains things thoroughly without ever being condescending. And he asks thought-provoking questions about your future to really help find the best plan for you. I’ve worked with a lot of financial planners over the years but never had one who felt so genuinely interested. He comes to every meeting with notes from the previous, and we review to make sure all tasks were addressed. Highly recommend.”

BD

“Steven has been an absolutely amazing Financial Planner. I definitely recommend him to anyone looking for someone with tremendous financial planning experience. He has helped guide me in making more informed financial decisions. I most appreciate his attention to detail, his professionalism, his extensive experience on a wide array of topics, and his patience. There are so many positive things to say I could go on and on!”

WM

“I will never go back to fee-based financial planning. With a fee-only firm like Next Gen Financial, you pay a flat rate for their services, which means no upselling just to get your commission and no ulterior motives. I have been a client for almost 2 years and I cannot speak highly enough of Next Gen Financial. Steven is a pleasure to work with. He is personable, extremely knowledgeable, and incredibly patient when sharing complicated information. He had absolutely earned my trust. It is very clear that he is passionate about not only helping you meet your financial goals but helping you focus on the most important things.”

F.A.Q

Have a Question?
We have an Answer

Financial planning is a process that entails taking a careful look at your current financial situation, setting short and long-term goals, creating strategies to achieve those goals, regularly reviewing your progress, and making necessary adjustments. It involves analyzing both current and future income, expenses, debt obligations, investments and much more to maximize resources in order to attain various financial objectives. With the help of a qualified financial planner from Next Gen, you can develop a roadmap tailored to your individual needs to help you navigate complex financial choices over the course of your life.

The process typically begins by evaluating your current assets, debts, income and expenses. From there, you’ll develop a plan to pay off any existing debt while simultaneously saving for the future. You’ll need to factor in factors such as inflation, timeframe and risk tolerance when deciding whether to invest in certain securities or put your money into other alternative vehicles. As part of the planning process, it is also important to review insurance coverage and update estate documents on a regular basis. While it can be complicated and require professional assistance, financial planning can help put you on track towards achieving your long-term goals.

By creating and sticking to a budget, setting financial goals, and protecting current assets, you can ensure that you’re making smart decisions now to provide long-term financial stability. With a plan in place, you have the opportunity to create wealth, reduce debt, and prepare for life’s costly events like retirement or sending your kids to college. Additionally, financial planning can help you get organized and relieve the stress of dealing with financial matters day after day. Taking the time and effort now to develop a strategy will help ease your mind and bring peace of mind now — and in the future.

When seeking out a suitable professional, it is important to consider credentials and experience. Credentials may include certifications such as Certified Financial Planner®. It is also beneficial to research the financial planner’s experience with performance track records and approaches used. Speak to other professionals in similar fields or seek out online reviews provided by other clients for additional insight into the services you might expect from your prospective planner.

When meeting with a financial planner, it is important to ask the right questions. First, inquire about their credentials and experience. Make sure they are licensed and experienced in the field of financial planning. Additionally, understand their fee structure and if they offer any additional services as part of their services package. Ask them what strategies they feel confident employing to grow your savings or investments portfolio in a safe yet profitable manner. Also find out their process for managing decisions when it comes to changes in the market in order to protect your finances. Asking all of these questions will help you make an informed decision about your financial future.

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Take the first step by scheduling an intro meeting

Isn’t it time you got the real financial planning advice you’ve always wanted? The first meeting is on us.
There’s no cost, no sales pressure, and no judgement - just a conversation to see if we’re a good match.

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