How do I know if I'm the kind of client you usually help?

We work with clients who want personalized financial planning and investment management, including pre-retirees, retirees, families, entrepreneurs, and equity holders. We help people juggling multiple financial goals, in transition, or managing concentrated equity decisions. We serve clients across the U.S. and internationally through virtual and in-person meetings.

What services can you help me with as a financial advisor?

Our services include retirement planning, tax strategy, portfolio design, risk management, estate planning, business owner and equity compensation guidance, and behavioral financial coaching to help with decision-making patterns.

Do you offer financial planning, investment management, or both?

We offer both as part of a comprehensive and coordinated approach. Your financial plan and investments are designed to work together to help you reach your goals.

What is a fiduciary, and are you one?

Yes. As fiduciary, fee-only financial advisors, we are legally obligated to act in your best interest. We do not receive commissions or outside incentives.

How are you compensated for your services?

We are compensated through fees paid by clients, based on assets under management. These fees include both financial planning and investment management services.

What is your investment philosophy or approach?

Our investment approach is research-driven, personalized, and disciplined. We emphasize diversification, cost and tax efficiency, and regular monitoring and rebalancing.

Do I need a minimum asset level to work with you?

We generally work with clients who have at least $500,000 in investable assets, though we may make exceptions depending on your situation.

Can I get financial planning on an hourly or one-time basis?

We focus on ongoing, long-term client relationships and do not typically offer hourly or one-time project engagements.

Can I meet with you in person, remotely, or both?

We meet with clients both virtually and in person. Our office locations include California, Colorado, and Florida, and we serve clients nationally and internationally.

Do you offer an initial consultation to determine whether we're a good fit?

Yes, we offer a complimentary introductory call to understand your goals and determine if our approach is a good fit for your needs.

Where are you located, and what geographic areas do you serve?

We have offices in Burlingame and San Francisco, CA; Boulder, CO; and Ponte Vedra Beach and Altamonte Springs, FL. We serve clients in these regions and virtually across the country and abroad.

Can you help me determine if I’ll have income to maintain my lifestyle throughout retirement?

Yes. We model different retirement scenarios and income sources to ensure your retirement plan supports your lifestyle needs.

Can you help me determine when I should start taking Social Security?

Yes. We help evaluate your Social Security claiming options based on timing, life expectancy, income needs, and tax considerations.

Will you help me plan for long-term care or future health expenses?

Yes. We project potential long-term care and healthcare costs, review funding strategies, and incorporate them into your retirement plan.

Can you help me pass on wealth to heirs in a way that reflects my values?

Yes. We help design estate and legacy strategies aligned with your goals, including philanthropy, family education, and wealth transfer.

Can you help me determine the estate or trust structures that make sense for my family?

Yes. We help evaluate trust and estate strategies in collaboration with your legal advisors to ensure your plan reflects your intentions.

Will you help me implement strategies to protect my family’s assets from taxes, lawsuits, or unexpected events?

Yes. We assess your risks and help implement appropriate asset protection, titling strategies, and insurance coverage as part of your plan.

Can you help me prepare for a future business sale or liquidity event?

Yes. We model financial outcomes, structure tax strategies, and coordinate with your legal and accounting team to support a successful transition.

How would you help me balance reinvesting in my business with building personal wealth?

We help you evaluate reinvestment opportunities alongside personal financial goals to ensure your business supports long-term wealth creation.

Can you help me manage the risks associated with concentrated equity?

Yes. We help assess your exposure to concentrated equity and develop strategies for diversification, tax management, and liquidity planning.

Can you help me understand my equity compensation and when to exercise?

Yes. We provide guidance on RSUs, stock options, ESPPs, and other forms of equity compensation, including tax-aware exercise and diversification planning.

Will you coordinate with my CPA or estate attorney to ensure a cohesive strategy?

Yes. We collaborate with your tax and legal professionals to align your financial, tax, and estate planning strategies holistically.

FAQs

We work great with Clients who want personalized financial planning and investment management. Our Clients include pre-retirees, retirees, families, entrepreneurs, and equity holders. We welcome Clients who seek comprehensive guidance from a fiduciary financial advisor and prefer a planning approach that brings together their entire financial life.
Many prospective Clients reach out to us when they’re juggling multiple goals, navigating major transitions, or managing concentrated equity decisions. Our Clients live across the United States and internationally, working with us online and from our locations in California, Colorado, Florida, Washington, and Hawaii.
We offer comprehensive financial planning and investment management designed around your goals and life circumstances. Services may include retirement planning, tax planning, portfolio design, risk management, estate planning, and approaches for concentrated equity or business ownership. Many Clients appreciate our expertise in financial psychology, as we can help them understand and work with the often-subconscious “money scripts” driving their decisions.
We offer both, delivered together as a comprehensive approach. Your financial plan and your investments are designed to support each other and your goals, providing coordinated guidance across retirement planning, tax strategy, risk management, estate considerations, and portfolio management.
Yes, Occidental Asset Management is a fiduciary financial advisor. As a fiduciary, we are legally obligated to put your interests first. This means our advice is based on what supports your goals, not on commissions or outside incentives. As a fee-only advisor, we’re paid only by our Clients, which helps keep our guidance objective and focused on your interests.
‍We are a fee-only, fiduciary financial advisor, so the only compensation we receive comes directly from the fees you pay us. These fees are based on the assets we manage for you and cover both financial planning and investment management. We do not receive commissions or incentives from outside companies. Our priority is transparency, and we will discuss our fees in detail with you as you consider becoming a Client. Our fees are also outlined in our Form ADV.
We follow an investment approach designed to support your broader financial plan, combining research-driven decision-making with consistent oversight from a fiduciary financial advisor. Our process blends independent institutional research, personalized portfolio design, and a disciplined framework to help manage investment risk.
We draw on third-party research, tailor portfolios to your goals and risk tolerance, consider tax and cost impacts, and build strategies designed to adapt as your life evolves. Diversification and regular oversight guide our process, and our technology supports ongoing monitoring.
We generally partner with Clients who have at least $500,000 in investable assets, which allows us to deliver the full depth of our planning and investment management services. Minimums may be adjusted at our discretion, depending on your circumstances and goals.
We take a comprehensive approach that brings together services such as financial planning, investments, tax planning, and risk management. Because we believe our work is most effective as part of an ongoing relationship, we do not generally offer hourly or one-time project engagements.
We work with Clients in whichever way fits their lives best. Because we serve Clients nationwide and internationally, many people meet with us virtually. Others prefer in-person conversations at our locations in Colorado, California, Florida, Washington, and Hawaii.
Yes. We offer an introductory conversation so you can share your goals and concerns with us, ask questions, and get a sense of how we work. It’s an opportunity for you to understand our approach and for us to learn about your financial picture. If it seems like a good fit, we’ll outline next steps and what partnering long-term could look like.
We have seven locations, each serving Clients across its broader region:
- Burlingame, California, serving Clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
- San Francisco, California, serving Clients throughout the Bay Area and Marin County.
- Boulder, Colorado, serving Clients across Boulder and the greater Denver metropolitan area.
- Altamonte Springs, Florida, serving Clients throughout the Greater Orlando area and The Villages.
- Bellevue, Washington, serving the Seattle and greater Eastside areas.
- Hawaii, serving Clients throughout the state of Hawaii.
In addition to our local presence, we work with Clients nationwide and internationally through virtual meetings, giving you flexibility around how and where we connect.

Retirement Planning

Yes, as part of your ongoing planning, we will review whether your savings, investments, and other income sources may support the lifestyle you want in retirement. This step includes evaluating spending needs, retirement plan withdrawals, and how income and expenses may shift over time. From there, we build a plan that models different scenarios and updates as your life and goals evolve.
Yes. The right timing depends on factors like your age, health, income needs, and long-term goals. When we work together, we will discuss how claiming early, waiting until full retirement age, or delaying benefits could affect your overall picture so you can make an informed decision about your benefits. We also review factors such as withdrawal sequencing and taxes to help ensure your Social Security strategy aligns with your broader retirement plan.
Yes, we look at potential long-term care and health expenses as part of your ongoing plan. Integrating healthcare considerations into your plan can help you prepare for expenses that may arise later in life. We work with you to estimate potential long-term care and medical costs and explore how they may fit into your plan. This includes reviewing insurance options, self-funding approaches, and identifying any gaps.

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Families

Yes, our priority is to help you create an estate plan that reflects your goals and values while minimizing your family’s tax burden. This step includes understanding what you want your wealth to support for the next generation. From there, we outline approaches such as education funding, charitable giving, or preparing heirs for stewardship. Our planning process brings your intentions and family dynamics together to help make sure that your legacy reflects what matters most to you.
Yes, we walk through options that may fit your goals, including trusts, gifting strategies, and tax-efficient transfer methods. The right structure depends on factors such as your wishes, family needs, and asset types. We collaborate with your estate and tax professionals, or refer to one if needed, to help create a coordinated plan.
Yes, as part of your ongoing planning, we review risks that could affect your family’s wealth, from liability exposure to insurance gaps. We develop strategies, such as insurance planning, proper titling, and asset-protection approaches, to help mitigate risks and reduce taxes. Our goal is to help you strengthen your family’s long-term financial stability.

Entrepreneurs

Yes. We can help you think through the financial planning needed before, during, and after a sale. That can include modeling potential outcomes, understanding the tax impact, and coordinating with your legal and accounting team to help achieve a successful exit and funding for your next life chapter.
We also look at how a liquidity event, such as a merger, acquisition, or partner buyout, fits into your personal goals, helping you build a roadmap that supports both your financial life and the long-term direction of your business.
We start by helping you understand how your business fits into your overall financial picture, including your cash flow and personal goals. We outline strategies for diversifying beyond the business, setting aside personal savings, and managing concentrated risk. Our goal is to help you build personal wealth without limiting the growth of your company, giving you more options now and in the future.
Yes. We review your liability exposure, insurance coverage, ownership structure, and business continuity considerations to help assess where your risks are and how to strengthen your protection. We also connect these decisions back to your personal plan, helping you build strategies that support your family, business, and long-term goals.

A woman standing on a sidewalk, holding a laptop, with modern glass buildings and green shrubbery in the background.

Equity Holders

We partner with you to understand the risks and opportunities that come with holding a large position in a single company. That includes reviewing your vesting schedules, evaluating diversification strategies, and considering how your equity fits into your broader financial plan.
From there, we outline approaches to help reduce concentration, improve tax efficiency, and turn your equity into a more balanced foundation for your long-term goals.
Yes. We walk you through the timing, tax considerations, and different exercise or sale strategies available to you. This can include reviewing blackout periods, alternative minimum tax implications, and how various choices may affect your long-term picture. Our goal is to help you make informed and confident decisions so that your equity compensation supports the life you want to build.
We look at how your equity fits alongside your savings, investments, retirement goals, and estate plans. Together, we explore strategies for liquidity, tax planning, diversification, and integrating your equity into a long-term plan that helps support your family’s future.
By connecting your equity decisions to the rest of your financial life, our goal is to help you build a clearer path from concentrated stock to lasting wealth.