Frequently Asked Questions

A fiduciary is legally required to always put your interests ahead of their own. This includes recommending what is genuinely best for you, disclosing any potential conflicts of interest, keeping your costs as low as reasonably possible, and providing advice that is complete and accurate.

The fiduciary standard is meaningfully higher than the "suitability" standard that governs most broker-dealers. A suitable recommendation just has to fit your profile. A fiduciary recommendation must be the best available option given your circumstances.

Fee-only means we are compensated solely by the fees our clients pay us — nothing else. We do not earn commissions from product sales, receive referral fees from third parties, or accept any compensation that depends on what we recommend.

Our fees are structured in one of three ways:

• Assets under management (AUM): an annual percentage of the investment assets we manage on your behalf, billed quarterly. This aligns our interests with yours — we grow when you grow.
• Flat-fee Comprehensive Financial Planning Engagement: a fixed annual or monthly fee for ongoing comprehensive planning, independent of asset level.
• Project or hourly fee: for follow-up financial planning engagements, or second-opinion review.

We discuss our fee structure clearly before you engage us, and all fees are detailed in our Form ADV.

AUM-based fees for comprehensive advisory services typically range from 0.50% to 1.00% annually, depending on the complexity of your situation and portfolio size.

Research consistently shows that the value of financial advice — including behavioral coaching, tax-efficient planning, appropriate asset allocation, and estate coordination — can add well above 1% in annual value for most households. The compounding impact of tax efficiency and avoiding costly behavioral mistakes tends to far exceed advisory costs over a lifetime.

The better question is not "can I afford an advisor?" but "what is the cost of not having a plan?"

Comprehensive financial planning means we look at your entire financial life, not just your investment portfolio. Depending on your situation, this can include:

• Retirement planning — projections, withdrawal strategies, Social Security optimization, and income planning
• Tax planning — Roth conversions, tax-loss harvesting, income timing, and coordination with your CPA
• Investment management — building and managing a diversified, low-cost portfolio aligned to your goals and risk tolerance
• Cash flow & savings planning — budgeting frameworks, savings targets, and debt management
• Insurance analysis — reviewing life, disability, long-term care, and liability coverage gaps
• Estate planning coordination — working alongside your estate attorney on beneficiary designations, trust structures, and wealth transfer
• Equity compensation planning — RSUs, stock options, and concentrated stock strategies

We do both — and we believe the two work best together. Investment management without a comprehensive financial plan can result in a portfolio that is technically well-constructed but misaligned with what you actually need. And a financial plan without disciplined investment implementation often doesn't get executed.

For investment management clients, we construct portfolios using low-cost, diversified funds (typically ETFs and index funds), manage rebalancing, and integrate tax efficiency across accounts. All investment activity is handled through Charles Schwab — your assets are always held in your name and fully accessible to you.

Yes — this is a significant area of focus for many of our Bay Area clients. Tech employees and executives often accumulate substantial wealth through RSUs, stock options (ISOs and NSOs), and Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPPs), and navigating these requires careful tax and financial planning.

Key issues we address include: vesting schedules and diversification timing, the tax impact of RSU income, AMT exposure with ISOs, concentrated stock risk, 10b5-1 plan considerations, and integrating equity compensation with your overall portfolio strategy.

Poorly managed equity compensation is one of the most common — and costly — financial planning oversights for Bay Area professionals.

Our clients include pre-retirees and retirees in Marin and Sonoma counties, Bay Area professionals with equity compensation, business owners planning for succession or sale, and individuals navigating major life transitions such as divorce, inheritance, or the loss of a spouse.

HCM Wealth has a $1M minimum for AUM-based relationships. For clients who are still building wealth or whose assets are concentrated in equity or private businesses, we offer a comprehensive financial planning engagement for a flat fee. Please reach out to discuss what makes sense for your situation.

Retirement planning is one of our core areas. The transition from accumulation to distribution is one of the most complex financial shifts a person makes, and it requires a fundamentally different approach to investing and planning.

For clients approaching or in retirement, we focus on: income sequencing and withdrawal strategy, Social Security optimization, required minimum distributions (RMDs), healthcare and Medicare planning, portfolio construction designed to sustain 20–30+ year time horizons, and legacy and estate planning coordination.

Yes. Business owners face financial planning challenges that employees generally do not: concentrated wealth tied to a single illiquid asset, complex tax situations, retirement plan selection (SEP-IRA, Solo 401(k), defined benefit plans), business succession planning, and the transition of business value at exit.

We have experience working with clients where the business and personal finances are deeply intertwined, and where getting the planning right has significant long-term consequences.

The first conversation is a no-obligation introductory call or meeting — usually 30 to 45 minutes. The goal is simple: to understand your situation, hear what you are trying to accomplish, and give you a clear sense of how we work and what engagement might look like.

We will ask about your financial picture, what has worked or not worked with advisors in the past, and what is most pressing right now. You should feel free to ask us anything — about our approach, our fees, our background, and our philosophy.

There is no pressure and no commitment. If we are a good fit, we will outline next steps. If we are not the right match, we will say so and may be able to refer you to someone who is.

Most ongoing clients meet with us formally at least twice per year — typically a mid-year check-in and an annual comprehensive review. The annual review covers portfolio performance, any changes to your financial plan, tax planning for the year ahead, and updates to your personal situation.

Beyond scheduled meetings, clients have direct access to us for questions, life events, and decisions that arise throughout the year. You should not feel like you need to schedule weeks in advance to get a timely answer on something important.

Your assets are held at an independent, third-party custodian — we primarily use Charles Schwab. Your money is never held by us directly. The custodian holds and safeguards your assets, provides account statements, and gives you independent access to view your accounts at any time.

We are granted limited power of attorney to manage your accounts (buy, sell, rebalance), but we cannot withdraw funds to any account that is not yours. This structure protects you and is standard practice among reputable RIAs.

Absolutely — and we believe this collaboration is essential to truly comprehensive planning. Financial planning, tax planning, and estate planning are deeply interconnected.

With your permission, we coordinate with your existing CPA and estate attorney on matters such as tax projections, Roth conversion strategies, charitable giving, trust structures, and beneficiary designations. If you do not have a CPA or estate attorney, we can refer you to qualified professionals in your area.

We are based in San Rafael, California. We meet with clients both in person and virtually. Many clients prefer the flexibility of video meetings — particularly those in Sonoma County or elsewhere in the Bay Area — and find that virtual meetings work extremely well for financial planning conversations.

For clients who prefer face-to-face meetings, we are happy to meet at our office or at a location convenient for you.

While Marin County is our home and Sonoma County is a natural extension of our local community, we serve clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area — including the East Bay, Peninsula, South Bay, and San Francisco proper.

Large national firms offer brand recognition, but they also bring complexity: large client rosters, rotating advisors, house-view portfolios, and products that may not always be in your best interest. An independent local RIA offers a fundamentally different experience:

• You work directly with your advisor — not a junior associate or call center
• Your plan is genuinely customized to your life, not templated
• We are accountable to you, not to a corporation's quarterly earnings

The easiest first step is a brief introductory conversation — no paperwork, no commitment, no pressure. Reach out by phone, email, or the schedule a meeting link on this site. We typically respond within one business day.

We serve clients across Marin County (including Mill Valley, San Rafael, Tiburon, Sausalito, Novato, and Corte Madera), Sonoma County (including Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Sonoma, and Healdsburg), and throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.