Joe and Sarah Smith are talented, well-compensated tech professionals with a young child at home. They prefer to prioritize travel, family time, and their social life above spreadsheets and tax laws.

Their financial acumen is very good, though as time has passed the amount of attention their finances deserve is more than they would prefer to spend. The stakes are now higher – balances have grown, tax bills are larger, and their employer equity is becoming something of real value. 

Their financial success means that opportunities and mistakes have more substantial effects on their finances. This, coupled with everything they read in the internal Slack channels, has made them want to outsource things.

They were seeking an independent financial planner who specialized in equity compensation, and could help them with both investments and taxes. Based on an article they read, they were seeking a fiduciary and fee-only advisor who would not be  paid extra for recommending certain products.

Fast forward 2 years:

After working with MFP for 2 years, Joe and Sarah feel much more informed and in control. Their financial situation has become nearly “bulletproof,” they spend less time thinking about their investments, taxes, or whether they are prepared for the unexpected.

Joe’s ISOs have been strategically exercised in tranches to optimize for AMT and an anticipated IPO. Joe and Sarah also have the confidence and clarity to explore turning their dreams into reality such as taking sabbaticals or starting their own family business.

Joe and Sarah gain a lot of value throughout the year in the form of accountability, peace of mind, and time saved. They love that MFP leads with education and helps them weigh pros/cons versus simply telling them what to do. Joe and Sarah would argue that their favorite perk is having a firm “on speed dial” for life’s big inflection points.

In the last year, Joe’s company IPO’d and Sarah moved to a new role with a 30% pay bump, all while growing their family.

Susan is a retired widow – she has 2 adult children, and 6 grandkids. She is mortgage-free and lives off a small pension, social security, and income from her rental property.

She had $1.5 million in investments with a large brokerage firm, but was looking for a new advisor. Her last two brokers retired, and her latest broker rarely responded to her phone calls and made her feel like she had too small of an account to get attentive service.

Every time Susan had a question, the broker responded with  ‘ask your accountant’ or ‘ask your insurance agent’ while never offering to help her find the answers or get on the phone alongside her.

Instead of getting a company branded pen and chocolates every Christmas, she prefers to work with a competent, respectful professional who is not on the verge of retirement.

Fast forward 2 years:

After working with MFP for the last 2 years, Susan wishes she had made the move 10 years earlier. She now fully understands her financial situation, and her investments are no longer confusing. She loves getting treated with respect and attention, and never feels bad about asking questions that she thinks are “silly.” 

Susan would argue that her favorite outcome in working with MFP is the confidence she has around her financial life, and the nudge to take her dream vacation to Greece. Her parents grew up during the great depression, so she has always been shy about spending money on vacations. MFP assured her that she had more than enough and encouraged her to bring her children and grandchildren on the trip to celebrate her 70th birthday.

In the last year, Susan started a college fund for her six grandchildren and started planning her next vacation. She feels in control of her finances and enjoys the peace of mind of having a caring advisor alongside her at all times. She even referred her next-door neighbor to become an MFP client.