From our Founder - Matthias Giezendanner
Money can bring immense freedom, and it can also keep us awake long into the night. When I entered the financial planning profession, I immediately realized how much I enjoyed helping others navigate the complexity around their money. The lightbulb went on, and I was hooked. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, good decisions now can fundamentally alter this person’s financial life for decades to come.” It was exciting stuff. And it still is. In San Francisco, equity compensation in the form of RSUs, ISOs, NSO’s and Restricted Stock delivers meaningful opportunities while at times creating unexpected and challenging complexity. The value of planning well is tremendous.
This is an exhilarating time to live and build wealth in San Francisco and the Bay Area. I found that most financial planning or wealth management firms in the City weren’t out to answer the questions my friends and my own family were asking. I decided I would build the firm I would be excited to send my friends to, the firm I would want to advise my own growing family. We would know our clients’ reasons - their why behind their money- why earn it, why save it, why spend it, and why spend so much time working for it? That would shape the advice we gave. We would serve as thought partners, providing perspective gained from both education and our experience working with others that had navigated similar decisions.
My vision grew for a firm where truly understanding what people wanted out of their lives and then helping them create this was at the center of what we did every day. I didn’t want sell products with hidden commissions, but rather operate independently and with transparency, providing tangible value in helping my clients succeed. We would speak with our heart before our head, and listen before we offered advice. We would be smart, technically sound, technologically advanced, lifelong learners and deeply connected to resources that would bolster the value we brought to our clients lives. But more than that, we would love people. I remain convinced that true financial planning doesn’t begin or end with projections, tax law, and number crunching. Its true purpose is to find what makes our clients feel happy, successful and fulfilled and help them coordinate their life to maximize those very things.
At our firm we would be there for the long haul, understanding that circumstances, dreams, and families change. We would be invested in our clients’ success much as they are themselves, measuring our value by this success, and expecting them to do the same. We would integrate technical knowledge with authentic relationship, provide clarity around the ramifications of potential decisions and help them prepare for and weather the unknown, as well as thrive long into the future. This is my purpose and the vision for San Francisco Wealth Planning.
Welcome, we hope you enjoy the journey with us.
Matthias
Matthias Giezendanner holds the CFP® certification and is a staunch advocate for the fiduciary standard. He completed UC Berkeley’s Extension Program in Personal Financial Planning in San Francisco at the top of his class and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Financial Planning Association. As an Enrolled Agent, he also holds the highest credential the IRS awards and is authorized to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. In his spare time, he enjoys fly fishing, reading from Bill Gates’ book list, watching baseball, collecting mechanical watches and wine, and exploring the parks, food, and museums of the San Francisco Bay Area with his family. After nearly two decades living in San Francisco, Matthias and his family now enjoy the slower pace of life and community in Petaluma.