Our Value
What does Twin Peaks specialize in?
Twin Peaks specializes in the wealth management considerations of Tech professionals. Specifically, the areas we work in are Financial Planning, Equity compensation planning (RSU’s, ESPP, Stock Options), Tax Planning, Investment Management, Pre & Post IPO planning, and Estate Planning.
What type of clients is Twin Peaks the best fit for?
Twin Peaks best serves tech and business professionals who are looking to put a proactive team and professional process behind their finances. Whether you are in big tech, at an early/late-stage startup employee, or a business owner, Twin Peaks provides a variety of services to streamline your financial life by taking action on opportunities regularly, avoiding mistakes, monitoring progress, and delivering peace of mind.
What is Twin Peak’s investment philosophy?
Our firm’s philosophy prioritizes growing wealth while managing risk. We seek to provide our client’s returns that align with their larger wealth plan, specific risk tolerance, and personal goals while managing downside risks and reducing volatility where possible. Risk and rewards have a strong correlation with each other, so we seek to optimize returns without taking outsized risks to work towards those returns. We’re comfortable using both public and private investments to help clients achieve their goals.
I don’t know a lot about investing. Will you be able to explain unfamiliar topics to me in a way that’s easily understood?
We pride ourselves on our ability to take complex topics and simplify them for folks to have enough of an understanding to feel confident in their choices. Investing and financial planning can be confusing and intimidating topics for many clients. Ongoing education and guidance are a big part of what the relationship with our team will provide when we work together. Whether you want a deeper understanding of concepts or a basic explanation of what we can provide, we are always willing and available to offer clear and easy-to-understand guidance.
Getting Started with TPWA
How do I open my account?
Our fantastic operations team will help you open accounts together when we get to that step in the process. Start with a conversation with an advisor. Before beginning an engagement, we take time to understand your goals and what relationship you’re seeking with your wealth advisor. We like to work when and where we add value or deliver peace of mind. If together, we determine we’re the right mutual fit, our team will take it from there.
How can I view my accounts under TPWA’s management?
You will have online access through Fidelity’s website and mobile app, and/or Schwab’s website and mobile app. You’ll also be able to view your accounts in Black Diamond (for investment performance) and eMoney (for financial planning).
What technology do I have access to as a client of Twin Peaks
As a client of Twin Peaks, you have access to robust tools that can show you how financial planning scenarios we’ve modeled, how your portfolio is performing, and how your portfolio may changes with various changes in market conditions. You can see more about our client technology platform here. We pride ourselves on the capabilities of our tech stack, and we have even more advisor-driven tools that we leverage with you in our planning sessions.
What happens to my accounts if I decide to disengage from TPWA in the future?
You still retain control of your accounts and investments made during your time with TPWA. Your accounts will no longer have the professionally managed status through the custodian portals. You can ask for our help in unwinding investments, or choose to do that yourself after we’ve been removed from your accounts.
How will we get started if I choose to engage in a financial planning engagement? What are the next steps and what do the next few months look like?
We complete a planning agreement and collect the invoice. Then we move immediately into creating your financial planning profile in our planning software, eMoney. We connect your accounts and input your income, expense, and savings details to build a 360 view of your finances. Together, we go through a risk assessment to determine your risk appetite for your accounts and identify your high priority areas and your goals. We schedule out the next sessions to address the different areas of your finances including cash-flow planning, retirement planning, home purchase modeling, education funding, account consolidation, investment planning, and insurance planning. For new clients we recommend meeting once every 1-2 weeks for the first handful of sessions, then every 60-90 days for topic specific meetings.
How will we get started if I choose to engage in a wealth management engagement? What are the next steps and what do the next few months look like?
We complete an Advisory Agreement and open your various accounts at Fidelity or Schwab. If you have existing accounts at these institutions, we can simply be added as an Investment Advisor to your existing accounts. As required, we also initiate any account consolidation and connect your bank account to your investment accounts.
Then we move immediately into creating your financial planning profile in our planning software, Emoney. We connect your accounts and input your income, expense, and savings details to build a 360 view of your finances. Together, we go through a risk assessment to determine your risk appetite for your accounts and identify your high priority areas and your goals. We schedule out the next sessions to address the different areas of your finances including cash-flow planning, retirement planning, home purchase modeling, education funding, account consolidation, investment planning, and insurance planning. For new clients we recommend meeting once every 1-2 weeks for the first handful of sessions, then every 60 days for topic specific meetings, strategy sessions, and proactively taking action.
As our team implements the various investments, we keep you updated as allocations are made and visible in your account. You will also receive access to Black Diamond, a performance reporting and investment analytics software, available to you on a website and mobile app. We will review the data with you in our sessions, and our team also walks you through how to get the most out of this tool on your own time.
How often do we meet?
We meet every 60 days with our wealth management clients. But we understand, people are busy and different seasons of life call for more or less needs to meet. We are always happy to adjust our cadence and meet on a more or less frequent basis based on your needs.
Financial Planning Services
What’s the main difference between Essentials and Complete?
The primary distinction between the plans is that the Complete Package offers integrated planning in collaboration with an external tax professional, along with more detailed and sophisticated investment strategies. This package particularly focuses on liquidation strategies for company insiders who are subject to material non-public information and blackout trading windows and eligible for 10b5-1 trading plans. Coordinated planning ensures that your strategy is crafted with complex financial planning and tax implications considered, providing a more holistic approach to managing your finances.
Does the financial planning package offer unlimited meetings with advisors or is there a maximum limit?
We are typically able to help you with the items in the financial planning engagement in average of 8 planning sessions. We recommend new clients to meet 4 times in the first 8 weeks. However, it’s common for engagements to require anywhere between 5 and 12 planning sessions. We’ll always schedule the next meeting or check-in at the end of a session so everyone knows what comes next. Of course, you’re also able to schedule a one-off call when things come up.
How does the financial planning package differ from the wealth management?
The financial planning package differs from the wealth management package in 2 key areas: the extent of services provided and the pricing. The wealth management package includes our investment services that range from customized portfolio construction, access to alternative investments, quarterly portfolio reviews, proactive tax-loss harvesting, and scheduled risk assessments. Our financial planning package is also on flat fee basis while our wealth management package is based on a percentage of assets under management with TPWA.
Pre/Post-IPO Planning Services
When is the right time to start working with a wealth advisor before a liquidity event or IPO?
We’ve found that it’s helpful start working with a financial advisor 6-12 months before a liquidity event or IPO. If you have options that can be exercised, it can make sense to start as early as the options are exercisable. This gives time to plan proactively for cash flow, taxes, and investment strategy. We can also help model various outcomes depending on compensation type (ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs) and plan around lock-up periods. Starting early helps ensure you’re making informed decisions before your equity becomes liquid.
What’s included in your pre and post-IPO planning services?
Our IPO planning includes CPA collaboration to determine your potential after-tax proceeds, reviewing 83(b) elections, education about 10b5-1 plans (and drafting these when appropriate), and planning for post liquidity events. We also outline strategies to reduce concentrated stock and plan for cash needs during lock-up periods. After the lock up period expires, we help implement the stock sale strategy, diversify your investments, and consider tax planning strategies. The goal is to turn your equity into a long-term financial foundation.
Can you help if my company hasn’t announced an IPO date yet?
Yes, we can help even if your company hasn’t announced an IPO date. Planning early allows us to review your equity, explore private secondary market options, and build a long-term strategy. We also help with tax planning, cash flow modeling, and scenario analysis. Early proactiveness and understanding of your options, puts you in a stronger position once the IPO timelines becomes clearer.
Can you still help if I’ve already had my IPO or liquidity event?
Definitely! We help even more after your liquidity event than we can beforehand. Post-liquidity, our focus is on helping people take steps towards securing a financial foundation, diversifying tax efficiently, passive income strategies, retirement planning, estate planning, and charitable giving.
Wealth Management Services
What kind of investments do you help your clients diversify into?
Outside of stocks and bonds, we also help clients diversify into private real estate, private equity, structured notes, private credit funds, hedge funds, and venture capital. We also help our tech clients diversify their company stock into tax-efficient strategies such as exchange funds, direct indexing, and qualified opportunity zone funds.
Where can I find information on your investments?
Any proposal we generate will cover as much or as little investment granularity as is warranted and appropriate. We are a boutique private wealth advisor, utilizing a wide range of investment solutions in client portfolios. While many of the investments we’ll use in your accounts may be similar to other clients’ portfolios, your precise portfolio allocations will be customized. You will receive emails with information, websites, performance, and commentary on investments in consideration for your portfolio.
Can you tell me how your portfolios have performed historically?
Yes. We primarily utilize portfolio strategies from large institutional asset managers such as Blackrock, JP Morgan, Fidelity, where performance data is transparent and updated on a regular basis. Same goes for the majority of the Alternative Investments we utilize in client’s portfolios. The sponsors publish performance data on their funds at regular intervals. As we evaluate strategies appropriate for your objectives, we dive into returns, risks, expected volatility, and more.
How often do you make changes in my portfolio?
You can expect to see trades in your account on a quarterly basis as your portfolio is rebalanced. There are instances where trading may be more active such as during account transfer, new cash that needs to be invested, a change to your overall strategy, or due to tax-loss harvesting. If you see 0 trades in your account during a quarter, it means we determined no further action was required. You can rest assured that we are monitoring your account at all times.
Do I still have a say over what investments are made in my accounts under management?
Of course. You may inform us of any investment preferences and requirements, and you retain the ability to trade in your own accounts at any time. You are the ultimate decision maker, and we are here to partner with you to make educated and timely decisions.
What if I can’t meet the asset management minimum, can I engage and work towards it?
We are happy to engage with you in a financial planning capacity until your asset level warrants having Twin Peaks manage your accounts. Our hope is to always overdeliver and deepen our working relationship regardless of the engagement model that’s right for you.
Can I start small and scale up over several months to your $500K minimum for your investment management package?
We are happy to work with you in a financial planning capacity until there is $500K or more to manage, in which we can also engage in an investment management relationship.
Estate Planning Services
Do I need an estate plan if I’m not ultra-wealthy?
Estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy, it’s for anyone who wants control over how their assets are distributed, who makes decisions if they’re incapacitated, and how their family is protected. Without a plan, your estate may go through probate, creating delays, costs, and stress for your loved ones.
Do I need a trust and when should I consider setting up a trust?
A trust is especially useful if you wish to avoid probate, have minor children, own real estate assets, have a blended family, or want to maintain privacy and control after death. For non-citizens with U.S-based assets, a trust is often essential to minimize estate taxes and ensure cross-border coordination.
Do I need a power of attorney and healthcare agent?
A power of attorney and healthcare agent protect you during your lifetime. If you’re ever incapacitated, these documents allow someone you trust to manage your finances and make medical decisions. Without them, your family may need court approval to step in, even for routine matters.
What does the estate planning process with TPWA look like?
After an initial discovery call, we tailor your plan based on your family structure, citizenship, and asset profile. We then provide clear timelines and ongoing support throughout every step of the process – education of estate planning documents (trusts, wills, power of attorney, healthcare agent, guardianship), assistance outlining estate planning wishes, general estate planning and gifting strategies, estate tax planning, referral to firms to draft estate planning documents and assistance with notarization of documents.
Is there a maintenance fee for a revocable living trust?
Not with us. Once your trust is established, there are no annual fees. You may choose to engage us periodically for updates, especially as laws change or your family and assets evolve.
What is the cost of an estate plan and what factors affect it?
Our estate plans range from $6,000-$20,000, depending on complexity. Key pricing factors include citizenship/residency, number of properties, business ownership and/or number and types of trusts required.
What is the turnaround time for completing an estate plan?
Most estate plans are completed within 4 to 6 weeks, with documents being generated in as little as 5-10 business days. If you have multiple properties, business entities, or many accounts that need re-titling and beneficiary updates, the timeline may extend to 6-10 weeks.
What is the time commitment for the client?
Our process is designed to minimize your time investment while ensuring your plan fully reflects your wishes. You can expect to invest about 3-6 hours in meetings, spread over several weeks.
Pricing
How do your packages and fees work?
We offer a financial planning package that offers a cashflow analysis, tax planning, equity planning, investment planning and insights, retirement planning as well as insurance and family planning. Our package starts at $8,000 for families and $6,000 for individuals.
Our wealth management package includes all services provided in the financial planning package and also includes our full suite of investment management services. These include portfolio building, portfolio risk analysis, quarterly reviews, and access to private, alternative investments. Our Wealth Management relationships starts at $2,000,000. You can see our more detail fee structured here.
Lastly, our estate planning package includes education on trusts and estate, tax and gifting strategies, and drafting and assistance with notarization of documents. Our estate planning package ranges from $6,000 to $9,000.
Why are fees structures different across firms and why does Twin Peaks price the way you do?
Financial planners and investment advisors provide services and fee structures that can differ based on the level and extent of servicing from the advisor and servicing team. Our fees reflect the expertise and experience you can expect when engaging with our team. Our clients can expect a white-glove service. What does this mean?
We provide a boutique front-end client experience, with institutional capabilities and solutions in our back office. This means we have a dedicated, full-servicing team to handle a range of financial considerations of your household. From financial scenario modeling, to assistance with insurance premium payments, keeping you informed of maturing investments, re-balancing of portfolios, providing investment insights, proactive education of emerging opportunities, and more. We believe in providing a world-class technology experience to empower data-driven decisions and facilitate greater alignment between the client and the advisor. Finally, because we believe that relationships are the strongest form of currency, we host monthly events for clients to share fun experiences, learn things, strengthen relationships, and expand communities for everyone.
Why doesn’t TPWA offer a pay-as-you-go hourly engagement?
Due to our fixed costs of onboarding and servicing clients, we’ve determined a minimum engagement size that is sustainable for our business.
Do you offer any fee discounts or breakpoints for family members?
Our pricing reflects the experience and value that clients can expect when working with our team. We do honest work for an honest price and therefore do not discount services. For immediate family members, we will aggregate assets under management for fee breakpoints for families with $10 Million+ under our care.
