Need recommendation for financial advisor and tax advisor
My parents are seeking recommendations for both a financial advisor and a tax advisor. My impression is that my mom will be the one primarily interacting with these folks - she is very competent, but hasn't been the one dealing with these issues. My dad has dementia but still thinks of himself as a financial genius - he has agreed (for now) to take a back seat, but it would be great to find advisors who are able to gain my dad's trust, answer his questions patiently, and gently get him off the phone etc. They are looking for a financial advisor who can help them make smart investment decisions, and a tax advisor who is able to provide answers about the immediate and long term (estate) tax pros/cons of certain investment decisions. They already have someone who handles their tax returns but he doesn't provide this kind of strategic advice.
Someone local (Berkeley / Oakland) might be nice though I imagine everything would be done by phone, so happy to have someone further afield.
-New to the sandwich generation
Parent Replies
We worked with financial advisor Karen Jaber for both my mom and my brother's mother-in-law, and we were so pleased and impressed that my brother and I each used her as well. She is based in Mill Valley but travels all over the Bay Area to meet with clients (we're in Oakland), so my mother was not inconvenienced at all. Her # is (415) 388-1523.
For tax advice, I assume in the estate planning context, I would call Mary Rudser, an estate planning attorney who specializes in tax issues at Donahue Fitzgerald in Oakland. Her # is (510) 451-3300. I'm an attorney myself and I've used Mary and recommended her to countless friends who have been very happy with her.
Both of these women have extensive experience working with older clients, and they are both incredibly gentle, communicative, and insightful.
Good luck!
I've been working with Lan Shaw of Edward Jones for a number of years. As a certified financial planner she has the knowledge, experience and also the care and concern you'd want for your parents. Her office is on Allston Way in Berkeley. 510 704 8854. Also her assistant, Heather, is really great. She researched a complicated question I'd called with and got back to me the same day.