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Optimizing your finances is about more than just ensuring you are not leaving money on the table. It is about giving back to yourself something everyone craves more of – time. We can make countless decisions about our finances, and it is easy to feel inundated with the many options available. Here, we will go over our top ten things you can do to optimize your finances this year, starting with... Craft Short, Intermediate, and Long Term Goals and Commit to Them Financial planning is about addressing the role that money plays in achieving the things in life that are of the utmost importance to you. With this, we create some action items that will help you along your journey to fulfilling your lifelong aspirations. Put simply, it is about getting a clear picture of where you are now and where you want to be. To do this, it is essential that you have goals to act as a north star for your financial voyage. Just as it is essential to have goals, it is equally important to prioritize them. At times, your goals may conflict with one another, so it is super important to determine what you really want from your money and your life. Separate them into three timeframes: Short-Term – call it less than a year, Intermediate-Term – within the next couple of years, and Long-term – a decade or more. These goals do not need to be absolutely precise. In fact, if you try to get it ‘just right,’ it may make your head spin. If you have a specific goal and know the exact dollar amount needed, great! Otherwise, use your judgment and make your best guess. Make the Most of Your Company Benefits As an employee, you should have received a handbook from your company outlining all the benefits offered. These are often rich with opportunities to help you optimize your finances. Take the time to read through the handbook, learn about each offering, and maximize your benefits. These may include: A 401(k) match, Health insurance Dental insurance, Vision insurance Disability insurance, Life insurance, Legal services, Stock options, Commuter benefits, Adoption assistance, Education assistance and reimbursement, And much more! Put Your Cash Reserves to Work With interest rates on cash equivalent securities over 5%, there is no reason to keep all of your cash reserves in a checking account, earning next to nothing. Treasury bills, money market funds, and certificates of deposit can be great ways to put your cash to work while taking next to no risk. If you prefer to open a high-yield savings account, there are plenty currently offering over 4.5%. Have a Plan to Pay Down Debt Make a list of all your debts, including the kind of debt (mortgage, credit card, student loan, etc.), the issuer, the interest rate, your monthly payment, the loan term, and your strategy for that loan. If you have debts that you would like to pay off this year, use the ‘snowball’ method – target your debts with the least favorable terms first and prioritize paying those off first. Your strategy may not even be to pay it off. For example, you may have student debt and want to maximize your public service loan forgiveness; or you may have locked in a mortgage rate under 3% before the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates, and you do not see the point in paying off your house at this point. Whatever your debt(s) may be, have a strategy for each. Pay Yourself First and Automate Your Finances Where You Can Once you have decided how you want to save and invest, you want to try your best to avoid getting caught up in all those little details. Instead, you want to automate your processes whenever possible. The great thing about this is that it helps you stay disciplined, minimizes emotionally charged decisions that can tarnish your objectivity, and keeps you from being tempted to stray from your plan when inevitable adverse events happen. One way you can do this is through the ‘pay yourself first’ philosophy. When you receive your paycheck, save some money for yourself first before paying for your expenses. Another way you can do this is to set your bills to autopay. That way, you do not have to take time out of your busy schedule to pay the bill – it is automatically taken care of for you. Another easy way to automate your finances is through dollar cost averaging into your investments. This involves systematically and periodically investing money into your overall investing strategy. Have Adequate Protection As You Build Wealth It is a near certainty that life will happen and cause bumps in the road to your finances. You may lose your job, take on some financial risk that does not pan out how you hoped, or have a medical emergency. Whatever the case, great financial plans take uncertainty as a given and build in a certain amount of flexibility. Life does not always follow a linear path, and there are many ways to plan around life’s unknowns, primarily through insurance. That means having adequate coverage for the following: Health Insurance Disability Insurance Life Insurance Homeowners Insurance Auto Insurance Personal Liability Insurance Build Credit Your credit score is comprised of a combination of five factors: Payment history, Amounts you owe and your credit utilization, The length of your credit history, The different credit types you have (also called your credit mix), and New credit and new accounts. Credit is one of those things that is easy to lose and difficult to repair. You can pull your credit reports from the three major reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) once per year or free without penalty. You can do this on AnnualCreditReport.com. It is a good idea to take advantage of this to monitor the reports for accuracy. If you see an error in their report, you should immediately petition it in writing to the credit reporting agency. The agency will then investigate and reply within 30 days with its findings. Otherwise, the best way to build credit is incrementally doing all the small things right: do not miss any payments and make them on time, do not max out credit cards, etc., and with time, you will build credit. Track Your Spending, Find Where You Are Overspending, And Fix It Many free services, including from your existing credit card company, make it easy to track your spending. Once you have a sense of where your money is going, if you find that you are spending more than you take in, you must find a way to reduce it. There are small tricks you can pick up to spend less every month. For example, subscription services may have discounts for paying semi-annually or annually. Another example is that you can typically negotiate your bills, such as cable, internet, and phone. If you find they are unwilling to come down in price, it may be time to find a different service provider. If the minor adjustments do not make a significant enough dent in your overspending, it may be time to start cutting back on things across the board. On the other hand, if you have excess cash flow, there are all sorts of possibilities for saving and investing to optimize your finances. Keep It Simple We meet many individuals with a confusing, overly complicated financial picture. This often stems from the belief that building substantial wealth means making your finances more and more complex. They believe there is some hidden knowledge or financial product that, if they can tap into it, will solve all their financial problems. We often see that as people start making more money, they want to take significant risks with it – purchase expensive investment products, chase short-term trends, take on too much debt, etc. Keep your finances simple. It helps you keep tabs on everything and more easily find the best solution, which is often the simplest, most straightforward one. Have An Estate Plan No one likes dwelling on our own mortality. Try as we may, avoiding thinking about negative future situations in your life will not prevent them from occurring. A bit of worst-case scenario planning will benefit you in the long run and help you sleep better at night, knowing that your family is protected if something were to happen to you. This includes keeping your beneficiary designations current and having your estate planning documents drafted or updated. If you need estate planning documents and help figuring out where to start, check out our post about the 3 Essential Estate Documents Everyone Should Have. If you are looking for a financial advisor to help you optimize your finances, check us out! You can schedule a complimentary, no-obligation call with us here. If you liked this post, please share it and let us know if you have any comments or questions! About the Author Holzberg Wealth Management is a family-owned and operated financial planning and investment management firm based in Marin County, CA. As your financial advisors, we serve you as a fiduciary and are fee-only, so we never receive commissions of any kind. We help individuals and families like you in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and virtually nationwide with the financial decision-making process to organize, grow, and protect your assets. ** This writing is for informational purposes only. The author and Holzberg Wealth Management do not guarantee or otherwise promise any results that may be obtained from using this report. No reader should make any investment decision without first consulting their financial advisor and conducting their own research and due diligence. These commentaries, analyses, opinions, and recommendations represent the personal and subjective views of the author and do not constitute a recommendation, offer, or solicitation to make any securities transaction. The information provided in this report is obtained from sources that the author believes to be reliable. External links to third parties are being provided for informational purposes only. Holzberg Wealth Management is not affiliated with the third-party websites linked to, unless otherwise explicitly stated, and does not constitute an endorsement or approval by Holzberg Wealth Management of any of the third party’s products, services, or opinions.

Insurance may not be the most exciting of topics, but it is fundamental to your overall financial plan. At its core, insurance planning is about risk management. You may want to retain certain risks (e.g., exclude certain items from your coverage, not purchase a policy altogether, or avoid the risk entirely), you may want to completely transfer certain risks to an insurance company (e.g., if you have to cancel your vacation, your travel insurance will cover 100% of your non-refundable, pre-paid expenses), or you may want to share certain risks with an insurance company (e.g., your health insurance may cover 80% of your medical costs and you cover the other 20%). Whether you are a Generation X, Millennial, or Generation Z, below are some of the most important insurance coverages for you to consider as a young professional. Health Insurance Health insurance is likely the most essential type of insurance you will have. Everyone, no matter what age, should have health insurance. Without it, you are self-insuring yourself against health risks, and if a major health issue arises, this could leave all of your assets at risk. Today, most employers offer health insurance as a benefit to their full-time employees and may even cover a significant portion of the costs of premiums. With that in mind, there are a couple key terms to be aware of when choosing your health insurance: Deductible: Your insurance plan will have a stated dollar amount that requires you (the insured) to bear the first set of covered charges before the insurance company starts paying for any benefits. Coinsurance: After you meet your deductible, your policy's coinsurance provision initiates. This specifies the percentage of costs you and the insurance company are each responsible for. For example, let us say you have a $1,000 medical bill with a $500 deductible and 80/20 coinsurance. In this case, you are responsible for the first $500 of costs, then you split the last $500 with the insurance company – your insurance will pay 80% ($400), and you pay 20% ($100). Maximum-Out-of-Pocket Limit: Health insurance plans cap the amount you (the insured) will have to pay during one calendar year. Your insurance may call this a stop-loss or an out-of-pocket maximum. Premiums: The monthly cost you pay for your medical insurance. Copayments: The amount you pay out-of-pocket for doctor visits and prescriptions. Similarly, it is worth opting into a dental insurance plan that your employer may provide or purchasing one yourself if your company does not. These plans are usually cost-effective and pay for most of the costs of routine cleanings and emergency dental needs up to a limit. Disability Insurance Young professionals typically overlook disability insurance and it is often a major risk in financial plans. However, one of the most significant financial risks you face is being unable to work during your earning years. If you rely on income from your employment to meet your current and future financial needs and goals, it is worth it to look into what disability coverage you have or should have. Your coverage should generally protect at least 60 to 70% of your gross income protected through disability insurance. Your work may have a group disability insurance policy that covers approximately 50 to 60% of your income, and additional coverage can be obtained through an individual disability policy that you purchase from an insurance company. This extra coverage may be prudent if you and your family cannot sustain a 40 to 50% decrease in your income due to a disability. This is especially true if you are the breadwinner in your household, have a highly specialized job, and/or have young children. Disability can get quite complicated and raise many questions, including: Does the policy kick in if you cannot perform any occupation or just your own occupation? Does the policy cover a partial disability? What is the elimination period (the period of time beginning when your disability occurs and ending when you can collect benefits from the insurance company)? What is the benefit period (short-term or long-term)? Does the policy have a cost of living adjustment (COLA)? Understanding all of your policy's intricacies is important to ensure adequate coverage. A financial advisor or insurance agent can help you navigate these topics. Homeowners or Renters Insurance Your home likely represents the single biggest purchase you will make in your lifetime. Therefore, it is one of the largest (if not the largest) component of your net worth. Protecting the value of your home against loss is undoubtedly a primary concern for most people and is generally required by mortgage lenders when you finance your home purchase. Homeowners insurance not only protects against the loss of the value of your home due to damage but also provides liability protection for events that may occur at your home for which you may be responsible. Each homeowners policy typically has six categories of coverage: Coverage A – Dwelling. This insures the main house and any attached structures. Coverage B – Other Structures. This covers any small, detached structures on the property, including detached garages, greenhouses, storage buildings, etc. Coverage C – Personal Property. This insures your personal belongs. Coverage D – Loss of Use. If damage to your property is so substantial that you cannot stay there any longer while repairs are being done, you may incur significant expenses before you can use it again. This part of your policy will cover that. Coverage E – Personal Liability. This protects you and your resident family in case of bodily injuries and property damage to others or their residence. Coverage F – Medical Payments to Others. This pays for any necessary medical expenses for others arising from unfortunate events on your property. If you are a renter, your landlord will have coverage for the building's structure, and they may require that you have coverage of your own. Even if they do not, it is worth considering getting a renters policy to insure your belongings in case anything happens, as well as to provide liability coverage and coverage for medical payments to others if something happens at your place. Renters policies are usually cost-effective and can provide peace of mind, knowing you are covered if something happens. Life Insurance If others depend on you financially, you need life insurance coverage. It is easy to ignore the realities of life and death, especially if you do your own financial planning without the help of a professional financial advisor. Life insurance can provide many benefits, including income replacement for dependents, paying off debts, goal funding (e.g., education), estate liquidity and taxes, family wealth maintenance, paying medical (and potentially long term care) expenses prior to death, and much more. Your employer may provide you with coverage as a multiple of your income. Check your work's employee handbook to see if you have adequate coverage. If you need help measuring how much life insurance you need, talk with your financial advisor or an insurance agent. Automobile Insurance Unless you live in a major city and only use public transportation, you likely rely on your car to get you from place to place. Most states require vehicle owners to purchase and maintain, in addition to collision protection, a minimum amount of car insurance coverage to protect themselves and others on the road. Coverage is usually presented as three numbers separated by two forward slashes (e.g., 100/300/100). The first number represents the liability coverage for bodily injury per person. The second number indicates the total coverage for bodily injury per accident. The last number is the liability coverage limit for property damage. For example, using the 100/300/100 coverages above, your limits will include: Up to $100,000 per person for bodily injuries, Up to $300,000 total for bodily injuries per occurrence, and Up to $100,000 for any property damage caused. Personal Liability Umbrella Policy (PLUP) Most individuals will have some liability coverage through their auto and homeowners policies, but these coverages may not be enough. A PLUP provides protection for higher claims and supplements the underlying coverages of home and auto. PLUP policies are inexpensive and protect your assets and earning power from being held liable for damages to others and to property. Pet Insurance With medical insurance, the health care provider invoices your insurance company first, and then if there are costs left over, they send you a bill. With medical care for your pet, you generally have to pay all vet bills upfront and then submit the receipts to the pet insurance company for reimbursement. However, do not let this deter you. Everyone who owns a pet will tell you that they are expensive. Moreover, you want to avoid getting stuck in a situation where a major medical expense for your pet causes you significant financial hardship. You will thank yourself for having a policy that covers a substantial percentage of the costs of accidents and illnesses to ensure your pet is covered. Travel Insurance This type of insurance is often overlooked as it can be seen as an unnecessary added expense to an already expensive trip. However, if you travel internationally or you are taking that once-in-a-lifetime trip that you have been saving up for, having some added protection is usually a good idea. The primary coverages for you to look for are: Emergency Medical Insurance helps pay medical bills while you are traveling internationally. Trip Cancellation Insurance covers any non-refundable upfront expenses for your trip up to a certain dollar amount. Your policy may also have trip interruption coverage if you have to leave your trip abruptly and trip delay coverage if your travel is delayed over a certain number of hours. Medical Evacuation Insurance covers the costs of transportation when you need medical attention. For example, if you fall and need an ambulance, the cost will be covered under this provision of the plan. This also includes if you are in a more remote area and must be medically evacuated. Baggage Loss will cover a certain amount if your luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged. There may be sublimits for certain high-value items, including electronics. Before you travel, check to see if your medical insurance provider covers any healthcare costs you incur internationally. Also, some credit cards include travel protection as part of their overall benefits. If you decide to insure your trip, pay attention to the exclusions listed in the policy – these are the named events covered and not covered under the policy. This should give you a basic sense of some important insurances for you to consider as a young professional. If you are looking for a financial advisor to help you craft a plan, check us out! You can schedule a complimentary, no-obligation call with us here. If you liked this post, please share it and let us know if you have any comments or questions! About the Author Holzberg Wealth Management is a family-owned and operated financial planning and investment management firm based in Marin County, CA. As your financial advisors, we serve you as a fiduciary and are fee-only, so we never receive commissions of any kind. We help individuals and families like you in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and virtually nationwide with the financial decision-making process to organize, grow, and protect your assets. ** This writing is for informational purposes only. The author and Holzberg Wealth Management do not guarantee or otherwise promise any results that may be obtained from using this report. No reader should make any investment decision without first consulting their financial advisor and conducting their own research and due diligence. These commentaries, analyses, opinions, and recommendations represent the personal and subjective views of the author and do not constitute a recommendation, offer, or solicitation to make any securities transaction. The information provided in this report is obtained from sources that the author believes to be reliable. External links to third parties are being provided for informational purposes only. Holzberg Wealth Management is not affiliated with the third-party websites linked to, unless otherwise explicitly stated, and does not constitute an endorsement or approval by Holzberg Wealth Management of any of the third party’s products, services, or opinions.

For decades, the concept of a conventional retirement has been one in which you decide to leave the workforce at around age 65 to pursue other life-fulfilling activities. Our society and system of laws have reinforced this tradition with things like receiving social security as early as 62, Medicare eligibility at 65, eliminating early withdrawal penalties from retirement accounts in your 59 1/2, additional standard deductions at age 65, etc. But there are some things that you can do now to help accelerate your journey towards early retirement and provide you with flexibility and freedom from worrying about money. Save More There will come a time when you are no longer receiving income from your primary employment, and you will rely on the income (e.g., pensions, social security, passive income) and assets you have accumulated while working to help you enjoy your much-deserved retirement. The early retirement lifestyle is predicated on saving more to proactively accumulate enough wealth to unlock the freedom of financial independence. One way to help with this is automating your savings. By doing this, you are employing a 'pay yourself first' philosophy. This could mean increasing the amount you save to a company 401(k) every pay period, setting up automatic transfers from your checking account to a taxable brokerage account, etc. Automating and systematizing your savings keeps you disciplined and puts less pressure on you to manually transfer money every month. Keep in mind that you will want to have a healthy mix of assets across different types of accounts: retirement, non-retirement (taxable), health savings accounts, etc. Since you generally cannot withdraw money from retirement accounts before 59 1/2 without incurring penalties, you will want to have money in taxable accounts to meet your expenses. Plus, since retirement accounts are tax-advantaged, you will want to preserve that tax-advantaged status for as long as possible.  Health Savings Accounts also have the added benefit of paying for qualified medical expenses tax-free, and after you turn 65, you can withdraw from an HSA and treat it like a Traditional IRA (only paying ordinary income taxes on distributions with no penalties). Spend Less This point goes hand in hand with the previous one – if you can spend less, you can save more. Let's face it: everyone has items they spend money on that they do not need. How seriously you want to retire early and your goal for what age you want to achieve financial independence will dictate how stringent you need to be with your budget. There will be times when you need to look at how much you are spending and ask yourself: would I rather retire earlier or keep my spending where it is today? The point is that you are living beneath your means to save money for your early retirement. If you find yourself struggling to cut back on spending, try putting your expenses into a financial journal utilizing a spreadsheet or notepad. You can do it for a few months, a year, or whatever you prefer. Categorize the expenses however you want (e.g., food, health, home, shopping, transportation, subscriptions, etc.). Then, next to each expense, assign a numerical value from one to ten based on how much value it provides to you and your family. You will quickly find that there are things that you cannot cut back on (e.g., personal care, electricity, mortgage/rent, internet, prescription medications, etc.). You will also find that some things on your list do not provide that much value to you. Maybe you have been paying for an expensive gym membership, but you do most of your exercising at home or on runs. Maybe you have a few too many subscriptions that you are not getting much use out of anymore. This exercise will help you lay out your expenses, see where your money is going, and provide you with a system to cut back. Adjusting Your Spending Needs In Retirement Retirement planning revolves around projections – using the amount you are saving, assuming a reasonable rate of return on your investments, and keeping in mind inflation, how much will you have to retire at a specific date, and how much do you project to spend when the time comes? Remember that you will not need to spend as much money on certain things in retirement as you do while you are working. Maybe you spend money on dry cleaning for your job. Maybe you will not be commuting, so you spend less on parking, tolls, maintenance, public transportation, etc. Just as it is essential to remember that you may spend less in retirement, you also do not want to under-save. People generally have increased health care costs as they get older; plus, long-term care considerations can add significant expenses towards the end of life. Most professional financial plans will include these expenses as a base in your plan, but you also want to make sure there is some cushion. You may not want to live a minimalistic lifestyle in retirement, so you will thank yourself later for having some room for discretionary spending. This will leave you some breathing room to pick up hobbies, travel, dine out, or do other things without worrying about every expense. Diversify Your Income Streams Having more than one income stream serves three purposes: First, the more money you bring in, the more you can save. Therefore, this strategy is only effective if you use the income generated to increase your savings rate. Second, multiple income streams can help you weather storms more confidently. This is especially true with income streams that are uncorrelated with one another. This is why diversification with investments is so important – while one sector of the market may be struggling and in the process of recovering, another is doing well and driving growth in your portfolio. Third, with any luck, these income streams can continue into your retirement, and you can continue to receive that money without significant input of time or resources. Be careful, though. Diversifying your income streams with something like a side hustle can be a great way to pursue a passion while also making some money. However, you want to avoid getting caught in a trap where your side hustle is costing you money for too long rather than increasing your savings. As a general rule, if your side hustle is not making money in three years, it may be time to try something different. Define (Or Re-Evaluate) What Retirement Looks Like For You Even with today's challenges, never before have there been more tools available to help you achieve financial independence earlier in life. That said, it is essential to define how you want your retirement to look so that you can set attainable goals and implement a roadmap for how to achieve them. For example, would you be comfortable living a frugal lifestyle if it means retiring faster, or do you want to live more lavishly? Would you like to stop working entirely, or would moving to a part-time role also work for you? How about planning on taking a sabbatical, also referred to as a 'mini-retirement?' These concepts are simply ways to accelerate your retirement using traditional methods. Understanding these strategies can help you concentrate on what is truly important to you and streamline your path to retirement. While these tasks are achievable, they can also be emotionally and mentally challenging. Working with a financial advisor can lend an objective viewpoint to your overall financial plan, help keep you disciplined on your journey, and lend expertise along the way to get you further ahead. If you want to retire early and are looking for a financial advisor to help craft a plan, check us out! You can schedule a complimentary, no-obligation call with us here. If you liked this post, please share it and let us know if you have any comments or questions! About the Author Holzberg Wealth Management is a family-owned and operated financial planning and investment management firm based in Marin County, CA. As your financial advisors, we serve you as a fiduciary and are fee-only, so we never receive commissions of any kind. We help individuals and families like you in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and virtually nationwide with the financial decision-making process to organize, grow, and protect your assets. ** This writing is for informational purposes only. The author and Holzberg Wealth Management do not guarantee or otherwise promise any results that may be obtained from using this report. No reader should make any investment decision without first consulting their financial advisor and conducting their own research and due diligence. These commentaries, analyses, opinions, and recommendations represent the personal and subjective views of the author and do not constitute a recommendation, offer, or solicitation to make any securities transaction. The information provided in this report is obtained from sources that the author believes to be reliable. External links to third parties are being provided for informational purposes only. Holzberg Wealth Management is not affiliated with the third-party websites linked to, unless otherwise explicitly stated, and does not constitute an endorsement or approval by Holzberg Wealth Management of any of the third party’s products, services, or opinions.

How It Works We have developed an efficient and effective way of creating and implementing financial plans. We utilize best-in-class technology and research combined with a collective knowledge of over four decades of experience in the financial services industry to help you manage your wealth. W HAT I S FINANCIAL PLANNING ? Financial planning involves analyzing, developing, implementing, and monitoring financial decisions and integrating a plan into your entire financial picture to help guide you and your family to achieving your short, intermediate, and long-term goals. Generally, financial planning encompasses five branches of knowledge:​ Investment Planning, Retirement Savings & Income Planning, Income Tax Planning, Estate & Legacy Planning, and Insurance & Risk Management Planning STEPS IN THE FINANCIAL PLANNING PROCESS Get To Know You Personally & Understand Where You Are Financially In our initial meeting, we want to discover more about you. To get a better sense of your approach to your financial future, we talk through qualitative and quantitative aspects of your current circumstances to better help us steer you toward financial success. To get started, simply choose a time that works for you. Identify & Structure Goals We like to discuss and review your goals and objectives at the beginning of the planning process. This allows us to prioritize your wants from your needs and craft reasonable, measurable goals and estimates. Analyze Your Current Plan & Assess Room For Alternatives Using your goals as a roadmap, we distinguish the strengths from the areas for improvement in your existing plan. From there, we evaluate solutions that will complement your current strategies and discuss the effects of choosing an alternative course of action. Develop Solutions Hand-Selected For Your Specialized Planning Needs From here, we make prudent decisions together that get you closer to achieving your goals. We help prioritize the timeframe to attain those goals and discern whether plan items need to be implemented independently or in conjunction with one another. Collaborate and Implement Your Financial Plan Identify products and services that best fit your plan. We discuss the basis for those recommendations and weigh various scenarios based on the implications of each decision. Monitor Progress & Update As Needed Adapt the plan over time to meet your modified circumstances as the underlying assumptions of the plan change. As a living document, your plan will need to be monitored at appropriate intervals for your progress and discover new courses of action as your life changes. H AVIN G A F INANCIAL P LAN U LTIMATELY E NABLES Y OU T O... Be confident in your financial decisions, Build better money habits, Track your progress, Reduce doubt and uncertainty surrounding your finances, and Make adjustments to overcome obstacles. The advantage of having a financial plan is that it lays the foundation on which successful investors make measured decisions to help build and protect wealth and achieve their goals. READY TO GET STARTED? Let's Chat! Valuable information is waiting for you. Find out how a great financial plan could positively impact your retirement.

About Us At Holzberg Wealth Management, we strive to provide you with the vital information you need to make safe and profitable financial decisions as we travel together through the uncharted waters ahead. OUR MISSION We work with you to create personalized financial plans to act as a map along your financial journey. At HWM, we provide expert financial planning and investment management services and strive to help individuals and families achieve financial security and independence. We are committed to providing unbiased, transparent, and client-centered services to help you make more informed decisions about your money and reach your financial goals. See How We're Different O U R S TORY Holzberg Wealth Management was founded in 2013 as an independent, family-owned and operated wealth management practice based in Marin County, servicing clients locally in the San Francisco Bay Area and virtually nationwide. ​ A Father-Son Team We bring a special dynamic to our work, and we love what we do. We love meeting new people. We love hearing abo ut their journeys and what led them to us. And we love every opportunity to exp lore and grow with our clients as we walk the path to financ ial freedom together. ​ Growing Together Each new individual and family we meet is an opportunit y for us to positively impact their lives. It brings us great pride and joy that we can help plan unique financial paths so that you can pursue your most fulfilling life. Our clients appreciate the personal touch and meticulous attention to detail we bring to the financial planning process. As Harris says, ​ "Every detail is a whole new world." ​ We are committed to helping you achieve financial success, and we believe this is evidenced in the long-lasting relationships we have with our clients, some of whom have been with us for decades. ​ A Passion for Serving Others Our clien ts value not only our expertise and experience but the genuine care and dedication we give each of them. Our passion for serving others encourages a deep appreciation for what is important in life, resulting in outstanding outcomes for you and your family. P ROUD M EMBERS O F About Harris Harris is a Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) and Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) at Holzberg Wealth Management. He began his career four decades ago, traveling the country and teaching the securities licensing exams to stockbrokers and supervisors. He has worked at many prestigious firms, including Prudential-Bache, First Union Securities, Wedbush Securities, and The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Harris has also distinguished himself as an expert witness in domestic and international arbitrations testifying in complex securities litigation. He has also contributed his expertise to help write test questions for the financial advisor licensing exams on behalf of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA). t : 415.891.4046 f : 415.945.8821 e : harris@hwmfa.org Talk to Harris About Marcus Holzberg About Marcus Marcus is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ at Holzberg Wealth Management. Before joining the firm, Marcus worked for the private equity and consulting firm AlphaSights in downtown San Francisco. From there, he moved to Manhattan, working in the entertainment industry for Sloss Eckhouse Dasti Haynes LawCo and Cinetic Media. During his time at the firms, he worked across both companies in various advisory capacities, including business and legal affairs, financing, corporate consulting, brand relations, and more. Talk to Marcus t : 415.847.3433 f : 415.945.8821 e : marcus@hwmfa.org

Get A Second Opinion To help instill confidence in achieving your goals, we offer a complimentary second-opinion service. With a second opinion, you get the same expertise and guidance our clients expect from us. Whether you manage everything yourself or work with another advisor, it’s always worth it to get a second opinion on something as important as your financial plan. W HAT I S A FINANCIAL SECOND OPINION ? Just like getting a second opinion from a doctor, a financial second opinion means having an advisor review your financial plan. It can be an excellent way for investors to get a second look at their plan from a professional and gain reassurance and peace of mind about their progress. A second opinion from Holzberg Wealth Management can be a great way to gain valuable perspective and clarity on your finances. The best part is that it comes with no obligation and no cost to you. POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES Benefits of Getting a Second Opinion A financial second opinion can be a valuable and cost-free way to test-drive what it would be like to work with us. Having a fiduciary in your corner means getting the highest standard of care from an advisor who always puts your needs first. Feel Confident in Your Decisions Ensure Your Goals Align with Your Financial Plan Get Clarity on Your Investment Strategy & Portfolio Allocation Potentially Lower Your Investment Fees You May Learn Something New! Schedule a Complimentary Meeting Are you taking on more or less risk than you should be? Are you missing anything, or is there anything you could be doing better? Is your current plan keeping up with your changing financial circumstances? Are you in good shape for retirement? OUR PROCESS 01 It starts with an initial call where we talk about you and your unique circumstances. Essentially, we are trying to understand where you are, where you want to be, and identify any gaps in between. 02 If we can help and you wish to proceed, we set a meeting to go over the specific items you wish to discuss. Primarily, our conversation centers around your investments, as they are usually the main focus for successful families. But we know investments are not your only concern. Often, we discuss other issues, including: Retirement planning, Mitigating taxes, Estate planning, Protecting your assets, and Debt management. 03 During this meeting, we walk you through our thoughts and answer any questions you may have. We tie it together with the details from our initial conversation and present you with three possibilities: You are doing just fine. You are in great shape and on track to meet your goals. Keep it up! There is room for improvement, and you are looking to take your finances to the next level by bringing in a professional. We will offer ways we can help and explore the next steps. We may acknowledge that someone else is better suited to your needs, and we will make recommendations for experts with different areas of expertise that may be a better option for you If you are satisfied with our service, there’s no pressure and no obligation to move forward. If you wish to become a client, we already have a great jumping-off point to continue to build from there. WHEN SHOULD YOU CONSIDER A FINANCIAL SECOND OPINION? You Are Currently Investing on Your Own You Are Looking for An Advisor Your Financial Circumstances Recently Changed or Got More Complex You Are Already Working with An Advisor INTERESTED IN A SECOND OPINION? Let's Chat! Valuable information is waiting for you. Find out how a financial second opinion could positively impact your retirement.