Bob Goldman Financial Planning

Bob Goldman is everything we were looking for in a financial advisor — level-​headed, smart, unbiased, and holistic in his process, incorporating personal factors, rather than just amounts and investments. We appreciated how he provided a spectrum of options for navigating the future and are very glad we elected to proceed with him rather than the handful of fee-​based advisors we had previously interviewed. Most importantly, we now feel confident and directed about our financial decisions.

Working with Bob Goldman has taken a lot of the stress out of the financial planning process.
We needed to get a better handle on our financial picture, including both short-​term and long-​term questions such as:
— what would be smart in terms of a house purchase price given our income and other expenses
— what would be typical life insurance coverage for a family in our area
— how much we should be putting aside not just for retirement but also things like college.
Bob is really smart and has a lot of experience working with different people in different circumstances, so he knows that it isn’t one-​size-​fits-​everybody. For instance, what is our ability and interest for buying a house that needs some work? That makes a difference in how we plan and invest. Bob has been great about guiding us through the process, knowing where our goals are reasonable and what it will take to get there.
We like that he does not have an incentive to push specific investments but he has still been very helpful about recommending brokers or other people when we have asked.
All-​in-​all, we are really happy working with Bob and we’re in a better spot because of his guidance.

This guy changed my life. As stated, Bob is independent and has no stake in selling you anything. He took an objective view of my family situation and, without judgment, enabled my wife and I to make some big decisions. At the time, we were trying to figure out a long-​term plan in the SF Bay Area and Bob ran three incredible scenarios for us, using all of our financial information (salaries, expected salaries, investments, home, etc) alongside our personal hopes and dreams (number of kids, college expectations, retirement, etc). The outcome was a very, very detailed review of where we would expect to see our financials grow and shrink over time and how well we would leave our children. It also included recommendations on shifting assets or building wealth.
Just be ready for the reality check that may come. For us, we gave up the SF Bay Area fantasy completely (a $ 2 million tear down… really?) and left within a year for an incredible job and financial future on the East Coast. Ironically, we actually decided to take MORE RISKS on the job front to have a chance at fulfilling our dreams. Hopefully, you will be in a different spot — maybe a wealthy, unmarried uncle who leaves you everything? — but either way, Bob is there to provide the unvarnished truth. Just fabulous experience.
It cost about $ 2500. Sounds expensive until you realize all the money or time wasted doing things out of line with your ultimate expectations. We have recouped every dollar and tens of thousands of dollars more in the 2 years. No lie.
Good luck!

Bob Goldman is an hourly financial planner. That means he does not sell any financial products, or take referral fees. That’s the kind of objectivity I want. Bob has the knowledge, skills, and experience to deal with all the recent changes in the economy/​changes in our financial planning needs. I wholeheartedly recommend Bob Goldman Financial Planning to anyone– regardless of your net worth. — Jennifer Tremblay