Hello friends,
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As a financial planner, I’ve had dozens of conversations with mid-career tech professionals across the San Francisco Bay Area. On paper, most of them are doing great: strong incomes, solid careers, and stable finances.

But the same questions keeps coming up:

• “Am I actually on track?”
• “Am I missing anything?”

In the SF Bay Area, this is especially tricky. High compensation doesn’t always translate into real financial progress—between taxes, housing costs, lifestyle inflation, and equity comp that can swing wildly year to year, it’s easy to feel unsure even when you’re doing “everything right.”

That’s why I put together my article Am I Financially On Track? A 2026 Guide for Bay Area Tech Professionals that includes a shortlist of 8 key financial ratios (with ideal target ranges) that can help you quickly assess your financial health across three areas:

1. How well am I using my income?
2. Am I on track with my savings?
3. How well am I managing my risk?

Think of these ratios as a financial dashboard: you don’t need perfection across the board—but if a few metrics are off track, you’ll know exactly where to focus.

What I Want to Share:

I was recently invited to talk with Roger Silk, Ph.D., a leading expert in finance and philanthropy, about how tech and crypto professionals can save millions in taxes.

We talk about the practical, real-world strategies that come up for high earners with concentrated positions, including equity compensation timing, AMT landmines, and when tools like a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) can help you diversify without triggering a tax bomb. And we get into crypto too, including why it matters to get your “coins into the system.”

Bottom line, this is the work I love: not paying less tax just because—but making sure your money is actually funding the life you want.

What’s on My Mind:

• ​Rutger Bregman on Moral Ambition (Rich Roll Podcast) — Lisa bought me Bregman’s book for Christmas, and I honestly haven’t been able to stop thinking about his ideas since. His concept of “moral ambition” asks a simple but powerful question: instead of optimizing our lives for comfort or status, what if we used our skills and resources to work on things that truly matter? It really resonates if you’ve ever felt successful on paper but quietly wondered whether your work could be more meaningful.
• ​Truth, Lies, and Hype in Real Estate Investing (White Coat Investor) — We often have clients come to us asking whether they should be invested in real estate. This article does a great job cutting through the noise. It lays out a balanced view of the truth, the hype, and the trade-offs, reminding us that real estate can be one path to building wealth, but it’s not passive or right for everyone. Like most financial decisions, what matters is how (and whether) it fits into your broader plan.
• ​The Mid-Life Spending Crisis (A Wealth of Common Sense) — As a planner working with many clients in their 40s and 50s, this piece made me say, “Oh… now I get it.” It turns out this stage of life really is the most expensive—and that rising spending isn’t a failure of discipline, but a normal pattern. A reassuring read if you’ve been wondering why life suddenly costs so damn much.

Photo of the Month: Over the holidays, we spent time in Tahoe with our kids, soaking up the snow and the slower pace. It’s a good reminder that some of the best returns come from time outside.