Financial growth strategies for All Stages of Your Life
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to financial planning. We tailor a unique, personalized solution to your individual needs.
Financial Advisory Services for Individuals, Businesses & Nonprofits
SDM Advisors serves our individual, business and nonprofit clients in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area through a variety of integrated financial services products aimed at creating a personalized financial planning tool that you can count on now and into the future. Our team can provide investment advisory, corporate retirement plan design and implementation, estate & financial planning guidance, nonprofit advisory and cash management.
Customized financial planning
With over 40 years of experience, our financial planners work with clients all over the San Francisco Bay Area. We explore your goals for your career, family and retirement, add in any big financial needs like college, weddings and travel and then develop a plan customized to fit your needs.
Family Trust & Estate Planning
The cornerstone of any good financial strategy involves having a plan for what happens to your wealth if something happens to you. Our financial advisors will help you develop a plan that considers leaving money for family, friends or organizations, so that in the end there will be no worries.
Personal Wealth Management
Whether you’re a successful professional, a business owner or an individual, creating a personal financial plan is something everyone should have. Our advisors don’t just plan for your retirement, but for all of life’s little surprises. Our plans consider college for the kids, new cars and travel plans.
Family Office Management
For those busy individuals who need extra support managing their financial affairs at home, our team can help with bill pay, investment management and retirement planning, while you spend time making memories with your family. We provide regular reports so you’ll always know where you stand.
In The News …
Participant Corner: Three Tax Tips that Can Help as You Approach or Begin Retirement
Retirement is a whole new phase of life. You’ll experience many new things, and you’ll leave others behind – but what you won’t avoid is taxes. If you’ve followed the…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How are you different from other wealth management firms?
At SDM Advisors, our goal is to be your one-stop shop as you work towards your goal of achieving lifetime financial security. In many cases, an individual or family might work with an investment advisor, accountant, and insurance agent all at different firms. We believe in a more holistic approach and through our partnership with accounting firm SD Mayer & Associates, our goal is to become your trusted advisor that you rely on when you need help in areas ranging from financial planning and investments to tax planning and preparation.
What are the next steps if I decide that I want SDM Advisors to work on my financial plan?
The first step to working on a financial plan is to have a brief call or meeting to learn more about you – your goals, values, interests, and relationships are all very important to us as we get to know who you are. Once we gather this information, we work on a financial plan tailored to your needs and goals. Financial planning is not one size fits all – each individual and family are unique and we recognize that as we come up with a plan that is suited for you. Together, we will then walk through your plan and tweak it throughout several meetings as needed until we come up with the best result possible. We enjoy working with clients on an ongoing basis and further developing the plan as life evolves!
What is your investment philosophy?
As a firm, we support a passive investment philosophy. We strongly believe [and research has shown!] that most active fund managers have not been able to outperform the market over long periods of time. That is why we work with our clients to invest in a diversified portfolio of low-cost exchange-traded funds [ETFs] and don’t try to time the market. We would rather spend a time working on updating your financial plan, in addition to tax, insurance, and estate planning, to make smart decisions that will help you achieve lifetime financial security.
How are your fees assessed and what will they cover?
For financial plans, we work with our clients to agree on an equitable, flat fee amount based on the complexity of your plan. If you decide to invest with SDM Advisors, our fees are typically around 1% of assets under management, with incremental decreases in fees as your AUM amount increases. In addition to providing asset allocation and investment advice, our fee also includes ongoing financial planning and tax planning, as needed.
The Team
Steve Mayer, CPA
Managing Partner
Rick Hillsbery, CPA
Partner
Daniel P. Rush
Vice President
Cody Martin
Associate
THÉRÈSE HJELM
Coordinator
Securities and Advisory Disclosure:
Securities offered through Valmark Securities, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC. Fee based planning offered through SDM Advisors, LLC. Third party money management offered through Valmark Advisers, Inc a SEC registered investment advisor. 130 Springside Drive, Suite 300, Akron, Ohio 44333-2431. 1-800-765-5201. SDM Advisors, LLC is a separate entity from Valmark Securities Inc. and Valmark Advisers, Inc.
San Francisco Office
235 Montgomery Street, 30th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
Menlo Park Office
640 Menlo Avenue, Suite 2
Menlo Park, CA 94025
[email protected]
415.691.4040