A fee-only financial planner in Mill Valley.
Austin Creek Capital is based at 131 Camino Alto, Suite D2 in Mill Valley. We work with technology households across the Bay Area and beyond on equity compensation, multi-year tax planning, and the decisions that come with holding most of your net worth in one company's stock.
Most of our work happens over video, so living locally is a convenience rather than a requirement. What being here does mean is that the tradeoffs Marin households make are ones we understand from the inside.
What we actually see here.
Three patterns come up repeatedly with households on this side of the bridge.
- The commute is usually to San Francisco, and usually not every dayThe households we see here work hybrid. For most that means the city two or three days a week, which Marin handles well. For the smaller group commuting to the Peninsula or South Bay, nobody pretends it is convenient. They do it two or three days a week and treat it as the price of the housing and the pace of life on this side of the bridge. That tradeoff is a real input to a financial plan, because it shapes how long someone expects to stay in a job and how much they need the equity to work out.
- Most people arrive from San Francisco, not from elsewhereThe common pattern is a household that spent its twenties and thirties in the city and moved north when children arrived. Marin gets chosen over the Peninsula for lower density, proximity to the outdoors, a commute to San Francisco that stays reasonable, and more house for the money. Home prices here are high by any national standard and lower than comparable Peninsula options, which is a distinction that only matters if you are choosing between the two.
- The people who bought before 2022 are not movingA household holding a mortgage from the low-rate era has a strong reason to stay in the house it has. What we see instead is remodeling: adding the room, redoing the kitchen, making the house work for a family that has grown. The financing question that comes with it is specific, and it is where equity compensation and home equity meet.
Funding a remodel without wrecking the tax year.
A household that bought before 2022 holds a mortgage it will not replace, so the calculus shifts from moving to improving. The money for that generally comes from one of two places: selling vested equity, or borrowing against a house that has appreciated.
These are not equivalent. Selling shares triggers tax in the year you sell, at ordinary rates on anything short-term and with California taking up to 13.3% regardless of holding period. It also reduces a concentrated position, which for most people here is a benefit rather than a cost. Borrowing preserves the low-rate first mortgage and defers any taxable sale, but adds a payment and leaves the concentration in place.
The right answer depends on your bracket in the specific year, how much of your net worth is already in employer stock, the rate available to you, and how long the construction runs. Most households end up doing some of each, sequenced so the taxable sales land in the years that can absorb them. Deciding that before the contractor is booked is considerably easier than after.
Figures cited are 2026 amounts. This is educational information, not individualized tax, lending, or investment advice. Consult your own tax professional.
Local questions.
Do I need to live in Marin to work with you?
No. Our office is in Mill Valley and we work with households across the Bay Area and in other states. Most of the work happens over video and email regardless of where a client lives, so proximity is a convenience rather than a requirement. If you are local and would rather meet in person, that is straightforward.
How do you think about funding a remodel with equity compensation?
It is a cash flow and tax question before it is a financing question. Vesting equity is ordinary income taxed at your marginal rate plus California at up to 13.3%, and selling shares to fund construction has a different after-tax cost than borrowing against the house. Which is better depends on your bracket in the year you do it, how concentrated you already are in employer stock, and what rate you would be borrowing at. It is worth modeling both rather than defaulting to whichever is easier to arrange.
Is a home equity line the right way to pay for it?
Sometimes, and it is worth comparing honestly against selling shares. Borrowing preserves a low-rate first mortgage and defers a taxable sale, but it adds a payment and rate exposure. Selling concentrated stock reduces a risk you may want reduced anyway, at the cost of the tax. Households in this situation frequently do some of each.
Do you work with people who commute to the Peninsula?
Yes, and it comes up in planning more than people expect. A long commute affects how long someone realistically stays at an employer, which affects vesting assumptions, which affects everything downstream. It is worth building the plan around what you actually intend to do rather than around the full vesting schedule.
Where is your office?
131 Camino Alto, Suite D2, Mill Valley, CA 94941. We are a fee-only, fiduciary registered investment adviser. Our only compensation comes from our clients.
Austin Creek Capital, LLC, 131 Camino Alto, Suite D2, Mill Valley, CA 94941. (415) 322-9314 · info@austincreekcapital.com
Twenty minutes is enough to know if we're a fit.
No pitch, no pressure. A short call where we ask what's actually on your mind right now, and you decide whether you want to go further.