Fee-only planning for the equity-heavy years of a tech career.
Austin Creek Capital works with senior technology professionals in the Bay Area and beyond whose wealth is concentrated in employer equity. RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, pre-IPO stock, and the tax decisions that come with them.
We are a fee-only, fiduciary registered investment adviser. No commissions, no product sales, no third-party incentives. Our only compensation comes from our clients, and our advice is held to a fiduciary standard, in writing.
Comprehensive planning, built around your equity.
Financial planning is the wrapper. For our clients, these are the areas where the work actually happens.
- Equity compensation planning RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, and pre-IPO stock. Exercise and sale timing, AMT exposure, withholding gaps, 10b5-1 plans, and the decisions that move your after-tax outcome by six figures.
- Tax strategy Multi-year tax projections, Roth conversions, charitable strategies, capital gains harvesting, multi-state situations when they apply, and the year-end moves most people make too late.
- Concentration and diversification A deliberate plan for unwinding a concentrated employer position, with attention to taxes, vesting schedules, and the behavioral side of selling stock you have grown into.
- Bay Area real estate Buy-vs-rent at your wealth level, remodel and second-home financing, 1031 exchanges, and the honest math behind whether you can actually afford the decision in front of you.
- Ongoing planning Cash flow, retirement and financial-independence projections, insurance and estate review, and regular check-ins so the plan keeps pace with your life.
Three ways to work together.
Choose the engagement that fits the decision in front of you. Fees are set by the complexity and scope of your situation, and every figure here matches our Form ADV Part 2A.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| One-time planning project A defined engagement with a start and a finish | $3,000 to $10,000 Most engagements land between $3,000 and $5,000. Half is due at the start, the balance at completion. |
| Ongoing planning retainer A continuing planning relationship, with investment management optional | $1,500 to $3,000 to start, then $300 to $3,000 / month The upfront fee covers onboarding, data gathering, and building your initial plan. Monthly billing begins when that plan is delivered. Investment management, if you want it, is an additional 0.50% of assets under management per year, with no account minimum. |
| Investment management Portfolio management, with or without an ongoing planning retainer | 1.00% to 0.75% of assets under management Blended annual rate by tier, see the schedule below. Subject to a $7,500 annual minimum. Billed quarterly in arrears. Where we have built your financial plan, investment management also includes an annual review and update of that plan and a tax-season check-in. |
Investment management fee schedule
| Assets under management | Annual rate |
|---|---|
| First $1,000,000 | 1.00% |
| $1,000,001 to $5,000,000 | 0.85% |
| $5,000,001 and above | 0.75% |
The rate is blended: each tier applies only to the portion of your assets that falls inside it. An account averaging $1,500,000 pays 1.00% on the first $1,000,000 and 0.85% on the remaining $500,000, an effective annual rate of roughly 0.95%.
Fees are negotiable, and individual accommodations may be made consistent with our Form ADV. The $7,500 annual minimum may be reduced or waived at our discretion, and does not apply to ongoing planning retainer clients. Complete fee terms are in our Form ADV Part 2A.
Who this is for.
We keep a small, intentional client base. A quick gut check before we talk.
A good fit if you
- Have meaningful wealth concentrated in employer equity (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, or pre-IPO stock).
- Want a fiduciary partner for the bigger decisions, not just another investment manager.
- Value tax-aware, multi-year planning over product pitches.
Probably not the right fit if you
- Are looking for stock tips or someone to beat the market.
- Want a portfolio recommendation with no planning behind it.
- Are early in your career with little complexity yet (we are still happy to point you in the right direction).
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.