Authentic Life Financial Planning is Registered Investment Adviser and is a fiduciary 100% of the time. Being a fiduciary means that I am legally obligated to give advice that is in your best interest.

It may surprise you that this is actually NOT a requirement to be a financial advisor in the U.S. However, I believe that taking on that additional responsibility is the right way to do business and allows me to give advice in a way that has the least amount of conflicts of interest. It also mean that I will disclose any conflicts of interest when they come up.

Yes! We are able to give advice on your accounts regardless of where they are held. This means that all of your accounts can be professionally managed and allocated to fund your Authentic Life.

No. Because we have a flat ongoing fee plus an AUM fee, you can work with us even if you're just starting out or only have accounts with your employer.

Yes! Though I live in Minneapolis, MN, I am able to provide financial planning services virtually nationwide.

Yes! While I am not a tax preparer or attorney, I proactively collaborate with your other professionals, if you have them, and can refer you to one if you don’t.

This ensures that our planning is done in coordination with other professionals to make sure your multi-year tax planning, AMT tracking, and tax return reporting are all completed accurately.

AMT is triggered when you exercise ISOs based on the spread between your strike price and the Fair Market Value (FMV) at exercise. Reducing AMT requires strategic timing, modeling multi-year tax projections, calculating AMT safe harbors, and tracking AMT credits when you do trigger AMT to reduce your future tax bill.

Participating in a private tender offer involves balancing capital gains vs. ordinary income tax treatment, state tax sourcing rules, and tax lot selection. Depending on whether you hold vested ISOs, NSOs, or shares acquired via prior exercise, proper selection of tax lots before execution can significantly reduce your immediate tax liability.

Single-trigger RSUs vest based on time served and trigger immediate tax withholding upon vesting. Double-trigger RSUs require both time served and a liquidity event (like an IPO or acquisition) to vest. When the second trigger occurs at IPO, all accumulated RSUs vest simultaneously, generating a massive ordinary income tax event on the listing date.

If your private stock was issued by a qualifying C-Corporation with gross assets under $50 million at issuance before July 4, 2025 and $75 million after and held for more than 5 years, you may qualify to exclude up to $10 million for shares purchased before July 4, 2025 and $15 million after or 10x your basis in capital gains from federal tax. Verifying original issuance dates and corporate structure early is critical to locking in this exemption.

Ideally 6 to 12 months prior to an anticipated liquidity event or tender offer. Early planning allows for strategic ISO exercises before FMV increases, 83(b) elections on early-exercise options, estate planning transfers before valuation spikes, and pre-IPO tax lot optimization.

No. Authentic Life Financial Planning is a fee-only fiduciary firm with zero product sales, zero commissions, and no mandatory asset management minimums. We provide comprehensive equity, tax, and wealth planning regardless of whether your net worth is liquid or locked in pre-IPO private stock.

Traditional wealth managers charge a percentage of assets under management (AUM), which doesn't fit tech professionals whose wealth is concentrated in private equity or company stock. We charge flat, transparent planning fees (monthly subscriptions or annual agreements), ensuring our advice remains completely objective and aligned solely with your best interests.