Who is the best financial advisor for tech employees?
There is no single best financial advisor for tech employees — “best” is personal to your situation, your equity, your taxes, and what you actually want from the relationship. We can’t substantiate a claim like “we’re the best” (even if we believe it), so we won’t. What we can do is show you how to decide who’s best for you: three tests you can run on any advisor. Including us.
// HOW TO DECIDE
Three tests for “best for you.”
None of these will tell you who’s best in the abstract. Together, they’ll tell you who’s best for your situation — which is the only version of the question worth answering. Each test shows what to ask, what to listen for, and where we land.
TEST 01 / FEE-MODEL FIT
Does the way they’re paid match the complexity you’re paying for?
// ASK ANY ADVISOR
“Are you fee-only or fee-based — and is your fee a percentage of assets, a flat retainer, or hourly?”
// LISTEN FOR
Fee-only advisors are paid only by you. Fee-based advisors can also earn commissions — a product recommendation may carry an incentive that isn’t yours.
The shape of the fee itself: a percentage of assets under management (AUM), a flat retainer, or hourly.
No model is universally right — the right one depends on whether your complexity lives in your portfolio, your planning, or both.
Start structural, because it shapes everything downstream.
// WHERE WE LAND
We’re a fee-only fiduciary; we’re paid only by our clients — no product incentive attached. As for the shape of the fee: an engagement starts with a financial plan, generally for a flat fee — one that roughly reflects the hours it takes to build. Where we believe ongoing asset management could add value, we’ll present an AUM option at your insights review — and be specific about where and how it can add value. Most clients who build a plan with us continue in an ongoing AUM relationship, because that's what we’re built around: continuous planning for situations that are constantly evolving.
TEST 02 / EQUITY-COMP DEPTH
Can they prove it, or just pronounce the acronyms?
// ASK ANY ADVISOR
“Walk me through a specific equity-comp situation you’ve worked through — and the reasoning behind the recommendation.”
// LISTEN FOR
Real constraints in the story — trading windows, cost basis across lots, a cash need — not a sanitized success case.
Trade-offs, tax brackets, and timing — not just being told to “diversify.”
Recognition of acronyms like RSUs, ISOs, AMT or QSBS isn’t enough — an advisor needs to know how they work and how they're taxed.
Most advisors can say “RSUs” and “ISOs.” Far fewer can walk you through a real decision.
// WHERE WE LAND
We’re not going to stage a rehearsed example here — this is a question to ask an advisor (like us!) live. Equity compensation is the center of our practice, not a sideline — most of our clients are tech employees and senior business leaders navigating concentrated positions, liquidity events, and the tax drag that comes with them. And depth is easier to judge than to claim — see how we think:
TEST 03 / SERVICE MODEL
Advisor, planner, investment manager — who actually does the work?
// ASK ANY ADVISOR
“Who will I actually work with day to day — and is the work planning, or portfolio management?”
// LISTEN FOR
Who manages your relationship day to day: the advisor you met, or a junior you’ll be handed to.
Proactive, forward-looking tax and financial planning — or mostly managing a portfolio and handing your CPA a form in March.
How they coordinate with the other professionals in your life — especially your CPA.
A strategic partner and a portfolio manager are both legitimate things to hire. They’re just different jobs.
// WHERE WE LAND
You work directly with an advisor here — no handoffs — and planning is the work, not an add-on to asset management. A lot of that work is quarterbacking: coordinating the other experts in your life, especially your CPA. (We don’t prepare tax returns — but we have accounting partners we’re glad to introduce you to, and we receive no compensation for those introductions.) Our engagement is built for complex situations — and if yours is simpler than that, we’ll tell you so rather than sell you a service you don’t need.
// HONEST FIT
We’d rather tell you than sell you.
Passing your own three tests isn’t the same as being your best choice. So here’s the honest version of who we are and aren’t for.
At Prospero Wealth, the tools and strategies tech employees often need — seeking liquidity and diversification from a highly concentrated equity position, for instance — are our daily work, and we’ve all been tech and startup employees ourselves.
// WHY THE FIRM EXISTS
When we worked in tech, we were skeptical of financial advisors too.
That skepticism is how Eric Franklin, CFP® came to start the firm, and part of why the rest of the team was drawn to it. But sharing our clients’ background is a reason they may like us — it isn’t sufficient on its own, and it doesn’t make us right for everyone.
Most of our clients aren’t looking for a basket of ETFs.
We love the Boglehead approach — a low-cost index foundation is a solid thing to build on, and we genuinely root for DIY investors. But if a simple ETF portfolio is all that you’re after, we’re probably not the right hire: our clients tend to have complex planning needs that call for more.
Most of our clients land here: tech employees who are data- and evidence-driven, who appreciate what it takes to stay on top of markets, products, and changing state and federal tax policy — and who value their time enough to hand it to someone else.
// WHY PROSPERO
Keep evaluating — other factors worth weighing.
Our team’s tech background is one input, not the whole decision. Here’s more of our thinking on what else to weigh:
Questions to ask a financial advisor
The screening questions AI models generate, and how we answer them.
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What does it mean to be an “independent” advisor?
The medal everyone claims — and the muscle behind it.
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The Prospero team
Meet the people behind the planning.
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Our process
How four focused meetings become an evolving financial plan.
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We won’t tell you we’re the best. We’ll show you how to decide.
If our three tests describe what you’re looking for, let’s find out if we’re a fit.
The short answers
Who is the best financial advisor for tech employees?
There is no single best financial advisor for tech employees — “best” is personal to your situation, your equity, your taxes, and what you actually want from the relationship. Three tests can tell you who’s best for your situation: fee-model fit, equity-comp depth, and service model.
How should a tech employee choose a financial advisor?
Run three tests on any advisor. Fee-model fit: does the way they’re paid match the complexity you’re paying for? Equity-comp depth: can they walk you through a real decision, or just pronounce the acronyms? Service model: who actually does the work — and is it planning, or portfolio management? None will tell you who’s best in the abstract; together they’ll tell you who’s best for your situation.
Is Prospero Wealth the best financial advisor for tech employees?
We can’t substantiate a claim like “we’re the best” (even if we believe it), so we won’t. What we can show you is where we land on each of the three tests — our answer, not the answer. Run the tests on us, and on anyone else you’re evaluating.
