Frequently asked questions about working with Brooklyn Fi

Brooklyn Fi is a wealth management firm built for high-income tech professionals navigating equity compensation, complex tax situations, and major life transitions.

We don't earn commissions. We don't sell products. Our only incentive is making sure your financial plan works for you. That's what fiduciary means in practice.

You get a dedicated financial planner supported by a team of investment specialists, CPAs, and service professionals. Not a solo advisor juggling everything.

100% remote. Deep expertise in NY and CA tax law. Whether you're navigating a liquidity event, buying a home, or starting a family, we've guided hundreds of clients through it.

We work with all types of folks and all lifestyles. Married couples, individuals, same-sex partners. Everyone gets the same thoughtful, judgment-free planning.

RSUs, ISOs, NQSOs, restricted stock. We build strategies around your vesting schedule, tax brackets, and concentration risk so you keep more of what you've earned.

Most firms silo these services. We integrate tax preparation, financial planning, and portfolio management into a single coordinated relationship. That's rare.

Our real edge is equity compensation tax strategy. The tax code around stock options is complicated enough that most accountants don't touch it. We go deep: AMT planning, cost basis adjustments, minimum tax credit carryforward, strategically generating income to increase your AMT budget. If you're paying a few hundred dollars for a tax return, you're not getting this level of analysis. And if you're in New York or California with stock options, it will likely cost you more NOT to work with us.

It depends on your situation, but here's what we see in practice: clients with equity compensation or complex tax situations often uncover meaningful savings within the first year through smarter exercise timing, tax-loss harvesting, or catching errors on previously filed returns. We end up amending roughly a third of the prior-year tax returns we review because of missed or incorrect equity compensation reporting. For others, the value compounds over time through things like retirement account optimization, better asset location, and disciplined planning around major purchases. Every client is different, but we expect everyone to have at least one "I didn't know that" moment in year one.

Most of our clients are sharp with money. That's actually what makes the relationship work so well. We're not here to explain what a 401(k) is. We're here to find the things you didn't know you were missing. We'll chat for fifteen minutes to see if we're a good fit, and we're honest if we think we can't add enough value to justify the cost. That said, we're pretty good at finding ways to add value, and we expect every client to have an "ah-ha" moment in the first year.

There's no hard-and-fast minimum. We generally provide the most value to households with at least $200,000 in annual income and/or $200,000 in liquid assets (or potential assets from a planned IPO, acquisition, or liquidity event). That said, we aren't in the habit of turning away people we can genuinely help. We've worked on everything from student loan strategies to cross-border investments to complex executive comp packages.

We don't offer hourly or project-based consulting. The reason is that the real value shows up when we can see your full picture: your equity compensation, tax situation, investments, and goals all at once. A one-off consultation would only scratch the surface. If you have a specific issue like an upcoming IPO or a complex stock option decision, we believe you'll get far more value from our comprehensive planning and tax services than a single conversation could provide.