Chao Zhang (CFA, CFP®, MBA)

Additional Information

What led you to your position at your firm? I have been focused on FIRE (financial independence, retire early) goals since college. At age 36, I was able to quit a high-paying hedge fund job to pursue my dream of starting this business. This wasn’t an accident, but part of a long-term financial plan I crafted for myself. Now, I am able to share my passion and help others pursue and achieve their dreams.

What makes you or your firm particularly qualified to serve tech professionals, healthcare workers, and their families? Having lived in the Bay Area and having worked with clients at some of the largest tech firms, I am well versed in the planning and tax challenges faced by tech professionals with stock compensation. Married to a physician, I am aware of the unique challenges and burnout facing many healthcare workers.

What part of your work gives you the most satisfaction? Whether it is helping clients avoid tax mistakes and finding thousands in tax savings or assisting a single mother with setting up the appropriate estate plan to protect her child, it is the impact that I have on my clients’ lives that gives me the greatest satisfaction. When a client tells me the $10,000 I helped him recover by amending a past tax return was the best Christmas gift ever, the joy that brings to me is priceless. And guiding a kind, hard-working couple to a secure retirement is ultimately what gives this job meaning.

What makes your investment process unique? Inspired by Warren Buffett’s investing style, I believe I can add substantial value to our clients through active management and superior stock selection. Having two decades of investment experience working at multiple hedge funds with exposure to both equities and fixed income, I have learned from the best. With all of my own net worth invested alongside my clients in the same strategies, my interests are aligned with yours as this cook eats his own cooking.