About Lisette Smith, CFP®, CDFA®

Lisette is a senior advisor to our personal wealth clients. She provides analysis and advice to help individuals and families make meaningful decisions in their lives, including investment, tax and estate planning issues. Lisette has been providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management to business owners and executives for most of her career. She also spent several years as a consultant to business partnerships and family-owned businesses, including conflict resolution, merger and succession planning.

3 Steps to Make Your Midlife Gap Year Plan a Reality

By |2022-05-15T11:55:13-07:00August 11th, 2021|Blog, Business Owners, Lifestyle, Personal Wealth|

Every time we meet with new clients, we ask them what motivates them to succeed. Besides financial benefits and personal fulfillment, the answer we hear the most is freedom. Even successful individuals who love their jobs want to spend time not working and pursuing other interests, too. The Gap Year is often the perfect [Read More]

Investment returns: How Optimistic Should You Be?

By |2022-09-05T19:34:59-07:00July 30th, 2021|Blog, Investment Management, Investor behavior, Personal Wealth|

Investment returns may not be on your mind right now as the summer brings highly anticipated changes where we can re-engage with our loved ones and communities in person. It will take some time to gain perspective on the economic and social implications of the global pandemic, especially since its effects have varied among [Read More]

6 exercises to stress-test your Midlife Gap Year

By |2022-05-15T12:27:08-07:00May 23rd, 2021|Blog, Business Owners, Financial planning tips and perspectives, Personal Wealth|

If you’ve let yourself dream about taking a Midlife Gap Year, you may stop your planning as soon as the “What if…” questions kick in. Even with accumulated nest eggs of a few million dollars, many successful midlife business owners and leaders fear potential negative outcomes of taking this desired career break. The best [Read More]

Sell your business:  4 key steps to get ready to exit

By |2022-04-07T11:59:56-07:00April 29th, 2021|Blog, Business Owners, Financial planning tips and perspectives, Personal Wealth|

Selling a business is a major life decision that usually requires deep consideration. The past 14 months of pandemic living gave many business owners time to contemplate the future of their business and to reflect on what they want in the next phase of their life.  You may be among the owners who are [Read More]

How to take an extended career break and still be fiscally responsible

By |2022-05-15T12:47:57-07:00March 31st, 2021|Blog, Business Owners, Financial planning tips and perspectives, Lifestyle, Personal Wealth|

If you’re a Gen X-er ready to embark on your Midlife Gap Year and take an extended break from your career, you may be wondering what the financial impact of this decision will be. You know you could use the time off to rest, rejuvenate, or pivot your career for your next chapter, but [Read More]

More help for business owners: PPP loans, deductions, and other stimulus provisions

By |2021-01-06T14:33:44-08:00January 6th, 2021|Blog, Business Owners, Financial planning tips and perspectives, Personal Wealth|

If you're looking for a new PPP loan for your business, the latest stimulus package, the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) that was signed into law on December 27, 2020 may benefit you. It provides $900B in COVID-19 relief and extends and expands on some provisions of the CARES Act, enacted in March, to help [Read More]

Should you hire your kids in your business?

By |2022-04-07T09:49:33-07:00August 10th, 2020|Blog, Business Owners, Personal Wealth|

You may be seeing a lot of your kids these days, and you may continue to as you navigate the hybrid solutions of “back-to-school” this year.  For many business owners during this pandemic, balancing the new family dynamics with unexpected business challenges has been difficult.  While not for every business, one solution to ease [Read More]

Longevity’s Ripple Effect: Why Gen X Cannot Count on Inheritances for their Retirement

By |2024-01-29T12:18:45-08:00February 12th, 2020|General thoughts|

As if Gen X (now age 40 – 55) didn’t have enough to think about in midlife, they also need to be careful about including any expected inheritance in their retirement planning.  While there is much talk about a great transfer of wealth in America in the coming 25 years, with estimates anywhere from [Read More]

Business disaster planning: Is your business prepared for the next disaster?

By |2022-04-07T15:13:38-07:00November 27th, 2019|Blog, Financial planning tips and perspectives, Personal Wealth|

Preparing your business for a natural disaster is as critical as preparing your home, yet many business owners do not have an emergency plan in place. In the Bay Area, earthquakes are a constant threat with no advanced warning, and the “new normal” of California fire season reminds us how devastating nature can be. [Read More]

Talking to your parents about aging and their estate plan

By |2022-04-08T13:14:37-07:00July 30th, 2019|Financial planning tips and perspectives, General thoughts|

The time to discuss issues related to your parents' aging is before you need to. Some senior care professionals promote the idea of the “40-70 rule”, advising that you begin conversations with your parents about their plans and desires once you reach age 40 or they are age 70. While this may seem early [Read More]

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