Kb financial advisors - logo
Book a Call
Bars staggered

About KB Financial Advisors

KB Financial Advisors is a fee-only financial planning and wealth management firm in San Francisco. Jackie Kleinman founded it in 2002. We work with one group of people: tech founders and employees whose pay runs through equity, usually somewhere between a first meaningful vest and a liquidity event. Financial planning, investment management and tax work happen under one roof, so your RSU decision and your tax return aren’t being handled by two firms who never speak. Fee-only means our clients pay us and nobody else does.

Schedule Your Call

Our story

Why Jackie started KB Financial Advisors

Jackie’s first career was in dentistry. She was a hygienist, and the way she tells it, the job never once asked her to count past 32.

She moved into financial planning in 1996, at an insurance and brokerage firm. The client conversations were the part she loved. The part she couldn’t live with was the conflict sitting underneath commission planning, where the product that pays you shapes the advice you give.

In 2002 she opened KB Financial Advisors fee-only so that wouldn’t be a factor. Our clients are the only people who pay us. No commissions, no product revenue, nothing standing behind the advice except the advice.

The firm she wanted to build was one for people in a growth stage. Not people who’ve already arrived and want their money watched, but people who are still building and have a clear picture of the life they’re building toward. That’s who we work with now, and it’s how we hire too.

Jackie Kleinman

What we believe

Five things that shape every plan we build

01

Your plan should fit your life, not the other way around.

There’s no standard plan we drop people into. We start from how you actually want to live and build the financial structure around that. A plan that needs you to become a different person isn’t a plan.

02

We don't believe in deprivation.

A lot of financial advice is really just instructions to go without. Save more, spend less, wait. That’s not how we work. If the money supports the life you want, that’s the entire point of the money.

03

Most people are doing better than they think.

Clients come in worried they’re spending too much. They look hard at what’s going out and discount everything they’re already getting right: the saving, the investing, the vesting, the decisions. Part of our job is to lay it all out and tell them these are the things you’re doing, and it’s enough. You can do more if you want to. You don’t have to.

04

Everything on your list is one thing.

People arrive with equity in one column, taxes in another, the house in a third, retirement somewhere near the bottom, and no thread connecting any of it. Equity comp is where this shows up hardest, because there are so many pieces and they all interact. Finding the connections is the most interesting part of this work for us, and it’s the whole difference between a stack of separate decisions and a plan.

05

You should always know who pays us.

We’re fee-only. Our clients pay us directly and nobody else does. No commissions, no product revenue.

Meet the leadership team at
KB Financial Advisors

Jackie Kleinman

Jackie Kleinman

CFP
Jackie Kleinman, CFP™, is the principal of KB Financial Advisors.
Read Bio

Jackie Kleinman, CFP™, is the principal of KB Financial Advisors. Jackie started her career in financial planning in 1996 at an insurance and brokerage firm. She enjoyed the client interaction, but was bothered by the conflict of interest inherent in commission planning. In 2002, as an advocate of fee-only planning, she opened her doors to assist clients in growing their wealth and enhancing their lifestyles by combining investment advice, taxes and setting each individual’s priorities and goals.

Credentials

  • CFP® designation (Certified Financial Planner)
  • Founded KB Financial Advisors in 2002 as an advocate of fee-only planning
  • 28+ years in financial planning (career started 1996)
  • Co-author of “The AdviseHERy Board: Create Support, Solve Issues, Grow Business” (with Karen Colligan and Lynn Forbes)

Community & Board Service

Featured In

Landon Loveall

Landon Loveall

CFP
Landon has led the On Your Way to Wealth program since 2014 to help busy tech professionals.
Read Bio

Since passing the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam in November 2009, Landon has dedicated himself to the needs of busy young professionals. Before joining KB Financial Advisors in 2012, Landon founded Cumberland Wealth Planners in 2010 to serve clients in Nashville, TN. Landon took over the On Your Way to Wealth program in 2014 to help KB Financial Advisors further expand their work with young tech professionals in San Francisco who have stock options.

When he’s not on a plane to San Francisco, Landon lives in Nashville, TN with his wife Melissa and their three children.

Credentials

  • CFP® designation (Certified Financial Planner) since November 2009
  • Lead of On Your Way to Wealth program for tech founders, FAANG employees, and pre-liquidity startup employees
  • Founder of Cumberland Wealth Planners (2010, merged with KB in 2015)
  • Specializes in RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPPs, 83(b) elections, AMT planning, QSBS qualification, and pre-IPO preparation

Featured In

Chelsea Rustek

Tax Manager
Chelsea is an Enrolled Agent, working in the taxation field since 2014, with a concentrated focus on individual and small business tax preparation.
Read Bio

Chelsea is an Enrolled Agent (EA), working in the taxation field since 2014. Chelsea is also an Equity Compensation Associate (ECA) through Santa Clara University, she brings advanced tax knowledge in equity compensation to our team. Chelsea’s expertise encompasses various stock option compensations, IPOs, and tax planning, allowing her to work closely with financial advisors to mitigate tax risks and burdens for our clients.

Credentials

  • Enrolled Agent (EA) with the IRS
  • Equity Compensation Associate (ECA) via Santa Clara University
  • In tax practice since 2014
  • Specializes in RSU, ISO, NSO, ESPP, and QSBS tax reporting, plus AMT planning for early-stage option exercises

Featured In

Kayla Benjamin

Kayla Benjamin

CFP
Kayla Benjamin, CFP® is an Associate Advisor at KB Financial Advisors.
Read Bio

Kayla Benjamin, CFP® is an Associate Advisor at KB Financial Advisors. She works closely with clients throughout their financial journey, from onboarding to long-term strategic planning, ensuring they feel supported and confident every step of the way.

Known for her ability to make complex financial scenarios easy to understand, Kayla helps clients connect the numbers to their bigger goals so they can see how today’s decisions shape their future. Her favorite part of the job is building long-term partnerships and celebrating milestones alongside the clients she serves.

Based in Denver, she enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, and hiking. Her favorite pastime is fly fishing on Colorado’s rivers and high alpine lakes.

Credentials

  • CFP® designation (Certified Financial Planner)
  • Associate Advisor at KB Financial Advisors
Personalized Service
Personalized Service

Your goals, your life, your plan. We take the time to understand what matters most to you and tailor our approach to fit your needs—no generic advice, just strategies designed specifically for you.

Proactive Advice
Proactive Advice

You don’t have to come to us—we come to you. We stay ahead of the curve and reach out whenever we spot changes that could impact your financial situation.

Complete Life Planning
Complete Life Planning

As your life and career evolve, so do your financial needs. Whether you’re navigating rising stock options, switching careers, or starting a family, we’re here to help you stay ahead of the game.

The KB Advisors Difference

We've specialized in tech financial advising for more than 30 years

Common frustrations:

  • “I don’t have time to research investments”
  • “My salary is taking off"
  • “What do I do with my stock options?”
  • “I want to invest in property”
  • “I don’t want to miss out on millions”
  • “I’ve been hit with a big tax bill”

Working with KB Advisors:

  • Personalized investment management
  • Paycheck allocation: cash, emergencies, investments
  • Equity compensation planning
  • Goal-based financial planning
  • Diversified long-term wealth strategies
  • Year-round tax projections

Who we work with

Our best client relationships tend to start around 35.

That isn’t a rule, it’s a pattern we’ve watched for two decades. The 30s and 40s are when everything lands at once. Comp gets complicated, a company gets acquired or files, kids show up, a house enters the conversation, parents start needing help. It’s the stretch where having someone in the financial seat next to you actually changes where you end up.

In tech, equity is what makes that stretch complicated. RSUs vest on a schedule you don’t control. ISOs come with an AMT bill nobody warned you about. QSBS runs a five-year clock from a date most people can’t find. A tender offer turns up with two weeks’ notice.

We're a good fit if:

You’re a tech professional with equity vesting and no plan for what happens to it

You’re a founder heading toward a liquidity event, or already through one

You’re a couple or a family running two careers and one financial picture

FAQ

Common questions about KB Financial Advisors

Is KB Financial Advisors a fiduciary?

Yes. We’re a fee-only registered investment advisor, so we have a fiduciary duty to our clients and our clients are the only people who pay us.

What does fee-only actually mean?

We’re paid directly by our clients. We don’t earn commissions and we aren’t paid by anyone whose products we might recommend. It removes the reason most advisors have to steer you anywhere.

Where is KB Financial Advisors located, and do you work with clients outside San Francisco?

Our office is at 595 Market Street, 10th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. We work with clients across the country and meet remotely.

Do you handle taxes as well as financial planning?

Yes. Chelsea Rustek is an Enrolled Agent and an Equity Compensation Associate, so the tax work and the equity work happen in the same room rather than at two firms.

When did KB Financial Advisors start?

Jackie Kleinman founded the firm in 2002. Landon Loveall joined in 2012 and has led the On Your Way to Wealth program since 2014.

What kind of equity compensation do you work with?

RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPPs, 83(b) elections, AMT planning, QSBS qualification, 10b5-1 plans, tender offers and pre-IPO planning.

Imagine life in 3 years with a better financial advisor behind you

Picture yourself three years from now—still stuck in financial paralysis or confidently enjoying your future? Let’s work together to get you to the second one. Book an introductory call to see how we can help.