Client Experiences

Vibrance Wealth Management clients feel liberated because we have helped them understand their deep feelings surrounding the purpose of their wealth. They feel empowered because we have educated them to control what they can and let go of what they cannot. Therefore, they are in control of their financial lives and feel liberated.

Clients feel heard, known, and understood. We at Vibrance Wealth Management are generous about the time we spend with them and we understand what matters to them financially and help them prioritize their goals. Based on the deep understanding about our clients, we are able to provide personalized Silicon Valley wealth management services and a customized investment portfolio to fit each client’s needs.

Our clients at Vibrance Wealth Management trust our abilities, experiences, expertise, and resources to help customize the best financial and investment plans for them. Knowing that our full attention is on their financial picture, our clients feel special and taken care of.

At Vibrance Wealth Management, we derive a lot of satisfaction from helping our clients achieve financial freedom with confidence.

One client of ours was a mid-50’s senior executive at a hi-tech firm in the Silicon Valley. He was offered a voluntary retirement package after working at the company for about 30 years. Deciding between what the package offered and getting another position at the company, my client told me he was longing to launch his own start-up. He was quite confident about his business ideas and wanted to invest part of his savings into the business. He knew this might be his last chance because of his age.

However, the client was afraid of it all not working out since he is the breadwinner of a family of four. His mind was filled with “what-if” scenarios, such as “what if I lose my savings, how long would I need to keep working,” “what if I cannot get another high-paying job,” and “how would this affect my sons’ education funding and my lifestyle at retirement.”

I then suggested that my client engaged in a financial planning process with us so that we could run through these different “what-if” scenarios to help him make his decision.After analyzing all of his financial information and going through different possible outcomes, I was able to show my client his retirement plan and that even if he lost part of his savings, he would still be able to send his two sons to colleges and maintain his current lifestyle at retirement. Once the client saw the projections in his retirement plan, it liberated him from his fears. He then started the business with his partner. Now their start-up is taking off.

Financial freedom lets you have the lifestyle you want and allows you to pursue your dreams without depending on a paycheck to keep you afloat. At Vibrance Wealth Management, we will help you use the wealth that you built strategically and protect you from different uncertainties. Therefore, you can feel free to make your dreams come true.

Managing companies’ 401K plans is not often a priority for business owners. Because of lack of attention, most 401K plans are overpaid and underserved. However, due to the growing emphasis on fiduciary responsibilities of the trustees, it is important to review and overhaul retirement plans periodically and place participants’ best interests first.

The owner of a semiconductor company set up a 401K plan 10 years ago as a recruitment tool when his company had just started. A financial advisor set up the plan at an insurance company. Since then, no one had reviewed the plan.

We offered the owner a complimentary wellness review of the plan. We found out that the plan was underperforming compared to the industry’s benchmark, including lower than average participation and contribution rates, higher fees, and lower investment returns, and it lacked a fidelity bond. Both the owner and the company’s HR manager did not know about the plan’s lack of fitness and they were unaware of the unreasonable hidden fees in the plan.

We explained to them that there were indirect and hidden fees in the plan, including an asset-based fee, which was embedded in the fund expenses. When the plan was small at the beginning, the fee was not significant, but as the assets grew, the fee became substantial. Every participant was paying about 1% of the plan assets for nothing.

Most importantly, we explained to the owner about the fiduciary responsibilities of being the trustee of the plan. This includes regularly comparing their plan against the benchmark, making the fees transparent and reasonable, and helping participants make informed investment decisions.

The owner planned to hire more employees and wanted more employees to participate in the plan as the majority of them are in their 50’s. We suggested using a flat fee plan in order to cut down the plan expenses. The more participants there are in a flat fee plan, the average cost per participant becomes lower than with an asset-based fee plan.

Now, as the Investment Advisor of the plan, Vibrance Wealth Management is part of the Investment Committee to help the owner prepare the Investment Policy Statement, select and review the investment lineup, and provide participant education. We have cut down the number of investment choices from over 100 to 25. We meet with all participants individually every year to review their investments and coach them about retirement planning. As such, participants feel more confident about making investment choices and their retirement planning.

After a year, the participation rate for the plan increased from 55% to 70%. The average participant’s balance also increased, as did their investment returns. Most importantly, employees became proactive about planning for their retirement and productivity at work improved.

We believe happy employees attract happy customers, while generating better revenue and profits for a company. We create a win-win situation for everyone.