Meet Your Sherpa Your Dedicated Guide
Henry Chau, CPWA®, CEPA®
My story begins with a debt of gratitude I can never truly repay. My parents arrived in America as refugees after the Vietnam War, carrying nothing but a fierce hope for a better future. Growing up, I watched them work grueling, endless hours just to keep the lights on and food on our table. Because they were fighting simply to survive in a new world, there was no roadmap or blueprint for me. From a very young age, I had to navigate life entirely on my own.
Without a guide, my early path was defined by trial, error, and heavy mistakes. I took wrong turns and learned lessons the hard way. But everything fundamentally shifted when I survived a near-death experience. Coming face-to-face with the fragility of life gave me a profound second chance. It stripped away the noise and left me with a fierce sense of grit, a refusal to waste a single day, and an immense gratitude for the breath in my lungs. Above all, it made me appreciate my parents' greatest gift to me: my U.S. citizenship, and the boundless opportunity that came with it.
Determined to honor their sacrifice and maximize this second chance, I went back to school, graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Economics and an emphasis in Accounting. I didn't wait for luck; I actively sought out the absolute best mentors in the industry, dedicating myself to honing my craft. That relentless pursuit led me to become Yale-trained in Wealth Management Theory and Practice, earning the prestigious credential as a Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA®) practitioner. Driven to continually increase my knowledge for the entrepreneurs I deeply respect, I went on to obtain the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) designation—specifically to help my business owner clients preserve, maintain a growth trajectory, and successfully transition their life's work.
Advanced Financial Planning
Complex wealth requires sophisticated navigation. Our Advanced Financial Planning looks far down the trail to model intricate financial scenarios and stress-test your wealth against market uncertainties. You receive an in-depth, customized wealth plan that addresses your multi-faceted goals, integrating nuanced strategies aiming to ensure you stay firmly on the path to your long-term objectives.
Tax Planning
True wealth management requires a proactive approach to taxes, not just looking in the rearview mirror. This solution integrates specialized tax professionals—including CPAs and tax attorneys—directly into our coordinated planning process. By evaluating your finances through a highly strategic lens, we help you adopt forward-looking tax strategies that are deeply integrated into your overall wealth and business goals, working to mitigate your tax liability today while preserving your wealth from future tax impacts.
Business Growth & Exit Planning
If you are a business owner preparing to scale, raise capital, or transition out of your company, you are facing the most critical ascent of your professional life. Our Business Growth & Exit Planning provides the specialized blueprint and team needed to help maximize the value of your life's work. Through strategic relationships with premier investment banks and corporate specialists, we deliver the comprehensive planning, valuation insights, and capital connections necessary to move your business to its next stage aiming to ensure a successful transition into your next chapter.
Estate & Philanthropic Planning
Preserving what you have built and ensuring your legacy is honored efficiently is a critical peak to conquer. This solution manages the delicate terrain of generational wealth transfer, providing a comprehensive review of your current estate structure. By implementing strategic tax-minimization transfers, structured gifting, and tailored charitable planning, we ensure your wishes are executed exactly as you intend without losing ground to administrative friction.
Structure & True Guidance
We cut through the complexity to build a proactive plan, aiming to ensure your personal wealth and business transitions are seamlessly preserved.
A Continuous Promise
We are fiercely committed to staying at the absolute cutting edge of tax-optimized and advanced wealth strategies. If there is a more confident way to position your assets, we will find it.
Family First
To us, wealth management isn’t a series of transactional corporate meetings. Our clients become friends, and our friends become family. We walk through life's milestones together, and we are here to stand by your side all the way through a long, meaningful retirement.