Broker Check
Who We Work With | Resilient Wealth Planning

Who We Work With

Built for Two Kinds of Complexity

Both profiles want the same thing — turning hard-won success into the freedom to choose how they spend their time.

01

The Profile

The High-Equity Tech Professional

“My company equity could buy me a work-optional lifestyle, but I’m terrified of making a single tax mistake that costs me six figures.”

Who

Late 30s–50s · Sr. mgmt, sales & marketing

Assets

$300k+ base · $2M–$10M potential

Catalyst

A vesting event, IPO, or big tax bill

Core tension

Concentration risk vs. selling too early

Mindset

  • Golden handcuffs. Successful but tethered by unvested equity they see as the vehicle for future freedom.
  • Analytical but overwhelmed. Fluent in data, but without the time to track every moving part of their comp.

Questions They’re Asking

  • When my RSUs vest, how much cash do I set aside so the IRS doesn’t blindside me?
  • How do I exercise options without triggering a massive AMT liability?
  • How do I max my mega-backdoor Roth 401(k) or ESPP without blowing my limits?

What They Need From Us

Data-driven diversification

A clear roadmap turning volatile company stock into a diversified portfolio — and a direct path to work-optional.

The in-house tax advantage

Equity comp is a tax problem at its core. Filing returns in-house removes the friction between an outside CPA and advisor.

02

The Profile

The Service-Based Business Owner

“I know how to run my business, but my personal wealth is completely exposed because I don’t have a corporate benefits package backing me up.”

Who

Age 40–65 · Owner, founder, or partner

Assets

$250k+ revenue · $2M–$10M potential

Catalyst

Ready to monetize & protect profits

Core tension

Business & home finances deeply intertwined

Mindset

  • The solitary builder. Excellent at their craft, but operating on a financial island with no one stress-testing the picture.
  • Outsourcing advocate. Their time is better spent driving revenue than decoding retirement structures.

Questions They’re Asking

  • How much can I safely pay myself while keeping the business well-capitalized?
  • Which plan — SEP IRA, Solo 401(k), or defined benefit — shields the most income?
  • What’s my exit strategy — a family legacy or a clean succession?

What They Need From Us

A “personal CFO” experience

Not just a portfolio manager — a partner to stress-test the entire business-to-household cash flow ecosystem.

Coordinated protections

Optimize business deductions, set up benefits to retain talent, and secure a personal retirement path at once.

What Bridges Both

Two Pillars, One Outcome

PILLAR ONEFiduciary planning, in-house tax filing

We’re 100% fiduciary planners who also file the returns — unified, transparent wealth management with no hand-offs.

PILLAR TWOThe “work-optional” finish line

Escaping golden handcuffs or planning an exit, both are buying the same outcome: the freedom to choose how they spend their time.

Why Successful Families Choose To Work With Us

Selecting an advisor is a decision about trust. Our value comes from experience, transparency, and a fiduciary standard that puts your interests first.

We combine the personal attention of a local firm with the resources of a national partner, so you get real relationships and institutional-grade support from either the Milwaukee or San Jose area office.

Verify our registration and background anytime on FINRA's BrokerCheck.

  • Fiduciary Standard Of Care

    Our advisory recommendations are made in your best interest, designed around your goals rather than product sales.

  • Planning And Taxes Under One Roof

    In-house tax preparation and planning means your investment and retirement decisions stay tax-aware year round.

  • Rooted In Wisconsin And California

    With offices in the Milwaukee and San Jose areas, we meet you in person on either coast or by video, whichever you prefer.

  • Backed By Cambridge Investment Research

    Securities and advisory services are offered through a national broker-dealer and Registered Investment Adviser, Member FINRA/SIPC.

Carolyn Rowland, CFP, EA

Carolyn Rowland, CFP®, EA

Partner | Financial Advisor

A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and IRS Enrolled Agent who has paired tax and financial planning since 2013 to sharpen strategies for clients.

Kim Gaxiola, CFP

Kim Gaxiola, CFP®

Partner | Financial Advisor

A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with more than 25 years in financial services, guiding tech professionals, business owners, and their families toward a work-optional path.

Victor Gaxiola

Victor Gaxiola

Partner | Financial Advisor | Insurance Agent

A wealth management leader and frequent industry speaker with more than 30 years of client-facing experience across finance, focused on educating and empowering clients.

Request A Conversation With A Fiduciary Advisor

If you want a clear, coordinated plan that brings your investments, retirement, and taxes together, we would welcome a conversation. Share a few details and we will reach out to schedule a time that works for you.

Prefer to talk now? Call 262-510-0337

Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Resilient Wealth Planning and Cambridge are not affiliated. Submitting this form does not create an advisory relationship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the questions tech professionals and business owners ask most before working with us.

Who do you typically work with?

We focus on two kinds of complexity. The first is high-equity tech professionals, often in senior management, sales, or marketing roles, navigating RSU vesting events, option exercises, IPOs, or large tax bills. The second is service-based business owners generating $250,000 or more in revenue who want help coordinating owner pay, business deductions, retirement plans, and an eventual exit. Both groups are pursuing the same outcome: a work-optional lifestyle.

I have significant company equity. How do you help me avoid a costly tax mistake?

Equity compensation is a tax problem at its core, so we prepare your tax returns in-house alongside your financial plan. We build a roadmap for turning concentrated company stock into a diversified portfolio, plan around RSU vesting and option exercises to manage IRS withholding and potential AMT exposure, and coordinate strategies such as ESPP participation and mega-backdoor Roth contributions where your plan allows them.

What makes you different from a typical financial advisor?

We offer in-house tax return preparation and ongoing tax planning exclusively to our clients, for both individuals and business owners. Keeping planning, investment management, and tax filing under one roof removes the friction of coordinating an outside CPA with a separate advisor and keeps every recommendation tax-aware year round.

Do I need to live near one of your offices to work with you?

No. We maintain offices in Brookfield, Wisconsin, in the Milwaukee area, and in Morgan Hill, California, near San Jose and Silicon Valley, and we are glad to meet in person at either location. We also partner with clients virtually via Zoom, which makes it easy to share documents, review your plan, and stay connected from anywhere we are licensed to serve.

How are your services priced?

Our pricing is stated upfront. Comprehensive financial planning begins with a Financial Planning Engagement starting at $4,750, which includes an onboarding fee and a monthly subscription. If we manage your investments, our asset-based advisory fees range from 0.75% to 1.50%, and we waive the monthly planning subscription. Tax return preparation starts at $405.

Do you have an asset minimum for new clients?

Our clients typically have $2 million to $10 million in investable assets, which allows us to deliver highly personalized service. We frequently make exceptions for high-earning professionals and entrepreneurs with strong growth potential, and for individuals referred by existing clients or trusted professional partners such as CPAs and attorneys.

Are you fiduciaries?

Yes. When providing advisory services, we are held to a fiduciary standard and are obligated to act in your best interest. Advisory services are offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser, and securities are offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. You can verify our background anytime on FINRA's BrokerCheck.