Mandy Pham, CFP®, CFA

Q & A

• What does “living your best Bay Area Life” mean to you?

  Work hard, play hard, exercise even harder. I am very grateful to be surrounded by driven people who inspire me to be my best self, both intellectually and physically. When my husband and I first moved here, we used hiking as a reason to explore different surrounding areas. Nowadays we can be found hiking in the wood most weekends. Nature gives me the physical and mental relief to be 100% ready for each new week.

• Discuss a solution you provided for a client that you’re extremely proud of.

  I helped a client create a plan to fund a multi-million dollar Donor Advised Fund with highly-appreciated stocks. The fund is intended to benefit mostly her Alma Mater, a small college that does not have much of an endowment fund. Money is a means to an end. In my client's situation, going through the financial planning process and knowing she would be financially secure gave her the confidence to make a bold move to create a lasting legacy. The fact that the donation will provide opportunities for hundreds, if not thousands of students, meant so much to my client. The other fascinating part of the plan is that with the charitable deduction and the capital gain tax avoidance, the IRS and the state of California effectively subsidized over 70% of her gift!

• If you volunteer for a charity, which one(s) and why?

  I am currently a board member of the Texas Tech Personal Financial Planning Alumni Advisory board. While it is not a charity, being on the board provide me a venue to give back to the school and the profession that mean so much to me. As a board member, I mentor financial planning students, share industry feedback to professors so that they can improve the class experience and coordinate fundraising efforts, all to excel the next generation of financial planners!