Kevin Cheeks
CFP®
ImpactFI
Founder
Kevin Cheeks
CFP®
ImpactFI
Founder
As a fee-only financial planner, my focus is to offer unbiased financial advice to help you achieve your life goals. - Kevin Cheeks, CFP®
Independent, fee-only financial planner and CFP® professional specializing in equity compensation, tax-efficient financial planning, direct indexing and socially conscious investing. Located in San Francisco, CA, serving clients locally and across the country.
Kevin Cheeks is a San Francisco, CA fee-only financial planner. ImpactFI provides comprehensive and objective financial planning to help clients who receive equity compensation organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s transitions. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Kevin Cheeks is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
Kevin Cheeks is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional specializing in equity compensation, tax-efficient financial planning, direct indexing and socially conscious investing. With close to two decades of experience in wealth management, Kevin has worked at several of the largest financial services firms such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Charles Schwab. While at Schwab, Kevin was responsible for advising stock plan participants at some of the largest tech companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, such as Apple, Facebook (Meta), Google (Alphabet), Twitter, Uber, and many others. In 2020 Kevin joined forces with several colleagues to help launch ECHO45, a boutique Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), where he served as the firm’s Chief Compliance Officer and Director of Planning Services, in addition to continuing to serve as a Financial Advisor to his own book of clients.
2020 proved to be not only an interesting time to launch a new firm, but also a historically important period in our country and around the world. After 2 years of helping to build and grow ECHO45, Kevin felt a calling to be doing something more. Having been brought up in a home with parents who served in the Peace Core, participated in the civil rights demonstrations in the 1960’s and were active in grassroots political campaigns, Kevin felt it was time to align his work with his ethos. “ImpactFI was born from the idea of creating a platform where investors can make a difference in the world around them while simultaneously accomplishing their own financial goals. Making money and making an impact don’t have to be mutually exclusive.” In April of 2022, ImpactFI opened its virtual doors for business.
When he’s not helping clients accomplish their financial and altruistic goals, Kevin and his partner, Sejal, enjoy taking advantage of life in the Bay Area with their dog, Nullah. An avid traveler and board sport enthusiast, from snowboarding in Canada to surfing in Sri Lanka, Kevin has visited 24 countries so far and looks forward to growing that list even longer. He’s also a self-proclaimed points and miles nerd. In 2019, he had the great fortune of being able to go on a surf and yoga themed sabbatical, during which he flew around the world, visiting 7 countries along the way, flying entirely in business class and almost entirely on points and miles!
Kevin Cheeks is a Member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors - highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
NAPFA members live by three important values:
- To be the beacon for independent, objective financial advice for individuals and families.
- To be the champion of financial services delivered in the public interest.
- To be the standard bearer for the emerging profession of financial planning.
ImpactFI is an independent, black-owned Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) specializing in supporting clients who receive equity compensation and who are interested in leveraging their good fortune as a force for good. We believe that making money and making an impact don’t have to be mutually exclusive. At ImpactFI we utilize the latest technology to deliver a high touch experience, customized strategies, tax efficiency, and accessibility.
Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) are required by law to be a fiduciary. This means we are not compensated based on the products and services we recommend, which is not the case across the financial services industry. A fee-only model mitigates much of the conflict of interests that exist in financial services, as an RIA’s only source of compensation comes from that fee that the client pays us directly, and not from any commissions or revenue sharing from selling certain financial products.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word Impact as “a powerful effect that something, especially something new, has on a situation or person.” FI is often used as an abbreviation for Finance or Financial. The multi-colored arrow represents diversity and working together to raise up with one commonality, represented in green. The color green also represents wealth and health.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Equity Compensation Planning
- Tax Planning
- Comprehensive Financial Planning
- Investment Management
- Direct Indexing
- ESG/SRI/Sustainable Investing
- FIRE Planning
Ideal Clients
- Tech Employees
- Executives
- High Income Earners
- Sudden Money Situations
- Progressive Values
Working Together
- Virtual Meetings
- In-Office Meetings by Appointment
- Clearly Defined Fees
- No Product Sales
- Complimentary Initial Consultation
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Kevin Cheeks is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for VerificationCFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation.
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Kevin Cheeks is a NAPFA-Registered Financial AdvisorThe National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors—highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
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Kevin Cheeks is a Member of The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®)FPA® is the largest membership organization for CFP® professionals in the U.S. and supports high standards of professional competence, ethical conduct, and clear, complete disclosure when serving clients.
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Kevin Cheeks is a Member of the XY Planning NetworkThe XY Planning Network is the leading organization of fee-only financial advisors who are focused on working with Generation X and Generation Y clients. Our mission is to connect consumers with best-in-class financial advisors who specialize in working with clients just like you.
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Kevin Cheeks is a CHIP Professional
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Kevin Cheeks is Quoted on NerdWallet.com: "Rising Inflation, Volatile Market: What Would Buffett Do?"
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Kevin Cheeks is Quoted in MarketWatch: "I’m paying my adviser 1%, but ‘the only communications I get are invoices.’ So I want to regain sole control of my accounts — without having to talk to him about it. Is this possible?"
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Kevin Cheeks is Featured on WealthManagement.com: "Breakaway Merrill Lynch Advisor Starts New California RIA"
Contact Kevin Cheeks
Office Locations:
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By Virtual Appointment
San Francisco, CA 94103
