
Max Pashman, CFP®
Financial Planner
The Hour
- Ask a financial advisor anything about investing in one hour
- No commissions, products, or sales pitch
The Plan
- An 8 week program to achieve a strategic plan for your financial life
- Get an 8+ page financial plan
- $0 due now, pay after your 1st meeting
The Ongoing
- Ongoing support and accountability when you need it
- Quarterly video calls & unlimited emails
- Annual 2 page financial checkup
About Max
Bio
In my nearly 10-year career, I've learned almost every strategy in the book. And I believe this is true in personal finance: the best plans are always simple and engaging! I ensure each meeting is packed with education and direct action items so you can take action. If you're looking for someone who can give you a real answer and want to walk away feeling more aligned to your finances, then let's chat!
I Can Help You With
I Enjoy Working With
Personal Stuff
I'm a music lover and an outdoor fanatic. If you ever run into me, it's either at a concert or passing by me in a hike somewhere in LA. I also volunteer for financial literacy programs in my spare time, when I can, to help continue spreading the word. And if you have a dog, I will pet it.

Education & Designations
Experience
Reviews
Clients say
Reviewers mention
- Investment Planning
- Portfolio Diversification
- Retirement Planning
- Financial Independence
- Early Retirement
- Tax Planning
- Roth Conversions
- Capital Gains Planning
- Equity Compensation
- Restricted Stock Units
- Employee Stock Purchase Plans
- Insurance Planning
- Knowledgeable
- Thorough
- Practical
- Patient
- Friendly
- Personable
- Approachable
- Professional
- Prepared
- Clear
- Concise
- Attentive
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Max was incredibly helpful. He answered all of...
Max was incredibly helpful. He answered all of my questions and provided clarity on a real estate-related issue I was having difficulty analyzing on my own. He was very easy to talk to and provided fantastic insight and guidance. The follow-up summary that he sent covered everything we discussed and more. I will definitely be meeting with him again and feel like our time together was an hour well spent. I highly recommend his services. Thanks, Max, for being such a great resource.
Super Thorough and Incredibly Helpful!!!
I'm so glad I booked a meeting with Max! He came prepared to discuss my current financial situation as someone that is newly self-employed. I threw a lot of questions his way regarding current life and disability policies, 401k rollover, Roth conversions, and more. Max was incredibly thorough in his analysis and recommendations and covered all of my questions in detail. He also provided an extremely thorough recap email that covered everything we discussed, including future next steps to consider in the coming months/years. I look forward to booking with him again in the future!
Personalized Portfolio Review and Investment Plan
Max was great to work with. He took the time to understand my current financial situation, my priorities, and my long-term goals, then helped me turn that into a clear and practical investment plan. He reviewed my existing portfolio, identified ways to better diversify and simplify it, and explained his recommendations in a way that was easy to understand without being overwhelming. I left the meeting with a concrete plan for how to invest my money now, how to think about my different financial goals, and how my strategy can evolve over time. I really appreciated how personalized and actionable the guidance was.
Max offers practical and sustainable advice. I...
Max offers practical and sustainable advice. It is evident he is not selling anything and had the client’s best interest as the focal point.
Knowledgeable For My Niche Situation
Max was very knowledgeable about the specifics of my RSU packages and gave valuable advice concerning how I can both liquidate my assets for an upcoming unemployment period and maximize the tax benefits of my charitable giving.
Max is the man.
Max was absolutely worth the price. He identified a way to save money with my current investment strategy related to retirement accounts and limits. I highly recommend Max for his personable approach and easy to understand explanations.
Max was very helpful by allowing us to bounce i...
Max was very helpful by allowing us to bounce ideas off of him. He provided reassurance and a second set of eyes on our portfolio. Would recommend!
The Perfect Fiduciary for Analytical Investors
Max Pashman is an exceptional advisor. I sought him out because I wanted a strict fiduciary to provide objective advice, and he absolutely delivered. If you are a self-directed investor looking for a high-quality analytical sounding board rather than a high-pressure sales pitch, Max is exactly who you need. I came to Max with a complex, multi-year situation involving income stacking, RSUs, a significant single-stock concentration problem, capital gains planning, multiple 401(k) rollovers, and eventual Roth conversions. Mapping out a transition to early retirement with zero earned income left a thin margin for error on tax strategy. What completely sets Max apart is his ability to meet analytical clients at their level: * Validation of Advanced Modeling: I sent Max a detailed, self-built model tracking projected income, capital gains headroom, and tax exposure. Instead of over-simplifying it, he reviewed it carefully. He validated the strategy, corrected key nuances regarding RSU cost-basis adjustments and sale timing, and ensured I stayed optimized within the 15% LTCG bracket while accounting for NIIT thresholds. * Tactical Execution & Strategy: He helped me build a clear, actionable plan for portfolio construction, asset rebalancing, and precise execution timing. He ensured I understood both the immediate tactical steps and the long-term "why," even guiding me through the initial execution. * True Fiduciary Objectivity: Having been heavily solicited by large traditional firms pushing high-fee, AUM-based advisory services, Max was a breath of fresh air. He provided grounded, zero-pressure perspective focused strictly on my best interests, with no hidden agenda. By the end of our engagement, I achieved absolute clarity and confidence stepping into early retirement. Max balanced long-term planning with immediate decisions, leaving me fully equipped to manage this plan on my own. He is highly analytical, approachable, and an exceptional advisor.
Max was very knowledgeable and helpful…
Max was very knowledgeable in the specific areas that I was interested in WRT equity comp and tax planning. I’m looking forward to continuing my discussions with. He was very friendly and kept on track.
Great experience
I came into my conversation with Max feeling fairly well educated on what options were available to us in terms of financial decisions, but looking for someone with deeper knowledge and a bigger dataset to give us guidance in what options were likely to be a good fit for me. Max completely met my bar for that, getting a read on our preferences and temperament, giving us a framework and decision making process without actually making a decision for us, and also giving context as to different advice he might have given if our preferences has been different. I came away feeling like I had a set of next steps I could confidently execute and would definitely setup another call with Max in the future if I came to another financial crossroads.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Hour: You'll fill out a short intake form so we can learn about you and your goals for our meeting! In your Nectarine account, you can also enter your personal financial information (net worth and budget details) as well as upload files to your Secure File Vault. We also recommend that you have any necessary account login information ready.
The Plan and The Ongoing: You'll get access to a financial planning portal where you can share your numbers, link your accounts, and upload the requested documents (we'll share a list).
The Hour: Yes, you will receive an email summary with important takeaways and resources so you'll know what to do next.
The Plan: Yes, you will receive a 8+ page roadmap on your full financial picture with detailed information on the next steps. Your advisor will be available to help you implement any items.