What cannot wait
Identify deadlines, tax choices, cash questions, paperwork, or family issues that need attention soon.
What to expect
Most people reach out when something has changed and the financial side of it suddenly feels complicated.
You don't need to have it figured out before you call. That's what the first conversation is for.
Step 1
The first meeting is free, direct, and low pressure.
This is a chance to get to know each other, hear the shape of the situation, and decide whether it makes sense to keep going. It can start by phone, email, or in person, with Pathfinder coming to you for in-person meetings. This is not a pitch. If Pathfinder isn't the right fit, we'll say so.
- Start in the format that feels easiest or most useful: phone, email, or in person.
- Get an honest sense of fit rather than a sales pitch.
- Leave knowing whether this is the right fit, and if it is, what the next step actually looks like.
Step 2
First, separate what is urgent from what is only loud.
Early work is usually about sorting the situation into what cannot wait, what can wait, and what the real question is. That makes the first next step easier to see.
What can wait
Set aside decisions that will be easier to make once the immediate pressure is lower.
What the real question is
Look beneath the first concern so the advice addresses the decision that actually matters.
Step 3
Move through Discover / Decide / Do at the pace that fits.
Some situations need fast sorting and slower planning after that. Others can move steadily from the start. The process should fit the facts and your comfort, not a canned schedule.
Discover
Understand your goals, constraints, timing, family needs, tax facts, investments, and what would make a bad outcome hard to recover from.
Decide
Compare realistic choices, look at the pros and cons, and choose the path that best fits your values and priorities.
Do
Turn the plan into action, and stay on top of what changes after. Decisions rarely happen once. Tax situations shift, markets move, family circumstances evolve. We stay involved so the plan stays current.
How it should feel
The relationship should make things clearer, not noisier.
Good advice should help you slow things down, understand what is really being decided, and know what happens next.
You talk to the people doing the work
You work directly with David and Katherine, the people doing the planning and investment thinking.
Follow-through
A plan that doesn't get implemented is just a document. The part between deciding and done is where things fall apart without follow-through: paperwork, account changes, calls that need to be made. We stay on it.
No sales script
The conversation is about the situation in front of you, not about steering you toward a product shelf.
No jargon
If something does not make sense, it is on us to explain it more clearly. You should not have to pretend to understand the advice.
Clear next steps
You should know what happens next and why, instead of leaving with vague impressions.
How investing fits
Investments should support the plan, not take over the conversation.
We treat investing as one part of a bigger financial life. Portfolio decisions should follow from your goals, cash needs, taxes, risk, and the decisions you are trying not to get wrong.
- The investment plan starts with what the money needs to do.
- Risk is judged by what a bad outcome would mean for your actual life, not by a generic score.
- Market conditions matter, but the advice is not built around predictions or product stories.
Supporting page
Read the investment strategy
See the principles behind Pathfinder's investment decisions.
Open pageWho you'll work with
The people you meet here are the people you work with.
Pathfinder is a small practice by design. David and Katherine Jacobs lead the work directly, so clients are not handed off from a sales conversation to a service team.
Financial Planner
David Jacobs, Ph.D., CFP®
David founded Pathfinder after a research career in AI and security. He approaches financial planning the way he approached research: by asking what's actually true, not what's easy to say. He particularly enjoys the complexity of equity, taxes, and decisions with a lot of moving parts.
Read bio
Financial Planner
Katherine Jacobs, CFP®
Katherine focuses on making sure clients actually understand their plan, not just that one exists. She's known for clear communication and staying on top of the details between meetings.
Read bioHow trust is built
The firm should be set up in a way that is easy to understand.
Trust should come from more than a good conversation. It should show up in how the firm is paid, what duty it owes, how private information is handled, and what is disclosed.
Fee-only
Paid by clients, not commissions
Pathfinder is paid directly by clients, not by commissions or product sales.
Fiduciary
Your interest comes first
Pathfinder is legally required to put the client's interests first.
Privacy
Care with sensitive information
Handling private client information is part of the firm's operating discipline, not an afterthought.
Disclosure
Form ADV and related policies
You can review the firm's regulatory filings and policy documents directly.
Pricing
Transparent pricing, no surprises.
Most financial advisors don't publish their fees. We do. The quarterly retainer is cancelable at any time, and there's no long-term contract.
$1,500 per quarter
$6,000 per year base retainer
| Net worth | Quarterly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| First $10,000,000 | $250 per $250,000 | $1,000 per $250,000 |
| Over $10,000,000 | $250 per $500,000 | $1,000 per $500,000 |
Net worth includes investment assets over which you have control, such as investment accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, vested stock options, and similar holdings. Additional fees may be charged for business or real estate analysis. The quarterly retainer is cancelable at any time without restriction. Fees are payable in arrears on a quarterly basis, prorated when service covers less than a full quarter, and may be deducted from supervised accounts or paid within twenty-one days of invoice receipt. Hawaii's 4.712% general excise tax is added to all fees, and fees are negotiable.
If the fee structure raises questions, bring them to the first conversation. We'd rather talk through it than have it sit unanswered.
Next step
Reach out to start with a free conversation.
Tell us what's on your mind. We'll listen, ask practical questions, and give you an honest sense of whether this is the right fit, before anything else.