Erin Niehaus

location sign

San Francisco, CA

Quotation marks

“My superpower lies in simplifying financial discussions, making planning and investing both manageable and solution-oriented, and effectively communicating these concepts to all stakeholders.”

Philosophy

Erin focuses on supporting her clients with tax-optimized and cost-efficient investment strategies, emphasizing long-term financial planning for liquidity, lifestyle, and legacy goals. Erin helps clients navigate life's unexpected turns with empathy and perspective gained from her personal journey. 

Expertise

Erin simplifies financial discussions and specializes in investment research, portfolio management, and comprehensive financial planning. She handles equity compensation strategies, complex situations like death and divorce, and excels in succession planning and optimizing business operations for entrepreneurs.

Client Range

Erin works with diverse clientele, including executives, business owners, women, and families. 

How did you become a financial advisor?

I've witnessed too many friends and family members making financial decisions that not only affected their own accounts, but also strained family dynamics. I moved from institutional money management to helping individuals after discovering that a close family friend's trusted accountant had been embezzling small amounts over many years while the friend battled cancer. No one should endure such betrayal. Another friend faced a divorce, only to find out that her ex-husband had been manipulating his spending with a future divorce in mind, leaving her with far less than she anticipated.

What areas of expertise do you have?

My superpower lies in simplifying financial discussions, making planning and investing both manageable and solution-oriented, and effectively communicating these concepts to all stakeholders. I specialize in investment research and portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, equity compensation strategies, and navigating complex situations such as death and divorce. Additionally, I excel in succession planning and optimizing business operations for entrepreneurs.

What types of clients do you work with?

I work with a diverse set of clientele which includes executives, business owners, women, and families.

What types of strategies do you usually help clients with?

I enhance the execution of investment strategies and bolster asset protection through adept trust and estate planning, which includes appropriate asset titling and tax strategies, ILITs, and both revocable and irrevocable trusts. I seek cost efficiency through tax-conscious investment management and promote intra-family discussions. Additionally, I assist with education planning using 529 plans and guide philanthropic efforts employing DAFs, CRTs, and CLTs.

Is there a unique approach that sets you apart? 

Life often takes unexpected turns, and I assist my clients in navigating these diverse events. My personal journey—being married, raising four children, losing parents, and enduring numerous market cycles—has endowed me with valuable perspective and empathy. These qualities enhance every conversation I have and allow me to connect with my clients on a more meaningful level. 

At a strategic level, I emphasize tax-optimized and cost-efficient investment implementation. This involves detailed long-term financial planning, with designated allocations for liquidity, lifestyle, and legacy goals. I am also a Certified Exit Planner, which means I optimize business valuations and plans for private business transitions. 

What is your favorite part about working with clients? 

Creating structures that simplify and clarify how clients can see their assets and understand how to identify and then achieve their priorities. I also love getting to know their stories, their histories, their families and their interests. 

Working with Savvy

We live in a digital world, and Savvy allows me to interact with my clients in simpler, more transparent ways. The visibility of the platform allows for richer and more productive client conversations, and gives clients more comfort with what is going on with their money. Clients also like to see all their finances in one place, and Savvy has the platform that supports it.

Savvy does not provide compensation for advisor endorsements; however, endorsements represent a conflict of interest as advisors may indirectly benefit from the endorsement they have provided.

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Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.