# Financial advisors for estate planning in Berkeley, California > For estate planning in Berkeley, talk to a fee-only planner who coordinates with your attorney. The planner works out what you want to happen and how accounts and beneficiaries line up with it, and the attorney drafts the documents. Records to start with include Shannon Lemon of Elmwood Wealth Management, Samuel Wood-Bednarz of North Berkeley Wealth Management and Jarrett Topel of Topel & DiStasi Wealth Management. Page: https://find.wellspent.co/specialties/estate-planning/california/berkeley/ 25 fee-only advisors listed; data last updated October 30, 2026. Fee-only means paid only by clients, never by commissions. ## Which financial advisor should I talk to about estate planning in Berkeley? For estate planning in Berkeley, talk to a fee-only planner who coordinates with your attorney. The planner works out what you want to happen and how accounts and beneficiaries line up with it, and the attorney drafts the documents. Records to start with include Shannon Lemon of Elmwood Wealth Management, Samuel Wood-Bednarz of North Berkeley Wealth Management and Jarrett Topel of Topel & DiStasi Wealth Management. - [Shannon Lemon](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/shannon-lemon/), Elmwood Wealth Management, Berkeley City. Holds the CFP. Fees on file: percentage of assets, hourly. - [Samuel Wood-Bednarz](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/samuel-wood-bednarz/), North Berkeley Wealth Management, Berkeley City. Holds the CFP. Fees on file: percentage of assets. - [Jarrett Topel](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/jarrett-topel/), Topel & DiStasi Wealth Management, Berkeley City. Holds the CFP. Fees on file: percentage of assets, flat fee or retainer. - [John Kenny](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/john-kenny/), Illumination Wealth Management, Berkeley City. Holds the CFP. Fees on file: flat fee or retainer, ongoing planning fee. - [Amy Thacher](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/amy-thacher/), Blume Capital Management, Berkeley City. Holds the CFP. Fees on file: percentage of assets, hourly. - [Yen Trac](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/yen-trac/), Northern California Fiduciary Advisors, Berkeley City. Fees on file: percentage of assets, hourly. ## How many fee-only financial advisors in Berkeley work on estate planning? The Wellspent public graph lists 25 fee-only advisors for estate planning in Berkeley, at 6 firms. We counted every advisor record that lists this work, as of October 2026. ## How do fee-only advisors for estate planning in Berkeley charge? The most common fee among fee-only advisors for estate planning in Berkeley is a percentage of assets, used by 96% of the 25 with fees on file. Many use more than one: 44% charge by the hour and 20% charge fixed fees. ## How much do fee-only financial advisors charge in California? Fee-only financial advisors in California charge a median of $6,000 a year for ongoing planning. We found this across the published prices of 112 California firms. ## How much does a one-time financial plan cost in California? A one-time financial plan from a fee-only firm in California has a median price of $2,500. We found this across the published prices of 111 California firms. ## What credentials should a financial advisor for estate planning have? For estate planning, look for the CFP. In Berkeley, 44% of the 25 advisors listed hold the CFP. - CFP (44% of advisors listed): The CFP includes estate planning and keeps it tied to the whole plan. ## How do Berkeley advisors for estate planning compare with the rest of the US? 20% of fee-only advisors for estate planning in Berkeley charge fixed fees, compared with 54% of the 6,172 listed across the US. That's the largest difference in the Wellspent public graph between the two groups. ## Does California have an estate or inheritance tax? No. California has no state estate or inheritance tax, so the federal rules are the main ones to plan around. ## Is California a community property state? Yes. California is a community property state, which shapes how married couples title assets and what happens to cost basis at death. ## What should I ask a financial advisor about estate planning in Berkeley? - Do you review my beneficiary designations and account titling? - Which estate attorneys do you work with, and how do you split the work? - How would you plan around the state rules that apply to me? - How often will we revisit the plan? - If I own property in another state, could its estate tax apply? - How would community property rules change how we title our assets? ## How current is this list of fee-only advisors for estate planning in Berkeley? Wellspent last checked these records against SEC records in October 2026 and firm websites in October 2026. Each advisor's page shows the date for that record. ## Advisors | Advisor | Firm | Location | Credentials | Fees | |---|---|---|---|---| | [Jarrett Topel](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/jarrett-topel.md) | Topel & DiStasi Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer, Hourly | | [John Kenny](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/john-kenny.md) | Illumination Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee | | [Amy Thacher](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/amy-thacher.md) | Blume Capital Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly, Fixed fees | | [Ariana Alisjahbana](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/ariana-alisjahbana.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets | | [Brian Kozel](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/brian-kozel.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets | | [Jennifer Regan](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/jennifer-regan.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets | | [Juliana Moravy](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/juliana-moravy.md) | Elmwood Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly | | [Katherine King](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/katherine-king.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets | | [Matthew Gatt](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/matthew-gatt.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets | | [Samuel Wood-Bednarz](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/samuel-wood-bednarz.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets | | [Shannon Lemon](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/shannon-lemon.md) | Elmwood Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly | | [Gavin Distasi](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/gavin-distasi.md) | Topel & DiStasi Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer, Hourly | | [Maria Quintana-Pilling](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/maria-quintana-pilling.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFA | Percentage of assets | | [Robert Gillooly](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/robert-gillooly.md) | Elmwood Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly | | [Benjamin Cohen](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/benjamin-cohen.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets | | [Cagatay Koc](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/cagatay-koc.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets | | [Daniel Nakahara](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/daniel-nakahara.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets | | [Debra Ellisen](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/debra-ellisen.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets | | [Jeffrey St. Claire](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/jeffrey-st-claire.md) | Blume Capital Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets, Hourly, Fixed fees | | [Kim Berger](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/kim-berger.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets | | [Marc Roth](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/marc-roth.md) | Elmwood Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets, Hourly | | [Peter Reidenbach](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/peter-reidenbach.md) | Blume Capital Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets, Hourly, Fixed fees | | [Samaya Patel](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/samaya-patel.md) | Blume Capital Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets, Hourly, Fixed fees | | [Stephanie Nehmens](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/stephanie-nehmens.md) | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets | | [Yen Trac](https://find.wellspent.co/advisors/yen-trac.md) | Northern California Fiduciary Advisors | Berkeley, California | | Percentage of assets, Hourly, Fixed fees | ## About this data Sources and verification: https://find.wellspent.co/methodology/ Query the directory programmatically: https://api.wellspent.co/mcp (MCP, read-only, no auth).