Asti Financial Management

Julie is amazing – really smart, professional, pleasant. I received huge peace of mind after talking with her for just 1.5 hours. I’d recommend her without hesitation to anyone and everyone looking for sound financial advice.

I was extremely pleased with the service that Julie Asti provided — I described the type of information and guidance I was looking for specifically, and she delivered exactly that. I feel that her feedback helped me a lot, and I found her to be a good communicator, organized, and easy to work with. I like the fact that she provides the option of a «bill by the hour» model, rather than a percentage commission. This ensures that the client gets exactly what they are looking for in a timely and effective fashion. Her demeanor is very direct and straightforward, which I liked. I definitely plan to continue working with her in the future. Highly recommended!

I wanted to thank Julie for her time and effort. I have been reluctant to work with an advisor as the finance world can be intimidating. I contacted her based on her Unilocal reviews and she was extremely flexible in scheduling a time that worked for me since I was coming for nearly an hour away. Her demeanor made me very comfortable. Julie’s professional attitude and her wealth of knowledge validated that I had made the right decision to contact her. I will continue to use her services in the future and would highly recommend her.

My previous review was removed by Unilocal!so I am reposting it. I have been working with Julie for 5 years. Here were my previous comments, which definitely still apply:
Julie has literally changed my life. As a physician, you’d think that I would be «financially stable». The truth is, three years ago my finances were a mess. I wasn’t budgeting properly for my income and was clueless with regard to managing my investments and planning for the future. I was living in a one bedroom apartment barely making my rent and had a car that needed CPR. I dreamed about buying a new car, having my own home, and saving towards retirement.
For those who like objective evidence, Julie has managed to keep my investments growing even in the face of a recession. I now have a reliable car, a new home and I am able to budget properly in order to save for retirement. What’s more, I am proud to say that I now have a credit score in the 790’s (big improvement over my past…). Lastly, she has been a great resources for referrals; I found my mortgage broker, tax preparer and insurance agents through Julie.
On a subjective note, Julie is incredibly patient, kind, detail oriented and trust worthy. She never judges me for naïveté around money issues; instead she breaks down the issues into language I can understand. She seems to enjoy seeing her clients learn and become more independent over time. I truly believe that she loves her job because she likes seeing people achieve their personal goals.
It’s my honor to write this recommendation on behalf of Julie’s tremendous work.

I used Unilocal to choose this person and now I’m posting my feedback on Unilocal.
I was excited to start working with Julie, but she cancelled/​rescheduled our appointments several times which I found extremely annoying and disrespectful of my time. She didn’t make any concessions for inconveniencing me either by offering a discount for her services or freeing up a Saturday to make amends.
Ultimately, I wasted too much time, energy, and money waiting around for her to become more organized.

Using Asti Financial has been one of the smartest moves I’ve made in my business and home finances. To be able to get an outside perspective and expert guidance in financial matters has been FANTASTIC. Julie made me feel at ease opening up my books and allowing her to see the big picture. She is extremely professional and non-​judgmental and always sees a solution. I’m not sure why I didn’t do this sooner…

My husband and I met with Julie Asti to discuss some new financial changes on the horizon. I was very impressed with the introductory consultation we just had with her. She spent several hours evaluating our current situation and really getting to know us. All this was complimentary and her proposal was comprehensive and reasonable. I love the idea of working with an independent financial advisor, who is NOT pushing particular investments because of any back-​room obligations.

I highly recommend Julie. I found her on Berkeley Parents Network and am so grateful for the service and Unilocal to help me find good people. Julie has helped me both personally and with my small business. I love that she charges a project fee and does not «sell» you anything. Julie worked on a budget for me for the next 5 years. Helped me choose a 529 plan, disability insurance, 401K as well as a plan to pay off my equity line of credit. She also helped me re-​distribute my funds in my Vanguard account. She is fast, helpful, and positive. It has been a great experience.

The thing is, it is not that easy to find an unbiased opinion as to what is and what really isn’t so in the financial world. Sure, there is always Wikipedia, but a lot of the questions that come up are more complicated than what Google Investments can come up with.
This is why I am so glad that I found Julie. She has no axe to grind, no commission to make, no sales goals to achieve. I write her a check, and she cuts through the BS and tells me how it is. No spin, no angle, just reality. I can totallly read a sales piece from mutual fund de-​jour on Mad Money, but Julie tells me what it REALLY means to me.
Julie, you rock.

Julie is extremely knowledgeable and very easy to work with. She’s paid by the hour or by the project, not on commission, so she can help you figure out what’s best for your situation, independent of her bottom line. I needed help running income and expense projections, and I could not imagine someone being more supportive –sympathetic and clearheaded — and efficient at the same time. To the five stars, let me add an enthusiastic «two thumbs up!»

We were faced with a very difficult financial decision (long story, but new job in San Diego, own a house here that we bought at the peak of the market, and lots of potential tax consequences). We saw rave reviews about Asti Financial at (of all places) the Berkeley Parent’s Network, and we knew that we wanted someone who did hourly consultations (so no commissions etc).
Julie was fantastic — she quickly walked us through several potential scenarios, thinking of things we would never have even known to consider, and helped us come to a decision about what we should do. She even answered several questions unrelated otto e house, and did it all in well under the time she had estimated, saving us money!
We were not thrilled with the ultimate answer to our problem (we will lose a good bit of money due to the move), but we WERE thrilled with Asti Financial Management.