Ballast Point Financial Planning

What Ballast Point Financial Planning does

Tessara Wealth (formerly Ballast Point Financial Planning) is a Burlingame, California-based, privately-held financial advisory practice founded in 2016 and led by CFP-certified principal advisor Shawn Tydlaska. The firm delivers a tightly bundled offering — investment management, in-house tax preparation by an on-staff CPA, integrated tax planning, career-compensation advisory, and broader life planning — sold under a transparent flat-fee, recurring subscription pricing model with annual billing. There is no proprietary technology platform; the product is human advisory time augmented by structured planning processes (a three-step engagement: See If We're a Fit, Simplify Your Finances, Breathe Easy) and standard wealth-management tooling implied but not disclosed.

Its go-to-market is sales-led: prospective clients schedule complimentary introductory phone calls via Calendly, followed by a firm quote prior to engagement. The firm targets a deliberately narrow persona — high-achieving women working at major technology employers (Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, etc.) and their families — and uses content marketing (blog, email newsletter), Yelp presence, and client referrals as the principal demand-generation channels. Geographic reach centers on the Bay Area with national extension through remote advisory, evidenced by client testimonials from California, North Carolina, and New York. The firm employs between one and ten people, is founder-owned with no institutional or PE backing, and operates fee-only with a recent rebrand from Ballast Point Financial Planning to Tessara Wealth.

Name

Ballast Point Financial Planning

Legal name

Tessara Wealth

Website

https://ballastpointfp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tessara Wealth (formerly Ballast Point Financial Planning) is a Burlingame, CA-based, CFP-led flat-fee financial advisory firm bundling investment management, in-house tax preparation, and career-compensation planning for high-achieving women in tech and their families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Financial Planning

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

Keywords

• Financial planning services
• Investment management advisory
• Tax preparation services
• Wealth management advisory
• Personal financial planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlingame

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Financial Planning Services: Flat-fee financial planning services that grow with clients. Transparent pricing with a firm quote provided before engagement begins. Revenue is recurring as clients maintain ongoing relationships.
2. Tax Preparation: In-house tax preparation services with forward-looking tax advice included. Provided as part of the integrated financial planning offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ballast Point Financial Planning delivers flat-fee, subscription-based financial planning services that combine investment management, in-house tax preparation by a CPA with forward-looking tax advice, career strategy advisory, and ongoing life planning. The firm specializes in serving high-achieving women in technology and their families, guiding them through complex financial situations involving stock compensation, career transitions, and wealth building.

Product overview

Tessara Wealth (formerly Ballast Point Financial Planning) operates as a unified financial advisory firm offering an integrated suite of services combining investment management, tax planning, and life planning. The core offering is comprehensive financial planning with in-house tax preparation through a CPA. Services are delivered through a structured three-step process: See If We're a Fit (introductory consultation), Simplify Your Finances (plan creation), and Breathe Easy (ongoing support). The firm specializes in serving high-achieving women in tech and their families, with a flat-fee pricing model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Services Comprehensive, flat-fee, subscription-based financial planning engagement that combines investment management, tax planning, career strategy, and life planning for high-achieving women in technology and their families. Delivered through a structured three-step process: introductory consultation (See If We're a Fit), plan creation (Simplify Your Finances), and ongoing advisory support (Breathe Easy). Revenue is recurring through ongoing annual client relationships.
• Tax Preparation

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients report time savings through simplified financial management and reduced stress about finances
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ellevest: Digital investing and financial planning platform built specifically for women. Most direct competitor in target persona, though operating at far larger scale and with proprietary tech.
• Modern Wealth Management: Independent RIA focused on younger professionals and women building wealth. Similar persona and integrated planning orientation as Tessara.
• Harness Wealth: Financial planning platform focused on tech employees and equity-compensation planning. Directly competes for the same high-achieving-tech cohort with a digital-first model.
• Facet Wealth: Fee-only, flat-fee financial planning firm using a remote advisor model. Closest structural match to Tessara's flat-fee subscription approach at significantly greater scale.
• Zoe Financial: Advisor-matching platform connecting clients with vetted fee-only financial planners. Competes for the same affluent, planning-oriented clients Tessara serves.

Broad incumbents

• Carson Wealth: Large, multi-office RIA and advisor network providing holistic planning and tax-adjacent services. A scaled incumbent with overlapping capabilities rather than shared niche.
• XY Planning Network: National network of fee-only, flat-fee financial planners serving a younger, often Gen X/Millennial clientele; provides the operating ecosystem many independent flat-fee firms use.
• Personal Capital (now Empower Personal Dashboard): Hybrid digital/human advisor platform with explicit tech-employee positioning tools. Operates at scale with proprietary tech; a meaningful broad incumbent competitor for affluent tech-employed clients.

Emerging players

• Savvy Ladies: Financial education nonprofit serving women; useful comparator for understanding the market's trust-and-education dynamics, though not a paying-services competitor.
• Wealthramp: Matchmaking service for consumers seeking vetted fiduciary advisors. An indirect but adjacent channel competitor for Tessara's target demographic.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ballast-point-financial-planning-llc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ballast Point Financial Planning