Level Up Financial Planning specializes in serving tech professionals. I undersand the importance of finding balance between having an awesome life today, but being confident and excited about your future possibilities.
To help you START quickly and Level Up to where you want to be faster, I offer multiple levels of service.
Your finances are not extremely complex and you just have a few questions you need answered at a high-level.
Best for: Early Career, Bootcamp Grad, or DIYers
You have complex finances and you do not have the time or desire to make sure you are not making a mistake. You also want to make sure you are on track with a real plan.
Best for: Techies who place a high-value on time & income of $100,000 or more.
You have begun building wealth, but are not totally sure how it works or how it translates to you reaching your goals.
Best for: Techies who want to make sure their investments match up with their financial plan.
Your teams’ wellness is an important part of your total compensation package. Studies have shown financial stress impacts employee productivity.
Best for: Employers who want to provide financial wellness at scale.
When it comes to your finances and more specifically your life, you deserve someone who will work along side you.
Trust is the cornerstone of any valuable relationship and the trust that my clients have in me is not taken lightly. It may start initially as a feeling, but throughout the Level Up process, it will be backed up as I work with you to ensure that you are not only on track but Leveling Up as a result of our partnership.
Transparency is a critical component of establishing a trusted relationship. As such, I am an open book and provide my pricing directly on my site so you can begin to identify the cost of investing in my services.
As a fee-only financial planner. I am never paid by an outside party to influence the service you receive. Also, not all financial advisors are financial planner. While financial advisors typically only work with your investments. Financial planners help you plan for your current reality and guides you on how to best achieve your goals.
A fiduciary standard is the highest level of care for clients. Being a fiduciary requires that your interest are always at the heart of every plan and recommendation.
The collaboration process is ongoing and is what breathes life into your financial strategy guide. Before I can help you optimize a plan that empowers you to live your best life and be excited about your future, we need dig into what really matters.
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ucas Casarez is a Certified Financial Planner™ and Founder of Level Up Financial Planning, Power Up Tax Planning Services, and the Techie Personal Finance Bootcamp Podcast.
Lucas’s biggest “why” is his family: his wife Brittany, his son Avery & daughters Emma & Eleanor.
It is because of his family, that he first started to realize that money is not the goal. Wealth is not the goal. Living an amazing life is the goal. This is reflected in the way Lucas approaches financial planning for his clients.
I share my personal story of quitting my job to start my business, Level Up Financial Planning. While working in a position many would consider a dream position, with a 6-month-old at home, I quit my job. It was the scariest decision I ever made. In addition to my story, I share a few of the financial steps I took before quitting and a couple of things I wish I had done differently. Job hunting
Leo Yockey is a Software Engineer, Writer, and Speaker from Los Angeles. He runs a digital agency called MangoBass Consulting and is an advocate for underrepresented people in the tech industry. Leo shares his unique story and perspective as a transgender black man in tech. Making a career change Self-taught and coding bootcamp resources Importance of a mentor Real-world example of systemic racism Creating multiple streams of income Monetizing your expertise Unlearning money myths Breaking
Show Transcript (Unedited) Should I Use College Savings 529 Plan? [00:00:00] Pay in full every single month. And don’t just stop there, make it automatic. So just go in, there’s gonna be a future where you set it up to pay in full every single month. And that’s what you want to do. [00:00:09] Welcome to techie personal finance bootcamp. I’m excited. I’m calling this episode. Credit cards are awesome and it’s because credit cards
Will Johnson is a self-taught developer who broke into tech using Twitter. As you can imagine, his path to break into tech wasn’t easy. He used a lot of different ways to learn and work towards his goals of becoming a developer so that he could create a comfortable life for his family. Here are the topics we cover in Will’s interview Will’s path as a self-taught developer Repeating courses to solidify knowledge The struggle
If college planning is important to you, then you want to listen to this episode to understand how a 529 plan may be a solution to help you maximize your college savings. 529 Tax benefits 529 Rules Impact on financial aid Alternative Savings Strategies What if my child doesn’t go to college? What if my child receives a full ride?
Valerie is the Executive Director at Tech By Choice and a Senior Software Engineer at Mastery Logistics. She holds a BS in Psychology & Art. Valerie is passionate about creating secure human-centered digital experiences. As a successful self-taught developer, Valerie started Tech By Choice to give back to the community that helped her succeed. Valerie shares her journey into tech from being a Psychology major to becoming a senior software engineer and the founder of