Business & Professional
Friday, August 15, 2008 | byAccountant
When j. readers need their budgets balanced or their taxes done, they know who to call — these winning local accountants from all around the Bay.
After spending many years studying at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, Sandy Stadtler decided to become an accountant — another occupation in which he’d be in a position to help people. Between working with performers, musicians and people with “severe conflicts and problems,” Stadtler has done taxes, consulting and litigation work.
“My wife describes me as a financial therapist,” says Jerome Spector of Palo Alto. “The end product is the tax preparation, but the thing in between that’s most important is ... overall financial planning.” Aside from helping people see the big picture, Spector stresses the importance of charitable contributions: “Giving is an important part of life,” he says.
Marlee Taxy in Oakland also won first place in the East Bay.
In second place were Michael Miller in San Francisco and Samuel Gluck in San Bruno.
1st Place
San Francisco
Sandy Stadtler
Rothstein Kass
(415) 788-6666
http://www.rkco.com
East Bay
Marlee Taxy
PropertyBridge
Oakland
(510) 550-7211
http://www.propertybridge.com
South Bay/Peninsula
Jerome Spector
Spector & Associates
Palo Alto
(650) 329-0450
http://www.spectorandassociates.com
2nd Place
San Francisco
Michael Miller
Michael D. Miller Accountancy
(415) 495-5533
South Bay/Peninsula
Samuel Gluck
San Bruno
(650) 837-9800
Financial services
At age 60, David Gould of Piedmont decided to get licensed as an investment adviser — after too many people started coming to him for advice to call it a hobby any longer. Now 76 years old, he’s still working part time to allocate clients’ savings. Gould’s motto: “Your needs aren’t financial. Your needs are other things that money helps you do.”
Partner and co-founder of Litman/Gregory Asset Management, Craig Litman’s clients include private school endowments and self-made entrepreneurs. As a money manager and investment adviser in Mill Valley, he likes “the challenges ... the variety of different clients we get to interact with.” And since moving here from Minneapolis in 1974, he’s more than earned the status of honorary Bay Area native.
“Overall well-being” is the phrase Lorne Abramson keeps in the back of his mind when he starts his day at work in Burlingame. “Having a positive impact on people’s lives” is what he likes best about being an independent investment adviser, he says. This goes hand-in-hand with his emphasis on the “human element” of his work with primarily high-net individuals.
Keith Goodman, senior vice president of wealth management at Smith Barney in San Mateo, also won first place in San Francisco.
Taking second were Tammy Plotkin-Oren in Oakland and Jordan Hymowitz in San Francisco.
1st Place
San Francisco
Keith Goodman
Senior VP of Wealth Management
at Smith Barney
San Mateo
(650) 358-1823
http://www.smithbarney.com
East Bay
David Gould
Gould Financial Resources
Piedmont
(510) 547-4692
South Bay/Peninsula
Lorne Abramson
ELM
Burlingame
(650) 697-3013
http://www.elmadvisors.com
North Bay
Craig Litman
Litman/Gregory Asset Management
Mill Valley
(415) 461-8999
2nd Place
San Francisco
Jordan Hymowitz
Philadelphia Financial
(415) 352-4499
East Bay
Tammy Plotkin-Oren
New York Life
Oakland
(510) 601-3362
Insurance agent
With flooding, earthquakes and fires to contend with, a good insurance agent isn’t a luxury in the Golden State — it’s a necessity!
The proof of Oakland agent Jamie W. Zimmerman’s popularity may lie in the fact the he has customers calling him for advice on types of insurance he doesn’t even sell. “I’m not a traditional salesman,” he says, but more of a consultant who helps clients make informed decisions. Selling insurance floats his boat “because you get to work with people ... you become a trusted adviser.”
It was over 75 years ago that Adam Jaffe’s grandfather helped start Jaffe-Schlossberg in San Francisco. Representing the third generation of his family in the biz, Jaffe says the company helps people “work upon their old problems and fix them.” Additionally, they are a Jewish-based insurance agency, and “not many agencies can say that,” he points out.
Jeri Fink of State Farm in Palo Alto specializes in covering everything, from your car to your life, and has been working tirelessly in the business for 27 years. But she doesn’t take all the credit: “Without my great clients, I would never have achieved the longevity and success of my agency,” she says.
David Shaffer in Walnut Creek came in second.
1st Place
San Francisco
Jaffe-Schlossberg
(415) 221-5340
http://www.jaffe-schlossberg.com
East Bay
Jamie W. Zimmerman
Jamie W. Zimmerman & Associates
Oakland
(510) 893-7512
South Bay/Peninsula
Jeri Fink
State Farm
Palo Alto
(650) 812-2700
2nd Place
East Bay
David Shaffer
Walnut Creek
(925) 944-7100
http://www.davidshaffer.com
Lawyer
These lawyers may intimidate in the court room, but all they’re really all heart — and j. readers know it, giving the thumbs-up to these dedicated legal eagles.
Craig Judson snuck up from second place last year, and thinks his recent election as president of his synagogue may have something to do with the votes. At the Walnut Creek firm, he says he practices “on a very personal, humanitarian level” — which once meant making a house call in exchange for a deli sandwich!
Neil Taxy “migrated up north as an undergraduate” at U.C. Berkeley, and has worked at the same San Francisco law firm since graduating with his J.D. from Cal. He represents a broad client base in intellectual property protection, among other things. Law “is a very exciting and satisfying way to assist people,” he says.
In second place were Wayne A. Lampert in Oakland and Barbara Moser in San Francisco.
1st Place
San Francisco
Neil Taxy
Leland, Parachini, Steinberg, Matzger & Melnick, LLP
(415) 957-1800
http://www.lpslaw.com/part-taxy.htm
East Bay
Craig Judson
Bold, Polisner, Maddow, Nelson & Judson
Walnut Creek
(925) 933-7777
2nd Place
San Francisco
Barbara Moser
Kaye Moser Hierbaum LLP
(415) 296-8868
http://www.kayemoser.com
East Bay
Wayne A. Lampert
Oakland
(510) 834-0500
Mortgage broker
In these pinched economic times, having a mortgage broker is more important than ever — especially with the sky-high prices in the Bay Area. These brokers are on your side, ready to help you get the best deal they can.
“Mortgage broker to the stars” Bob Routt works mainly with clients in the Bay Area from his Danville office, but does business across California, too. He sees each transaction as a puzzle: “I like the problem-solving aspect,” Routt says. “Part of that is a teaching process, too ... you’re almost without exception bringing new knowledge to what [clients] are trying to accomplish.”
In San Rafael, Sara Zander has been working in real estate and as a mortgage broker for 31 years now. “I take my legal relationships and my ethical responsibility to my clients very seriously,” she says. Zander has refused mortgages to clients out of concern that it wasn’t the right one for them — but, she adds, they always come back!
Rachel Bernstein was lauded by her San Francisco and South Bay/Peninsula fans. “I work with first time home buyers as well as very seasoned investment buyers,” says San Ramon-based Bernstein. Dealing in both financial and residential real estate, she aims for the perfect mortgage with each client.
In second place were Sue Thomas in Oakland, Jessica Lanning in San Francisco and Joel Spolin in Palo Alto.
1st Place
San Francisco and South Bay/Peninsula
Rachel Bernstein
CMG Mortgage
San Ramon
(415) 298-1089
http://www.bakerloan.com
East Bay
Bob Routt
Union Trust Mortgage Service
Danville
(925) 820-5676
http://www.utms.com
North Bay
Sara Zander
San Rafael
(415) 448-6350
http://www.sarazanderloans.com
2nd Place
San Francisco
Jessica Lanning
Lanning Financial
(415) 354-5699
http://www.jessicalanning.com
East Bay
Sue Thomas
LaSalle Financial
Oakland
(510) 339-4300 ext.105
http://www.lasallefinance.com
South Bay/Peninsula
Joel Spolin
Absolute Mortgage
Palo Alto
(650) 493-3600
http://www.absolutemortgage.com
Real estate agent
If you need to find an apartment, stat, for a certain freeloading college grad living in your basement, look no further than j. readers’ favorite real estate agents.
Nana Meyer’s father was a rabbi, and perhaps that’s why she brings her “spiritual values into the business world,” she says. Working for Pacific Union in San Francisco, Meyer helps her clients close the best possible deals. “Whether it’s finding a home that they love or selling a house,” her clients are in good hands.
Also working in San Francisco, diving aficionado Katy Dinner has garnered the city’s approval two times running. Because she has an “overall understanding of the entire San Francisco market,” she understands the nuances of the different levels of real estate. This translates into “helping people with pricing strategies from the selling and buying side,” Dinner says.
Shari Ornstein came to real estate with a desire to help people — which may stem from her past life as a social worker. Ornstein knows selling a home is sometimes painful, and aims “to be supportive for those people going through life changes.” Real estate helped her put three children through grad school, but she’s not planning on leaving the field any time soon. “It’s fun when you’re working with nice people and doing good,” she says.
About six years ago, things changed in Dana Cohen’s life: Her husband became the stay-at-home parent, giving her the chance to devote the 70-plus hours necessary to become a successful real estate agent. “Your reputation and your integrity and your honesty is what people remember ... and those are the things that are important to me,” Cohen says.
In second were David Gluck in the East Bay, Moe Rubinstein in Mill Valley, Debbie Herzfeld in San Francisco and Susan Sims in Palo Alto.
1st Place
San Francisco
Katy Dinner
(415) 863-5289
http://www.katydinner.com
East Bay
Dana Cohen
The Grubb Company
Oakland
(510) 339-0400 ext.348
http://www.grubbco.com
South Bay/Peninsula
Shari Ornstein
Alain Pinel Realtors
Palo Alto
(650) 543-1077
http://www.shariornstein.com
North Bay
Nana Meyer
Pacific Union
San Francisco
(415) 929-7100
http://www.pacunion.com/nanameyer
2nd Place
San Francisco
Debbie Herzfeld
Barbagelata Company
(415) 338-0118
http://www.barbagelata.com
East Bay
David Gluck
Marcus Realty
(510) 839-6969
South Bay/Peninsula
Susan Sims
Alain Pinel Realtors
Palo Alto
(650) 209-1607
http://www.apr.com
North Bay
Moe Rubinstein
First Marin Realty
Mill Valley
http://www.firstmarin.com
Travel agent
Even if we do live in the beautiful Bay Area, we all need to get away once in awhile — hence the reason why these winning travel agents can pay the roaming charges on their cell phones.
Tamalpais Travel in Corte Madera has been “sending people to exotic destinations” since 1968, says President Cindy Prosterman. The travel agents all have a minimum of 10 years of experience, and know just what to book for anyone, from aspiring scuba divers to beachcombers. Specializing in travel to Israel, they also arrange Jewish heritage tours to Europe.
Vietnam, Antarctica, Africa, Alaska: Ladera Travel in Menlo Park does it all. Co-owner Nancy Burger says that the current craze is travel to places like South America and Asia, due to the soft dollar. “We like to exceed their expectations,” she says.
Before moving here in 1969, Ginette Attias worked for Air France in Casablanca, Morocco. Having traveled the globe and visited countries like Egypt, Israel and India, she understands when the travel bug hits. She enjoys her work at South Shore Travel in Alameda: “Basically you’re dealing with people that are happy,” Attias says. “It’s a pleasant environment.”
Casto Travel in San Francisco is the largest travel agency in the Bay Area, which may be due to the fact that it has been around for 34 years. Liz Spander has been in the travel business for 31 of those 34 years, using her travel expertise and global knowlege to make her clients happy. “Each trip I do for my client, I like to think it will be the best trip they’ll ever take,” Spander says.
Andrea De Graff of Travel Wizards in Burlingame and Terry Seligman of Sausalito’s Terry Tours Travel Insurance won second place.
1st Place
San Francisco
Liz Spander
Casto Travel
(800) 438-1777
http://www.casto.com/travel-agent/liz-spander.html
East Bay
Ginette Attias
South Shore Travel
Alameda
(510) 865-5555
http://www.southshoretravel.com
South Bay/Peninsula
Ladera Travel
Menlo Park
(650) 854-3222
http://www.laderatrav.com
North Bay
Tamalpais Travel
Corte Madera
(415) 924-5850
http://www.tamalpaistravel.com
2nd Place
South Bay/Peninsula
Andrea De Graff
Travel Wizards
Burlingame
(650) 696-6900
http://www.travelwizards.com
North Bay
Terry Seligman
Terry Tours Travel Insurance
Sausalito
(415) 388-8391
http://www.terrytours.com
Readers Choice Awards 2008