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Accountant

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

www.rkco.com

East Bay

Marlee Taxy

PropertyBridge

Oakland

(510) 550-7211

www.propertybridge.com

South Bay/Peninsula

Jerome Spector

Spector & Associates

Palo Alto

(650) 329-0450

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

www.smithbarney.com

East Bay

David Gould

Gould Financial Resources

Piedmont

(510) 547-4692

South Bay/Peninsula

Lorne Abramson

ELM

Burlingame

(650) 697-3013

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

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

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

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

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

www.bakerloan.com

East Bay

Bob Routt

Union Trust Mortgage Service

Danville

(925) 820-5676

www.utms.com

North Bay

Sara Zander

San Rafael

(415) 448-6350

www.sarazanderloans.com

2nd Place

San Francisco

Jessica Lanning

Lanning Financial

(415) 354-5699

www.jessicalanning.com

East Bay

Sue Thomas

LaSalle Financial

Oakland

(510) 339-4300 ext.105

www.lasallefinance.com

South Bay/Peninsula

Joel Spolin

Absolute Mortgage

Palo Alto

(650) 493-3600

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

www.katydinner.com

East Bay

Dana Cohen

The Grubb Company

Oakland

(510) 339-0400 ext.348

www.grubbco.com

South Bay/Peninsula

Shari Ornstein

Alain Pinel Realtors

Palo Alto

(650) 543-1077

www.shariornstein.com

North Bay

Nana Meyer

Pacific Union

San Francisco

(415) 929-7100

www.pacunion.com/nanameyer

2nd Place

San Francisco

Debbie Herzfeld

Barbagelata Company

(415) 338-0118

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

www.apr.com

North Bay

Moe Rubinstein

First Marin Realty

Mill Valley

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

www.casto.com/travel-agent/liz-spander.html

East Bay

Ginette Attias

South Shore Travel

Alameda

(510) 865-5555

www.southshoretravel.com

South Bay/Peninsula

Ladera Travel

Menlo Park

(650) 854-3222

www.laderatrav.com

North Bay

Tamalpais Travel

Corte Madera

(415) 924-5850

www.tamalpaistravel.com

2nd Place

South Bay/Peninsula

Andrea De Graff

Travel Wizards

Burlingame

(650) 696-6900

www.travelwizards.com

North Bay

Terry Seligman

Terry Tours Travel Insurance

Sausalito

(415) 388-8391

www.terrytours.com

Readers Choice Awards 2008