Accountant

J. readers know whom to call when they need their taxes prepared or estates managed, and have come to count on these winning accountants.

Jerry Spector of Palo Alto is a certified public accountant and personal financial specialist who focuses on tax planning, estates and trusts. Spector loves his job and interacting with clients. “They key is in planning and follow-through,” he says, “making sure that plans have been accomplished and executed properly.”

Burlingame’s Steven De Graff has been a CPA since 1968. De Graff does tax planning and preparation, tax exam representation, accounting and auditing services, individual financial planning and real estate purchase and exchange.

 

Peninsula

Jerry B. Spector, CPA

Palo Alto

(866) 805-6312 • www.bpmcpa.com

Steven De Graff

Burlingame

(650) 697-6700 • www.sdgaco.com

Financial Services

San Francisco’s Ira Fateman is a certified financial planner and registered investment adviser. A partner in SAS Financial Advisors who also holds a master’s degree in counseling, Fateman works at “the intersection of psychology and money, looking at why people make bad decisions with money.” Fateman enjoys helping his clients increase their confidence in their financial futures.

Guy Ben Ari of Alameda is an accredited asset manager who has been with Edward Jones Investments for four years. “We believe it is important to invest our time in understanding what our clients need before we invest” their money, says Ben Ari.

Co-principals of Burlingame’s ELM Advisors Lorne Abramson and Elana Lieberman each have worked with large institutional investors, allowing them to bring high-caliber advice to individual clients. “Ultimately, we feel we are in a business of managing risk, so we focus on things we can control, such as minimizing cost and maximizing diversification and tax efficiency,” says Abramson.

 

San Francisco

Ira Fateman

San Francisco

(415) 277-5955 • www.sasadvisors.com

 

East Bay

Guy Ben Ari

Edward Jones Investment

Alameda

(510) 522-2009 • www.edwardjones.com

 

South Bay/Peninsula

ELM Advisors

Burlingame

(650) 697-3013

www.elmadvisors.com

 

Lawyer

Barbara Moser practices law in San Francisco, specializing in divorce, strategizing and counseling people. “I like that I can help people through one of the most difficult times in their lives, and do it in a way that involves the least litigation possible,” says Moser.

Neil Taxy, a Readers’ Choice favorite in San Francisco, says he works to make sure his clients are comfortable. “I combine my professional knowledge and skill with an eye toward practical solutions,” says Taxy, who also serves on a number of Jewish boards.

Wayne Lampert is a sole practitioner in Oakland. “Half of my practice is business transactional work, representing corporations, LLCs, partnerships and individuals for contractual and real estate matters,” says Lampert. “The other half is estate planning, along with probate and trust administration.”

Palo Alto’s Paul Roskoph started his own operation 14 years ago with his son Robert Roskoph. He works on tax and estate planning matters and does business succession planning. Roskoph established the planned giving program at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills and chaired the S.F.-based Jewish Community Endowment Fund’s subcommittee on taxation for 30 years.

 

San Francisco

Barbara W. Moser

(415) 296-8868

www.kayemoser.com

 

Neil Taxy

(415) 957-1800

www.lpslaw.com

East Bay

Wayne A. Lampert

Oakland

(510) 250-3524

www.lampertoffice.com

 

South Bay/Peninsula

Paul H. Roskoph

Palo Alto

(650) 470-5301

www.roskoph.com

 

Travel Agent

Readers who love to visit and explore new places rely on these winning travel agents to take care of their travel-related needs.

Kevin Saxe is vice president of business development at Carlisle Travel, his family’s business. Saxe, who works out of the Albany branch, tends to organize corporate and group travel, including an annual two-week trip for eighth-grade students from Tehiyah Day School in El Cerrito. “We are constantly sending people to Israel,” says Saxe.

Burlingame’s Andrea De Graff of Travel Wizards is a local favorite. For the last four years, she has organized adventurous travel trips for Jewish women over 50. De Graff says she works to find her clients whatever they need, and also can point them in the right direction if they are interested in visiting Jewish sites.

The agents at Ladera Travel in Menlo Park pride themselves on their extensive travel experience to a variety of destinations. They  “provide firsthand information and guidance to the trip planning process,” says president and co-owner Les Burger. “We develop long-term relationships.”

Larkspur’s Michal Reihanian of Tamalpais Travel is an Israeli native and an expert when it comes to exploring Israel and Mediterranean countries. Reihanian sees herself as a diplomat for the Jewish state and hopes she can help her clients “fall in love with Israel and see its beauty.”

 

East Bay

Kevin Saxe

Carlisle Travel

Albany

(510) 382-0898

www.carlisletravel.com

 

South Bay/Peninsula

Andrea De Graff

Travel Wizards

Burlingame

(650) 696-6900

www.travelwizards.com

 

Ladera Travel

Menlo Park

(650) 854-3222

www.ladera.travel

 

North Bay

Michal Reihanian

Tamalpais Travel

Larkspur

(415) 302-4031

www.tamalpaistravel.com