~ Introduction ~ I have been a practicing CPA since 1976 and started my career as an auditor for Coopers & Lybrand (now Pricewater-
houseCoopers) in San Francisco. After ten years of working for Coopers, I left and cofounded my first firm, Burr Pilger & Mayer (BPM), which we started with a small group of five people. By the time I left, 25 years later, BPM had
grown into a large regional firm with over 400 people and multiple offices around the globe. In early 2013, I started a new firm, SD Mayer & Associates, focused not just on accounting, but on an individual’s complete financial se-
curity. Within five years, SD Mayer had grown from a core group of seven people to nearly 40 individuals focused on providing accounting, business advisory, outsourcing, wealth management and retirement plans services.
I have always considered myself to be more than just a CPA. It was extremely important to me, as a professional,
to become a “trusted advisor” for my clients. I pushed myself to be more than an auditor, and over the years I added tax, consulting, technology, wealth management, bankruptcy and turnaround work, along with mergers and acqui-
sitions, to my skill set. This experience gave me many of the tools needed to best serve clients, but I’ve always felt that something was missing.
As I watched my clients grow older, I noticed that they were more and more focused on their financial security and often wondered if they had enough money to retire and enjoy life. They were also confused about where to start, the right type of insurance to purchase, how to invest their money wisely, how to create the right estate plan, as
well as other related issues. If they were wealthy, and had substantial liquid assets, they often had many professionals available to help them manage their money and handle their financial needs. However, for those without a lot of wealth, they often struggled to assemble the right team of experts to help them figure out their financial future and plan for their retirement.
Five Buckets, Four Shovels, a Beach and a Map | 1
