Stephanie Bucko, CFA®, CPA
Design the life you want, no matter where you are in your journey | Fee-only
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Serving Clients Nationwide
Design the life you want, no matter where you are in your journey | Fee-only
Areas of Focus
- Cash Flow
- Employee Benefits
- Equity Compensation Options
- Estate Planning
- Financial Life Planning
- Giving
- Insurance
- Investment Management
- Money Psychology
- Retirement Planning
- Taxes
About Stephanie Bucko, CFA®, CPA
Hi, I'm Stephanie Bucko. I spearhead Mana’s portfolio management capabilities and serve as the lead strategist for stock compensation, investments, and tax. I am a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst®.I graduated from Bucknell University with a BSBA in Accounting. Following my undergraduate education, I audited hedge funds in New York City with PricewaterhouseCoopers during the 2008 financial crisis, and then joined Man Group, the world’s largest publicly traded hedge fund. At Man Group, I served as a risk manager for six years, handling $15 billion in hedge funds. After years of serving banks, pensions, and endowments, I became interested in bringing institutional quality services to a broader population.
In 2018, I launched Mana with Cristina out of the realization that investment management is only a small piece of the services that individuals truly need in a financial advisor. Since founding Mana, I have been recognized for my accomplishments within the industry by leading organizations such as Investopedia’s Top 100 Advisors of 2023. I am also a regular contributor to MyStockOptions.com, the financial advice industry’s premier site for equity compensation.
When I’m not educating myself on the markets or building complex spreadsheets, you can find me outside. My favorite days are spent on the ski slopes, riding horses, and bird watching.
Professional Designations
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ®
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Affiliations
- CFA Institute
- Financial Planning Association
- National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
- XY Planning Network
Primary Location
South Pasadena, CA, 91030
Meeting Options
- Video Conference
- In-Person
- Phone
Compensation Methods
- Fee Only
- Flat Fee
- Percentage of Assets Managed
What to expect in the first meeting
Click the 'Book Intro Call' button above and complete the brief form to schedule a free introductory conversation. We'll get to know each other and I'll listen to understand your unique circumstances so we can determine the best way to proceed. I look forward to speaking with you.Offers Investment Management
Yes
About Mana Financial Life Design
Our founders spent their early careers on Wall Street before realizing most financial advice was built to move product, not to serve a life. They left to build something different.Mana Financial Life Design is a fee-only financial life planning firm in Los Angeles. We work with founders and early employees, pre- and recent retirees, and multigenerational families, usually at the moments when the financial decisions and the life decisions arrive at the same time.
Getting this right takes two kinds of skill that rarely live under one roof. Ours do. On the technical side, our team carries the CFA, CPA, and CFP® credentials and builds tax-aware investment and planning strategy that most firms send elsewhere. On the human side, we hold Registered Life Planner® training, the discipline of helping you define what your wealth is actually for.
No two families come to us with the same question, so no two answers look alike. This could look like:
- Equity and tax strategy for a founder heading into a liquidity event.
- Confidence to spend for a couple on the edge of retirement.
- Estate planning for a family caring for kids and aging parents at once.
It's demanding, personal work, and we go further than most because every family deserves it. Our clients tend to refer us to their loved ones. We consider that the truest measure of what we do.
Education
Bucknell University BSBA, Accounting, German
Hobbies and Interests
- Bird Watching
- Family
- Horseback Riding
- Skiing
SEC Lookup
View DisclosureWho We Serve
- Baby Boomers
- Business Owners
- Caregivers
- Corporate Executives
- Dual Income Family
- Families
- Gen X
- Intergenerational Families
- Living in Retirement
- Women’s Finance
- Young Families
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