ABOUT AREAS OF EXPERTISE TESTIMONIALS TEAM COMMUNITY TELL A FRIEND
“Our relationship with money is intertwined with our life goals. My mission is to partner with my clients and empower them with knowledge to make educated financial and life decisions with confidence.”
Maili Bergman
Financial Life Advisor | RFC®
CA Insurance License #4154185
(310)-643-7472 maili@cradvisors.com
Have you ever felt like this?
Are you a successful executive managing teams, working hard to save, yet feeling unsure if you're making the right financial decisions? Do you find yourself wondering why you’re invested the way you are, but hesitate to ask for help out of fear of being talked down to or not understood?
Have you built a thriving business, poured your time and resources into your family and work, but neglected your own financial planning? Does the idea of seeking help feel daunting, even though you know it’s time to take control?
Are you juggling stock options, accounts in multiple places, and bits of savings here and there, but feel overwhelmed without a cohesive plan? Do you wish for advice tailored to your unique life, rather than generic suggestions?
What I do
I know these feelings firsthand. After 25 years climbing the corporate ladder, I realized how many opportunities women unknowingly leave behind. I transitioned to financial planning to empower professional women to take charge of their finances and build lives filled with confidence, purpose, and financial independence.
At California Retirement Advisors (CRA), I offer more than traditional financial advice. My approach focuses on Financial Life Design, a holistic method that starts with understanding your life goals, values, and attitudes toward money. Together, we build a customized plan that integrates your finances with your dreams, creating clarity, direction, and freedom.How I work with clients
I specialize in helping professional women navigate major life transitions like marriage, divorce, career changes, or retirement. These moments often come with complex financial decisions that can feel overwhelming.
What to Expect
A roadmap to your best future. My holistic approach analyzes your unique needs, creating customized strategies to align your finances with your life. Plans are designed to grow and adapt as your priorities shift, giving you clarity and confidence every step of the way.
A vision of your goals and priorities. Your definition of wealth is personal and ever-evolving. I help you stay aligned with what matters most by reviewing and refining your plan regularly, ensuring it reflects your current life stage and future aspirations.
Comprehensive guidance, built for life. From cash flow, investments, and tax strategy to retirement and estate planning, I provide expert advice tailored to your unique situation. Beyond traditional planning, I empower you to build financial knowledge for a lifetime of informed decisions.
Support for life’s transitions. Life is unpredictable, but your plan doesn’t have to be. Together, we’ll navigate career changes, family milestones, and unexpected challenges, ensuring you remain on track to achieve your goals.
Partnering with me means having a trusted advisor who will help you create a secure, fulfilling future while giving you the tools to confidently face whatever comes next.
Why I care
Born and raised in Hawaii, with a career that spanned LA, San Francisco, and NYC, I’ve experienced both the boardroom hustle and life’s unpredictable challenges. I’m driven by a deep desire to help women achieve financial freedom and confidence.
Life is full of twists and turns, and I believe every woman deserves a trusted partner to navigate them. Whether you're redefining your career, planning for your family’s future, or simply seeking clarity in your finances, I’m here to help you create a roadmap to the life you’ve always envisioned.
If you’re ready to take control of your financial future and feel empowered in your decisions, let’s talk. Schedule a meeting with me today, and let’s design a plan that supports the life you’ve worked so hard to build.
Maili
Areas of Expertise
Financial Planning
The foundation to a confident and successful retirement begins with a customized financial plan-design based on your unique situation, values, wants, needs, dreams, and resources.
Investment Advice
Because your goals are unique, I believe your investment portfolio should be, too. You and I will engage in a collaborative process that takes the guesswork out of investing.
Tax Reduction
I proactively minimize taxable events before they occur and position your money to be as tax-advantaged as possible based on your unique situation. It’s not about what you make, it’s what you keep.
Retirement Guidance
Start preparing for the best years of your life. If you are too busy and don’t have the time, knowledge, or interest to confidently plan for your own retirement, I will help you do it.
IRA & 401(K) Rollovers
From early, required, in-service and charitable distribution planning, to Roth conversions and legacy planning, to avoid complicated tax traps for your heirs, I will help navigate this complex and constantly evolving landscape with care and precision.
Insurance Management
From long-term care, to annuities, life insurance and more, I can help you understand, plan for and implement appropriate insurance strategies.
Income Distribution & Planning
How you take your money out matters! I will help you design an income plan that mitigates tax risks, provides flexibility, and maximizes your net income.
Inheritance & Estate Planning
From maintaining current designated beneficiary forms and titling on your accounts, to organizing essential financial and legal documents, to working with estate planning attorneys to implement legal work to ensure your wishes are seamlessly carried out—I aim to address all these considerations as part of a comprehensive approach.
Testimonials
Clients providing testimonials or endorsement on this webpage are neither remunerated in cash nor compensated with non-cash benefits for their testimonial or endorsements.
It is so refreshing to work with a financial adviser who is truly interested in our needs, circumstances and preferences. Particularly reassuring is our feeling of certainty in the absolute integrity of your dealings with us. I gladly recommend her services.
- Judith Binder
Maili Bergman came into my life at a time when everything was in chaos. Her no-nonsense, fact based approach to finances, combined with heart, was exactly what I needed. A smart saver, I knew that there was more to know about finances and her guidance, follow through, empathy and support has been an immense help for me, during one of the biggest life transitions I have ever experienced. I am grateful to have Maili's knowledge, spirit and energy on my side and I know that I will come out of this time with my finances intact, for the future of myself and my young daughter.
- Jenny Callaghan
My Team
L to R - Michelle Gosner, Nguyen Le, Sherri Delaine, Ricky Ackerman Noah Fratello, Chris Cordoba, Anthony Fratello, Arcadia Berjonneau & Maili Bergman
C O M M U N I T Y
Maili is proud to volunteer
Vistas for Children
Next Steps
Once we agree to meet, here is what is next on the journey.
We'll create your asset map from a discovery questionnaire
This will allow us to have a productive conversation and you'll receive a visual summary we can build on together.
Meet With Me
Share your story and your financial goals. I will ask and answer questions to learn how I can best help you achieve your goals.
Are We a Good Fit?
This is a no-pressure relationship! We each consider if I am a good fit to realistically help you meet your financial goals. If so, we can discus how to begin working together.
Review Service Offerings
You'll learn our planning philosophy, process, service options and costs.
Engage on Your Terms
You'll receive our financial planning agreement based upon the service you select to begin.