About Citrine Capital · San Francisco
Citrine Capital is a fee-only, fiduciary wealth management and tax preparation firm headquartered in San Francisco at 535 Mission Street, 14th Floor. Founded in 2014 by Ryan S. Cole, CFP®, and joined by co-founder Jirayr R. Kembikian, CFP® in 2016, the firm specializes in serving startup founders, entrepreneurs, and tech professionals — particularly those navigating equity compensation, liquidity events, and financial independence. SEC-registered as an investment adviser (CRD #171735), Citrine Capital reports $346 million in discretionary assets under management and serves over 115 client households.
Citrine Capital, LLC was formed in California in 2014 as a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor, transitioning from state to SEC registration in March 2021. Co-founders Ryan S. Cole and Jirayr R. Kembikian, both CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals, met in 2012 at a national broker-dealer where they grew disillusioned with the commission-based model, proprietary products, and hidden fees. They launched Citrine Capital to deliver conflict-free fiduciary advice, and over 98% of their original clients transitioned with them when they opened. The firm reports $346.0 million in discretionary AUM as of December 31, 2025, serving more than 115 client households — the majority business leaders, entrepreneurs, and venture-backed tech professionals. Citrine operates as a virtual firm using secure client portals and Zoom, with in-person meetings available at the Mission Street office. Their practice emphasizes equity compensation planning (including 10b5-1 trading plans and Qualified Small Business Stock), startup business planning, Bitcoin investment guidance, sustainable/ESG investing, financial independence (FIRE) planning, retirement planning, tax preparation, insurance analysis, and charitable giving strategies. The team includes managing partners Cole and Kembikian, founder/chairman role, and additional CFP® professionals including Kiersten Peshek. Citrine is a NAPFA-registered firm and is known for transparent, fixed-dollar annual fees generally ranging from $7,000 to $90,000 based on client net worth.
- In business
- Founded 2014 (over 10 years)
- Owner
- Ryan S. Cole, CFP® (Founder; Managing Partner); Jirayr R. Kembikian, CFP® (Co-Founder, Managing Partner, Chief Compliance Officer); Kiersten Peshek, CFP® (team member)
- Serves
- San Francisco Bay Area and clients across the U.S. and globally via virtual planning (Zoom and secure client portal); also operates additional offices beyond the San Francisco headquarters
- Rating
- 5.0 (25 reviews on Unilocal; 5.0 across 35 reviews on Yahoo Local)
About Citrine Capital
Citrine Capital is a fee-only wealth management and tax preparation firm committed to helping startup founders, entrepreneurs, and tech professionals conserve and create wealth. As a virtual financial advisor, the firm works with clients to organize their finances, manage investments, define and prioritize goals, plan for retirement and other major life events, reach financial independence, protect loved ones, and mitigate taxes. The team delivers thoughtful, personalized financial planning and works closely with clients to implement, monitor, review, and adapt their plans as their lives evolve. The firm prides itself on guaranteeing a response to client requests within 24 hours.
Founding Story
Ryan Cole and Jirayr Kembikian began working together at a national broker-dealer in 2012 and quickly recognized they could provide superior service and advice to clients as a team. Over two years of partnering, they grew increasingly frustrated with the broker-dealer model and shared a philosophy that commissioned sales, proprietary products, and hidden fees were unethical. That conviction led them to found Citrine Capital, a fee-only firm designed to remove conflicts of interest so advisors could make recommendations solely in the best interest of clients — with no proprietary products, no commissioned sales, and no hidden fees.
- Co-founders met at a national broker-dealer in 2012
- Ryan Cole founded predecessor firm Cole Wealth Advisors in 2014 after leaving Ameritas
- Jirayr Kembikian joined in 2016; the firm became Citrine Capital
- Over 98% of original clients transitioned to the new fee-only firm
- Firm has experienced rapid growth since 2014 while staying true to fiduciary principles
Wealth Management
Citrine's comprehensive wealth management approach focuses on four cornerstones essential to the creation and conservation of wealth: asset protection, cash flow optimization, asset growth, and tax mitigation. The firm uses Modern Portfolio Theory and blends fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, emphasizing diversified, tax-efficient, low-cost holdings with periodic rebalancing. Select situations use third-party sub-advisors such as Dimensional Fund Advisors, with Citrine retaining overall client oversight.
- Asset protection
- Cash flow optimization
- Asset growth / investment management
- Tax mitigation
- Modern Portfolio Theory-based diversified portfolios
- Sub-advisors include Dimensional Fund Advisors
Equity Compensation & Startup Planning
Citrine Capital has deep expertise in the equity compensation and startup issues faced by Bay Area tech professionals and venture-backed founders. The firm helps clients plan for and around stock options, RSUs, and post-liquidity wealth, including implementation of 10b5-1 trading plans to manage insider-trading rules during liquidity events.
- Company Equity Planning
- 10b5-1 Trading Plan Implementation & Coordination
- Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS)
- Startup Business Planning
- Bitcoin Investment Management & Guidance
- IRS Account Monitoring
Financial & Tax Planning
The firm delivers comprehensive financial planning alongside tax preparation and proactive tax strategy. Plans are designed to be revisited and adapted as clients' lives evolve, with services spanning retirement, insurance, risk management, projections, and wealth transfer.
- Planning for Financial Independence (FIRE)
- Cash Flow Analysis
- Retirement Planning & Retirement Plans
- Tax Preparation
- Tax Planning
- Life Insurance Analysis & Planning
- Property & Casualty Insurance
- Disability Insurance Analysis
- Financial Projections & Analysis
- Wealth Transfer Strategies
Socially Responsible & ESG Investing
Citrine Capital positions itself as a values-driven, socially responsible investment advisor in San Francisco. The firm embeds Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data into how it evaluates risk, opportunity, and long-term value, and states that all of its portfolios contain only sustainable investment funds. The firm uses data-driven tilts to favor companies reducing emissions and improving efficiency, and applies exclusions to industries like fossil fuels, weapons, and tobacco.
- Sustainability-focused tilts
- Exclusions & values-based screens
- Low-cost, diversified, sustainable portfolios
- Investments that avoid fossil fuels, weapons, and tobacco
- Alignment of capital with measurable sustainability outcomes
Financial Independence (FIRE) Planning
Citrine Capital provides dedicated financial independence / FIRE planning. The firm's approach starts with understanding the client's life — their goals, values, and what financial independence means to them — and only then digs into the numbers to build a personalized strategy grounded in clear analysis and practical planning. The result is a tailored roadmap reflecting both current reality and future ambitions, with every decision bringing the client closer to freedom and flexibility.
Charitable Giving Strategies
For high-net-worth families, philanthropy at Citrine is treated as more than generosity — it is a tool for creating lasting impact, aligning wealth with values, reducing taxes, and preserving legacy. The firm designs, implements, and oversees charitable giving strategies that align client objectives with broader financial goals, starting from the causes that matter most and integrating them with tax planning, estate strategy, and long-term wealth preservation.
- Tailored, tax-smart charitable giving strategies
- Integration with broader tax and estate plans
- Structures to maximize philanthropic impact and tax efficiency
Virtual Practice & Client Experience
Citrine operates as a virtual financial advisor using a secure online client portal with file sharing and video conferencing (Zoom), allowing clients to work with the firm remotely from anywhere in the world. The firm says this saves time, money, and the environment while enabling more efficient meetings where advisors and clients can share screens and view accounts together — including company 401(k) accounts and equity vesting schedules. The San Francisco office at 535 Mission Street is available for in-person meetings as well.
- Secure online client portal with file sharing
- Zoom video conferencing for efficient virtual meetings
- Screen sharing for joint account review
- On-the-spot 401(k) adjustments
- Joint review of stock options / RSU vesting
- 24-hour response guarantee on client requests
Team
Citrine's leadership team is built around CFP® practitioners with backgrounds in equity compensation, taxation, financial independence, and digital assets. Ryan S. Cole is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional with a specialty in equity compensation, taxation, and financial independence and serves as Managing Director. Jirayr R. Kembikian, CFP® is a wealth advisor, managing director, and co-founder who specializes in equity compensation, private investments, and Bitcoin wealth strategies and serves as the firm's Chief Compliance Officer. Kiersten Peshek, CFP® is also part of the advisory team.
- Ryan S. Cole, CFP® — Founder; Managing Partner; Managing Director
- Jirayr R. Kembikian, CFP® — Co-Founder, Managing Partner, Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer
- Kiersten Peshek, CFP® — Financial Planner / Advisor
- Backgrounds include Ameritas Investment Corporation, national broker-dealers
- Specialties: equity compensation, private investments, Bitcoin, taxation, financial independence
Firm Details, Regulation & Fees
Citrine Capital, LLC is a California-domiciled limited liability company formed in 2014, doing business as Citrine Capital. The firm became a state-registered investment adviser in 2014 and transitioned to SEC registration in March 2021 (CRD #171735). As of December 31, 2025, the firm reports $346.0 million in discretionary and $0 in non-discretionary assets under management. The firm is not a subsidiary of, nor does it control, another reportable financial industry entity.
- Citrine Capital, LLC — California LLC, formed 2014
- SEC-Registered Investment Adviser — CRD #171735
- State-registered since 2014; SEC-registered since March 2021
- $346.0M discretionary AUM as of 12/31/2025
- Annual fixed dollar fee typically $7,000–$90,000 based on client net worth
- Fee-only; no commissions, no proprietary products
- Headquarters: 535 Mission Street, 14th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105
- Phone: (415) 494-8262