Griffin Black, LLC

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Griffin Black, LLC Wealth management firm helping you get what you want in life from your money. After all, it's yours. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

At Griffin Black we’re not just experts in finance – we strive to be true advocates for our clients. Griffin Black is a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor and adheres to a fiduciary standard of care for our clients. This is a higher standard of care than most financial professionals adopt. We offer a balanced set of services designed to address our clients’ core financial planning and investment management needs. We also help clients with the analysis and assistance they need to buy complex products, like insurance and annuities – though we never accept commissions. We also have an extensive network of trusted professionals who can provide additional services on an as-needed basis. Having a plan to achieve your long-term goals is important, but it is far from the whole story. Many a great game plan has failed because of poor ex*****on and nowhere is this truer than in the world of personal finance. That’s why we go beyond helping clients create a robust financial plan. We also assist them in every phase of their plan’s implementation. Disclosure
Griffin Black, LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser; registration does not imply skill or training. Content is for informational purposes only and is not investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. No client relationship is created by viewing this site. Information is believed reliable but not guaranteed. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal; past performance does not guarantee future results. Any testimonials or ratings may not reflect all experiences and are not indicative of future outcomes. Additional information, including fees and services, is available in our Form ADV Part 2A via our website.

Let’s talk about financial advice from AI.AI can give you a great answer. It can also give you the wrong answer—or a per...
10/22/2026

Let’s talk about financial advice from AI.

AI can give you a great answer. It can also give you the wrong answer—or a perfectly reasonable answer to the wrong question.

That’s where things get tricky.

A piece of financial advice you see online might make perfect sense for someone else. But their income, goals, taxes, timeline, and circumstances may look nothing like yours.

The issue isn’t always that AI doesn’t know the answer.

Sometimes, we just aren’t asking the right question.

When it comes to your money, context matters.

Learn more about our approach: https://griffinblack.com/investment-management/

Markets move. Headlines change. Predictions come and go.But some of the most important factors in long-term investing ar...
10/20/2026

Markets move. Headlines change. Predictions come and go.

But some of the most important factors in long-term investing are things you can actually control.

✔️ How much you save.
✔️ When you start.
✔️ How consistently you invest.
✔️ How you allocate your portfolio.
And whether you can stay focused when the market gets noisy.

One of the biggest advantages an investor can have isn’t the ability to predict what happens next. It’s giving compounding enough time to work.

A dollar invested decades ago has had countless opportunities to grow, even through recessions, market downturns, inflation, and periods of uncertainty. That’s the power of staying invested and keeping a long-term perspective.

The challenge is that patience can be difficult when every headline feels urgent.

Starting a new job is exciting. Then HR asks:“Would you like to enroll in the 401(k)?”And suddenly, you’re faced with a ...
10/15/2026

Starting a new job is exciting. Then HR asks:

“Would you like to enroll in the 401(k)?”

And suddenly, you’re faced with a whole new set of questions: What’s a 401(k)? Should I also have an IRA? And what exactly is a Roth?

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

401(k): An employer-sponsored retirement account. Many employers offer a matching contribution, which can add to what you’re saving.

IRA: An individual retirement account that you open and manage separately from your employer.

Traditional: You generally receive the tax benefit today, while withdrawals in retirement are generally taxable.

Roth: You contribute after-tax dollars, but qualified withdrawals in retirement can generally be tax-free.

The right approach depends on your income, tax situation, employer plan, and long-term goals. But understanding these basic differences is an important first step.

https://griffinblack.com/decoding-retirement-saving-learning-the-lingo-of-retirement-planning/

We’re often taught to think of life as a straight line: school, career, promotions, success. One step leading neatly to ...
10/13/2026

We’re often taught to think of life as a straight line: school, career, promotions, success. One step leading neatly to the next.

But real life rarely works that way.

Careers change. Opportunities appear when we least expect them. Plans fall through. Sometimes the path forward looks less like a ladder and more like a series of twists, turns, and unexpected detours.

And maybe that’s not something to avoid, it’s something to embrace.

The experiences that don’t go according to plan can teach us just as much as the ones that do. A career change, a setback, or an unexpected opportunity can open a door we never knew to look for.

You don’t always have to know exactly where you’re going. Sometimes you just need to recognize when it’s time to zag.

Fed rate hikes tend to dominate the headlines. But what do they actually mean for your long-term financial plan?Interest...
10/09/2026

Fed rate hikes tend to dominate the headlines. But what do they actually mean for your long-term financial plan?

Interest-rate changes can influence markets, borrowing costs, businesses, and investor sentiment—but short-term headlines don’t always tell the full story.

In our latest blog, we take a step beyond the headlines and look at how you can think about Fed rate hikes in the context of a long-term financial plan.

Read the full article: https://griffinblack.com/beyond-headlines-fed-rate-hikes-and-long-term-portfolios/

Oil and copper prices are making headlines, but what do they actually mean for your portfolio?Higher commodity prices ca...
10/09/2026

Oil and copper prices are making headlines, but what do they actually mean for your portfolio?

Higher commodity prices can ripple through markets in ways that aren’t always obvious, affecting sectors, inflation expectations, and the broader investment landscape.

We take a closer look at what’s driving oil and copper prices, how those moves can impact portfolios, and what investors may want to keep in mind.

Read the full article: https://griffinblack.com/whats-driving-portfolios-impact-of-high-oil-copper-prices/

“Can’t I just put my money in an index fund and call it a day?”Honestly, it’s a fair question. But here’s the thing: fin...
09/29/2026

“Can’t I just put my money in an index fund and call it a day?”

Honestly, it’s a fair question.

But here’s the thing: financial planning is about so much more than picking investments. What's more, an index fund may not even be the best investment for you.

Think about it like hiring a personal trainer. You could walk into a gym and figure out the equipment yourself. But a great trainer understands what you're trying to work toward and what may be holding you back. She helps you create a plan, stay accountable, adjust when things change, and make sure all the pieces are working together.

A financial planner can do something similar with your money.

It’s not just about *what* you invest in. It’s about how your investments fit with your taxes, retirement goals, cash flow, risk, family, major life decisions, and the future you’re trying to build.

Investing is one piece of the puzzle. Financial planning is about seeing the whole picture.

So, let’s turn the question around:

What’s one part of your financial life you wish you had more clarity or confidence around?

Life rarely comes with a simple financial to-do list. Between work, family, investments, big decisions, and everything i...
09/25/2026

Life rarely comes with a simple financial to-do list. Between work, family, investments, big decisions, and everything in between, it can be difficult to know what deserves your attention today, and what can wait.

That’s where clarity matters.

At Griffin Black, we believe financial planning should make your life feel more manageable, not more complicated. Our goal is to help bring the moving pieces together, so you can make thoughtful decisions with confidence and focus on what matters most to you.

What’s one financial decision you wish felt a little less complicated right now? Share it in the comments, we’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

When it comes to investing, it’s easy to get caught up in the question, "What should I buy?"We think the better question...
09/22/2026

When it comes to investing, it’s easy to get caught up in the question, "What should I buy?"

We think the better question is, “What kind of financial strategy sense for me?”

We look at your goals, circumstances, and tolerance for risk today, while recognizing that those things can change over time.

Once you know where you want to go, then it makes sense to think about what's going to best help you get there.

Your financial future doesn’t happen by accident—it starts with preparation.Think about a couple who has worked hard, sa...
09/11/2026

Your financial future doesn’t happen by accident—it starts with preparation.

Think about a couple who has worked hard, saved consistently, and built a solid investment portfolio. On paper, they may look well prepared for retirement. But then life happens: a career change, an unexpected expense, helping a child with college, or simply realizing they want to travel more than they originally planned.

A good financial plan isn’t just about preparing for one specific outcome. It’s about building a strategy that can adapt as life changes.

What’s one life change you’d want your financial plan to be prepared for?

Address

702 Marshall Street, Suite 411
Redwood City, CA
94063

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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