“No one has ever explained that to me.”
That’s what a client told Jake King, CFP®, after a two-hour introductory meeting at Harvest Rock Advisors. She had a few million dollars that had been managed by two investment firms in the region, and had spent years working with advisors who managed her money without ever walking her through what any of it meant. Jake reviewed how her portfolio was positioned, the tax implications of her holdings, and how it all fit into her bigger financial picture. It all seemed routine and standard to Jake, and he was surprised no one had ever explained these things to her.
“I was floored,” Jake says. “But it drove home for me that the standard for good client communication and education is, unfortunately, low. Advisors need to make education and clarity a bigger part of how they work with clients.”
That moment captures something central to how Jake approaches his work and why so many people in and around Lancaster County have come to trust him important financial decisions.
Making the Complex Understandable
Ask Jake what he enjoys most about his work, and the answer isn’t spreadsheets or investment returns. It’s what happens after the math is done.
“My favorite part of the work is seeing how clarity provides comfort and confidence for people,” he says. “Most of what we’re doing is spreadsheet stuff — the math of how financial decisions will impact their lifestyle and future — but the outcomes are really feelings. Comfort, relief, confidence, excitement.”
Sometimes that shows up in big, joyful moments: a family finally booking the vacation they’d always talked about. Other times it shows up in a moment of clarity where, for the first time, a client feels like they really have a good handle on their full financial picture.
Jake likes to tell people, “A good financial plan should make sense to you, not just to your advisor.”
The Human Side of Money
Jake’s professional background includes wealth management, capital markets, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship. He spent time in the fast-moving world of biotech investing, serving as editor of an investment research service focused on development-stage healthcare companies.
“I loved the dynamism of that corner of the capital markets,” Jake says, “but I didn’t want to be stuck behind a computer doing individual stock analysis forever. I enjoy the personal, relational, and behavioral side of financial planning more.”
Jake’s growing interest in the human side of money, pointed him toward financial planning. Along the way, Jake also founded two small businesses of his own — experience that gave him firsthand insight into the pressures and opportunities business owners face. After running those businesses, he passed the CFP® exam and began working in financial advising and tax preparation. In many ways, the shift made sense: Jake grew up around the investment world, with a father who worked as a financial advisor, and he has spent his entire career in and around markets and money.
Today, as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, Jake brings that his unique combination of capital markets experience, small business ownership, and a genuine curiosity about how people think and behave around money to every client relationship at Harvest Rock Advisors.
Specializing in the “Harvest Season” of Life
Jake and the team at Harvest Rock Advisors work with a wide range of clients, but they’ve built particular expertise around what they call the “harvest season” of life — those pivotal moments when someone is selling a business, divesting real estate, receiving significant equity compensation, or otherwise realizing a large financial windfall.
“Our differentiating expertise is largely in tax planning and strategy for business owners, equity compensation recipients, and real estate owners — people who tend to have big tax years and are looking for ways to avoid or defray a tax bill,” Jake explains. That includes advanced tools like charitable trusts and 1031/721-REIT exchanges, tailored for clients navigating a major business sale, real estate transaction, or concentrated stock position.
Harvest Rock’s work spans investment management, tax planning, estate planning, and charitable or legacy strategies — all aimed at helping clients make the most of what they’ve built.
Outside the office, Jake and his family live in Lancaster County, where life is full with two kids, a dog, a cat, and lots of youth sports. If you’d like to get in touch with Jake, reach out to schedule a conversation.
(717) 814-5115