Our Clients
We work with a limited number of client households in these common scenarios:
Financially Independent, Ready for What’s Next
You’ve reached financial independence on your own. You have flexibility and options and are now deciding what comes next.
Executives and Tech Employees With Equity to Deal With
A big chunk of your net worth is in your employer’s stock and you’re not sure when or how to start unwinding it.
Frugal, Successful Retirees Ready to Give Themselves Permission
You’ve worked hard and saved diligently for years, but now you struggle to flip the switch from saving to spending.
Vilga was founded on a simple observation: successful investors are well-informed, but they often miss coordination.
We set out to be a resource to address this.
We envisioned a firm where the same advisors see the whole financial picture at once, and every decision is made with the rest of the picture in mind. And where the advice is as honest as it is informed.
Our Focus:
Reduce doubt, give clear answers, and promote confidence to move you forward.
Decades of experience, united by a shared belief in how financial planning should be.
Igor Smolyanskiy, CFP®, CFA®
FOUNDER + LEAD ADVISOR
After a successful career managing teams for major New York financial firms, Igor realized his true passion was at the water cooler — analysts and traders would find him there, dispensing tips and sound ideas on personal finance. The fascinated reactions told Igor there was a clear need, even among financial professionals, for a go-to expert on personal finance. Igor founded Vilga in 2020 as a way to help people just like himself: naturally DIY, passionate about all things financial, but too busy with family, life, and work to spend the time needed to explore their goals and create realistic plans reflecting their core values. Igor is based in Fair Lawn, NJ, and works with clients virtually across the US.
FUN FACTS:
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Self-Diagnosed Spreadsheet Junkie
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Tennis Fanatic
Austin Luckie, CFP®, TPCP®
senior advisor
Austin is focused on being a guide, helping people use their money in a way that fits their unique life. He values financial simplicity, only introducing complexity when it has an outsized positive impact. He believes great financial planning and investment management come down to the things you can control: keeping fees low, managing taxes thoughtfully, and maintaining a plan that adapts to your evolving lifestyle. Before joining Vilga, Austin held a variety of roles at Vanguard, most recently serving as a trusted advisor to high-net-worth clients. Austin lives in Wilmington, North Carolina with his wife, and serves clients virtually across the US.
FUN FACTS:
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Tax Planning Enthusiast
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Hopelessly Optimistic Golfer
Eugene Falkovich, CFA®
portfolio manager
Eugene brings institutional experience from risk management and product control roles to ensure all investment activities are tightly managed. Eugene lives in Brooklyn, NY, with a full view of the ocean.
FUN FACTS:
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Process & Execution Geek
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Avid Hockey Fan
WE VALUE:
Planning before investing.
Investment management is the implementation of a plan — not the plan itself.
We build the plan first; the portfolio serves it. Without the plan, even good investment decisions are guesses.
Serving fewer, better.
We deliberately limit our client roster so every relationship gets the time it deserves.
When we reach capacity, we close to new clients to ensure that client experience stays consistently high.
Sharing our thinking.
We like to explain every decision we make together.
It's our experience that clients who understand the "why" make better decisions, especially when we're not in the room.
Fee-only means our compensation comes entirely from what clients pay us directly. We don't accept commissions, referral fees, or product-sale incentives from anyone. Our only paycheck is the one the client writes.
Fiduciary means we're legally required to act in the client's best interest at all times — not just when it's convenient.
You may be working with one or multiple of our qualified financial planners — depending on fit, capacity, and our determination of your level of need.
Behind the scenes, your plan and portfolio will be handled by the entirety of our team at times.
Yes. Vilga is an independent, 100% employee-owned firm. Since we're not owned by a broker-dealer, bank, or insurance company, we aren't constrained by their technology or financial products. We can use the investment strategies and planning tools we think best serve our clients.