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About Us
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What’s in a name? To quote Shakespeare, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet". So, why did we choose the name BRsquared? In statistics, R-Squared is the coefficient of determination. It represents the proportion of the variance for a dependable variable that is predictable from an independent variable. In the world of investment analysis, R-squared is generally interpreted as the percentage of a portfolio or a security’s movements that can be explained by movements in a benchmark index. An R-squared result of 70 to 100 indicates that a given portfolio closely tracks the stock index in question. R-squared values can indicate the reliability of Beta readings, which makes them an important statistic in portfolio analysis.
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Rachna & Rajesh have been together since almost three decades, and they also happen to have the same initials, BR- Bijlani Rachna & Bijlani Rajesh, which makes them BRsquared! In essence, BRsquared symbolizes family oriented, finance geeks determined to help people work towards financial independence.
Rachna Bijlani, CFP®
I am the managing member at BRsquared, a financial planning and asset management firm located in the San Francisco bay area. I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and hold an Engineering degree in Electronics from University of Mumbai. The pursuit of obtaining the highest set of credentials in the global investment management industry led me to enroll in the CFA program. I am currently a CFA Level II candidate, having passed the Level 1 exam in May 2021.
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My engineering background combined with my family background in finance motivated me to capitalize on my strengths and follow my passion of making a difference in people’s lives by helping them achieve their financial goals. After having worked with a broker-dealer firm for a few years, I decided to break away and start my own firm in 2018. This is my eighth year working as a Financial Advisor and Asset Manager.
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This incident from my early days of working as a Financial Advisor is the reason why I do what I do. I was working on a financial plan for a client whose primary goals included planning for retirement and planning for his child’s college education. I spent several days analyzing his financial situation, which involved analyzing his investment portfolios, evaluating the adequacy of his insurance, looking at his estate plan, reviewing his tax situation, cash flow situation, and more. I had put everything I’d learned for my CFP exam to good use. I was excited and eager to show off my knowledge and skill to my new client. On the day of plan delivery, I carefully walked the couple through my analysis and set forth my recommendations for achieving their financial goals in a clear and concise format, expecting them to be impressed. They thanked me for their financial plan but did not exhibit much emotion. I kept wondering if there was something more I could’ve done to impress them.​ I ended up managing their investments and eventually became good friends with the couple. Almost a year after having worked on their financial plan, the wife said to me that her husband is relieved that their finances were now in order and if something were to ever happen to him, she could just come to me and I would know how to help her. It was the best compliment I could’ve received. It was affirmation that I was on the right path and I was making a difference in people’s lives, in the best way I know.
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I believe that my greatest strength as a Financial Advisor is my ability to put myself in my clients' shoes and give them advice based on what I would do if I were in their situation.
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I try to practice mindfulness in every aspect of my life. Taking care of my family, spending time with my 16 year old daughter, following a vegan diet, practicing yoga and meditation, trekking on the various trails close to my home, and giving back to the community by volunteering are my sources of joy. My family and I Iove to travel, and our itinerary includes an annual trip to India to visit my parents. I'm an avid advocate of promoting financial literacy and often post informational and educational articles on our website. I was a keynote speaker at the 15th Annual "Young Women and Money" conference at Berkley and also presented at the San Francisco Public Library during their Financial Capability Month in April 2023. The link to my presentation at the SFPL: https://youtu.be/gwdH2B9iH9w
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Rajesh Bijlani, MBA, EA
Rajesh Bijlani is a financial, tax, and investment advisor at BRsquared. Rajesh holds an MBA in Information Systems and a Bachelors degree in Computer Engineering from University of Mumbai. He also holds the Series 65 securities license. Besides his affiliation with BRsquared, Rajesh is an independent Enrolled Agent, with experience in preparing and filing taxes for individuals and companies.
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Rajesh has over 20 years of experience working in the IT industry, managing and leading high profile engineering projects for Enterprise Application products as well as popular websites like Yahoo. Rajesh has also worked at multiple IT startups where he's been responsible for setting up QA teams from the ground up. He has experience managing large geographically distributed onsite-offshore teams.
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Rajesh brings with him strong technical, analytical, managerial, and decision making skills. He is a big proponent of working towards financial independence and believes in practicing what he preaches. Rajesh has been saving and investing in securities and rental real estate for himself since almost two decades, while also advising friends and family on the same. His technology background allows him to better understand the unique financial and tax challenges faced by IT professionals.
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Rajesh enjoys good food, good scotch, travelling with his family, watching football and cricket, and helping his daughter comprehend complex mathematical concepts.