Independent, private / alternative investments financial advisors in Berkeley, CA

The right financial advisor for you depends on how you weigh location, expertise, experience, the clients they typically serve, and how they work with you.

If you're considering private or alternative investments, you likely want to diversify beyond traditional stocks and bonds. Without an advisor experienced in these less common assets, you risk misjudging liquidity needs or regulatory complexities.

  • Independent perspective. These advisors operate without firm constraints, which can mean more flexible investment options tailored to your unique situation.
  • Tax impact awareness. California's high income taxes and Proposition 13's property tax limits affect investment returns differently; ask how they factor this into your strategy.
  • Risk and liquidity balance. Private investments often lock up capital; confirm how they help you manage access to cash while pursuing growth.
  • Due diligence process. Alternative assets require thorough vetting; inquire about their approach to evaluating investment opportunities and ongoing monitoring.

Here are top matches to get you started. Review each profile to compare experience, credentials, and approach.

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Shawn H

Series 66

Berkeley, CA

J.P. Morgan Securities

Shawn Huynh is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. and J.P. Morgan Securities since 2018, and previously held roles at Citigroup and UnionBanc Investment Services. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors through its Institutional Consulting Services program, combining quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence and an ESG eligibility framework.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Yahweh K

Series 65, Series 63

Berkeley, CA

Merrill

Yahweh Khao Sok is a financial advisor at Merrill with Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Merrill and Bank of America in 2025, he worked at New York Life Insurance Company and NYLife Securities LLC. He serves as Treasurer and a board member for the nonprofit Futures Explored, which supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through advocacy and fundraising. Merrill, alongside its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients via the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary investment strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutions.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Wealth management
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Tammy P

Series 63, Series 65

Berkeley, CA

Eagle Strategies (NY Life)

Tammy Plotkin Oren is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) based in Berkeley, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and with 21 years of industry experience. She has been affiliated with New York Life and its related entities since 2005 and has operated TPO Financial and Insurance Services since 2009. Outside of her advisory work, she serves as Treasurer and Board Member for UC Berkeley Hillel and is a board member for the Delaware Street HOA. Eagle Strategies provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, defined contribution and benefit plans, and corporate and charitable organizations. The firm offers various advisory programs and emphasizes tailored recommendations, with the majority of its assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Juliana M

CFP®

Berkeley, CA

Elmwood Wealth Management

Juliana Moravy is a CFP® professional with three years of industry experience, currently serving at Elmwood Wealth Management in Piedmont, CA. She has been with Elmwood Wealth Management since 2014, including its current team structure since 2023. Elmwood Wealth Management is a fee-based, SEC-registered advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and various account types. The firm employs a total-return, long-term investment philosophy with both actively managed and ETF-based strategies, integrating ongoing financial planning with portfolio construction and offering specialized tax coordination and retirement plan advisory services.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) General retirement planning Wealth management Private / alternative investments Cash flow / budgeting
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Richard G

Series 65

Berkeley, CA

Affinity Capital Advisors LLC

Richard Greywitt is a financial advisor at Affinity Capital Advisors LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Cutler Group LP and Greywitt Capital Management prior to joining Affinity in 2023. Outside of finance, he occasionally assists with operations at Metta Yoga Studio, a business owned by his spouse. Affinity Capital Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, managing approximately $851 million in assets across 531 client relationships. The firm provides comprehensive portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and utilizes a combination of fundamental, technical, and charting analysis in building portfolios, incorporating a range of investment vehicles including stocks, bonds, ETFs, options, and alternative investments.

Private / alternative investments Options & derivatives strategies Real estate investing
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Edwina M

Series 65

Cincinnati, OH

Waverly Advisors, LLC

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Thomas T

Series 66

Independence, OH

Hantz financial Services, Inc.

Thomas Trefzger is a financial advisor at Hantz Financial Services, Inc. with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Hantz Financial Services since 2018. Prior to his advisory role, he was employed at Sprint and also spent time at Cleveland State University. Hantz Financial Services serves a diverse client base including individual investors, charitable organizations, corporate clients, and retirement plan sponsors. The firm employs model-driven ETF strategies along with managed account solutions and offers a broad range of financial planning, wealth management, and fiduciary services supported by affiliated entities such as a trust company and in-house tax and business consulting.

Private / alternative investments Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Passive / index investing Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Ethan S

CFP®, Series 65

Auburn Hills, MI

Plante Moran FInancial Advisors

Ethan Siekkinen is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with Plante Moran Financial Advisors. He has one year of industry experience and previously worked at J Wilson Wealth Management. Outside of financial advising, he has experience in the lawn care business with Rizzo Lawn Care. Plante Moran Financial Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, institutions, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate-planning services, utilizing a range of investment strategies and managing both discretionary and non-discretionary assets.

Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Richard B

Series 63, Series 66

Austin, TX

Charles Schwab

Richard Brandi is a financial advisor with Charles Schwab based in Austin, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Charles Schwab and Charles Schwab Bank ssb since 2003 and 2005, respectively. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves primarily high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals through its Schwab Wealth Advisory wrap fee program and affiliated managed-account and financial planning services. The firm offers a mix of non-discretionary and discretionary investment guidance, leveraging multi-asset model portfolios and research from its Schwab Center for Financial Research.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Multi-state taxation College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.)
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Geoffrey T

Series 66

Chicago, IL

Sanctuary Advisors, LLC

Geoffrey Tomes is a financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 credential and 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at Noyes Advisors LLC for 11 years and David A Noyes & Company for 26 years. His other business activities include involvement in fixed life and health insurance and fixed annuities. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services employing various analytical approaches and maintains distinctive features such as negotiated performance-based fees for large institutional clients and affiliations with specialized asset management firms.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Cash flow / budgeting General retirement planning
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Jared F

Series 65

Huntington Beach, CA

Northwest Asset Management

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Retirement income strategy Wealth management Active portfolio management Founder/Business Owner
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Edwina M

Series 65

Cincinnati, OH

Waverly Advisors, LLC

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Private / alternative investments Real estate investing Options & derivatives strategies Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Craig M

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired
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David H

Series 65

Irvine, CA

Martin Wealth Management, LLC

David Hart is a financial advisor with Martin Wealth Management, LLC in Irvine, CA. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 15 years of industry experience. Hart previously worked with Safeguard Investment Advisory Group and LifePro Asset Management. He is also a Certified Financial Fiduciary and volunteers as an instructor with the Foundation for Fiduciary Education, providing unbiased fiduciary financial education to the public. Martin Wealth Management offers investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients by co-advising and directing accounts to a third-party money manager, Matson Money. The firm focuses on client onboarding, documentation, and ongoing review of third-party manager accounts rather than direct asset management.

Medicare planning Annuities
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Sarah C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
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