Top general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Gardena, 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.

You might seek general estate planning guidance if you're organizing your assets to protect your family or planning for potential incapacity. Without focused expertise, advisors may overlook how California's unique tax environment and property tax rules affect your plan.

  • State tax nuances. Confirm how they incorporate California's high income taxes and Proposition 13 limits on property tax increases into your estate plan.
  • Asset protection strategies. Ask how they balance protecting your wealth with maintaining flexibility for future changes.
  • Succession planning. Ensure they address how your estate plan supports smooth transfer of assets to heirs or beneficiaries.
  • Coordination with other professionals. Check if they work with your tax preparer or attorney to align your estate plan with your overall financial picture.

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

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Cesar D

Series 63, Series 66

Gardena, CA

J.P. Morgan Securities

Cesar Delgado Hinojos is a financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and eight years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Bank of America, Merrill, Capstone Capital, and U.S. Bancorp Investments. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC provides institutional consulting services to corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with affiliated brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner

Yuko M

Series 66

Gardena, CA

Merrill

Yuko Matsuo serves as a Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. In this role, Yuko works with clients to develop personalized financial strategies aimed at pursuing their long-term goals. Her approach reflects a commitment to understanding each client’s unique financial situation and priorities. Yuko’s expertise includes family wealth management, international wealth management, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, individual and corporate investment strategy, tax minimization, and retirement income. She emphasizes working collaboratively with clients to tailor strategies that align with their objectives. Outside of her professional responsibilities, Yuko enjoys fishing, hiking, music, reading, singing, and spending time with her family. She also values community involvement, continuing the Merrill tradition of active participation in the communities served.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Tax-loss harvesting Financial Professional
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John K

Series 63, Series 65

Gardena, CA

LPL Financial

John Koyama is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 17 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cetera and Foresters Financial Service. Outside of his advisory work, he is also the owner of Float Spa Clinic in Torrance, CA. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolios, and institutional platforms, supported by extensive operational tools and a large network of over 22,800 advisors.

Wealth management Retirement income strategy College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Tax-loss harvesting Annuities Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Richmond T

Series 63, Series 66

Gardena, CA

Fidelity

Richmond Tran is a financial advisor at Fidelity with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials. His prior experience includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Bank, NA. Richmond is part of Strategic Advisers LLC, a Fidelity Investments company that offers investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients. The firm uses a combination of proprietary fundamental research and quantitative analysis to construct model portfolios, and it serves as an advisor to multiple registered investment companies and fund-of-funds.

Charitable giving & philanthropy Active portfolio management
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Kiak T

Series 66

Gardena, CA

Gardena Financial Retirement Advisors

Kiak Tae is a financial advisor at Gardena Financial Retirement Advisors with 20 years of industry experience and holds the Series 66 designation. He has operated Taevestment LLC since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, Tae is involved in several related businesses including co-owning an income tax preparation and notary service, working as an insurance broker, and owning real estate and mortgage brokerage firms. Gardena Financial Retirement Advisors provides investment advisory and retirement planning services primarily to individuals and certain businesses, with a focus on occupational groups such as nurses, school employees, and municipal workers. The firm offers portfolio management and customized financial planning, employing a range of securities and considering tax, income, time horizon, and risk tolerance in its strategies.

General retirement planning Social Security optimization Retirement withdrawal strategies Medicare planning Annuities Retired
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Scott M

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Morgan Stanley

Scott Mahoney is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley in New York, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Morgan Stanley since 2009, including roles at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with Giants Foot Cubed LLC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a large SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of advisory programs and financial planning services supported by structured planning tools and broad investment resources.

General estate planning guidance
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Kayla S

Series 63, Series 65

Warwick, RI

Mass Mutual Investors Services

Kayla Santos is a financial advisor with Mass Mutual Investors Services in Warwick, RI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 10 years of industry experience. She has worked at Mass Mutual Investors Services since 2017 and previously at MetLife Securities. In addition to her advisory role, Santos is an independent insurance agent, offering life, fixed annuities, disability, long-term care, and health insurance products. Mass Mutual Investors Services, LLC is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, business owners, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employers. The firm provides financial planning, asset management, wrap and money-manager programs, and educational seminars, structuring engagements as annual collaborative relationships focused on goal analysis and written recommendations.

Divorce financial planning General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Attorney Executive Married/Couples/Partners Divorced

Gordon B

Series 66

Luling, LA

Edward Jones

Gordon Brown III is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Edward Jones since 2008. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, with approximately $1.01 trillion in assets under management. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment options, operating under a fiduciary standard.

Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Wealth management Oil & Gas Engineering Professional
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William S

Series 63, Series 65

College Station, TX

Smith & Wyatt

William Soltow is a financial advisor at Smith & Wyatt with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at CoreCap Advisors, LLC. Outside of advising, he is the founder of Frontier Wealth Management and serves as an independent insurance agent with Goosehead Insurance. Smith & Wyatt serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and corporations, managing approximately $207 million across 724 clients. The firm provides tailored financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, estate-planning consulting, and specialized educational programs, utilizing mutual funds and ETFs as primary investment vehicles.

Government Employee
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Thaddeus P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC

Thaddeus Phelps is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC since 2019 and previously spent 14 years with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. In addition to his advisory work, Phelps owns a tax preparation business and an accounting support service, and he serves in fiduciary roles such as trustee and executor. Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary investment management through a wrap asset management program and emphasizes an individualized approach with asset allocation supported by fundamental, sector, and technical analysis, including risk management strategies such as put options and conservative cash instruments.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Charitable giving & philanthropy General estate planning guidance General tax planning Options & derivatives strategies
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