Independent, life insurance needs analysis financial advisors in Irvine, CA

Scott Schiffer is a financial advisor at Centaurus Financial, Inc. with 28 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has been with Centaurus since 1998. In addition to his advisory role, Schiffer is a senior partner at Kieckhafer Schiffer LLP, a certified public accounting firm where he oversees client tax matters and supervises accounting staff. Centaurus Financial, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, families, businesses, corporations, trusts, and foundations. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, retirement-plan consulting, and specialized services, employing a variety of investment analyses and both discretionary and non-discretionary arrangements.

Steven Henningson is a financial advisor at Carson Wealth with Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 41 years of industry experience. He has held positions at firms including Cetera, Creative Planning Institutional Advisors, and Citigroup Global Markets. Outside of his advisory work, he serves on the advisory board of a community church focused on recovery ministries and is involved with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library. Carson Wealth is an enterprise platform managing approximately $50.6 billion through a network of over 650 advisors. The firm offers discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, using an Investment Committee to construct and monitor model portfolios and providing tailored solutions that integrate custodial and technology partnerships.

Spencer Johnston is a financial advisor at Carson Wealth with five years of industry experience. He holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and has held roles at firms including Thrivent Financial and Ameriprise Financial Services. Johnston’s prior work includes a 15-year tenure at EWI Worldwide. Carson Wealth operates an enterprise platform overseeing approximately $50.6 billion through more than 650 advisors. The firm offers discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, with an investment approach guided by an Investment Committee that manages model portfolios and provides tailored solutions including custom indexing and alternative investments.

Richard Lewis is a CFA charterholder with seven years of industry experience. He has worked at White Stork Asset Management LLC since 2018 and previously at Raj Vasudevan LLC from 2016 to 2018. He is based in Irvine, CA. White Stork Asset Management provides discretionary investment management to individuals, non-profit organizations, and institutions, focusing mainly on equities and U.S. Treasury securities. The firm’s bottom-up, fundamental investment approach emphasizes undervalued market leaders for long-term holding, active allocation, and risk controls at the position level, serving a client base that includes a notable share of non-U.S. investors.

William Oconnor is a financial advisor with Applied Financial Planning, Inc. in Irvine, CA, holding a Series 63 designation and over 40 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at LPL Financial and Midland National Life, and he currently owns and operates several financial and tax-related businesses. He also hosts a radio program called The Money Guys, which promotes local news and financial planning ideas. Applied Financial Planning, Inc. provides tax preparation and tax planning services to individuals, institutions, and various organizations, focusing on tax-efficiency and long-term investment considerations. The firm bills on a fixed-fee or hourly basis and does not manage client investment accounts directly.

Aden Partee is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor at Foundations Investment Advisors LLC with two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at JEHM Wealth & Retirement, Alloy Investment Management, and LPL Financial. Outside of finance, he has work experience in the retail and service industries, including multiple years at Chick-fil-A. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC provides financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its investment approach and offers services through a large network of affiliated offices and representatives.

Don Larson is the principal advisor at Larson Wealth Management, LLC in Mesa, Arizona, holding a CFP® designation along with Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Steele Larson Advisors, LLLP for seven years before founding Larson Wealth Management in 2011. Outside of advisory services, he owns and manages a bookkeeping and tax preparation business and serves as secretary and treasurer for AEM International (US) Ltd. Larson Wealth Management provides investment supervisory and consulting services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, family offices, corporate and Taft-Hartley employee benefit plans, and charitable organizations. The firm employs customized strategic asset allocations across various equity and fixed income securities, emphasizing mutual funds and ETFs, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management with regular reviews.

Malissa Mc Nanna is a financial advisor with Black Knight Wealth Management, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. She has four years of industry experience and has previously worked at Optivise Advisory Services, LLC, OnPointe Advisory and Financial Services LLC, and Vision Advisors, Inc. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved with Vision Advisors, Inc., where she recruits agents, conducts product training, and provides sales support for annuity and life insurance products. Black Knight Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients by offering portfolio management, financial planning, and coordination with other professional advisors. The firm employs a range of investment strategies and prepares individualized Investment Policy Statements, managing accounts primarily on a discretionary, asset-based basis while reviewing portfolios monthly.

Gregory Smarr is a financial advisor with Smarr Financial Services Inc. in Atlanta, GA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and possessing 21 years of industry experience. He has led his independent firm since 2004. Outside of his advisory work, he is licensed to sell various insurance products including life, fixed annuities, and property and casualty insurance through multiple carriers. Smarr Financial Services, Inc. provides financial planning and investment supervisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a fundamental investment approach combining long-term buy-and-hold strategies with selective short-term trading, managing a diverse portfolio that includes equities, mutual funds, ETFs, REITs, fixed income, alternatives, and options.

Jacob Binner is a financial advisor at BinnerInvestments with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at Fidelity, Merrill Lynch, and E*Trade Securities. BinnerInvestments provides ongoing portfolio management and standalone financial planning for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm’s investment approach combines multiple analytical methods to construct diversified portfolios and typically manages discretionary assets while delivering quarterly reports and written investment policy statements.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.