Independent, passive / index investing 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.

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.

Thomas Trefzger is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with eight years of industry experience. He has worked at Hantz Financial Services, Inc. since 2018 and previously held roles at Sprint and Cleveland State University. Hantz Financial Services, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth households, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business owners. The firm offers financial planning and wealth management primarily through ETF-based model portfolios across five risk levels, supplemented by third-party managers and Direct Indexing, and combines advisory, broker-dealer, mortgage, and insurance activities under one platform.

Matthew Mc Bride is a CFA® charterholder and Series 65 licensee with three years of industry experience. He has worked at One Day In July LLC since 2023 and previously held positions at the University of Vermont and Saint Michael's College. Outside of financial advising, he is involved in a self storage business focusing on facility valuation and market research. One Day In July LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and pension plans. The firm employs an asset-allocation approach centered on passive, low-cost ETFs, supplemented by periodic rebalancing and limited short-term trades, and offers an optional environmental investing strategy.

Timothy Egan is a financial advisor at First Manhattan Co. LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. First Manhattan Co. LLC provides investment management and financial planning primarily for high-net-worth individuals, as well as trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, private investment vehicles, and institutional clients. The firm focuses on long-term, research-driven, value-oriented management of equity and fixed-income portfolios, combining active management with passive fund investments and integrated wealth planning.

Ryan Vollweiler is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience. He is currently with Schwab Wealth Advisory Inc., having worked there since 2021, and has been affiliated with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. since 2017. His prior experience includes roles at VOYA Financial Advisors, Cetera Advisors LLC, Equitable Advisors, and Valic Financial Advisors. Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice and financial planning primarily to clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program and certain Charles Schwab & Co.-referred clients. The firm uses proprietary asset-allocation models and internal research tools to tailor recommendations to client goals and risk tolerance, while trades are executed only with client authorization.

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.