Independent, general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Orange, 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.

When you're planning how to pass on your assets, you need an advisor who understands the full picture of your estate, not just the paperwork. Without this, you might overlook tax strategies or protections that could save your heirs money and stress.

Independent advisors here operate without firm constraints, which can mean more flexible advice tailored to your unique situation.

  • Tax impact awareness. Ask how they navigate California's high income taxes alongside Proposition 13, which limits property tax increases, to protect your estate's value.
  • Comprehensive asset review. Confirm they consider all asset types, including real estate and investments, to avoid gaps in your estate plan.
  • Legacy goals alignment. See if they help you clarify and prioritize what you want your estate to achieve beyond just wealth transfer.
  • Coordination with legal counsel. Estate planning often involves legal documents; check how they work with your attorney to ensure consistency and completeness.

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

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Isaac P

Series 63, Series 65

Orange, CA

Lifeworks Advisors, LLC

Isaac Pineda is a financial advisor at Lifeworks Advisors, LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including J.P. Morgan Securities, Centaurus Financial, and LPL Financial. Outside of advising, he consults on tax and exit planning through Innovation Consulting, LLC and is a licensed insurance agent. Lifeworks Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and businesses. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary wealth management, financial planning, retirement plan advisory, and portfolio management, utilizing a planning-based or risk-based investment approach supported by quantitative and fundamental analysis, tax-aware strategies, and proprietary technology integrations.

Factor investing / smart beta Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Tax strategies for small businesses Founder/Business Owner Executive Financial Professional Established Professionals
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Angela C

Series 66

Orange, CA

Edward Jones

Angela Choo is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with seven years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Edward Jones since 2018, with a brief gap in employment between 2022 and 2023. Before joining Edward Jones, she worked at Finance of America Mortgage from 2016 to 2018. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of investment strategies and advisory services, supported by a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Multi-generational wealth transfer Retired Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Orville M

Series 63, Series 66

Orange, CA

Raymond James & Associates

Orville Mohler Jr. is a financial advisor at Raymond James & Associates with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has held positions at Prudential Insurance Company of America, Pruco Securities LLC, MassMutual Investors Services, and MetLife Securities Inc. before joining Raymond James in 2018. Raymond James & Associates is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser overseeing approximately $501 billion in assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, institutions, and municipal entities, providing financial planning and non-discretionary investment consulting supported by a broad range of portfolio management styles and affiliated research.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Business succession planning Founder/Business Owner Executive
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David W

Series 63, Series 65

Orange, CA

Cetera

David Willett is a financial advisor with Cetera, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He has worked with firms including LPL Financial and Trilogy Capital, and he serves on the committee for St. John's Lutheran School Endowment Fund. Willett also owns and operates his own financial services businesses. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, and institutional accounts, offering various portfolio management and consulting services through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm provides access to multiple program structures and third-party managers with over $256 billion in assets under management.

Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Jason W

Series 63, Series 65

Orange, CA

Fidelity

Jason Walters is a financial advisor with Fidelity Investments, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 23 years of industry experience. He has been with various Fidelity entities since 2008, most recently with Strategic Advisers LLC since 2025. Strategic Advisers LLC, a Fidelity Investments company, provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, including registered investment companies. The firm’s investment process combines fundamental research with quantitative analysis and algorithmic portfolio construction, offering model portfolios comprised of mutual funds, ETFs, and ETPs.

Charitable giving & philanthropy Active portfolio management
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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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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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