Large-firm financial advisors working with educators, teachers, and academics in San Rafael, 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 work in education or academia, your income and benefits can have unique patterns that affect your financial planning. Without an advisor familiar with these nuances, you might miss opportunities to optimize your retirement savings or manage tax impacts effectively.

Large-firm advisors often have access to broader resources and specialized teams, which can support complex financial needs.

  • Benefit structure knowledge. Confirm they understand educator-specific retirement plans and how to integrate them with other savings.
  • Tax impact awareness. Ask how they navigate California's high income taxes alongside protections like Proposition 13 for property taxes.
  • Income variability planning. Educators may have seasonal or contract-based pay; check how they plan for cash flow and budgeting.
  • Long-term career considerations. Inquire about strategies that account for tenure, sabbaticals, and potential career shifts common in academia.

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

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Tucker B

Series 63, Series 65

San Rafael, CA

OSAIC

Tucker Barash is a financial advisor with Osaic Wealth, Inc. in San Rafael, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and with 19 years of industry experience. He previously worked for Woodbury Financial Services, Inc. for 14 years before joining Osaic in 2024. Barash also owns an insurance sales business. Osaic Wealth serves a diverse client base including retail and institutional investors, offering brokerage, advisory, financial planning, and retirement consulting services through a large network of affiliated advisors. The firm utilizes firm-provided asset allocation tools and third-party platforms to construct and manage diversified portfolios on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

Annuities Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Heidi M

Series 63

San Rafael, CA

Shira Ridge Wealth Management

Heidi Morshead is a financial advisor at Shira Ridge Wealth Management in San Rafael, CA, with 18 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 63 designation and has been with Shira Ridge since 2012. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved in a consulting business related to real estate. Shira Ridge Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as small business owners, managing approximately $323 million in discretionary assets. The firm focuses on portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and coordinating separate managed accounts, emphasizing diversification, tax-aware strategies, and regular portfolio reviews.

Equity compensation tax strategy Charitable giving & philanthropy General estate planning guidance College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) General tax planning Founder/Business Owner Retired
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Brock S

Series 63, Series 66

San Rafael, CA

LPL Financial

Brock Scigliano is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in San Rafael, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 13 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Fidelity Investments, Prudential, and TD Ameritrade. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other institutions through a large network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolios, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms.

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

Series 63, Series 66

San Rafael, CA

Ridgecrest Wealth Partners, LLC

Christopher Coble is a financial advisor at Ridgecrest Wealth Partners, LLC with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at firms including Morgan Stanley Private Bank and Passport Capital. Outside his advisory role, he is the sole proprietor of Bike Race, a business activity unrelated to his financial work. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners is an SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $705 million across 744 accounts. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and retirement plan participants using a combination of fundamental, technical, and charting analysis with both active and passive investment strategies tailored to client risk profiles.

Active portfolio management Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments
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Nicholas S

CFP®, Series 66

San Rafael, CA

Westhill Financial Advisors, Inc.

Nicholas Safrit is a CFP® with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving at Westhill Financial Advisors, Inc. since 2020. Prior to joining Westhill, he worked at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. WestHill Financial Advisors offers personalized financial planning, investment management, and pension consulting to individuals, trusts, estates, businesses, non-profits, and retirement plans. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation process using a core-and-satellite approach and provides tailored portfolios based on clients’ risk tolerance, time horizon, tax considerations, and liquidity needs.

Business exit / sale strategy Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive
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Arjun S

Series 66

Frisco, TX

TIAA-CREF

Arjun Swarup is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Frisco, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining TIAA-CREF, he worked at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and has an academic background from NYU College of Arts and Sciences. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers both point-in-time planning and ongoing managed account services within a fiduciary framework, including acting as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

General estate planning guidance Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Educators, Teachers, and Academics Founder/Business Owner Approaching retirement Mid-Career Professionals
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Kevin H

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Birmingham, AL

RFG Advisory, LLC

Kevin Harper is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 29 years of industry experience. He is currently with RFG Advisory, LLC in Birmingham, AL, where he has worked since 2015, including prior roles at LPL Financial and Ameriprise. Harper is a co-owner of LHP Capital LLC, a commercial real estate business. RFG Advisory provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, and select institutional clients. The firm employs discretionary investment strategies through model portfolios, third-party platforms, and serves as a sub-adviser to multiple ETFs, with additional specialized services for retirement accounts and alternative investments.

Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments Tax-loss harvesting Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired Women Professionals Mid-Career Professionals

Jacob H

Series 63, Series 66

Charlotte, NC

Edward Jones

Jacob Heinz is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Charlotte, NC, with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations. His previous positions include roles at Fidelity Investments and E*TRADE Capital Management. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory solutions, including discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds, supported by a nationwide network of thousands of financial advisors and branch offices.

Divorce financial planning Retirement income strategy Wealth management Real estate investing Educators, Teachers, and Academics
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Lindsey E

Series 63, Series 65

Cambridge, MN

EFS Advisors

Lindsey Egan is a financial advisor at EFS Advisors with 11 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at First Republic Securities and First Republic Investment Management from 2016 to 2019. Outside of her financial advisory role, Lindsey is the owner of Women Who Explore, a community offering outdoor adventures and small group travel experiences for women. EFS Advisors provides investment advice and portfolio management to a broad client base, including individuals, business entities, charitable organizations, and qualified retirement plans. The firm employs a client-centric suitability scoring process combined with technology tools to recommend model portfolios and supports clients through discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Options & derivatives strategies Educators, Teachers, and Academics
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Scott S

Series 63, Series 65

Farmington, CT

Medallion Wealth Advisors, LLC

Scott Stevens is a financial advisor at Medallion Wealth Advisors, LLC with 34 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at firms including Morgan Stanley and American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. Stevens is also the proprietor of Stevens & Associates, LLC, a separate business. Medallion Wealth Advisors serves individuals, families, and retirement plans for educators and nonprofit organizations. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting with a long-term investment approach that includes discretionary and non-discretionary account management and may utilize third-party managers when appropriate.

General retirement planning Educators, Teachers, and Academics
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Jeffrey P

Series 66

Dacula, GA

Merrill

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor at Merrill with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Merrill and affiliated firms since 2011, including roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of his advisory work, he is a sole owner and co-owner of family rental properties in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

Tax-loss harvesting Active portfolio management Wealth 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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Elizabeth B

Series 66

New York, NY

J.P. Morgan Securities

Elizabeth Brown is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, NY, where she has worked since 2012. She has 26 years of industry experience. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to clients such as corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Wealth management Executive Founder/Business Owner
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Wesley P

Series 63, Series 66

Fort Worth, TX

Wells Fargo Clearing

Wesley Pool is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Clearing with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC for seven years. Outside of finance, he has been involved with #TagMeBro LLC and Fry Street Public House. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $671 billion in assets and offers both brokerage and advisory solutions.

Retired Founder/Business Owner
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Willie M

Series 63, Series 66

Cary, NC

Equitable Advisors

Willie Myles is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Cary, NC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2016, previously serving at Axa Advisors and MSI Financial Services. Outside of advising, he is a co-chairman of a fundraising campaign for Alpha Light Fund Inc., a nonprofit focused on renovating the House of Alpha. Equitable Advisors serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement consulting, and asset management through a network of representatives and third-party managers. The firm offers various investment vehicles and ERISA fiduciary services, relying on third-party program sponsors and an affiliation with a publicly traded parent company.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Concentrated stock management Equity Recipients (RS/RSU, SOP, ESPP) Long-term care insurance Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive Approaching retirement Sandwich Generation
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