Independent financial advisors working with retirees in Santa Ana, CA

Sandeep Madhavan is a CFP® with 22 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Ameriprise since 2020. He previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. from 2003 to 2020. Madhavan serves on the Board of Directors for the Santiago Canyon College Foundation and is the Sponsorship Chair for the Tustin Western Little League. Ameriprise provides a retirement-income planning service aimed at individuals approaching or in retirement with significant investable assets, combining research-driven modeling and tax-efficient strategies. As a large institutional firm, it offers a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions through affiliated entities.

Scott Wetzel is the principal of Greenworth Investment Advisors, LLC, an independent firm based in Santa Ana, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of experience in the financial industry. Prior to founding Greenworth Investment Advisors in 2011, he was president and partner at Ticon General Contractors, a commercial construction company, where he worked from 1998 to 2021. Greenworth Investment Advisors serves individual clients through fee-based portfolio management and hourly consultations. The firm employs a long-term, rules-based investment approach focusing on value investing and passive strategies, managing client accounts directly without outsourcing.

Michael Morera is a financial advisor with Virtue Capital Management, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 19 years of industry experience. He has worked at Virtue Capital since 2015 and previously was with Regal Advisory Services, Inc. from 2007 to 2015. Outside of advisory work, Morera is the owner of Beach Cities Tax Service and teaches financial literacy at Financial Education Jr Business School. Virtue Capital Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, qualified retirement plans, and other advisers. The firm customizes portfolios using tactical, strategic, and dynamic approaches, supported by an investment committee, and operates a multi-team model of investment adviser representatives and independent partners.

Taylor Bell is a financial advisor with Aequitas Financial, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and five years of industry experience. He previously worked at firms including Blue Barn Wealth and Fidelity Brokerage Services and is also the owner of Aequitas Bookkeeping, a business providing bookkeeping and accounting services to small business owners. Additionally, Bell is employed as a Direct Solutions Consultant at Addepar, a performance reporting software company. Aequitas Financial is a single-advisor independent firm serving individual and high-net-worth clients with fee-only financial planning and discretionary investment management. The firm combines passive and active investments with socially responsible options and offers educational seminars alongside ongoing client engagements.

Sandip Sehmi is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Santa Ana, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. He has been with LPL Financial since 2009 and previously worked at Mutual Service Corporation from 2006 to 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he is a 20% member of an investment-related LLC, Caversham Resources, and serves as a successor trustee for his family trust. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, retirement plans, banks, and institutions. The firm offers a range of financial planning and investment management solutions, including third-party asset management and institutional platforms, supported by technology tools and a broad suite of non-advisory financial services.

Omar Esparza is a financial advisor at VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with VOYA Financial Advisors and its affiliates since 2010, including prior roles at Principal Financial Services. VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. serves individuals—including high-net-worth clients—pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management services through a large network of advisors, utilizing model portfolios, third-party managers, and technology-enabled tools across non-discretionary and discretionary account arrangements.

Daniel Esquirell is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC since 2022 and previously worked for Asset Planning Services, Ltd for 15 years. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC provides wealth management and comprehensive financial planning to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, foundations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporations. The firm employs an open-architecture, multi-manager investment approach combining passive and active strategies within a tax-sensitive, disciplined process.

William Hurt is a financial advisor at Arax Advisory Partners with 26 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has previously worked at firms including U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors and Sanders Morris LLC. Arax Advisory Partners provides wealth management and advisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, family offices, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a fiduciary approach, utilizing in-house portfolio teams, independent managers, and a blend of traditional and alternative investments.

Jeffrey Meenes is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 15 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Meenes Wealth Partners in Shrewsbury, MA, and has worked at Blueprint Financial Planning, LLC since 2010. Meenes Wealth Partners provides flat-fee, fiduciary wealth management and comprehensive financial planning services primarily to pre-retiree and retiree households. The firm follows an evidence-based investment approach emphasizing global diversification, cost efficiency, and tax-aware portfolio management, operating on a non-discretionary basis with a small, hands-on client base.

Scott Pinheiro is a Senior Consultant with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, bringing extensive experience to his role since joining the firm in 2015. He has been involved in the financial services industry since 1979. Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State University and professional designations including Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) from the American College of Financial Services. Scott specializes in working with executives and retirees from major banks and insurance companies, managing client accounts typically ranging from $500,000 to $5,000,000. His expertise encompasses a disciplined financial process tailored to clients’ unique situations, including college education planning, family wealth management, retirement income, tax minimization, and socially responsible investing. As a Senior Portfolio Advisor, he also builds and manages customized investment strategies utilizing Merrill model portfolios and third-party investments. In addition to his professional work, Scott is committed to community involvement through his participation with the local Optimist Club. He resides near Princeton, New Jersey with his wife of 40 years and their Yorkshire terrier. Personal interests include cooking, fishing, golfing, reading, and traveling.

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.