Top general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Santa Maria, CA

Jennifer Murray is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley who holds a Series 66 designation and has 23 years of industry experience. She has worked with Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. since 2015 and with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC since 2009. Murray serves on the investment committee of the Santa Barbara Foundation and holds board positions with the Santa Maria Valley YMCA Foundation and CALM – Child Abuse Listening Mediation. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management provides advisory programs and tailored financial planning services to individuals and institutional clients, managing approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets. The firm emphasizes a structured financial planning process using proprietary tools and offers a broad range of investment and planning solutions.

Vanita Kibbe is a financial advisor at First Command Advisory Services with 23 years of industry experience. She holds the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. She has worked with the First Command organization since 2002 and currently serves as a health and weight loss coach with Optavia, LLC. First Command Advisory Services is an SEC-registered investment adviser that primarily serves individuals, corporations, and charitable clients, with a focus on active-duty service members and their families. The firm offers comprehensive financial planning and wrap-fee asset management programs managed centrally by its Investment Management Team and Wealth Portfolio Managers.

Carlos Zepeda is a financial advisor at Merrill with Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and four years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at J.P. Morgan Securities and Pacific Western Bank, as well as positions outside the financial industry. 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.

Alid Gonzalez is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding a Series 66 credential and two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Mechanics Bank, Edward Jones, Wells Fargo, and JP Morgan Chase. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with CountryWide Management, Ltd, a real estate rental business. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolio programs, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms, supported by a large network of investment adviser representatives.

Todd Sears is a financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in Santa Maria, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 14 years of industry experience. He has been with J.P. Morgan Securities since 2016 and previously worked at Brookstone Capital Management LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved as an employee in a commercial janitorial business. J.P. Morgan Securities provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, utilizing quantitative asset-allocation modeling and centralized due diligence. The firm offers a range of investment solutions delivered on a non-discretionary basis, combining a broad product access with an ESG eligibility framework.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.