Top business exit / sale strategy financial advisors in Santa Monica, 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.

Selling a business is a major financial event that often triggers complex tax and cash flow challenges. If you don't have an advisor experienced in business exit strategies, you might miss opportunities to reduce taxes or mismanage the timing of your sale proceeds.

  • Tax impact awareness. Confirm how they plan around California's high income taxes and leverage rules like Proposition 13 to manage your property tax exposure after the sale.
  • Sale timing strategy. Ask how they help decide when to sell to optimize your financial outcome, not just based on market conditions.
  • Post-sale cash flow. Ensure they model your income needs and investment plans after the sale to avoid surprises.
  • Business valuation insight. Look for advisors who understand how valuation affects your exit options and tax consequences.

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

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Robert J

Series 66

Santa Monica, CA

Victus Capital Wealth

Robert Jones is a financial advisor at Victus Capital Wealth with 21 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Victus Capital Wealth since 2014, as well as Beverly Hills Wealth Management, LLC since 2011. Victus Capital Wealth serves individual and high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and business entities by providing portfolio management and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across various investment strategies while maintaining a fiduciary standard in monitoring and rebalancing portfolios.

Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments
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Skip Z

Series 66

Santa Monica, CA

Ocean Avenue Wealth Management

Skip Zwahlen is a financial advisor at Ocean Avenue Wealth Management in Santa Monica, CA, with 19 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Ocean Avenue Wealth Management since 2010. Zwahlen is also a licensed insurance agent and occasionally offers clients commissionable insurance products. Ocean Avenue Wealth Management provides ongoing portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs multiple analytical methods and implements a range of strategies without accepting investment discretion, maintaining client authorization for trading and execution.

Options & derivatives strategies Real estate investing Annuities
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Ravin W

Series 63, Series 66

Santa Monica, CA

Thrivent Investment Management

Ravin Walters is a financial advisor at Thrivent Investment Management with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has previously worked at firms including Royal Alliance Associates, Bank of America, Merrill, and Charles Schwab. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients, offering both one-time and ongoing planning engagements. The firm delivers holistic, goal-based analyses across a broad range of planning topics and allows clients to combine planning with managed-account services under a consolidated billing option called WealthPlan.

Business ownership considerations
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Michael H

CFP®, Series 66

Santa Monica, CA

McDonald Hartman Wealth Advisors

Michael Hartman is a CFP® professional with 12 years of experience in financial advising. He is the principal of McDonald Hartman Wealth Advisors, an independent firm he joined in 2022. His prior roles include positions at Mutual Advisors, LLC, Kaye Capital Management, WealthSource Partners, LLC, and Reilly Financial Advisors LLC. McDonald Hartman Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $26.3 million in assets. The firm focuses on tailored advice based on client objectives, time horizon, and risk tolerance, employing various strategies including asset allocation, dollar-cost averaging, and technical analysis.

Wealth management
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Devon G

CFP®, ChFC®, Series 65

Santa Monica, CA

Serenus Wealth Advisors, LLC

Devon Galindo is a CFP®, ChFC®, and holds a Series 65 license with 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at Serenus Wealth Advisors, LLC since 2024 and previously spent 10 years at Camden Capital, LLC. Serenus Wealth Advisors is an SEC-registered firm serving individual and high-net-worth clients with comprehensive portfolio management and standalone financial planning. The firm employs a diverse investment approach that includes fundamental and technical analysis, quantitative models, and third-party manager due diligence, emphasizing asset allocation, duration management, and periodic rebalancing.

Options & derivatives strategies Private / alternative investments
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Sally H

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Seasons of Advice Wealth Management

Sally Hyman is a financial advisor with Seasons of Advice Wealth Management in New York, NY. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 43 years of industry experience, including roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and RBC Capital Markets. Outside of her advisory work, she records and sells vocal CDs and is involved in publishing her father's book on the spiritual meaning of disease and science. Seasons of Advice Wealth Management provides financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, small business owners, professionals, and families. The firm uses a proprietary planning process that integrates goal tracking, asset allocation, and tax planning, tailoring investment recommendations to each client’s objectives and risk tolerance.

General estate planning guidance Business exit / sale strategy Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Executive Values-based investing
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Kristin M

Series 66

Mt Pleasant, SC

Guardian Life

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. She previously worked at Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. and spent eight years with Charleston County School District. Outside of finance, she is an author and publisher of "The Basketball Coach's Notebook" and works as a math tutor for high school students. Guardian Life's subsidiary, Park Avenue® Wealth Management, serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, retirement consulting, and a combination of proprietary and third-party investment advisory programs.

Retirement income strategy Business exit / sale strategy Wealth management Private / alternative investments Founder/Business Owner Retired Executive
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Geoffrey T

Series 66

Chicago, IL

Sanctuary Advisors, LLC

Geoffrey Tomes is a financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 credential and 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at Noyes Advisors LLC for 11 years and David A Noyes & Company for 26 years. His other business activities include involvement in fixed life and health insurance and fixed annuities. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services employing various analytical approaches and maintains distinctive features such as negotiated performance-based fees for large institutional clients and affiliations with specialized asset management firms.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Cash flow / budgeting General retirement planning
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Amanda Q

Series 66

Richmond, VA

Wells Fargo Advisors

Amanda Quicke is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors with 18 years of industry experience. She has worked at various Wells Fargo entities since 2009. Amanda is a Series 66 license holder and has partial ownership in an investment-related business, Granite Wealth Management, LLC. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network serves individuals, trusts, and institutional clients by providing investment and fee-based financial planning services. The firm offers a broad range of planning options using proprietary research and tools, with services tailored to clients who meet specific net-worth criteria.

Divorce financial planning Planning for children with special needs Business exit / sale strategy Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner
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Keith E

CFP®

Pittsburgh, PA

Keith L. Eliou, CFP

Keith Eliou is the principal of Keith L. Eliou, CFP, an investment management firm based in Pittsburgh, PA. He holds the CFP® designation and has one year of experience as a financial advisor. In addition to his advisory role, he practices law focusing on elder law and real estate and is involved in insurance, mortgage lending, and real estate brokerage businesses. The firm primarily serves pooled vehicles and institutional accounts, offering portfolio management, retirement plan services, and financial planning. It utilizes an open-architecture investment approach with third-party money managers and employs multiple analytical methods and strategies, conducting annual account reviews.

Social Security optimization Retirement income strategy Cash flow / budgeting Charitable giving tax strategies Business exit / sale strategy Founder/Business Owner
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