Flat-fee, business sale tax planning 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 triggers complex tax decisions that can affect your net proceeds and future financial plans. Without expert guidance, you might overlook key tax-saving opportunities or mismanage timing, leading to unnecessary tax burdens. Flat-fee advisors charge a set price, so you know your costs upfront without surprises.

  • Tax timing strategies. Ask how they plan the sale date and income recognition to minimize your overall tax hit.
  • Capital gains insight. Confirm they understand how to differentiate between ordinary income and capital gains to optimize your tax outcome.
  • State tax nuances. California’s high income taxes and Proposition 13 property tax limits can impact your planning; see how they incorporate these factors.
  • Post-sale cash flow. Discuss how they help manage your liquidity and tax payments after the sale to avoid surprises.

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 a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Morgan Stanley and Beverly Hills Wealth Management. Jones has been with Victus Capital Wealth since 2014. 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 utilizes a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis with various investment strategies and regularly monitors and rebalances client portfolios under a fiduciary standard.

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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Ethan S

Series 65

St. Louis, MO

Focus Partners Wealth, LLC

Ethan Singer is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked previously at The Colony Group, LLC and Buckingham Strategic Partners, LLC. Focus Partners serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with a comprehensive range of wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Options & derivatives strategies Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business sale tax planning Dentist Founder/Business Owner Executive Retired Established Professionals Approaching retirement Values-based investing
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Brian M

Series 65

Watkinsville, GA

Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC

Brian Moore is a financial advisor with Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and bringing 13 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Advisory Services Network, LLC, and Precision Capital Management. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in several non-investment business activities including ownership roles in insurance commissions and land ownership ventures. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an enterprise-scale RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in regulatory assets. The firm serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as institutional clients such as pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, offering a range of investment advisory and financial planning services.

ESG / Sustainable investing Private / alternative investments Concentrated stock management Business sale tax planning Retirement income strategy Executive Founder/Business Owner Retired HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) Mid-Career Professionals
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Rodney L

Series 63, Series 66

Boston, MA

Flagship Harbor Advisors, LLC

Rodney Laurenz is a financial advisor with Flagship Harbor Advisors, LLC in Boston, MA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Flagship Harbor Advisors and LPL Financial since 2011. Laurenz teaches several investment-related classes annually through the Cambridge Centre for Adult Education. Flagship Harbor Advisors is an SEC-registered firm that serves individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $3.42 billion in discretionary assets and employs a range of investment strategies including mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and third-party managed accounts.

Private / alternative investments Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Wealth management Business sale tax planning Founder/Business Owner Executive

Matthew A

Series 66

Florham Park, NJ

Merrill

Matthew Armendinger is a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP) and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designations. He specializes in helping individuals and families with various financial strategies including employee benefits planning, family wealth management strategies, investment consulting for defined contribution plans, legacy planning, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, small business strategies, tax minimization, and retirement income. Matthew earned his Bachelor's Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and remains actively engaged with his alma mater through the Fairleigh Dickinson Young Alumni Association. His professional involvement extends to volunteering as a guest speaker with ALPFA NJ and supporting the Lupus Foundation for America, New Jersey Chapter. Outside of his professional work, Matthew enjoys baseball, basketball, football, golfing, reading, running, spending time with his family, and practicing yoga. He participates in activities such as running with his run club in Jersey City and competing in indoor golf leagues.

General retirement planning Retirement income strategy Wealth management Tax-loss harvesting Business sale tax planning
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William F

CFP®, Series 63

San Diego, CA

Sovran Advisors, LLC

William Frankenstein is a CFP® with 42 years of industry experience, currently serving as an investment advisor representative at Sovran Advisors, LLC. His prior roles include positions at Mass Mutual Investors Services, MassMutual Life Insurance Co., and MetLife Securities Inc. He is also involved with the Foundation for Senior Services, where he discusses financial planning with seniors. Sovran Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable and corporate entities, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $1.78 billion in client assets through a team of about 53 advisors, offering customized portfolio management and diversified investment strategies.

Business sale tax planning Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Executive Founder/Business Owner
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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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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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Hassan A

Series 63, Series 65

Rockville, MD

LPL Financial

Hassan Al Kadhimi is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is also involved with NIHFCU Wealth Advisors, a related business entity. 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, and institutional platforms, supported by a large network of investment adviser representatives.

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

Series 66

Ft. Wayne, IN

Raymond James & Associates

Amanda Scheele is a financial advisor with Raymond James & Associates in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, holding a Series 66 designation and 16 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Raymond James in 2024, she worked at Wells Fargo Clearing from 2016 to 2024 and is involved with Lucky Duck since 2025. Raymond James & Associates is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, institutions, and municipal entities. The firm offers financial planning and non-discretionary consulting services, drawing on various portfolio management styles and affiliated research.

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