Independent, entity structure planning (LLC, S-Corp) 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.

If you're setting up or restructuring your business as an LLC or S-Corp, you need an advisor who understands how these choices affect your taxes and legal protections. A common mistake is picking an entity without considering how it impacts your personal liability and tax obligations over time. Independent advisors here work without firm constraints, focusing on your unique business needs.

  • Tax impact clarity. Ask how they explain the differences in tax treatment between LLCs and S-Corps, especially regarding self-employment taxes and income distribution.
  • Long-term property tax insight. Confirm if they consider California's Proposition 13 limits when advising on property ownership within your entity.
  • Liability protection focus. Ensure they address how each entity structure shields your personal assets from business risks.
  • Ongoing compliance guidance. Check how they help you stay compliant with state filing requirements and avoid costly penalties.

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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Matthew F

Series 65

North Haven, CT

Morrissey Wealth Management LLC

Matthew Fernandez is a financial advisor at Morrissey Wealth Management LLC with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Morrissey Wealth Management, he worked in residential real estate as a licensed salesperson with Century 21 ICON. Morrissey Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary investment management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and businesses. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to build primarily long-term portfolios and emphasizes client education through participant meetings and licensed financial-planning materials.

General retirement planning Income planning Stock option exercise strategy Cash flow / budgeting Entity structure planning (LLC, S-Corp) Founder/Business Owner Executive Mid-Career Professionals
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Carlos C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Austin, TX

Valtrion Capital Management, LLC

Carlos Castro is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience. He is currently with Valtrion Capital Management, LLC, where he has worked since 2024. His prior roles include positions at Lincoln Financial Securities and USAA Investment Management. Valtrion Capital Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business plan sponsors by providing financial planning, retirement plan consulting, portfolio reviews, and discretionary investment management. The firm employs diversified asset allocation strategies and manages client assets on a discretionary basis tailored to risk tolerance and time horizons.

RSUs / ISOs / NSOs Retirement income strategy General retirement planning Business ownership considerations Entity structure planning (LLC, S-Corp) Founder/Business Owner Executive

Derek F

CFP®, Series 66

Stillwater, MN

Edward Jones

Derek Fisher is a CFP® professional with nine years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Edward Jones since 2017 and previously was employed by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage for six years. He is based in Stillwater, MN. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment solutions, managing approximately $1.01 trillion in assets through a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Business ownership considerations Entity structure planning (LLC, S-Corp) Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Business exit / sale strategy Business succession planning Founder/Business Owner Technology Professional Engineering Professional Executive Doctor or Medical Professional
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Richard P

Series 63, Series 65

Forked River, NJ

Davidson Wealth Management LLC

Richard Prozzo is an investment advisor representative at Davidson Wealth Management LLC with 37 years of industry experience. He has been with Davidson Wealth Management since 2010 and is also affiliated with OSAIC. Prozzo serves as a trustee alongside his mother for his deceased father’s irrevocable trust, making investment decisions and distributing income to the beneficiary. Davidson Wealth Management LLC serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, managing approximately $172.4 million across about 228 accounts. The firm offers asset management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party advisory programs, employing fundamental, technical, and charting analysis while maintaining a predominantly non-discretionary asset base.

Business sale tax planning Cash flow / budgeting College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Retirement income strategy Founder/Business Owner

Jori G

Series 7, Series 63, Series 65, Series 24

New York, NY

Guzhuna Asset Management

Jori Guzhuna is a financial strategist and founder of Guzhuna Asset Management, an independent registered investment advisory firm serving a select clientele of entrepreneurs, executives, and multi-generational families. His philosophy is rooted in a disciplined bottom-up approach to wealth management. Every client engagement begins with risk management and asset protection—ensuring the foundation is secure—followed by strategic tax mitigation. From there, planning expands into investment strategy, capital deployment, and long-term legacy design. Operating under a fiduciary standard, Jori provides objective, conflict-free advice with no proprietary products or commission-driven incentives. His work integrates institutional-grade investment access with advanced planning techniques, enabling clients to preserve, grow, and transfer wealth with precision. He is also recognized for implementing sophisticated investment approaches typically reserved for institutional environments. These strategies are designed to enhance efficiency, manage downside exposure, and create more controlled outcomes across varying market conditions—while remaining aligned with each client’s overall risk profile and objectives. Known for discretion and strategic clarity, Jori architects comprehensive financial structures designed to withstand complexity and deliver enduring results across generations.

General tax planning Business sale tax planning Wealth management Active portfolio management Entity structure planning (LLC, S-Corp) Executive Doctor or Medical Professional Founder/Business Owner Real Estate Professional Self-Employed HENRY (High Earners, Not Rich Yet) Established Professionals Approaching retirement
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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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Craig M

Series 63, Series 65

Columbia, SC

Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC

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.

Active portfolio management Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Annuities Options & derivatives strategies Founder/Business Owner Retired
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David H

Series 65

Irvine, CA

Martin Wealth Management, LLC

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.

Medicare planning Annuities
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Sarah C

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Boston, MA

Santander Securities LLC

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.

ESG / Sustainable investing Tax-loss harvesting General retirement planning Income planning Founder/Business Owner
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