Independent, equity compensation tax strategy financial advisors in Santa Monica, CA

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lee Chen is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Pasadena, California, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with UBS since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, Chen serves on the board of directors for the San Gabriel Country Club. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, combining proprietary capital market research with a broad range of financial planning and portfolio management solutions.

James Cannon is a financial advisor at Cannon Wealth Group LLC in Eagle, Idaho, with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has led his independent firm since 2014. Cannon Wealth Group LLC is a fee-based financial planning and investment management firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers tailored investment programs, comprehensive planning, and specialized pension consulting, including ERISA advisory and discretionary investment manager services.

Joseph Niehaus is a financial advisor at Jefferies Investment Advisers LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds the CFA® designation and Series 63 license. Prior to joining Jefferies in 2023, he worked at Golden 1 Credit Union and SAFE Credit Union. He also serves as a part-time lecturer at California State University, Sacramento, teaching a graduate-level financial markets course. Jefferies Investment Advisers LLC provides fee-based financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, foundations, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities through a customized planning process that includes balance sheet reviews, tax and estate planning, executive compensation, and philanthropic planning.

Seth Halley is a financial advisor with Goldman Sachs Wealth Services in Dallas, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at The Ayco Company, L.P./Mercer Allied and Tyson Foods/GDH Consulting. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a diverse client base ranging from individual investors to institutional clients, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized services such as Private Family Office and Executive Wealth programs. The firm integrates strategic allocation models, manager selections, and advanced analytics within the broader Goldman Sachs network to tailor solutions for client objectives.

Eldin Foco is a financial advisor at Sterling Advisory Group LLC with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at several firms including CIG Capital Advisors and Cco Investment Services Corp. since 2012. Sterling Advisory Group provides portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, families, trusts, foundations, businesses, and employer-sponsored plans. The firm manages client accounts on a tailored basis and also serves institutional clients, offering a range of strategic investment models that emphasize asset allocation, diversification, and Shariah-compliant selection.

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.