Top general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Sunnyvale, 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.

When you're planning how to pass on your assets, you need guidance that considers both your current financial picture and your long-term family goals. A common mistake is overlooking how state-specific rules, like California's Proposition 13, affect property taxes over time.

  • Comprehensive asset review. Ensure the advisor evaluates all types of property and investments, not just liquid assets.
  • Tax impact awareness. Confirm they understand how California's tax laws, including Proposition 13, influence estate taxes and property values.
  • Family dynamics insight. Ask how they incorporate your heirs' needs and potential future changes in your plans.
  • Coordination with legal counsel. Estate planning often involves wills and trusts; check how they collaborate with your attorney to align financial and legal strategies.

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

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Steven H

Series 63, Series 65

Sunnyvale, CA

IP Financial Advisory Services LLC

Steven Hoffman is a financial advisor with IP Financial Advisory Services LLC in Sunnyvale, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory role since 2020, he has been a financial education instructor at Sunnyvale-Cupertino Adult School and a college planning consultant at Hife College Planning since 2013. Hoffman is also CEO of Backproject Corporation, a medical device manufacturer. IP Financial Advisory Services primarily serves individual retail clients, focusing on portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm constructs customized portfolios using various analytical approaches and also refers clients to third-party investment advisors while providing a range of consulting and insurance-related services.

Business succession planning Charitable giving & philanthropy Income planning Long-term care insurance Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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William D

Series 63

Sunnyvale, CA

Newedge Advisors

William Donnelly is a financial advisor at NewEdge Advisors with 29 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 designation and has worked at Mid Atlantic Capital Corporation and Mid Atlantic Financial Management, Inc. He is also the CEO and president of Donnelly Accountancy Corporation, a CPA firm, and has been involved in both accountancy and investment advisory businesses for several decades. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of independent advisers. The firm offers a wide range of portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services, utilizing multiple program structures and technology tools to support advisor and client needs.

Retirement plans for business owners (SEP, solo 401k) Founder/Business Owner Executive
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Shrddha S

Series 63, Series 66

Sunnyvale, CA

LPL Financial

Shrddha Singhi is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with three years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at Wells Fargo Bank and its clearing division, as well as BMO Bank NA. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individual and institutional clients through a broad network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolio programs, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms.

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

Sunnyvale, CA

Conway Partners

John Conway is a financial advisor at Conway Partners with two years of industry experience. Prior to his work in financial advising, he has been operating John Conway Law since 1992. Outside of finance, he is also a restaurant owner. Conway Partners provides wealth management, financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to a variety of clients, including individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and insurance companies. The firm’s investment approach centers on diversified, asset-allocation portfolios using low-cost ETFs and third-party independent managers, with additional services covering retirement plan consulting and specialized financial planning.

Equity Recipients (RS/RSU, SOP, ESPP) College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) General tax planning General retirement planning Wealth management Founder/Business Owner
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Saravanaraj S

Series 66

Sunnyvale, CA

Legacy Wealth Management, LLC

Saravanaraj Sathyaseelan is a financial advisor at Legacy Wealth Management, LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Bloom Global, Inc., GT Securities, Inc., and ArightCo. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a director of BloomSports, a youth basketball league. Legacy Wealth Management serves individual clients, charitable organizations, and business entities by providing discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and related services. The firm employs in-house model portfolios, sub-advisers, and a broad investment menu that includes alternative and illiquid investments.

Private / alternative investments Options & derivatives strategies Concentrated stock management Annuities
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Scott M

Series 63, Series 65

New York, NY

Morgan Stanley

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.

General estate planning guidance
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Kayla S

Series 63, Series 65

Warwick, RI

Mass Mutual Investors Services

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.

Divorce financial planning General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Cash flow / budgeting Founder/Business Owner Attorney Executive Married/Couples/Partners Divorced

Gordon B

Series 66

Luling, LA

Edward Jones

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.

Retirement income strategy General estate planning guidance Multi-generational wealth transfer Wealth management Oil & Gas Engineering Professional
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William S

Series 63, Series 65

College Station, TX

Smith & Wyatt

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.

Government Employee
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Thaddeus P

CFP®, Series 63, Series 65

Grand Rapids, MI

Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC

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.

College savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) Charitable giving & philanthropy General estate planning guidance General tax planning Options & derivatives strategies
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