Top general estate planning guidance financial advisors in Thousand Oaks, CA

Louis Ashamallah is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding the CFP® certification and Series 66 license, and has 19 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services for nine years and UBS Financial Services for seven years. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and other 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.

Laura Elmore is a financial advisor at Transamerica Financial Advisors with 12 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked in various roles including estate planning support at Inheritguard LLC and insurance services at Gallagher. Outside of advising, she is also a classroom teacher with the Moorpark Unified School District. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base, offering advisory and broker-dealer services with a mix of proprietary and third-party model portfolios. The firm manages both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts and operates as both a registered broker-dealer and registered investment adviser.

Anna Bogorodchenko is a financial advisor at Hillcrest Financial Group in Thousand Oaks, CA. She holds a Series 65 designation and has recently begun her advisory career, joining Hillcrest Financial Group in 2025. Her prior experience includes roles at CIBC Wood Gundy and RBC Dominion Securities. Hillcrest Financial Group offers financial planning, discretionary investment management, and retirement plan consulting to individuals, trusts, corporations, and qualified employee benefit plans. The firm uses Modern Portfolio Theory to construct tailored portfolios combining mutual funds, ETFs, and individual securities, and manages approximately $471 million in discretionary assets for a client base served by a four-advisor team.

Serj Arutyunyan is a CFP® and Series 66 credentialed advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with J.P. Morgan Securities in Thousand Oaks, CA, and has prior experience with Wells Fargo Clearing. Outside of his financial advisory role, he provides in-home supportive services to assist a disabled family member. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC offers investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, combining quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence and applying an ESG eligibility framework in its recommendations.

Derek Newell is a financial advisor with Merrill holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at Bank of America and Merrill, along with various positions outside the financial industry. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary investment strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.