Independent, income planning financial advisors in Walnut Creek, CA

Nathan Sadowski is a financial advisor at Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Walnut Creek, CA, holding a Series 65 designation with 11 years of industry experience. He previously worked at J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc. for six years and has been associated with Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors since 2013. Nathan is also the owner of Pacific Excel Insurance Services, Inc., an investment-related business offering various insurance products. Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, pooled vehicles, and charitable organizations. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis with diversified investment vehicles and offers tailored service tiers that include advanced planning and portfolio management.

Gary Gardner is a CFP® with 49 years of experience in the financial industry. He is currently with OneAscent Financial Services LLC and has previously worked at Life & Wealth Advisors, Inc. and Chauner Securities, Inc. Gardner has also operated his own firm, Gary Gardner & Company, since 1975. OneAscent Financial Services LLC is a multi-team registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and institutions through multiple advisory teams. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, Unified Managed Account solutions, consulting, and back-office support for other RIAs.

Timothy Oshima is a CFP® with 13 years of experience in financial advising. He is the principal advisor at Acclaro Wealth Management, LLC, where he has worked since 2015, and he is also a co-owner of Simplera Benefits & Insurance Solutions. Outside of advising, he provides input on user interface and other aspects for a financial software development project. Acclaro Wealth Management offers investment management and financial planning to individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, and small businesses. The firm uses a disciplined approach that includes written Investment Policy Statements, ongoing monitoring, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, with implementation methods that may involve model portfolios, independent money managers, and wrap-fee arrangements.

William Leitch is a financial advisor at Casilio Leitch Investments with 21 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Casilio Leitch Investments since 2014. The firm provides discretionary investment management and integrated financial planning to individuals, trusts, and estates. Casilio Leitch Investments focuses on portfolio construction using a combination of top-down global economic analysis and bottom-up security evaluation, guided by Modern Portfolio Theory, primarily serving larger household portfolios.

William Harvey is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with LPL Financial in Walnut Creek, CA. His prior roles include positions at Lincoln Financial Advisors, Charles Schwab, Wells Fargo Investments, and Morgan Stanley DW Inc. Harvey operates Harmonic Wealth Management alongside his work with LPL Financial. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm provides a range of financial planning and investment management services utilizing various model portfolios and third-party subadvisors, supported by advanced operational tools.

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.

Vandana Devi is a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments, where she has been serving since 2025. She began her career at Fidelity Investments in 2023, progressing through roles including Financial Service Representative, Financial Representative, and Relationship Manager before assuming her current position. Prior to joining Fidelity, she worked as a Personal Banker at Fremont Bank from 2020 to 2022. Her professional experience encompasses client relationship management and financial planning, with a focus on empowering clients to make informed decisions and maintain confidence in their financial goals. Vandana holds a California Insurance License, supporting her expertise in insurance-related financial services. Outside of her professional work, Vandana engages in activities such as cooking and baking, outdoor adventures, parenthood, reading, traveling, and writing.

Kayla Wheeler is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Madison, WI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and one year of industry experience. She has worked at Primerica Advisors since 2024 and has prior experience with Spectrum Brands and Lakeside Foods. Outside of advisory work, she is involved in sales of loan products and home-related services through affiliated companies. Primerica Advisors provides discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, serving individual and high-net-worth clients with model-delivery strategies and limited discretionary separately managed account options. The firm curates third-party asset managers and delegates trading responsibilities to BNY Mellon Advisors, operating primarily on a tiered wrap-fee basis.

Stavroula Koutsfetsoulis is a financial advisor at Ameriprise with 25 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2011. In addition to her advisory role, she is involved in fiduciary activities as an attorney-in-fact (power of attorney). Ameriprise is a large institutional firm that provides retirement-income planning services primarily to individuals with substantial investable assets. The firm combines research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to deliver written recommendation reports through a centralized consulting team, focusing on tailored retirement income strategies.

Cassandra Sanchez is a financial advisor at Financial & Tax Architects, LLC with seven years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Fisher Investments, TIAA, US Health Advisors, and various other firms. Sanchez also had involvement with Drunken Donkey, reflecting experience outside the financial sector. Financial & Tax Architects provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on those nearing or in retirement. The firm offers proprietary “Private Wealth Strategies” that use ETFs, individual securities, and trend-aware rebalancing, with accounts reviewed monthly and customizable strategies to meet client needs.

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.