Cardiff by the Sea, CA Office

Independent Wealth Solutions is a state-registered advisory firm that serves individual investors and retirement plans, offering portfolio management through third-party sub‑advisers and 401(k) plan consulting and administration on the Betterment at Work platform. The firm operates with a very small client base and two advisors, and provides tailored advisory and solicitation services rather than managing most assets directly in-house.

Rather than directly executing investment strategies, Independent Wealth Solutions evaluates client goals and selects sub‑advisers to implement portfolios, furnishes each recommended adviser’s Form ADV Part 2, and documents solicitor disclosures when referring clients. For plan clients the firm coordinates with Betterment’s recordkeeping, discretionary advisory, and participant-management tools, and reviews sub‑advisers periodically for ongoing suitability.

Distinctive features noted in the brochure include an affiliation with an insurance entity and the sale of fixed annuities by firm personnel, with commissions possible for those insurance sales, which the firm discloses as a potential conflict of interest. The firm also discloses receipt of referral compensation and business-development benefits from third parties (including Betterment), and a succession arrangement and organizational restructuring that underscore its small, closely held operating model.