Santa Monica Wealth Management, LLC

Santa Monica Wealth Management is a fee‑only registered investment adviser that provides ongoing, discretionary portfolio and investment management to individuals, high‑net‑worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations and small business entities. The firm manages client assets through a qualified custodian (Charles Schwab) and discloses that it does not accept commissions, referral fees, or other external compensation.

The firm’s investment approach combines strategic and tactical asset allocation in a core‑and‑satellite framework, using passive index funds and ETFs as the core while allocating to targeted opportunities as satellites, with an emphasis on long‑term, research‑driven, risk‑adjusted returns over a full market cycle. For clients who prefer individual securities, the firm supplements its allocation process with selective equity lists (including use of CFRA’s Five STAR list), treats cash as a strategic asset, and avoids market‑timing.

Noteworthy operational features include no account minimums, a clear fee‑only posture with no soft‑dollar arrangements, and policies that the firm will not aggregate or “block” trades for multiple client accounts and leaves proxy voting to clients rather than voting on their behalf. As a small advisory firm, the brochure also highlights reliance on its principal for investment management and sets out a contingency plan for continuity if key personnel become unavailable.