Finding a Top Financial Advisor Firm in San Luis Obispo, California
Consider your search for a financial advisor in San Luis Obispo, California, over. We conducted hours of in-depth research, looking at fee structures, services, account minimums and more. The result: this list of the top registered investment advisors (RIAs) in the city. If the firms on this list do not fit your needs, check out SmartAsset's free financial advisor matching tool. It can connect you with up to three fiduciary financial advisors who serve your area.
Find a Fiduciary Financial Advisor
We match nearly 50,000 people with financial advisors per month. Get connected to an advisor that serves your area today.| Rank | Financial Advisor | Assets Managed | Minimum Assets | Financial Services | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Luis Wealth Advisors  Find an Advisor | $705,518,005 | No set account minimum |
| Minimum AssetsNo set account minimumFinancial Services
|
| 2 | Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors, LLC  Find an Advisor | $558,119,008 | No set account minimum |
| Minimum AssetsNo set account minimumFinancial Services
|
| 3 | Blakeslee & Blakeslee Financial Advisers, Inc.  Find an Advisor | $308,492,461 | No set account minimum |
| Minimum AssetsNo set account minimumFinancial Services
|
Let us help match you with up to three vetted fiduciary financial advisors.Answer a few questions to get matched. | |||||
| 4 | Phillip B. White Co., Inc.  Find an Advisor | $268,318,426 | $500,000 |
| Minimum Assets$500,000Financial Services
|
What We Use in Our Methodology
To find the top financial advisors in San Luis Obispo, we first identified all firms registered with the SEC in the city. Next, we filtered out firms that don't offer financial planning services, those that don't serve primarily individual clients and those that have disclosures on their record. The qualifying firms were then ranked according to the following criteria:
-
![]()
AUMFirms with more total assets under management are ranked higher. -
![]()
Individual Client CountFirms who serve more individual clients (as opposed to institutional clients) are ranked higher. -
![]()
Clients Per AdvisorFirms with a lower ratio of clients per financial advisor are ranked higher. -
![]()
Age of FirmFirms that have been in business longer are ranked higher.
All information is obtained through public records and is updated annually after the firms’ form ADV filing. This list may include firms that have a business relationship with SmartAsset, in which SmartAsset is compensated for lead referrals. Such relationships have no impact on our rankings, and firms are included and ranked based strictly on the above criteria. SmartAsset is not a client of the aforementioned firms, and did not receive compensation for including any of the firms on the aforementioned list.
San Luis Wealth Advisors
San Luis Wealth Advisors (SLWA) offers investment management and financial planning services to both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as charities and businesses. The firm does not impose an account minimum or charge a minimum fee.
As a fee-based firm, some advisors can earn commissions for selling insurance policies to clients. While commission-based compensation can create a conflict of interest, the firm has a fiduciary duty to act in its clients' best interests.
A client's financial situation, risk tolerance and investment objectives establish the framework that SLWA uses to create individual portfolios. SLWA relies on fundamental analysis to evaluate and select securities and takes a top-down approach to managing assets.
According to the firm's brochure, SLWA uses this idea as a starting point to build portfolios based on how different investments respond to economic cycles and market conditions:
"Put simply, even a very good company will find increasing its share price difficult in challenging economic conditions. In addition, some sectors or individual securities may perform better or worse depending on where they are in a cycle that may be determined by time or outside economic conditions.”
Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors, LLC
Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors (CPWA) is a fee-only firm that works primarily with high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth individuals, as well as retirement plans, charities and businesses.
The firm does not have a minimum account size requirement. However, clients who opt into the electronic delivery of statements or maintain at least $1 million in assets at Fidelity will not be charged transaction fees for U.S.-listed equities and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Like most other firms, CPWA meets with clients to hear about their financial situations, resources, financial goals and risk tolerance before designing portfolios. The firm creates an investment plan consisting of individual stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, options and other public or private securities.
CPWA's investment strategies include short- and long-term purchases, asset allocation, fixed-income investing, margin transactions, among others.
Blakeslee & Blakeslee Financial Advisers
Blakeslee & Blakeslee Financial Advisers (BBFA) is a fee-based firm that works with that non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals. Institutional clients also include pension and profit-sharing plans, and charities.
Some BBFA representatives are members of third-party firms and can earn commissions when they sell securities or insurance products. These commissions would be on top of the fees they collect from clients. This arrangement may raise a conflict of interest. However, advisors with BBFA are required by law to uphold their fiduciary standard and work in the best interests of the client.
The firm doesn’t require a minimum account for investment advisory services.
BBFA continuously manages portfolios designed to help clients meet their long-term investment goals at a suitable risk exposure. The firm aims to accomplish this by diversifying portfolios with different asset classes. Weightings depend on the client's risk tolerance, time horizon and other factors. Generally, portfolios invest in mutual funds, ETFs, stocks and bonds.
The firm generally relies on a long-term "buy and hold" strategy, although it may take advantage of opportunities to engage in short-term buying and selling due to market trends.
Phillip B. White Co.
Phillip B. White Co. is a fee-only firm that serves both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, and businesses.
The firm typically requires a minimum account size of $500,000 in order to obtain its services. This breaks down to an annual management fee of $6,250.
PBW offers clients financial planning and portfolio management services, as well as the selection of other advisors.
PBW uses methods like fundamental and cyclical analysis to evaluate investments. The firm’s brochure says that it gathers information from financial publications, company reports, SEC filings and third-party research tools such as Morningstar and internet sources.
The main investment strategy is strategic asset allocation using a core and satellite approach. This includes both index-based and actively managed funds, with a focus on global diversification to manage risk. Each client's strategy is based on their goals, risk tolerance and preferences, which are recorded in the advisory agreement.
PBW’s strategies also include long- and short-term investments and may involve margin trading. All investments carry some risk, and the approach takes these risks into account. For example, interest rate changes can affect bond values, leading to price fluctuations for investors.
