Top Financial Advisors in Santa Barbara, CA

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Mission Wealth Management is the first firm on our list. The firm’s client base is a mix of mostly non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, with some charitable organizations, as well. The firm does not have a minimum initial investment for new clients.

As a fee-based firm, some advisors at Mission may earn commissions on certain transactions. While this creates the potential for a conflict of interest, the firm will always act in its clients’ best interests due to its fiduciary duty.

Mission Wealth Management specializes in financial planning, portfolio management for both individuals and businesses, consulting for retirement plans and the selection of independent investment advisors.

At its Santa Barbara headquarters, the firm boasts a number of certifications, including Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®), certified divorce financial analysts (CDFAs), accredited asset management specialists (AAMSs), accredited wealth management analysts (AWMAs), chartered financial consultants (ChFCs), chartered life underwriters (CLUs), chartered retirement plans specialists (CRPSs) and more.

Mission Wealth Management typically makes recommendations on a wide variety of investment securities, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), institutional mutual funds, dimensional funds, multi-manager funds, common and preferred stocks, corporate and government bonds, municipal tax-free bonds, certificates of deposit (CDs) and cash instruments, variable insurance contracts, existing client holdings and several alternative investments.

Although the firm may make recommendations on any of the above, its primary investments are ETFs, mutual funds, institutional funds and individual securities. Mission Wealth Management doesn’t have custody of any client assets, typically working with a custodian like Fidelity or Charles Schwab. This practice is quite common across the financial advisor industry.

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West Coast Financial is a fee-only firm that opened for business back in 1983. It currently works with individuals, high-net-worth individuals, pooled investment vehicles, pension plans, charitable organizations and businesses.

The firm offers portfolio management services for both individuals and businesses, as well as financial planning, consulting and selection of other advisors. West Coast Financial will typically only accept new clients that have at least $1 million in investable assets. However, the firm is open to waiving or altering this requirement.

Of the firm's advisors, a handful are based in Santa Barbara. The firm includes certifications such as Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA) and certified private wealth advisor (CPWA).

West Coast Financial approaches every client portfolio uniquely, as it believes every client has a distinctive financial situation. It typically invests in money market instruments, bonds, preferred stocks, common stocks, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and mutual funds where appropriate.

When purchasing securities for client portfolios, the firm expects to hold them for several years. The primary exception to this rule is if the firm is rebalancing a portfolio back to its target asset allocation.

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Channel Wealth, LLC is a fee-based firm headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.

The firm offers investment management, financial planning and consulting services to a diverse range of clients, including individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporations. Channel Wealth also provides advisory services to brokerage customers through agreements with broker-dealers, and it may utilize independent managers or sub-advisors to manage client assets when appropriate.

Channel Wealth does not impose a stated account minimum for investment management services, though third-party managers may set their own minimums.

The team includes professionals licensed to offer insurance products, and advisors may earn commissions on insurance sales. However, it is a fiduciary and is obligated to act in the best interests of its clients at all times.

Channel Wealth tailors its investment advisory services to each client’s unique objectives, time horizon, risk tolerance, liquidity needs and financial goals. Portfolios may incorporate individual stocks and bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options and alternative investments. The firm employs both strategic and tactical asset allocation strategies, and utilizes multiple analysis methods such as fundamental, technical, charting and cyclical analysis to inform investment decisions. Modern Portfolio Theory, trend analysis, and defensive strategies may also be applied as needed to help clients pursue long-term growth and mitigate risk.

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Arlington Financial Advisors' client base is comprised of high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth individuals, though it also works with pension and profit-sharing plans, as well as other investment advisors. The firm doesn’t have an account minimum for new clients.

Arlington Financial Advisors provides portfolio management and financial planning services to its clients. Additionally, the firm may offer to consult with retirement plans and may occasionally allocate client assets to independent money managers.

Despite having a few advisors that are insurance agents, this is a fee-only firm because those advisors don't sell insurance to clients. This means all of the firm's compensation comes from client-paid fees.

Among the firm’s advisors, you’ll find advisory certifications including Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and certified investment management analyst (CIMA).

Arlington Financial Advisors seeks to provide a diversified portfolio for each client with an asset allocation that aligns with their investing goals, risk tolerance, cash flow needs and time horizon. After establishing the appropriate asset allocation, the firm typically rebalances on an annual basis.

The firm invests in a standard range of securities, such as individual stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and options. The firm will also consider other public and private securities if it deems it appropriate for the client’s financial outlook.

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Ariadne Wealth Management has been doing business since 2008. It is a fee-only firm that offers advisory services solely to high-net-worth individual clients. Ariadne has one of the highest account minimums of any firm on this list at $5 million per household.

The firm provides a range of services including asset management, financial planning and consulting for retirement plans. Financial planning services include retirement planning, tax planning, estate planning, charitable planning, business planning, debt management and more.

There are advisory certifications at the firm that include Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®) and chartered financial analysts (CFA).

Fees for wealth management services are calculated as a percentage of your assets under management (AUM). The exact percentage you receive is dependent on the specifics of your finances. This fee tends to incorporate financial planning and ongoing asset management services.

Ariadne Wealth Management uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses to come to the right investment strategy for each client. Quantitatively, the firm examines large amounts of data such as historical returns, current returns, regression analysis and more. Qualitatively, advisors rely on years of experience to spot scenarios where the data might be misleading.

The firm may consider a wide range of securities depending on the client’s objectives and risk tolerance. However, it will primarily recommend exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds and individual stocks and bonds.

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Monarch Wealth Strategies is a fee-based firm headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.

The firm primarily serves affluent individuals and families, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, trusts, estates, broker-dealers and businesses. Monarch Wealth Strategies generally works with clients who have at least $750,000 in investable assets.

The firm does not disclose a strict investment minimum for new clients, though it does charge a minimum annual advisory fee of $7,500 for wealth management services. Financial planning and consulting services are also available on an hourly or flat-fee basis, with fees tailored to each client’s complexity and needs.

The team includes professionals who may also be licensed insurance agents. As a fee-based advisor, MWS and its associated persons may earn commissions from the sale of insurance products, creating potential conflicts of interest. However, the firm states that all recommendations are made in the best interest of the client. Monarch Wealth Strategies is a registered investment advisor and upholds a fiduciary duty to its clients.

Monarch Wealth Strategies tailors investment strategies to individual client goals, risk profiles and time horizons.

The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical and third-party analysis to guide investment decisions. It employs both strategic and tactical asset allocation approaches and may recommend mutual funds, exchanged-traded funds (ETFs), individual securities, institutional investments, and cash instruments. Depending on the client, MWS may also incorporate more complex strategies, such as private funds, annuities or options. Portfolios are managed on a discretionary basis and reviewed regularly to ensure alignment with client objectives.

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Trinity Capital Management is headquartered in Santa Barbara, but it also operates secondary branches in Rancho Cucamonga, California and Olympia, Washington. The majority of the firm’s clients are non-high-net-worth individuals, but it also manages money for high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations and businesses.

Trinity Capital Management provides fee-only investment management services and advanced financial planning. The firm doesn’t have a minimum account size.

Of the firm’s advisors, advisory certifications include Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and chartered financial analyst (CFA).

Trinity Capital Management invests in no-load mutual funds, corporate and government bonds, tradable certificates of deposit (CDs) and cash management or money market funds. The firm centers its investing approach around modern portfolio theory, and it prefers to adopt a long-term perspective whenever possible.

Trinity believes that global diversification is a crucial aspect of long-term investing success. The aim is to minimize volatility while accessing sustainable market gains.

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Avalan has been doing business in the Santa Barbara area since 2011. Its client base is a mix of non-high-net-worth individuals, high-net-worth individuals, pension plans and charitable organizations. The firm doesn’t have a minimum account size, but it has a $10,000 minimum annual fee.

Certain advisors at Avalan are licensed to sell insurance products and earn commissions on those sales. The receipt of these commissions creates a potential conflict of interest. However, Avalan must abide by fiduciary duty and act in clients’ best interests no matter what.

The firm offers asset management and an automated investing program, along with financial planning and consulting services. Financial planning can cover, among other topics, retirement planning, estate planning, charitable gift planning, education planning, corporate and personal tax planning, real estate analysis, mortgage/debt analysis, insurance analysis and lines of credit evaluation.

Advisory certifications at the firm include the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and chartered financial consultant (ChFC) designations.

For asset management services, Avalan charges a negotiable percentage of your AUM that won’t exceed 2.00%. If you take part in the automated investing program, you’ll be charged an annual fee of 0.50% to 1.00% of your invested assets.

When creating client portfolios, Avalan generally invests in a standard range of securities. These could include individual stocks or bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options, mutual funds and other public and private securities. 

Every client of the firm will receive a portfolio that’s globally diversified across several different asset classes. This fits in with the firm’s preference for long-term, disciplined investing over speculation and active management.

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Omega Financial Group is the next firm on our list. The firm mostly works with non-high-net-worth individuals, but it maintains advisory relationships with high-net-worth individuals, pension plans and charitable organizations as well.

Some Omega advisors are licensed to sell insurance products, and they may earn additional commissions for these sales. This makes the firm fee-based and creates the potential for a conflict of interest. Despite this, it has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of its clients at all times.

The firm provides asset management, financial planning and consulting services to its clients. The firm has a $1 million minimum investment requirement for new clients, though this minimum is waivable.

The firm's advisors boast numerous certifications, such as Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial consultant (ChFC), chartered life underwriter (CLU) and chartered retirement plan counselor (CRPC).

Omega Financial Group often invests in a diversified collection of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities and alternative investments when constructing client portfolios.

The firm tailors its investment strategy to each client’s risk tolerance, liquidity needs and time horizon. The firm takes these factors into account and uses them to create an asset allocation and investment strategy that’s best equipped to produce returns over the long term.

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Painted Porch Advisors is a fee-only firm that carries no minimum account requirement to obtain its services. The firm works with individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, individual participants of a retirement plan, profit-sharing plans, pension plans, charitable organizations and businesses.

As a fee-only firm, it does not receive an extra commission for the sale of any securities.  

Advisors at the firm hold designations such as chartered financial analyst (CFA).

The firm puts a large emphasis on the up-front planning of its investment management practice. Each advisor will sit with new clients to learn their life goals and individual desires for their investments. They claim to never sell or pitch anything and offer free consulting as a means to help potential clients better take control of their finances. Some of the types of investments utilized in its client portfolios include mutual funds, ETFs, Bonds and private placements.