Finding a Top Financial Advisory Firm in Tacoma, Washington
The search for a financial advisor in Tacoma, Washington, can be overwhelming. If you're doing due diligence, you're checking out registrations and filings with regulatory authorities, on top of combing through firms' websites and brochures. To help you narrow the field, the SmartAsset team did some of the initial heavy lifting for you. The result: this list of the top financial advisor firms in Tacoma, Washington. You can also cut to the chase by using our free advisor matching tool. It will link you with up to three vetted advisors who serve your area.
Find a Fiduciary Financial Advisor
We match more than 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 |
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1 | Financial Insights Find an Advisor | $789,094,694 | $500,000 |
| Minimum Assets$500,000Financial Services
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2 | Seneschal Family Office Find an Advisor | $244,646,831 | No set account minimum |
| Minimum AssetsNo set account minimumFinancial Services
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3 | Stolz & Associates, PS Find an Advisor | $199,442,103 | No set account minimum |
| Minimum AssetsNo set account minimumFinancial Services
|
What We Use in Our Methodology
To find the top financial advisors in Tacoma, 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.
Financial Insights
At the top of our list, Financial Insights is a fee-only RIA that provides portfolio management and financial planning services to a variety of client types, most of whom are individuals who do not have a high net worth, along with high-net-worth individuals, charitable organizations and pension and profit-sharing plans. The advisory team here includes financial certifications such as Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and certified wealth strategist (CWS).
To receive wealth management services from Financial Insights, which combine investment advisory services and financial planning, you’ll need a minimum account balance of $500,000. However, the firm may waive this requirement at its discretion.
Financial Insights Background
Dorothy A. Lewis founded Financial Insights in 1984. She remains the firm’s majority owner, while CEO and CCO Ali Criss-Kemp also holds a small stake.
Additionally, the firm designs and manages investment portfolios to help clients meet their long-term goals. Its services can also include:
- Business planning
- Charitable giving
- Review of financial needs following a death or disability
- Funding education through 529 plans, federal financial aid and more
- Estate planning
- Retirement planning
- Tax analysis
Financial Insights Investing Strategies
Financial Insights aims to build investment portfolios tailored to the client’s risk profile and long-term financial goals. These portfolios may invest in individual equities, bonds, certificates of deposit, no-load mutual funds, load-waived mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The firm generally places client assets in a portfolio based on or more of the following risk levels:
- Very conservative
- Moderately conservative
- Conservative
- Moderate
- Moderately aggressive
- Aggressive
- Very aggressive
Seneschal Family Office
Seneschal Family Office is a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm. Its advisory team includes financial certifications such as a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA). Advisors may hold more than one of these designations.
The investment management team generally doesn’t manage accounts valued at less than $1 million, though this isn't a set minimum. The firm may make an exception if the account is part of a large family relationship.
Seneschal Family Office Background
Seneschal Family Office has been in operation since 2004. While Jon Duncan founded the firm, he has now transitioned to a consulting role. Jeffrey Lang is the principal owner now. He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry.
This team offers advice on such financial planning topics as:
- Cash management and budgeting
- Risk management and insurance
- Education planning
- Retirement planning
- Estate planning
- Investment planning and asset allocation
- Tax planning
Seneschal Family Office Investment Strategy
The team at Seneschal Family Office sets out to build investment portfolios with asset allocations based on the risk profile of the client. These portfolios can invest in a variety of securities including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, individual stocks and individual bonds. When evaluating these securities, the firm may engage in analytical strategies like fundamental analysis, charting and cyclical analysis.
The firm also conducts an analysis of the underlying securities in the ETFs and mutual funds it recommends to avoid significant overlaps with other holdings in the client's portfolio.
Stolz & Associates
Stolz & Associates is a fee-only firm that offers asset management and financial planning services through a team of advisors. The in-house team includes certifications such as Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), certified public accountant (CPA) certified exit planning advisor (CEPA), personal financial specialist (PFS) and more.
The firm doesn’t require clients to maintain a minimum account size to receive investment advisory services. The team works with less high-net-worth individuals as compared to those who do not have a high net worth. The firm also works with pension and profit-sharing plans and businesses.
Stolz & Associates Background
Stolz & Associates has been providing investment advisory services since 2000. It’s owned by Michelle T. Robinson and Andrew C. Stolz. The Stolz & Associates in-house team has more than 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, collectively.
Though some advisors may specialize in certain subjects, they can generally offer advice on:
- Investment management
- Wealth management
- Retirement plan consulting
- Tax preparation
Stolz & Associates Investment Strategies
Each IAR applies his or her own investment strategies and analysis methods. Generally, they engage in fundamental and technical analysis when determining whether securities may be appropriate for a client’s portfolio. For the most part, they also adhere to the Efficient Market Theory. This school of thought suggests that stocks trade at their fair value on the exchanges because they reflect all available information. Thus, one can’t buy undervalued stocks or sell overvalued ones at higher prices. The firm states proponents of this theory believe one can’t “achieve returns in excess of average market returns on a risk-adjusted basis, given the information publicly available at the time the investment is made.”