Finding a Top Financial Advisor Firm in Burlingame, California
There are a plethora of financial advisor firms to choose from in Burlingame, California, so SmartAsset's experts compiled this list to help you choose one. In order to differentiate between the firms, we go over their typical client bases, investment strategies, fee structures, advisory services, minimum investments and more. Do you still feel unsure of who you want to work with? Try our financial advisor matching tool. It will connect you with up to three advisors in your area.
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emery Howard  Find an Advisor | $1,627,796,970 | No set account minimum |
| Minimum AssetsNo set account minimumFinancial Services
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| 2 | Ensemble Capital Management, LLC  Find an Advisor | $1,399,255,000 | $3,000,000 |
| Minimum Assets$3,000,000Financial Services
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| 3 | Occidental Asset Management, LLC  Find an Advisor | $422,085,914 | $750,000 |
| Minimum Assets$750,000Financial Services
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| 4 | Elm Advisors, LLC  Find an Advisor | $338,973,424 | $1,000,000 |
| Minimum Assets$1,000,000Financial Services
|
What We Use in Our Methodology
To find the top financial advisors in Burlingame, 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:
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AUMFirms with more total assets under management are ranked higher. -
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Individual Client CountFirms who serve more individual clients (as opposed to institutional clients) are ranked higher. -
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Clients Per AdvisorFirms with a lower ratio of clients per financial advisor are ranked higher. -
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Age of FirmFirms that have been in business longer are ranked higher.
All information is accurate as of the writing of this article. 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.
Emery Howard
Emery Howard is the first firm in our roundup. Its client base is largely centered around individuals, both with and without a high net worth. Other clients of the firm include pension plans, businesses and charitable organizations.
The firm doesn’t impose a minimum account size. There are three certified financial planners (CFPs) on staff.
This is a fee-only firm, which means the entirety of its compensation comes from the fees that clients pay it for its services. This avoids the conflicts of interest found at fee-based firms, where compensation includes transaction-based fees.
Emery Howard Background
Emery Howard was founded in 1991. Michael K. Howard is the firm's president and principal owner; he has been working in the financial services industry since 1980.
This firm specializes in investment management and financial planning services. The latter can cover cash flow planning, education funding, risk management, retirement planning and transition planning, among other areas of need.
Emery Howard Investment Philosophy
When investing for clients, Emery Howard generally focuses on equity and fixed-income investments. Rather than invest directly in individual stocks, the firm tends to do so through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and institutional-class mutual funds. The firm may invest in individual bonds, though.
While expected future performance is obviously important when selecting securities to fill out a portfolio, the firm also considers transactional costs. In addition to this, your advisor will evaluate how the prospective security could help or hurt your portfolio's diversification. Possibly the most important considerations are the client’s investment preferences, investment objectives and risk tolerance.
Ensemble Capital Management, LLC
The Ensemble Capital Management team includes chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and certified financial planners (CFPs). The firm could be considered relatively exclusive, as it requires at least $3 million investment to become a client. However, this requirement may be waived or reduced at the firm's discretion.
Ensemble is a fee-only firm. High-net-worth individuals make up much of its client base, with non-high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, charities, businesses and trusts making up the rest.
Ensemble Capital Management Background
Ensemble Capital Management first opened its doors back in 1997, and it has three principal owners today: President and Chief Investment Officer Sean Stannard-Stockton, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer Matthew Pearson and Director of Wealth Management Ludo Thomasson. This trio has around 50 years of financial services experience between them.
Investment management is the flagship offering at Ensemble Capital Management, but clients who subscribe to this service can also receive financial planning services. This involves retirement planning, income planning, multigenerational wealth planning, asset allocation planning and estate planning.
Ensemble Capital Management Investing Philosophy
When creating portfolios for each client, Ensemble Capital typically uses a focused portfolio of between 15 and 30 individual equities. The firm has strategically chosen this number of individual stocks, as its Form ADV states, "Research shows that the benefits of diversification are optimized at between 15 and 30 holdings." This diversification is meant to ensure that your portfolio's returns aren't overly attached to one area of the market, making it vulnerable to a crash.
To reduce portfolio volatility, the firm may also invest in a range of fixed-income instruments. These can include Treasurys, FDIC-insured certificates of deposit (CDs), A-rated (or better) corporate and municipal bonds and investment-grade bond mutual funds.
Occidental Asset Management, LLC
Occidental Asset Management, LLC is a firm that works exclusively with individual clients and institutions with separately managed accounts. According to the firm's latest SEC fiiling, all of these current clients are high-net-worth individuals, which aligns with the firm’s minimum account size of $750,000. The firm's Form ADV does state that its minimum requirement is waivable, however.
The fee-only firm's team includes four certified financial planners (CFPs). On occasion, you may also see the firm operating under the name "Your Mental Wealth."
Occidental Asset Management Background
Occidental Asset Management was established in 2013. The firm is wholly owned by Occidental Capital, LLC, a financial services holding company. In turn, Occidental Capital is owned by A. Charles Cattano III, executive director of wealth management and family office services, and Nathan H. Walsh, executive director of asset management and chief compliance officer. The firm's team also includes partner Dr. Brad Klontz, who is a financial planner and financial psychologist.
Occidental provides its clients with both wealth management and financial planning services. Financial planning at the firm encompasses areas like income, expenses, taxes, investments, retirement plans and insurance. The firm also has a unique service called Your Mental Wealth® Discovery Process that seeks to help clients have a "healthy relationship with money and a sound blueprint for financial success," according to the firm's website.
Occidental Asset Management Investing Philosophy
Occidental Asset Management doesn't adhere to a specific investment strategy. That's because the firm formulates a customized portfolio plan for every client based on their risk tolerance, time horizon, income needs and overall investing goals. When analyzing potential investments, Occidental applies several techniques, including cyclical analysis, technical analysis, fundamental analysis and charting.
Technical and cyclical analysis involve seeking to identify trends in historical price and volume data, with cyclical analysis doing so specifically in the context of a business cycle. Fundamental analysis is the practice of analyzing a company or fund’s financial documents, as well the overall economy, in an attempt to gauge its intrinsic value. Charting involves visualizing price analyses with charts and graphs in order to better identify trends.
Elm Advisors, LLC
Elm Advisors, LLC is a fee-only firm that’s been serving clients in the Burlingame area for more than a decade. Certain members of firm's team hold professional designations such as certified financial planner (CFP) and chartered financial analyst (CFA).
Most of the firm's clients are high-net-worth individuals. Indeed, the firm maintains a $1 million minimum account size. Currently, charitable organizations are the only institutional clients. However, the firm also serves foundations, businesses and pension plans.
Elm Advisors Background
Elm Advisors was first established in 2005. Elana M. Lieberman and Lorne Abramson are the founders and principal owners of the firm, with their names being represented as the “E” and “L” in Elm, respectively. The duo opened the firm after individually spending several years at another portfolio management and financial advisory firm, the now-defunct Smith Barney.
Investment management is the primary service provided at Elm Advisors. The firm’s advisors tailor this service to the needs and objectives of each new client. The firm also provides financial planning services at no additional charge, and this can cover a wide variety of services, such as:
- Cash flow analysis
- Education funding needs
- Risk management
- Financial independence strategies
- Retirement planning
- Transition planning
Elm Advisors Investment Philosophy
Elm Advisors believes that asset allocation is much more important to a portfolio's success than market timing or individual security selection. This goes hand in hand with the firm's belief in investing specifically for the long term. As such, the firm seeks to achieve a broad diversification of asset classes in each client portfolio. It does this to help ensure that the returns your portfolio earns are not based in just a single area of the investment market.
When implementing these diversified portfolios, Elm Advisors typically goes with a combination of mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), individual equities, individual bond ladders and fixed-income funds. The firm may focus specifically on fixed-income investments if the client has a particular set of income requirements.
