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 who serve your area.
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| Rank | Financial Advisor | Assets Managed | Minimum Assets | Financial Services | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Occidental Asset Management, LLC
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$523,737,691 | $500,000 |
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Minimum Assets$500,000Financial Services
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| 2 |
Elm Advisors, LLC
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|
$380,894,446 | $1,000,000 |
|
Minimum Assets$1,000,000Financial Services
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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 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.
Occidental Asset Management, LLC
Occidental Asset Management (OCCAM), which is also known as Your Mental Wealth Advisors, is the top-rated firm in Burlingame. This fee-only firm 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 $500,000. The firm's Form ADV does state that its minimum requirement is waivable, however.
As a fee-only firm, OCCAM's revenue comes exclusively from client-paid fees, not third-party commissions for selling securities or insurance. These fees are charged as a percentage of a client's assets under management (AUM). The firm's team of advisors includes five certified financial planners (CFPs).
Occidental Asset Management Background
OCCAM 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 ownship team also includes partner Dr. Brad Klontz, who is a financial planner and financial psychologist.
OCCAM 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 Investment Strategy
OCCAM 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, OCCAM 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 is a fee-only firm that’s been serving clients in the Burlingame area for nearly two decades. 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 is also open to working with foundations, businesses and pension plans.
As a fee-only practice, Elm Advisors does not receive sales commissions on investment products or insurance services. Instead, its revenue comes solely from client-paid fees. Those fees are charged as a percentage of a client's assets under management.
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 Strategy
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, fixed-income funds and alternative investments. The firm may focus specifically on fixed-income investments if the client has a particular set of income requirements.
