Finding a Top Financial Advisor Firm in Chico, California
Finding a qualified financial advisor in Chico, California is going to take more than just a quick web search. You'll want to check Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registrations and filings to determine whether an advisor is experienced and knowledgable enough to entrust with your financial future. But don’t worry, we did the hard work for you and found the top financial advisors in Chico. For more options, use our free matching tool. It will connect you with up to three local advisors.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweeney & Michel, LLC  Find an Advisor | $425,273,006 | No set account minimum |
| Minimum AssetsNo set account minimumFinancial Services
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| 2 | The O'Donnell Group  Find an Advisor | $294,301,597 | $1,000,000 |
| Minimum Assets$1,000,000Financial Services
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| 3 | Spelts Wealth Management, Inc  Find an Advisor | $120,000,000 | $250,000 |
| Minimum Assets$250,000Financial Services
|
What We Use in Our Methodology
To find the top financial advisors in Chico,, 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.
Sweeney & Michel, LLC
At the top of the list, Sweeney & Michel, LLC provides investment management and financial planning services mostly to clients who do not have a high net worth. This means a typical individual client of the firm has less than $1 million in investable assets. There is no investment minimum.
The investment management team at Sweeney & Michel includes one certified financial planner (CFP) and one MBA.
Sweeney & Michel is a fee-only firm, which means that advisors do not collect commissions from vendors. Their only compensation is fees from their clients.
Sweeney & Michel Background
Sweeney & Michel was founded in 2016. Its owners are Joe Sweeney and Renee Michel. The advisory team has more than 30 years of combined experience in the financial services space. They offer their services to the following types of clients:
- Individuals and high-net-worth individuals
- Trusts and estates
- Charitable organizations
- Pension and profit-sharing plans
- Business entities
The firm provides asset management services solely through wrap-fee programs. This means clients pay bundled fees that cover investment advisory fees and other expenses such as transaction costs and custodian fees.
Also, Sweeney & Michel offers stand-alone financial planning advice on such topics as:
- Retirement planning
- Estate planning
- Charitable giving
- Education funding
- Corporate and personal tax planning
- Corporate structure
- Real estate evaluation
- Mortgage/debt analysis
- Insurance review
Sweeney & Michel Investing Strategy
Sweeney & Michel focuses on providing investment advice tailored to the goals and risk tolerance of the client. The firm aims to construct diversified portfolios with asset allocations that it believes will help the client meet these goals while avoiding excessive risk. Depending on your financial profile and risk appetite, your portfolio may be composed of:
- Mutual funds
- Exchange-traded funds
- Bonds
- Individual stocks
The O'Donnell Group
The O'Donnell Group provides its clients with ongoing portfolio management and financial planning. Both advisors are certified financial planners (CFPs). Though most of their clients are non-high-net-worth, the minimum account size is $1 million for investment management services. The firm may waive the requirement at its discretion.
Advisors work on a fee-only basis. This means they collect compensation solely from their clients. They don’t get paid by third-party financial firms for selling their products.
The O'Donnell Group Background
The O'Donnell Group was founded in 2012. Ryan Timothy O’Donnell is the sole owner. The firm specializes in providing ongoing portfolio management and financial planning services. The team can provide advice on such topics as:
- Life insurance
- Tax matters
- Retirement planning
- College funding
- Debt and credit planning
The O'Donnell Group Investing Strategy
Advisors with The O’Donnell Group design and manage investment portfolios tailored to the specific goals and risk tolerance of the client. They also consider such factors as the client's tax situation and liquidity needs.
The firm’s investment strategy is primarily driven by Modern Portfolio Theory. This school of thought argues that investment diversification is key to capturing strong returns while mitigating risk. Depending on your financial profile, your portfolio may invest in:
- Stocks
- Bonds
- Mutual funds
- Exchange-traded funds
Spelts Wealth Management
Spelts Wealth Management provides portfolio management basis through a wrap-fee program. The advisory team includes one certified financial planner (CFP). To receive investment management services, you’d need a minimum account size of $250,000.
The firm primarily works with non-high-net-worth individuals. But its advisors also serve:
- High-net-worth individuals
- Trusts, estates and charitable organizations
- Pension and profit-sharing plans
- Business entities
Spelts Wealth Management is a fee-based firm. Advisors are also representatives of broker-dealers and insurance agents. These multiple roles can create potential conflicts of interest. They can also be confusing, since you don't know which hat your advisor is wearing when he or she is making a recommendation. That said, Spelts Wealth Management has a fiduciary duty to provide advice solely in the best interests of its clients.
Spelts Wealth Management Background
Spelts Wealth Management was founded in 2010. Mark Spelts is the owner. He leads a team with more than 40 years of experience in the financial services industry.
The firm provides ongoing portfolio management services through a wrap-fee program. This means clients pay an all-inclusive fee that covers investment management services and other expenses such as brokerage fees. The firm also offers portfolio monitoring and ERISA plan services.
Spelts Wealth Management Investing Strategy
Spelts Wealth Management aims to build investment portfolios tailored to the risk tolerance and long-term goals of the client. It sets an appropriate asset allocation for each client. When evaluating securities to implement asset allocations, it may engage in the following types of analytical strategies:
- Point & figure
- Charting
- Fundamental
- Technical
- Cyclical
