Top Financial Advisors in San Mateo, CA

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Vantage Wealth Management has been providing investment advice in San Mateo since 2007. This small advisory team works with non-high-net-worth individuals, high-net-worth individuals and pension plans. These advisors also have a slew of professional certifications among them, including certified financial planner (CFP), certified public accountant (CPA) and chartered financial consultant (ChFC).

Vantage is fairly exclusive, relative to other firms on this list, as it maintains a minimum account size of $1 million. The firm may decide to waive this minimum at its discretion, however. This is a fee-only firm.

Vantage Wealth Management Background

Vantage Wealth Management was established back in 2007 by three employees - managing partners David Fernelius, Brandy M.M. Navarro and Christopher J. Thomas. These three founders still have ownership interests in the firm today.

The firm specializes in financial planning and investment management services. These generally include retirement planning, insurance planning, estate planning, college fund planning, asset allocation planning and investment planning. Investment management is available through three different platforms: the SEI asset management program, the AssetMark platform and the LPL Strategic Wealth Management platform.

Vantage Wealth Management Investment Philosophy

The range of investment securities in Vantage Wealth Management's client portfolios will differ slightly depending on which of the three aforementioned platforms the client uses. In general, though, portfolios consist of some mix of mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and, to a lesser extent, individual equities and fixed-income securities. The exact investment strategy and asset allocation that your portfolio uses will have its base in your investment goals, time horizon, risk tolerance and other applicable factors.

Depending on how your portfolio performs, Vantage's advisors will work to rebalance your investments on at least a quarterly basis. This is done to ensure that the returns and losses in your portfolio don't shift your asset allocation too far from its original target.

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Brickley Wealth Management is the next firm on our list. Brickley has a minimum account size of $2 million. This firm's client base includes mostly individuals (both with and without a high net worth), as well as a few retirement plan sponsors and charities.

Brickley is a fee-based firm, and certain on-staff advisors are also licensed insurance agents or brokers who may earn commissions for selling insurance products or securities. This represents a potential conflict of interest, as these advisors are incentivized to recommend those products for which they would earn a commission. However, the firm still has a fiduciary duty to act in its clients’ best interests at all times.

Brickley Wealth Management Background

Brickley Wealth Management first opened its doors in 2016, and it’s owned by holding companies Brickley Wealth Holding, Inc. and Brickley Wealth Investment, Inc. The firm is run by managing member Steve Brickley, financial advisor Aaron Brickley and investment advisor Nathan Brickley, who have over 50 years of financial industry experience.

The firm’s service offerings include financial planning, portfolio management, retirement plan consulting and referrals to third-party money managers. Its financial planning services encompass a wide range of topics depending on the client's needs and situation. These topics can include:

• Investment planning
• Retirement planning
• Estate planning
• Charitable planning
• Education planning
• Corporate and personal tax planning
• Cost segregation study
• Corporate structure
• Real estate analysis
• Mortgage/Debt analysis
• Insurance analysis
• Lines of credit evaluation

Brickley Wealth Management Investment Philosophy

Brickley Wealth Management generally approaches the construction of client portfolios through the prism of modern portfolio theory (MPT), which seeks to optimize investment return for a given risk level by diversifying among many asset classes and market sectors. Other factors that Brickley considers include your time horizon, investment objectives and income needs.

The firm generally invests client assets in a mix of individual stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options and mutual funds. Clients with a lower risk tolerance will invest in a more conservative portfolio that seeks to preserve capital and minimize volatility. On the other hand, clients with more growth-oriented goals will receive a more aggressive selection of investments for their portfolio.

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Private Portfolios is a financial advisor firm that’s been in business since 1985. The firm has a small team of advisors on staff, one of whom is a certified financial planner (CFP).

The firm works with retirement plans, charities and individuals both with and without a high net worth. The firm's minimum investment is set at a relatively attainable $500,000, and Private Portfolios may decide to waive this requirement in certain cases.

This is a fee-based firm. As a result, some of its advisors are licensed to sell insurance products or securities on a commission basis. While this creates the potential for a conflict of interest, the firm is still bound by fiduciary duty to act in your best interest.

Private Portfolios Background

Private Portfolios was opened by Robert Binn back in 1985. Binn and his son, Daniel, still own 100% of the firm to this day. Together, the firm’s three advisors have more than 70 years of wealth management experience.

Advisory offerings at the firm include both financial planning and asset management services. The latter may be provided either directly or through the Financial Advisors Program (FAP), a wrap fee program. More specifically, the firm handles tax planning, asset allocation planning, risk management, retirement planning and long-term financial goal planning.

Private Portfolios Investment Philosophy

Typically, Private Portfolios prefers to manage client assets with a long-term perspective in mind. That means the firm usually refrains from engaging in short-term trading practices, such as attempting to time the market. However, the firm will ultimately use each client’s risk tolerance, investment objectives, timeline until retirement and other individual preferences to inform its strategy and target asset allocation.

When creating clients' portfolios, the firm invests in a combination of stock- and bond-centric mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as well as some individual equities. If the firm deems it necessary, Private Portfolios may consider cash holdings for certain client portfolios. If any of the following situations apply to you, the firm can work them into your investment plans:

• Low-basis stock
• Stock options
• Legacy holdings
• Inheritances
• Closely held businesses
• Collectibles
• Special tax factors

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Summit Financial Advisors, which has been in business since 1998, is one of the oldest firms on this list. The firm’s clients are all individuals. Most clients are below the high-net-worth threshold. This firm employs certifications such as certified financial planner (CFP) and accredited investment fiduciary (AIF).

The firm requires a minimum amount of investable assets to become a client. If you take part in the firm's Summit Private Account (SPA) program, you'll need to have at least $250,000 ready to invest. Other accounts require different, lower minimums.

Summit is a fee-based firm, meaning certain advisors may earn commissions for overseeing certain securities or insurance transactions. While this creates the potential for a conflict of interest, Summit is still bound by fiduciary duty to always act in the best interests of its clients.

Summit Financial Advisors Background

Summit Financial Advisors was created in 1998. Its current owners are managing director and chief compliance officer (CCO) Rafael O. Velez, III and investment advisor Mark B. Pietrofesa.

Summit has financial planning and investment management offerings that its clients can take advantage of. The former includes planning in areas such as investing, retirement, college funding, capital needs analysis, long-term care analysis, income and estate evaluation. Investment management comes in the form of "SF Portfolio Strategies," an automated investment program in which client assets are invested in a portfolio of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and cash.

Summit Financial Advisors Investment Philosophy

When Summit Financial Advisors begins a client-advisor relationship, the firm will use an online questionnaire to determine what kind of investor the client is. This involves looking at their overall investment objectives, risk tolerance and a rough time horizon. From this, the firm decides on a portfolio that fits the client's risk profile and can simultaneously offer a real chance at meeting their long-term goals. Then, once your money is invested in the firm's SF Portfolio Strategies program, automatic portfolio rebalances and tax-loss harvesting will begin.