Finding a Top Financial Advisor Firm in Solana Beach, California
We understand that finding the right financial advisor can be difficult. That’s why we’ve formed a list of the top financial advisor firms in the Solana Beach, California area. In forming our review, we compared each firm’s assets under management (AUM), advisory services, investment strategies, fee structures and more. You can also use SmartAsset's free financial advisor matching tool to be paired with up to three 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blankinship & Foster, LLC  Find an Advisor | $786,491,375 | $1,000,000 |
| Minimum Assets$1,000,000Financial Services
|
| 2 | Focus Investment Advisors, Inc.  Find an Advisor | $704,464,829 | $100,000 |
| Minimum Assets$100,000Financial Services
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| 3 | D.M. Brenner, Inc.  Find an Advisor | $149,168,498 | No set account minimum |
| Minimum AssetsNo set account minimumFinancial Services
|
What We Use in Our Methodology
To find the top financial advisors in Solana Beach, 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.
Blankinship & Foster
Leading our list is fee-only firm Blankinship & Foster. The firm’s client base includes non-high-net-worth individuals and high-net worth individuals, families, trusts, estates, pension and profit sharing plans, charitable organizations and business entities. Blankinship & Foster has a $1 million minimum account size requirement for its clients.
The firm’s team offers a range of backgrounds and qualifications. Some notable industry credentials include the certified financial planner (CFP) and chartered financial analyst (CFA) designations, among others.
Blankinship & Foster Background
Established in 1989, Blankinship & Foster’s advisory services feature portfolio management, financial planning, selection of other advisors and educational seminars/workshops. The investment management firm’s owners are president/CEO Stefan Prvanov, director of investment management Frederick V. Brooks, Jr. and director of wealth management Jon P. Beyrer.
Blankinship & Foster Investment Strategy
Blankinship & Foster believes its clients’ securities should be transparent, low cost, liquid and well-diversified, according to its website. When building client portfolios, the firm mainly utilizes no-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
In offering investment advice and predicting the future economic environment, Blankinship & Foster says it analyzes money supply, interest rates and commodity prices. The firm’s primary investment strategy is asset allocation.
Focus Investment Advisors
Focus Investment Advisors has a $100,000 minium account size for new clients. However, the firm may be willing to accept clients with less than that under certain circumstances. The has led the firm's client base to be fairly diverse, as it works with individuals with and without a high net worth, retirement plans and other financial entities.
As a fee-based firm, some of the advisors at Focus Investment can sell insurance and securities on a commission basis. Although this presents a potential conflict of interest, the firm's fiduciary duty means it must act in clients' best interests.
The advisory staff here holds a handful of advisory certifications. These include certified financial planner (CFP), certified investment management analyst (CIMA) and accredited investment fiduciary (AIF).
Focus Investment Advisors Background
Focus Investment Advisors was founded back in 1994, making it the second-oldest firm on this list. The firm is under the ownership of CEO Andrew Wasa and Henry Ferry, who is not associated with Focus.
Investment supervisory services are the premier offering at this firm. It even provides clients access to a number of investment programs run by LPL Financial. Financial planning services are also available.
Focus Investment Advisors Investing Strategy
Focus Investment Advisors invests client assets according to each of their individual needs. Here are some important characteristics the firm pays attention to:
- Asset allocation planning
- Risk tolerance
- Time horizon
- Financial goals
- Portfolio monitoring and rebalances
D.M. Brenner
D.M. Brenner is a fee-based firm working primarily with individuals, most of whom are not high-net-worth. The only institutional clients at the firm are pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm does not list a minimum account size.
The advisor team at DMB includes one certified financial planner (CFP) and one chartered life underwriter (CLU). Some of these advisors earn commissions for selling insurance, which is a potential conflict of interest. The firm's fiduciary duty still applies though, meaning it must act in clients' best interests.
D.M. Brenner Background
D.M. Brenner was founded in 1993 by David M. Brenner. Brenner has been an independent advisor for most of his career, though prior to founding this firm, he worked at Keystone Financial Group in Bryn Mawr.
Services offered at DMB include financial planning, retirement planning, college funding, estate planning and asset management.
D.M. Brenner Investment Strategies
Around two-thirds of the money managed at DMB is invested in mutual funds. Nearly another third is in individual stocks, and the remaining funds are invested in bonds.
