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 in 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 | $722,226,368 | $1,000,000 |
| Minimum Assets$1,000,000Financial Services
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| 2 | D.M. Brenner, Inc.  Find an Advisor | $128,396,087 | No set account minimum |
| Minimum AssetsNo set account minimumFinancial Services
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| 3 | Hillegas Advisory Services, Inc.  Find an Advisor | $129,571,570 | $5,000,000 |
| Minimum Assets$5,000,000Financial 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, LLC. 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 other 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) designation.
Among Blankinship & Foster’s compensation arrangements are asset-based fees and fixed fees.
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 Stefan Prvanov, Frederick V. Brooks, Jr. and 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.
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 advisor team at DMB includes two certified financial planners (CFPs) and one chartered life underwriter (CLU). Asset management fees are based on a percentage of assets under management, and a combined fee for financial planning and asset management is available. Some advisors earn commissions for selling insurance -- this is a conflict of interest, but fiduciary duty still applies.
The firm does not list a minimum account size.
D.M. Brenner Background
The firm was founded in 1985 and registered as an RIA in 1996.
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.
Hillegas Advisory Services
Fee-only firm Hillegas Advisory Services, Inc. serves strictly individual clients as of its most recent SEC filings. Its client base of pays asset-based fees, hourly charges and fixed fees for Hillegas’ advisory services. Each client must meet a minimum account size requirement of $5 million, which is the highest minimum on our list.
Hillegas Advisory Services Background
Hillegas Advisory Services was founded in 1993 by Craig Hillegas. The firm’s services include financial planning and portfolio management.
Hillegas offers two different categories of investment management: “Core plus more” services and “core” investment management services.
Hillegas Advisory Services Investment Strategy
Hillegas Advisory Services utilizes a few different types of securities analysis methods when making investment decisions. These include charting, cyclical and fundamental analysis. The firm’s investment strategies include long-term and short-term purchases.
Hillegas generally allocates client assets across mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stocks and/or fixed-income securities.
