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The Top Financial Advisors in Tacoma, WA

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This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Finding a Top Financial Advisory Firm in Tacoma, Washington 

The search for a financial advisor in Tacoma, Washington, can be overwhelming. If you're doing due diligence, you're checking out registrations and filings with regulatory authorities, on top of combing through firms' websites and brochures. To help you narrow the field, the SmartAsset team did some of the initial heavy lifting for you. The result: this list of the top financial advisor firms in Tacoma, Washington. You can also cut to the chase by using our free advisor matching tool. It will link you with up to three vetted advisors who serve your area.

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Rank Financial Advisor Assets Managed Minimum Assets Financial Services More Information
1 Financial Insights Inc Financial Insights Inc logo Find an Advisor

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$621,063,446 $500,000
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Educational seminars/workshops

Minimum Assets

$500,000

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Educational seminars/workshops
2 Seneschal Advisors, LLC Seneschal Advisors, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$218,563,255 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
3 Stolz & Associates, PS Stolz & Associates, PS logo Find an Advisor

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$156,392,935 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Pension and consulting services

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Pension and consulting services

What We Use in Our Methodology

To find the top financial advisors in Tacoma, 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:

  • AUM
    Firms with more total assets under management are ranked higher.
  • Individual Client Count
    Firms who serve more individual clients (as opposed to institutional clients) are ranked higher.
  • Clients Per Advisor
    Firms with a lower ratio of clients per financial advisor are ranked higher.
  • Age of Firm
    Firms that have been in business longer are ranked higher.
  • Fee Structure
    Firms with a fee-only (as opposed to fee-based) compensation structure 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.

Financial Insights

At the top of the list, Financial Insights is a fee-only RIA that provides portfolio management and financial planning services to a variety of client types, most of whom are individuals who do not have high net worths, along with high-net-worth individuals, charitable organizations and those with pension and profit sharing plans. The team includes financial certifications such as certified financial planner (CFP) and certified wealth strategist (CWS). 

To receive wealth management services, which combine investment advisory services and financial planning, you’ll need a minimum account balance of $500,000. However, the firm may waive this requirement at its discretion. 

Financial Insights Background 

Dorothy A. Lewis founded Financial Insights in 1984. She remains the firm’s majority owner, while Ali Criss has a small stake.

After an analysis of the client’s financial situation, advisors can provide written financial plans that cover: 

  • Business planning
  • Charitable giving 
  • Review of financial needs following a death or disability
  • Funding education through 529 plans, federal financial aid and more
  • Estate planning
  • Retirement planning 
  • Tax analysis

Additionally, the firm designs and manages investment portfolios to help clients meet their long-term goals. 

Financial Insights Investing Strategies 

Financial Insights aims to build investment portfolios tailored to the client’s risk profile and long-term financial goals. These portfolios may invest in individual equities, bonds, certificates of deposit, no-load mutual funds, load-waived mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The firm generally places client assets in a portfolio based on or more of the following risk levels: 

  • Very conservative
  • Moderately conservative
  • Conservative 
  • Moderate
  • Moderately aggressive
  • Aggressive
  • Very aggressive

Seneschal Advisors

Seneschal Advisors is a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm. Its advisory team includes such financial certifications as a certified financial planner (CFP), certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA) and investment advisor compliance professional (IACCP), and a financial paraplanner qualified professional (FPQP). Advisors may have more than one credential.

The investment management team generally doesn’t manage accounts valued at less than $500,000, though this isn't a set minimum. The firm may make an exception if the account is part of a large family relationship. 

Seneschal Advisors Background 

Seneschal Advisors has been in operation since 2004. While Jon Duncan founded the firm, he recently transitioned to a consulting role. Jeffrey Lang is the principal owner now. He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry.   

This team offers advice on such financial planning topics as: 

  • Cash management and budgeting
  • Risk management and insurance
  • Education planning
  • Retirement planning
  • Estate planning
  • Investment planning and asset allocation
  • Tax planning

Seneschal Advisors Investment Strategy 

The team at Seneschal Advisors sets out to build investment portfolios with asset allocations based on the risk profile of the client. These portfolios can invest in a variety of securities including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, individual stocks and individual bonds. When evaluating these securities, the firm may engage in analytical strategies like fundamental analysis, charting and cyclical analysis.

The firm also conducts an analysis of the underlying securities in the ETFs and mutual funds it recommends to avoid significant overlaps with other holdings in the client's portfolio.

Stolz & Associates

Stolz & Associates is a fee-only firm that offers asset management and financial planning services through a team of investment advisor representatives (IARs). These individuals may work for various institutions and may have varying industry licenses and certifications. The in-house team includes certifications such as certified financial planner (CFP), certified personal accountant (CPA) certified exit planning advisor (CEPA) and personal financial consultant (PFS).

The firm doesn’t require clients to maintain a minimum account size to receive investment advisory services. IARs work with about as many high-net-worth individuals as those who do not have a high net worth. The firm also works with those with pension and profit-sharing plans. Stolz & Associates also operates as an accounting firm. So it may be incentivized to recommend its own accounting services. That said, Stolz & Associates has a fiduciary duty to provide services in the best interests of its clients. 

Stolz & Associates Background

Stolz & Associates has been providing investment advisory services since 2000. It’s owned by David A. Stolz, Michelle T. Robinson and Andrew C. Stolz. The Stolz & Associates in-house team has more than 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, collectively. 

Though some IARs may specialize in certain subjects, they can generally offer advice on:

Stolz & Associates Investment Strategies

Each IAR applies his or her own investment strategies and analysis methods. Generally, they engage in fundamental and technical analysis when determining whether securities may be appropriate for a client’s portfolio. For the most part, they also adhere to the Efficient Market Theory. This school of thought suggests that stocks trade at their fair value on the exchanges because they reflect all available information. Thus, one can’t buy undervalued stocks or sell overvalued ones at higher prices. The firm states proponents of this theory believe one can’t “achieve returns in excess of average market returns on a risk-adjusted basis, given the information publicly available at the time the investment is made.”

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research