Top Financial Advisors in Carlsbad, CA

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Axxcess is an SEC-registered RIA that works with individuals and high-net-worth investors, as well as trusts/estates, businesses, charities, retirement plans, other investment advisers, and state/municipal entities. Core offerings include discretionary and non-discretionary wealth management paired with financial planning and consulting.

Wealth management/ACPP fees are asset-based and typically billed monthly or quarterly, ranging from 0.15% to 2.00% annually, with tiered schedules inside that range. Fees for “sleeve manager strategy services” run between 0.08% and 1.25% (in addition to any third-party manager/platform costs), and retirement plan advisory fees are up to 2.00%.

Axxcess describes a multi-asset, multi-disciplinary approach rather than one-size-fits-all models, using fundamental, technical, cyclical, and charting analyses. Portfolios are built around strategic asset allocation with ongoing oversight; short-term trading or tactical sleeves may be used when appropriate via third-party sleeve managers.

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Intelligence Driven Advisers (IDA), the No. 1 firm in Carlsbad, works with individuals, qualified and non-qualified pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and other business entities. With no account size minimum, most of its individual client base falls outside the high-net-worth category. There is a minimum annual fee, though, of $5,000 for investment management services. In addition to portfolio management services, the firm offers financial planning, model portfolios, retirement plan solutions, institutional robo-advisor programs, among others. 

For investment management services, the firm’s fee is based on a percentage of the client’s assets under management. For financial planning services, IDA collects a fixed fee. As a fee-based firm, dvisors may receive commissions from third parties for selling their products, creating a conflict of interest. However, the firm has a fiduciary duty to act in its clients' best interests. 

The firm may adjust asset allocations in these models based on changing factors like market conditions. In addition, IDA may create customized portfolios for clients based on their individual preferences, investment goals and other factors. These portfolios may invest in a variety of securities including mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds and private funds.

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Financial Focus is a fee-based financial advisory firm where the majority of individual clients do not have high net worths. The firm also serves trusts, estates, retirement plans and business entities. You don’t need a minimum investment to receive financial planning services from Financial Focus. For asset management services through the AssetMark Platform, however, the firm requires minimum investments ranging from $25,000 to $500,000. 

The firm’s AssetMark platform utilizes mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as well as privately managed and unified managed accounts. Its wrap-fee program may involve these securities as well as individual stocks and bonds. In either case, your investment portfolio would be based on an asset allocation the firm deems appropriate based on your risk tolerance, investment goals and other factors. 

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Seaside Wealth Management (SWM), Inc. offers asset management and financial planning advice to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charities and businesses. High-net-worth individuals currently outnumber non-high-net-worth clients. The firm imposes a $500,000 account minimum. In addition to asset management, SWM can advise clients on their financial lives, covering budgeting, saving, retirement planning, tax planning and estate transfer. 

The firm collects financial planning fees on an hourly or flat-fee basis. It charges an asset-based fee for portfolio management services. However, certain members of the firm may be registered with third-party companies and receive commissions for selling their investment products, making SWM a fee-based firm. While third-party compensation presents a conflict of interest, the firm must abide by fiduciary duty to always act in its clients' best interests.  

SWM’s investment strategies are mainly driven by Modern Portfolio Theory, which holds that capturing strong returns while mitigating risk can be achieved through diversification of investments. The firm builds an asset allocation that reflects unique factors such as client risk tolerance, time horizon and investing goals. In its investment selection process, the firm’s methodology includes market research provided by leading firms such as Vanguard, Blackrock and Dimensional Fund Advisors. 

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Anchor Bay Capital is a financial services firm that mainly serves individuals, high-net-worth individuals and retirement plans. The firm is also open to working with businesses and corporations. In addition to managing your investment portfolio, advisors can create a personal financial plan based on your needs, addressing such areas as cash flow management, retirement planning, estate planning, and family succession planning. 

The firm collects fees for its investment management and financial planning and consulting services. These fees are based on a percentage of client assets when put under the firm’s management and are fixed or based on an hourly rate when the services are for financial planning or consulting. Advisors who are members of other firms may also earn commissions from these third parties for selling their products, making Anchor Bay a fee-based practice. Despite the conflict of interest that third-party compensation creates, Anchor Bay is a fiduciary and legally must act in your best interests. 

The firm focuses on strategic asset allocation, aiming for strong returns while hedging against market risk. To design client portfolios, it takes into account such individual factors as risk appetite, time horizon and investment goals. When selecting securities, the firm analyzes underlying factors such as company financials. The firm constructs portfolios utilizing mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), individuals securities such as stocks and bonds, as it deems appropriate. 

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Carlsbad Wealth Advisory Group (CWAG) serves individuals and high-net-worth individual. This fee-only firm has no minimum account size requirement. CWAG offers investment management and personalized financial planning services.

The firm collects its compensation on a fee-only basis. This means it collects fees solely for the services it provides to its clients. CWAG doesn’t earn commissions or other sources of compensation from third-party firms for selling or referring their products or services.

CWAG emphasizes strategic asset allocation and passive investing. It will create an asset allocation based on your individual circumstances, time horizon and appetite for risk. In sticking with passive investing strategies, the firm generally focuses on a buy-and-hold strategy to capture long-term gains and steer away from the risks of market timing. The firm tends to avoid active investing strategies such as selling securities when it believes the market is going through a peak and buying when it projects it is at a low point. 

CWAG limits its investment advice and money management to ETFs, mutual funds, equities, bonds, fixed income, debt securities, no-load annuities, and government securities. CWAG may use other securities as well to diversify portfolios, when necessary. 

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Vistica Wealth Advisors works with a small client base, primarily made up of individual clients who fall either above and below the high-net-worth threshold. The firm also serves pensions and profit sharing plans. 

There is no minimum account size requirement to be a client at Vistica Wealth. However, at least one advisor is also a licensed insurance agent and may earn commissions when recommending insurance products. This creates a potential conflict of interest and qualifies Vistica Wealth as a fee-based firm. But as a fiduciary, the firm is required to always act in your best interests. 

Vistica Wealth takes a customized approach to investing client assets, tailoring their strategies to the needs of individual clients. Advisors primarily recommend investments in an assortment of index funds and other passive products. The firm typically creates client portfolios using no-load mutual funds and may implement a particular investment strategy through certain model portfolios that align with the client's investment policy statement, a written document that outlines their objectives and risk profile.

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Frank Financial Advisors, another fee-only practice, is next on our list of the top firms in Carlsbad. The firm's client base is currently composed entirely of individuals and high-net-worth individuals, although it's also open to working with pensions, profit sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations and businesses. The firm requires a minimum investment of $250,000 for investment advisory services.

As a fee-only practice, Frank Financial Advisors does not collect commisisons for selling third-party products and services. Instead, its compensation comes exclusively from client-paid fees. As for fees, the firm charges asset-based fees for investment management, as well as hourly or fixed fees for financial planning and consulting services. 

The firm specializes in discretionary asset management, retirement plan consulting and financial planning, which may touch on education planning, budgeting, setting financial goals, analysis of retirement strategies, analysis of investment alternatives, estate planning and insurance needs. 

Frank Financial Advisors primarily investes client assets in no-load or low-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, usually through discount brokers or fund companies. Investments may also include individual stocks, warrants, corporate debt securities, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, municipal securities, fixed annuities, U. S. government securities, option contracts, interests in limited partnerships, private placement partnerships, private funds, as well as oil and gas partnerships.

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Seaside Financial & Insurance Services is a fee-based SEC-registered RIA serving individuals, families, and businesses. The firm says it builds customized plans and portfolios and conducts independent research, and it highlights a planning-first process. There is no stated account minimum for opening an advisory relationship. Seaside offers ongoing portfolio management alongside comprehensive financial planning.

Portfolio management is provided via a wrap-fee program with an asset-based advisory fee, generally billed quarterly in arrears. Financial planning may also be engaged for a flat or hourly fee. As with any wrap account, you typically won’t pay separate transaction charges, but the all-in advisory fee may be higher than a non-wrap arrangement.

Seaside indicates it does not limit the types of investments it recommends and builds customized portfolios aligned to client goals, time horizon and risk tolerance. The firm emphasizes independent research and an open-architecture approach rather than a proprietary product list.

Last but not least is Fonte Financial Advisors, a fee-only practice that primarily works with individuals and high-net-worth individuals. Fonte alos has several retirement plans as clients. Fonte Financial Advisors offers asset management, financial planning and consulting, as well as retirement plan consulting services. 

The firm, which does not require a minimum investment, charges asset-based fees for investment management and hourly or flat fees for financial planning and/or consulting. Fonte advisors do not collect third-party commissions for selling securities or insurance. 

The firm builds client portfolios using a combination of individual stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds, options, mutual funds and other public and private securities or investments. The client’s individual investment strategy is tailored to their specific needs and may include some or all of the above securities. Portfolios are designed to meet a particular investment goal, determined to be suitable to the client’s circumstances. Once the appropriate portfolio has been designed, portfolios are continuously and regularly monitored, and if necessary, rebalanced based upon the client’s individual needs, stated goals and objectives.