The Top Financial Advisors in Lafayette, CA

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Capital Advantage is No. 1 on our list of the top financial advisory firms in Lafayette with more assets under management than any other company. Capital Advantage offers investment management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, as well as their related trust funds, retirement plans and estates. It also works with pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and business entities. 

SEC records show its current client base consists of about as many high-net-worth individuals as those who fall short of that threshold. To receive investment advisory services, you'll need a minimum account size of $500,000. 

The Capital Advantage team includes one certified financial planner (CFP), one chartered retirement planning counselor (CRPC), two financial paraplanner qualified professionals (FPQPs) and two chartered financial analysts (CFAs). The firm is fee-only, which means its advisors earn compensation solely from client fees. They do not earn commissions from third parties for selling their products. 

Capital Advantage Background 

Capital Advantage has been a registered investment advisor (RIA) since 1998. The firm remains under the ownership of its founder, John S. Hayman. 

Today, Capital Advantage offers a range of financial planning and investment management services. It can tailor a plan to meet your specific financial planning needs. Advisors specialize in the following topics: 

• Retirement planning 
• Education funding 
• Investment tax planning
• Risk management planning
• Charitable gift planning

Capital Advantage Investment Strategy

Capital Advantage seeks to build and monitor client portfolios based on their risk tolerance and investment goals. It generally advises clients on no-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). But portfolios also may invest in individual stocks and bonds, certificates of deposit (CDs) and other types of securities.

Depending on the type of investment, the firm uses both fundamental and technical methods of analysis to evaluate a security. While fundamental analysis uses quatifiable metrics to determine an asset's value, technical analysis examines share price trends and trading volumes to decide how money should be invested. 

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HC Financial Advisors, the second highest-rated firm in Lafayette, works mostly with individuals and families. It can also advise clinets on their related trusts, retirement plans, investments and estates. Its clients include business owners, professionals and retirees. To establish a relationship with the firm, you generally need a minimum investment of $1 million. Most clients are high-net-worth individuals. 

The firm employs five certified financial planners (CFPs), two chartered financial analysts (CFAs), one chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA), one chartered mutual fund counselor (CMFC), two financial paraplanner qualified professionals (FPQPs) and one chartered special needs consultant (ChSNC).

Neither HC Financial Advisors nor its partners have outside business affiliations. The firm works on a fee-only basis and doesn't earn third-party commissions for specific sales or recommendations. 

HC Financial Advisors Background 

HC Financial Advisors was founded in 1985 and is currently owned by Stephen Biggs, Karla McAvoy and Andrew Byron. All remain on the firm’s staff. 

The practice provides an array of financial planning services depending on a client's needs. Its team can help clients with retirement savings, estate planning, business succession, funding education through 529 plans and more. It can also guide clients through Social Security optimization. 

HC Financial Advisors Investment Strategy

HC Financial Advisors constructs portfolios designed to reflect the risk tolerance and financial goals of its clients. The firm starts designing client portfolios by assessing overall market conditions and establishing targets for specific asset classes. It then uses fundamental analysis to to select individual investments.

The firm may allocate your assets across multiple securities to diversify and hedge against market volatility. Based on your financial profile, these may include equities, fixed income, mutual funds and alternative investments such as real estate investment trusts (REITs).

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Concentric Wealth Management is a financial services firm that works with individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans and business entities. For portfolio management services, you’d need a minimum investment of $1 million. As a result, most clients are high-net-worth individuals. 

The firm collectively provides access to four certified financial planners (CFPs), one chartered financial analyst (CFA), one certified public accountant (CPA) and one chartered life underwriter (CLU). As a fee-only firm, Concentric Wealth doesn’t collect commissions from third-party firms. And while it recommends Charles Schwab as the custodian to maintain client accounts, it doesn’t earn any compensation from the broker-dealer. 

Concentric Wealth Management Background 

Concentric Wealth Management was founded in 2008 and remains a privately-held firm. Its co-founders Eric Flett and Stewart McGuire each retain 50% ownership of the firm. Concentric Wealth Management offers stand-alone financial planning services as well as portfolio management. It can advise on several aspects of your financial life, from budgeting and saving to retirement and tax planning. 

Concentric Wealth Management Investment Strategy

Concentric will build an investment portfolio with an asset allocation driven by your individual factors such as investing goals and appetite for risk. It diversifies these portfolios across broad asset classes it deems appropriate based on your profile. These include small- to large-cap domestic stocks, fixed income, international securities and alternative investments like real estate. The firm notes, “Our investment selections are not limited to any specific product or service offered by a broker-dealer or insurance company."

Concentric Wealth Management develops long-term investment strategies that emphasize diversification, low turnover and tax efficiency. 

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Jurika, Mills & Keifer (JMK) is a fee-only advisory firm that primarily works with individuals and high-net-worth individuals. JMK typically requires clients to have $2 million in investable assets to open an account.

The firm has two certified financial analysts (CFAs) on staff. Its advisors work on a fee-only basis, meaning their revenue comes solely from the fees that clients pay, not commissions for selling third-party products. 

Jurika, Mills & Keifer Background

Founded in 2001 as Jurika & Associates, the firm is headquartered in Lafayette but has an additional office in San Francisco. The firm changed its name to JMK Investment Partners, LLC in 2003 and became Jurika, Mills & Keifer, LLC in 2005. Karl O. Mills and Mikel S. Keifer currently own the business. 

The firm offers clients discretionary investment management services and financial planning. 

Jurika, Mills & Keifer Investment Strategy

JMK generally adheres to a long-term investment strategy that favors active portfolio management over passive management. As a result, the firm may invest client assets with outside managers, index and no-load mutual funds, ETFs and other investment vehicles. 

The firm's investment approach is guided by the following principles:

• Capital preservation: The firm emphasizes capital preservation and seeks to minimize outsized losses.
• Balance: JMK looks to strike a balance between appreciation-oriented, defensive and alternative assets/strategies. The firm also strives to find a balance between near-term tactical and longer-term strategic thinking.
• Diversification and focus: JMK allocates assets to a range of asset classes. Within an asset class, the firm emphasizes strategies and sectors that are most favorably positioned.
• Long-term focus: As mentioned above, the firm invests with a longer-term perspective based on what it believes will happen over the next three to five years, rather than next week or month.
• Flexibility: JMK looks to maintain flexibility within portfolios so it can either increase or decrease risk-exposure as market conditions change.

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Gebhardt Group is a financial advisory firm that caters to wealthy families, professional athletes and business executives. The firm also works with other high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pension and profit- sharing plans. 

It generally requires a minimum investment of $1 million. The firm collects fees from its clients based on the services it provides. However, some advisors in their individual capacities may earn commissions for selling or recommending products from third-party firms. The Gebhardt Group team includes one certified financial planner (CFP). 

Gebhardt Group Background 

Gebhardt Group has been offering financial advisory services since 2007. James C. Gebhardt and Matthew D. Grishman serve as principal owners and advisors. 

The firm aims to create life-long financial plans for its clients so they can preserve and transfer their wealth. This plan may touch on several topics such as estate planning, retirement savings, cash flow management, insurance needs, charitable planning and more.

Gebhardt Group Investment Strategy

Gebhardt Group utilizes Quantitative Trend Analysis (QTA), its proprietary asset management strategy. The firm developed it following the 2008 financial crisis, which drove the firm to believe that “our markets had fundamentally changed, and common investment beliefs needed to be challenged.”

This program monitors different investment categories and uses the data gathered to make investment decisions. This data may guide the firm to remain partially or fully invested in certain asset classes and economic sectors based on evolving market conditions and your financial profile. Overall, Gebhardt Group aims to protect your principal from market volatility while securing growth.

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The Wallace Advisory Group has been providing investment management and financial planning services since 2015. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates and charitable organizations. You don’t need a minimum investment to work with the firm, however, it does charge a minimum annual fee of $5,000.

With more than 35 years of experience, Bill Wallace leads the firm's advisory team. He specializes in life insurance, estate planning and wealth management. The firm generates revenue from various sources including third-party firms that provide commissions when an advisor sells one of its products, making Wallace Advisory Group a fee-based firm. Despite the potential conflict of interest that commission-based compensation can create, the firm is a fiduciary and must act in its clients' best interests.  

Wallace Advisory Group Background 

Wallace Advisory Group is a family shop, with three Wallaces serving as advisors. Joseph Wallace is the majority owner, while Craig Wallace serves as chief compliance officer. 

The firm provides various financial advisory services, including retirement and estate planning, education planning, real estate analysis, personal financial planning, wealth transfer and more. In addition, the firm can design and construct a portfolio to help you meet your short- and long-term investment needs.   

Wallace Advisory Group Investment Strategy 

Wallace Advisory Group manages portfolios with an asset allocation designed to adhere to your risk tolerance, time horizon and investing goals. It will typically use long-term purchases to meet these goals. The firm may also engage in dynamic asset allocation strategies that involve changing holdings and exposure to different asset classes to account for changes in the market environment and your financial needs.

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Lewis Asset Management, the final firm on our list, advises individuals, high-net-worth individuals, corporations and other business entities. The firm does not have a minimum account size requirement. 

As a fee-based firm, some Lewis Asset Management advisors sell insurance and earn commissions on those transactions. Despite the potential conflict of interest that commission-based compensation can create, the firm has a fiduciary duty to act in your best interest.

The firm does not list any financial certifications or designations on its website. 

Lewis Asset Management Background

David W. Lewis founded the firm in 2007 and remains its principal owner. Portfolio management is the core service that Lewis Asset Management offers clients, although it also lists financial planning services on its Form ADV. Additionally, the firm uses Riskalyze, risk assessment software that helps quantify a client's specific tolerance for risk. 

Lewis Asset Management Investment Strategy

Before investing your money, Lewis Asset Management conducts an indepth review and assessment of your time horizon, risk tolerance, current investments and other components of your financial situation. The firm ultimately looks to maximize returns but limit risk. As a result, Lewis Asset Management typically focuses on long-term trading, "which is designed to capture market rates of both return and risk." The firm generally does not try to time the market or conduct high frequency trading. 

Lastly, the firm does not normally invest in individual securities. Instead, it opts for a broader market approach that can provide insulation from "erratic market conditions."

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Garner Financial Management is a fee-only firm offering services to individuals, corporations and other business entities. It also advises clients on their trusts and retirement plans. To establish an account, you’d need a minimum of $500,000. Most clients fall short of the high-net-worth threshold. 

The team at Garner Financial is led by Blair J. Garner, who is a certified financial planner (CFP) and a chartered financial analyst (CFA). He also holds the chartered mutual fund advisor (CMFC) and the chartered retirement planning counselor (CRPC) designations. 

Garner Financial Management Background 

Robert Garner started his namesake firm in 2002. He still works at the firm as a part-time consultant. Blair Garner is now the sole owner. He’s joined in the office by two registered paraplanners (RPs).

The firm can build a financial roadmap based on your individual needs. Along the way, it can guide you through several different financial topics such as saving and investing, retirement planning, estate planning and more. 

Garner Financial Management Investment Strategy

Garner Financial builds personalized and diversified portfolios with asset allocations it deems appropriate for its clients' investing goals, time horizons and risk appetites. Based on your needs, the firm may invest in a range of securities such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds and individual securities, like stocks and bonds.

Garner Financial Management may engage in both long-term purchasing (holding securities for more than a year) and short-term purchasing (holding securities for under a year).