About
California Financial Advisors, CFA, is a fiduciary registered investment advisory firm that specializes in retirement planning and investment supervisory services. As a fiduciary, CFA conducts all business practices solely in each client’s best interest. Since the inception of the firm in 1998, CFA has been able to grow to over $1.9B in assets under management as of 6/30/24. CFA's average client retention rate is 99.29% from 2021-2023. This high retention rate illustrates clients’ appreciation for CFA’s relationship-focused approach, centered on personalized ongoing support to reach their long-term financial goals. CFA has been able to grow and succeed while maintaining relationships that go beyond the quantitative data.
While providing an enjoyable client experience, CFA has honorably been ranked on
CNBC Financial Advisor 100 in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 & 2019.
Why Choose CFA?
CFA has over 150 years of combined successful experience. We are aware that our success comes from our clients’ success and that we cannot succeed without solid, trusted relationships – relationships that last from one generation to the next. To do what we do it takes experience, hard work, and impeccable focus to help our clients succeed.
Prospective Client Information
Select a slide below for more information.
The Importance of Financial Planning
Financial planning is important at every stage in your life, regardless of your age.
Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, at CFA we are here to help.
Retired
Congratulations! You worked hard and earned your time for leisure. Now, let us make sure your family’s future is as financially secure as you are by examining your estate changes and beneficiary decisions.
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We encourage including your children in these types of discussions, so they are informed and prepared to handle your material assets.
Be sure to review your financial plan with your advisor and consider using tools, like The Everything Binder Book by Michelle Perry Higgins, to help you feel confident during this phase of your financial journey.
Ages 55+
As your working years come to a close, it is important to take a second look at your finances. This is a critical time to see if any adjustments need to be made to your financial plan.
Whether you need to create your new financial plan or already have a plan in place, CFA is prepared to help you with this process.
We offer customized financial plans that consider all your available income options, account for your risk tolerance, and incorporate simulations to determine the likelihood of success.
Ages 45-55
This is the time to build or revisit your financial plan and ensure you are doing all you can to enter retirement with ease.
At CFA, we can advise on potential liabilities, maximizing retirement contributions, finding your children’s education, adequate insurance policies, and any peak expenses.
Ages 35-45
With more than just your finances to worry about, we are here to help advise on any and every thing you might need.
At CFA, we can help you build a customized financial plan that fits your needs and goals. As a fiduciary investment advisory firm, we would not give any advise we would not take ourselves. With concerns surrounding children, life insurance, luxury items, career benefits — we are experts in determining how much to save vs. how much to spend.
Ages 25-35
These years have the greatest impact on your retirement. It is important to be forward thinking and realistic in your planning.
CFA can help you get on the right track and take the stress of financial planning off your shoulders. We can help balance the stress of managing the new facets of life you start to encounter in these years — retirement funds, rainy day finds, mortgages, loans, and realistic budgets.
FAQ
What Services Does CFA Offer?
Ongoing and in-depth financial planning
Portfolio management services, including:
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Fund selection and performance assessments
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Quarterly performance reports
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Monitoring of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
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Use of independent custodians to house all accounts
What Does the Process Look Like?
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Complimentary introduction meeting
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Financial data collection & discussion of financial goals
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Financial plan presentation
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Educational investment talk
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Defensive barrier analysis & portfolio recommendations
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Ongoing financial planning services & portfolio rebalancing
How Much Access Do I Have to My Advisor & Their Team?
We will proactively contact you to meet semi-annually to discuss your portfolio and update your plan, or more often, at no extra charge. We are always available by phone or email if you have any questions or concerns. Our office is open 8am to 5pm Monday-Friday and your advisor’s assistant is available if your advisor is in a meeting.
Who Will Be My Custodian?
CFA uses Charles Schwab & Fidelity Investments as custodians for our clients’ accounts. Due to our longstanding relationships, CFA has dedicated service teams and direct advisor lines at both custodians.
How Much Discretion Does CFA Have With My Accounts?
When you sign our Investment Supervisory Agreement, you are given the choice on the level of discretion you grant CFA. These discretionary options may be modified at any time to ensure that you are always the one in control of your money.
How Do You Choose Which Investments to Recommend?
CFA’s Golden Rule: We will never recommend an investment that we would not invest in ourselves.
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Our Investment Committee conducts a rigorous evaluation of securities for our
approved fund list on a quarterly basis. We place emphasis on highly liquid, no-load mutual funds that have the potential to grow in value at a reasonably low cost. Our process for choosing investments is unique for each client. CFA does not believe in using a boiler plate portfolio strategy with any of our clients. We develop each investment strategy based upon the client’s needs and goals. We then propose an asset allocation that we deem appropriate to reach those goals.
What Are CFA’s Fees?
Our fees are charged quarterly based upon an individual’s total assets under management (AUM). The more assets we manage, the lower percentage our fees become on the ENTIRE amount of AUM. Here is our Annualized fee schedule:
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$100,000 - $299,999 1.2%
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$300,000 - $749,999 1.0%
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$750,000 - $1,499,999 0.8%
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$1,500,000 - $2,999,999 0.7%
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$3,000,000 - $5,999,999 0.6%
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$6,000,000 - $9,999,999 0.5%
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$10,000,000 + 0.4%
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Our fees do NOT follow a “tax bracket” rule. Once your portfolio crosses one of the above thresholds, everything back to dollar one is billed at the new lower rate.