Top Financial Advisors in Bellevue, WA

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Coldstream Wealth Management is the No. 1 practice on our list of the top financial advisors in Bellevue. The Coldstream team of advisors includes multiple certified financial planners (CFPs), chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and certified public accountants (CPAs). Other advisory certifications include accredited estate planner (AEP), chartered life underwriter (CLU), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) and financial risk manager (FRM).

Although Coldstream maintains advisory relationships with many types of clients, individuals without a high net worth comprise a majority of the firm's client base despite the $2 million minimum account size requirement. High-net-worth individuals, businesses, charitable organizations, pension and profit-sharing plans make up the rest of the firm’s client base.

As a fee-based firm, certain members of Coldstream Wealth Management’s staff earn commissions for the sale of insurance products or securities. Although this represents a potential conflict of interest, the firm abides by fiduciary duty and therefore is legally bound to act in your best interest.

Coldstream Wealth Management Background

Coldstream Wealth Management is employee-owned. The firm, which was established in 1996, has branch offices throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. 

A sizable portion of the services at Coldstream revolve around investing. In fact, the firm offers customizable portfolio planning and management, as well as risk management services. Those interested in financial planning can utilize the firm’s retirement planning, education fund planning and wealth transfer planning services.

Coldstream Wealth Management Investing Strategy

Rather than squeeze every client into a single investment philosophy, Coldstream has worked to create a few investment management strategies that it can pair you with:

• Global Equity: This stock-centric group of four strategies offers varying exposures to different types of equities. While some portfolios will be aggressive and focused on growth, others will maintain a more tax-minded exposure.
• Global Fixed-Income: Portfolios using this strategy will contain mostly municipal, corporate and U.S. government bonds. Most of its sub-strategies focus on long-term growth, though the “Coldstream Income Opportunity” sub-strategy looks for income over returns.
• Alternative Investment Strategies: If your needs don’t fit neatly into another strategy, an alternative investment approach could be the way to go. That could mean investing in real estate, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital funds.

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Evergreen Capital Management is the next firm on our list. The fee-only practice has a financial advisory staff that includes certified financial planners (CFPs) and chartered financial analysts (CFAs). This firm charges fixed and asset-based fees. 

Evergreen’s minimum account size is typically $1 million, although the firm may waive this minimum at its discretion.

Evergreen Capital Management primarily serves non-high-net-worth individuals and high-net-worth individuals, with the latter claiming the vast majority of the firm’s overall assets under management. Evergreen may also work with trusts, corporations, pooled investment vehicles, endowments, pension plans and other retirement plan accounts.

Evergreen Capital Management Background

Evergreen Capital Management can trace its history back to 1983 when David Hay founded the practice. That makes it one of the oldest firms on this list. Today, the firm is primarily owned by its employees. In addition to its office in Bellevue, Evergreen has an office in San Francisco. 

Evergreen has an impressive array of services, including asset management, financial planning, family office services, alternative investment management and tax services. 

Evergreen Capital Management Investing Strategy

The firm offers a number of investment strategies that vary from highly conservative to aggressive growth. Depending on where you fall within this spectrum, your portfolio will likely contain a collection of individual securities, ETFs and/or private funds.

Evergreen has developed its own investment approach, which it’s dubbed “Dynamic Asset Allocation.” This is an active investment philosophy that structures your portfolio according to your risk tolerance, time horizon and investment goals. The firm also has a strategy it calls "Right Cycle Investing," which involves the active management of passive ETFs. 

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Bristlecone Advisors is the next firm on our list of top financial advisors in Bellevue, Washington. This large firm has a client base that is made up mainly of individuals. Of these individuals, most have a high net worth, though several dozen are non-high-net-worth individuals. Institutional clients at the firm include a few charitable organizations, corporations and other businesses. There is generally a $2 million minimum account size requirement at Bristlecone.

Bristlecone Advisors is a fee-only firm. This means that none of its advisors are dually registered as insurance agents or broker-dealers, so there won't be a conflict of interest that arises from the receipt of commissions from sales of these financial products to clients.

The Bristlecone team includes professionals with the certified financial planner (CFP), certified public accountant (CPA), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) designations. 

Bristlecone Advisors Background

Founded in 1999, Bristlecone registered with the SEC as an investment advisor and began providing advisory services in that same year. The firm is employee-owned and operated. 

The firm provides its clients with custom financial consulting and investment portfolio management services. Currently, it does so on an entirely discretionary basis.

Bristlecone Advisors Investment Strategy

Like most other investment advisors, Bristlecone tailors its investment advice to the needs of its clients. As a result, investment philosophies and strategies differ significantly between clients. Types of investments that populate client portfolios also vary significantly. Advisors work with clients to determine income needs, tax status, estate planning structures and any other relevant information.

Advisors at Bristlecone place significant emphasis on asset allocation strategy, with the belief that asset allocation provides a key framework for creating a diversified portfolio. Specific assets may include stocks, fixed-income securities and alternative funds.

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Parcion Private Wealth is a fee-based, full-service advisory firm offering a bevy of financial services to the wealthy. As a fee-based firm, some of its advisors may earn commissions on the sale of certain insurance products. While this has the potential to create a conflict of interest, the firm is bound by its fiduciary duty to put every client's interest first. 

The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management and advisor selection. You must put up $10 million to open an account with the firm as they focus on working with individuals, trusts, estates, corporations and other business entities. 

The firm's advisors have earned a variety of certifications. Among those certifications are certified financial planner (CFP), certified investment management analyst (CIMA), chartered financial analyst (CFA), accredited asset management specialist (AAMS) and chartered mutual fund counselor (CMFC). 

Parcion Private Wealth Background

The firm was founded in 2019 by nationally recognized advisor Terry Cook who previously founded and managed the Cascade Group of UBS Private Wealth Management. Cook owns Parcion with chief operating officer Brendan Sullivan. 

The practice is multi-family office that works with business owners, entrepreneurs and their families. The firm can help clients with asset management, tax minimization, family education and next generation planning, philanthropic giving, business planning, among others. 

Parcion Private Wealth Investment Strategy

Parcion Private Wealth uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to choose potential investments for each client's portfolio. Each client's appetite to risk as well as their financial goals are taken into account to give each portfolio an individualized approach. The investments that clients may see in their portfolio can often include: 

• Equities
• Fixed-income securities
• Mutual funds
• Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
• Currencies
• Debt

For some clients, the firm may also recommend placements in private investment funds, like hedge funds, real estate funds and private equity funds. 

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SCS is a fee-based firm that provides wealth management services primarily to individual clients above and below the high-net-worth threshold. The firm also works with retirement plans, charitable organizations, corporations and other businesses. 

You won't be subject to an investment minimum or account size requirement when you become an SCS. However, the firm may enroll you in an LPL Financial model portfolio program that could impose an account minimum. As for fees, SCS charges fixed, hourly and asset-based fees depending on the services you receive. 

As a fee-based practice, SCS advisors may sell securities or insurance products on a commissioned basis. This presents a conflict of interest because advisors have a financial incentive to recommend certain products and services over others. But keep in mind that SCS and its advisors must always act in your best interests. 

The team at SCS has a range of financial credentials including the certified financial planner (CFP), accredited investment fiduciary (AIF), certified plan fiduciary advisor (CPFA) and chartered financial analyst (CFA) designations. 

SCS Background

Founded in 2020 by Jeffrey Hensler and James Beatty, SCS is one of the youngest firms on this list. While its legal name is Bensler, LLC, the firm conducts business as SCS. Hensler and Beatty remain equal partners of the firm. 

SCS specializes in both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, as well as financial planning services. More specifically, the firm can help with a variety of financial needs, including retirement planning, education planning, estate planning, cash flow management and budgeting, risk management planning, personal wealth planning, tax planning, business planning, investment planning and asset allocation.

SCS Investment Strategy

Like many firms, SCS tailors its investment advice to the needs and objectives of its individual clients. The firm doesn't limit its advice to one or two types of securities, and instead, may invest your money in a combination of mutual funds, ETFs, individual equities, fixed-income securities and variable annuity subaccounts.

While SCS has an internal investment committee responsible for developing the firm's core strategy, individual advisors retain the freedom and flexibility to customize portfolios to fit the needs of their clients. SCS engages in both short- and long-term investing strategies, as well as asset allocation. 

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Paul R. Ried Financial Group takes the next spot on our Bellevue list. The firm has no account minimum and serves a client base that's almost entirely composed of individual clients. In fact, more than 99% of the firm’s managed assets belong to individual clients above and below the high-net-worth threshold. 

The Paul R. Ried Financial Group team includes advisors with the certified financial planner (CFP), certified investment management analyst (CIMA) and accredited asset management specialist (AAMS) designations. 

As a fee-based practice, a few of its advisors may receive commissions or extra compensation for the sale of insurance products or securities to clients. While this could be seen as a conflict of interest, the firm is legally bound by fiduciary duty. This ensures that the firm must act in clients’ best interests at all times.

Paul R. Ried Financial Group Background

Paul R. Ried Financial Group became a registered investment advisor (RIA) in 2018, but the firm has been in business since 1986. The firm’s president, Paul Ried, founded the firm and has spent more than 35 years working in financial services. He remains the firm’s only principal shareholder, although chief compliance officer Adam Jordan owns a minority stake in the business.  

This firm’s premier service is its “PEAC Investment Advisory Program.” The PEAC acronym stands for “planning, education, advice and consultation,” according to its official Form ADV. Paul R. Ried Financial Group has an abundance of financial planning services as well, including:

• Pre- and post-retirement planning
• Cash flow planning
• Budgeting
• Education cost planning
• Tax planning and management
• Estate planning
• Risk management and insurance planning

Paul R. Ried Financial Group Investing Strategy

At its core, Paul R. Ried Financial Group tends to believe in long-term investing and asset allocation. So as the firm puts plans together for your portfolio, it will evaluate securities with a long-term view. Of course, your personal goals will have a significant bearing on what your portfolio eventually looks like.

This firm tends to invest in a collection of mutual funds, ETFs, over-the-counter securities and exchange-listed securities. Should you have any explicit investment restrictions, the firm should be able to take them into account.

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While Auxano Advisors has a $1 million account minimum, a majority of the firm's individual clients do not have a high net worth. The firm also works with pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations and other businesses. 

There are plenty of advisory certifications to go around at Auxano. The firm has multiple certified financial planners (CFPs) along with one chartered financial analyst (CFA).

Auxano is a fee-based firm, so a few of its advisors may be able to earn commissions from the sale of insurance products. Regardless, the firm is a fiduciary, legally requiring it to act in clients’ best interests at all times.

Auxano Advisors Background

Auxano Advisors has been in business in the Bellevue area since 1987. Peter Cline, the firm’s current CEO, founded the practice and remains its principal owner. Partners Alex Lee and Dwight Whiting hold minority ownership stakes in the business, as well. 

First and foremost, Auxano is a family office. This means that individuals and their families can combine retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning and more in conjunction with traditional investment advisory services. The firm does provide standalone investment advisory services too, though.

Auxano Advisors Investing Strategy

Once you make your investment goals and risk tolerance apparent, Auxano will work to create an appropriate investment portfolio for you. To do this, the firm utilizes both long- and short-term securities purchases. This is an especially beneficial approach for clients with high-end liquidity needs or lower risk tolerance.

The firm also does its own extensive investment analysis when deciding what to populate your portfolio with. To do this, Auxano delves into the finances of specific companies, as well as overall market movements and trends.

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Tschetter Group is a fee-based practice that works with a client base that consists almost entirely of individuals, both with and without a high net worth. It also works with a handful of charities and businesses. This firm does not impose a minimum account size, but it does charge a financial planning fee when clients have less than $500,000 under management. 

As a fee-based firm, some advisors are registered insurance agents or broker-dealers that can receive commissions from the sale of financial products to clients. As a result, the firm is subject to a potential conflict of interest. This conflict is mitigated by the firm's status as a fiduciary advisor, which legally requires it to act in the best interests of clients at all times.

Tschetter Group Background

Tschetter Group is also one of the youngest firms on our list, as it only opened for business in 2017. It officially filed as an investment advisor with the SEC in mid-2019. The firm is primarily owned by Richard Tschetter, David Tschetter and Dustin Brumbaugh. Richard is the firm's chairman. David is the firm's president and is a certified wealth strategist (CWS). Brumbaugh is the firm's CEO and is a chartered financial analyst (CFA).

Tschetter provides clients with comprehensive wealth management services. This includes portfolio management as well as financial planning and consulting. Specific services may include estate and legacy review, trust and foundation planning, net worth tracking, charitable giving strategies and more .

Tschetter Group Investment Strategy

Like several other firms on our list, Tschetter Group tailors its investment strategies to the wants and needs of each client on an individual level. Advisors meet with clients to determine such factors as their overall financial situation, existing resources, financial goals and risk tolerance.

Using gathered information about each client, advisors at Tschetter Group construct portfolios that mainly consist of individual stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds. They also conduct periodic portfolio rebalancing to ensure that the goals of clients are being met.

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Up next on our list of the top financial advisors in Bellevue is Synergy Asset Management. This fee-based firm works mainly with non-high-net-worth individual clients but works with a handful of high-net-worth individuals as well. The firm does not have a largely institutional client base, but the institutions that it works with include a small number of banking or thrift institutions, pooled investment vehicles, businesses and other advisors. This firm does not have a minimum account size requirement, but it does charge a minimum annual fee of $3,000. 

Synergy Asset Management is a fee-based firm. Because the firm and some of its advisors can earn commissions from selling insurance products or investing clients in certain funds, there is a potential conflict of interest. However, the firm is a registered fiduciary that is legally obligated to act in the best interests of clients at all times.

Synergy Asset Management Background

Synergy Asset Management, formerly known as Synergy Financial Management, was founded in 2001 and has been in business ever since. It officially registered with the SEC as an investment advisor in 2005, after previously being registered at the state level. Synergy Financial Services, Inc., owns 99% of the business and 1% of the firm is owned by 

Joseph M. Maas, the firm's principal, owns a majority of the business through his ownership of Synergy Financial Services, Inc., which in turn owns 99% of the firm. Ann Shrader, the firm's chief compliance officer, is also listed as a minority owner in SEC records. 

Synergy provides a wide range of investment advisory services and clients may work with the firm on a discretionary or non-discretionary basis. 

Synergy Asset Management Investment Strategy

From a general standpoint, the firm strives to design "adaptive portfolios built for all market conditions." It does this through the use of "a sophisticated blend of advanced focused tactical asset allocation mathematics, bottom-up fundamental analysis, and professional technical analysis," the firm states in its Form ADV brochure. 

Synergy is an active management, meaning the firm strives to outperform targeted benchmarks. The firm has two active, custom strategies that it can use to manage client portfolios:

Focused Growth Strategy: This proprietary strategy seeks to identify alpha opportunities, in part blending bottom-up research with top-down considerations. 

Dividend Income Strategy: This buy-and-hold strategy contains well-established companies that often pay a dividend and are likely trading close to their intrinsic value. 

However, the firm also has a conservative strategy that may rely on cash equivalents, CDs, T-bills and other fixed-income instruments. 

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Our list of the top financial advisors in Bellevue concludes with Trutina Financial. Although individuals and high-net-worth individuals comprise most of Trutina Financial’s client base, the firm also works with hundreds of corporations and businesses. There is no minimum investment at this firm.

Trutina Financial is a fee-based advisor firm and it has some advisors that can earn commissions from the sale of certain insurance policies or securities. Despite this, the firm is legally bound by fiduciary duty, which means that its advisors must act in clients’ best interests.

Some advisors on staff hold the accredited investment fiduciary (AIF), certified financial planner (CFP), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and certified pension consultant (CPC) designations. 

Trutina Financial Background

Bellevue Financial, Inc. was the predecessor firm to Trutina Financial, and it was founded in 2005. As of 2009, Storehouse Partners, LLC merged with Bellevue Financial, leading to the 2010 creation of Trutina. Today, the firm’s owners are principals Matt Myers and Geoffrey Schock. 

For individuals, the firm can offer comprehensive financial planning, wealth management and investment portfolio management. Trutina also provides advisory services to retirement plans. The firm also has an automated online investment platform called Tru-Nest, which matches clients with pre-built portfolios comprising mutual funds, ETFs and cash positions.

Trutina Financial Investing Strategy

Trutina does not discriminate between long- and short-term securities purchases, employing different strategies depending on the particular client's needs, risk tolerance and time horizon.

Because of this wide-ranging strategy, Trutina utilizes many different securities and investments, including equities, fixed-income securities, mutual funds, ETFs, variable annuities, unit investment trusts, options and limited partnerships.