Top Financial Advisors in Fresno, CA

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Regency Investment Advisors, Inc. leads this list. The fee-only firm's team holds a number of certifications. There are five certified financial planners (CFPs), one certified investment management analyst (CIMA), one accredited investment fiduciary (AIF), one chartered financial analyst (CFA) and one chartered retirement plans specialist (CRPS) on staff.

The majority of the firm's clients are individuals who don't have a high net worth. However, the firm also works with high-net-worth individuals, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and corporations or other businesses. Regency's account minimum varies by service type. You'll need a minimum of $250,000 of assets under management for investment supervisory services and non-continuous portfolio management services. For retirement plans, there's a $1 million minimum.

The firm's fees are generally based on a percentage of assets under management, and rates range from 0.60% to 1.20%. 

Regency Investment Advisors Background

Regency Investment Advisors, Inc. has been in business since 1993. It was started by Regency Bank, a local bank, to serve its customers' need for investment advisory services. The firm was sold in 2004 and is now independently owned by five of the firm's employees.

Regency provides the following services:

• Investment management 
• Financial planning
  • Budgeting
  • Personal liability
  • Financial goals
  • Tax and cash flow
  • Investment review
  • College planning
  • Retirement
  • Consultations about employee benefits
  • Estate planning
• Company retirement plans

Regency Investment Advisors Investing Strategy

Regency Investment Advisors’ overall goal is to minimize risk while increasing portfolio value. One way it does this is through diversification across securities, asset classes, managers and styles. The firm primarily invests in no-load mutual funds through Charles Schwab. It may also use exchange-traded funds, transaction fee funds and closed-end funds that have been approved by its portfolio management team and investment committee. The firm takes a top-down approach, which means that if first looks at macroeconomic factors before further analyzing specific companies or investments.

Clients are able to choose from 11 primary investment strategies, though these can be further customized to meet clients’ unique needs. Available strategies range from aggressive growth to capital preservation.

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Ford Financial Group, Inc. currently has millions of assets under management (AUM) with several financial advisors on staff. Four of the firm’s advisors are certified financial planners (CFPs) and one is a chartered financial consultant (ChFC).

The majority of the firm’s clients are individuals, but it also works with high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations and other businesses. There is no minimum required for opening an account with Ford Financial Group.

This is a fee-based firm as some advisors may earn commission-based compensation for selling insurance products. However, don’t forget that Ford Financial Group is a fiduciary.

Ford Financial Group Background

Ford Financial Group was founded in 2017 by Carole Ford and James Ford. They are the firm’s sole owners and Carole Ford also serves as CEO.

Ford Financial Group offers comprehensive portfolio management, with annual fees ranging from 0.25% to 2.00% of assets under management. The firm also provides a number of financial planning services, such as education planning, tax planning, retirement planning, estate planning and life insurance planning. Hourly fees for planning services typically range from $300 to $400.

Ford Financial Group Investing Strategy

When it comes to creating and managing client portfolios, Ford Financial Group uses modern portfolio theory. This theory is based on the idea that investors can maximize returns and minimize losses through diverse portfolios. The majority of financial advisors use this idea when constructing portfolios, and robo-advisors in particular often tout that they use the theory.

Ford Financial Group also uses a few analytical techniques when deciding which securities to invest in. These include charting, technical analysis, cyclical analysis and fundamental analysis. Each method of analysis considers security from a different perspective. All of these methods are rather common, but not every firm will use all four methods to analyze securities.

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Whelan Financial is one of two fee-only firms on this list. Being fee-only means that advisors do not earn commissions from selling any particular products or securities. Rather, the firm’s compensation comes only from the management fees that clients pay. There is no minimum account size, according to the firm's SEC filings.

Whelan Financial's team includes six certified financial planners (CFPs). The firm manages accounts for multiple client types, including individuals, high-net-worth individuals, corporations and non-profit organizations. Advisors also help with defined contribution plans, such as 401(k)s, and defined benefit plans, including cash balance plans.

Whelan Financial Background

Vincent J. Whelan founded Whelan Financial in 1988, making it the oldest firm on this list. Whelan continues to lead the firm as its president. According to the firm’s website, Whelan (known as Vin) has an affinity for change and leads the company under the idea of “creative thinking first, critical thinking second.”

Whelan Financial offers portfolio management services in addition to financial planning services. The firm’s planning services include assistance with taxes and cash flow, retirement planning, insurance planning and social security planning.

Whelan Financial Investing Strategy

Whelan Financial’s investment portfolios typically consist of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These types of funds are made up of multiple individual securities and make it easy to diversify a portfolio. The firm also uses certificates of deposit (CDs) and treasuries, like treasury bills, treasury notes and treasury bonds, in its client portfolios.

Whelan Financial has an Investment Committee that regularly analyzes a list of securities to ensure that the firm is using the best available options. The committee considers factors like fund expenses, fund performance, a fund’s Morningstar Rating and the fund manager’s tenure and track record.

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Bridgewealth Advisory Group, LLC has a significant amount of assets under management (AUM) and a small team of financial advisors. This group includes two certified financial planners (CFPs).

Bridgewealth has a relatively small client base. This group is primarily individual and high-net-worth individual investors, though the firm also currently works with a small number of pension and profit-sharing plans. It can also work with trusts, estates, charitable organizations and businesses. Bridgewealth does not impose an account minimum requirement.

Certain employees of the fee-based firm also act as registered representatives of the broker-dealer APW Capital, Inc. and as licensed insurance agents. They may earn commissions in either of these roles, which presents a potential conflict of interest. To mitigate this issue, the firm will typically disclose its compensation to clients, and also provide clients the option to purchase these products elsewhere. Bridgewealth is bound by fiduciary duty, meaning it's required to put clients' best interests before its own.

Bridgewealth Advisory Group Background

Bridgewealth Advisory Group was formed in 2018. It is owned by its three managing members, Derek Elrod, Joshua Carpenter and Kevin Hook.

The firm offers its clients comprehensive portfolio management, financial planning and consulting, retirement plan consulting and referrals to third-party money managers. Its available financial planning services include tax planning, estate planning and college planning. Additionally, Bridgewealth has a wrap fee program, which offers a bundle of services for one comprehensive fee.

Bridgewealth Advisory Group Investing Strategy

Bridgwealth Advisory Group particularly values portfolio optimization and investment plan efficiency. More specifically, the firm seeks to build portfolios that are tax-efficient, and it places a particular emphasis on after-tax returns.

Like many firms, Bridgewealth believes that finding an appropriate asset allocation is key. The firm determines the right blend for each client through a personal risk questionnaire. It typically invests client assets in investment vehicles that are inherently diversified and fluid, like exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds.

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Private Wealth Advisors, LLC is a relatively small firm with a limited number of financial advisors on staff. Two of the firm’s advisors are certified financial planners (CFPs), though and one of the advisors holds the chartered financial consultant (ChFC) designation. The firm has millions in assets under management (AUM) and requires a minimum of $1 million to open and maintain an account.

More than three-quarters of the fee-based firm’s clients are individuals. However, it also serves high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and other business entities.

Private Wealth Advisors Background

Private Wealth Advisors is owned by Martin L. Mazorra and Chris M. Murray. They founded the firm in 2007, and are advisors at the firm.

There are two main types of services that clients can get with Private Wealth Advisors: portfolio management and financial consulting. Portfolio management involves helping clients to manage their portfolios and meet their investment goals. Financial consulting services include a number of financial planning services like retirement planning, charitable planning, education planning, corporate or personal tax planning and real estate analysis.

Private Wealth Advisors Investing Strategy

Private Wealth Advisors primarily use mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in client portfolios. These funds help to maintain diverse portfolios at low costs.

Part of the reason that Private Wealth Advisors has a small staff is that it doesn’t believe it’s necessary to have a huge team to research every aspect of the stock market. Instead, the firm’s small staff focuses its energy on fundamental and technical analysis. Fundamental analysis analyzes a company's financial situation to determine a security’s value, while technical analysis attempts to forecast how a security’s price will change over time.

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Plan Life & Wealth Management, Inc. DBA Plan Financial is a fee-based firm serving more than 700 clients in total. As for client types, Plan Financial manages individuals, high-net-worth individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, foundations and endowments. 

The firm requires that all new clients meet a minimum account size of $250,000, and Plan Financial mainly earns its compensation through asset-based fees, hourly fees and fixed fees.

Plan Financial Background

Founded in 1985 by John R. Hooper, Plan Financial primarily offers standard investment advisory services, managed account programs, custom asset allocation services, financial planning services and educational forums. 

The firm’s financial planning services also provide advice in areas such as protection planning, financial position, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning and estate planning. 

Plan Financial Investment Strategy

Plan Financial uses its custom asset allocation program to analyze market patterns and make investment decisions, according to its firm brochure. The firm says it uses this process to determine whether to add or eliminate asset classes. 

As for the asset types the firm utilizes for separately managed accounts, Plan Financial’s Form ADV indicates that 100% of its investments were in cash and cash equivalents.

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Pathways Advisory Group, Inc., is a fee-only financial advisor firm. Pathways Advisory Group has a minimum account size of $300,000.

Pathways Advisory Group provides advice primarily to individuals and their families, including high-net-worth individuals and trusts. The firm also advises foundations, businesses and participants of pension and profit-sharing plans. Providing this advice is the firm’s small staff which includes certified financial planners (CFPs).

Pathways Advisory Group Background

In 2007, David L. Williamson created Pathways Advisory Group, Inc. Williamson and the Pathways Advisory Group team were previously members of another firm called Portfolio Advisors, the No. 7 firm. Today, Williamson is the principal stockholder of Pathways Advisory Group and he also serves as the firm’s president. Dustin J. Smith and Jeff S. Karst are also stockholders in the firm.

Pathways Advisory Group provides portfolio management for clients in addition to financial planning services. These services range from managing household finances to estate planning. Consulting services are available at an hourly rate.

Pathways Advisory Group Investing Strategy

Mutual funds make up the bulk of Pathways Advisory Group’s client investment portfolios. The mutual funds the firm uses include a variety of stock, bond and real estate mutual funds. Investing in mutual funds allows advisors to create diverse portfolios at lower costs than if they traded individual securities.

However, advisors will provide advice on investing in individual securities for clients who would like it. Notably, Pathways Advisory Group does not invest in any initial public offerings.

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Portfolio Advisors, Inc. is a fee-only financial advisor firm with millions in assets under management (AUM). There is no minimum required to open an account, but there is a minimum annual management fee of $5,000.

The firm serves mostly individuals. In fact, more than 75% of the firm’s clients are individuals. However, Portfolio Advisors also serves high-net-worth individuals and pension and profit-sharing plans.

Portfolio Advisors doesn’t have a very large staff, but two of its advisors hold the certified financial planner (CFP) designation.

Portfolio Advisors Background

Portfolio Advisors is principally owned by CEO Michael Leffler and partners Tina Mistry and Kenneth Hatfield. The firm was founded in 1990 by Michael Leffler’s father, Gary Leffler, and David L. Williamson. Notably, Williamson is now the owner of the eighth firm on this list, Pathways Advisory Group.

The primary service offered by Portfolio Advisors is the management of an investment portfolio. The firm also provides financial planning services. Consulting services for both investment and non-investment matters are available on a separate fee basis.

Portfolio Advisors Investing Strategy

Portfolio Advisors principally create client portfolios with the goal of using a diverse and robust asset allocation. The firm does not take part in market timing or stock picking. Common investment types the firm uses include large U.S. stocks, small U.S. value stocks, short-term bonds and international stocks. A given client’s asset allocation will depend on individual goals and circumstances.

Advisors ensure that a client’s portfolio stays on track by meeting with the client about twice per year. Those meetings are in addition to ongoing portfolio management.