West Coast Financial

What West Coast Financial does

West Coast Financial is a fee-only wealth management and financial planning firm headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, that has merged with and now operates under Cerity Partners. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of advisory services to high-net-worth individuals and families with investable assets ranging from $1M to $50M+, encompassing investment management, estate and gift planning, financial planning, insurance and risk management, tax planning and preparation, trust services, family office capabilities, and specialized business owner advisory including CFO and accounting services. Beyond the HNW segment, the firm serves corporate clients with workplace financial counseling, retirement plan consulting, and corporate venture capital services, and institutions through outsourced CIO (OCIO) and institutional consulting offerings.

The firm's technology stack is built entirely on third-party wealth management and financial planning platforms — Addepar, Orion, Black Diamond, eMoney, MoneyGuide Pro, Juniper Square, ShareFile, and Box — accessed through consolidated client portal logins alongside an internal Cerity Partners Cash Management tool. There is no proprietary technology product; the offering is a full-service advisory practice rather than a software platform.

Commercially, West Coast Financial operates on a recurring Assets Under Management (AUM) fee model typical of registered investment advisors, with pricing not publicly disclosed but implied at a premium given the $1M minimum investable asset threshold. The go-to-market combines thought leadership content (insights blog, webinars, newsletter), a Concierge Program offering complimentary 30-minute discovery calls for advisor matching, and direct high-touch advisory relationships. Post-merger, the combined Cerity Partners entity holds the Barron's 2025 Mega Award and maintains offices across 20 U.S. states.

Name

West Coast Financial

Legal name

Cerity Partners

Website

https://wcfinc.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

West Coast Financial is a fee-only wealth management and financial planning firm in Santa Barbara, California, serving high-net-worth individuals, families, corporations, and institutions with investment, estate, tax, and retirement advisory services. It has merged into Cerity Partners, a 20-state national platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Onshore Private Banking (Domestic HNW/UHNW) (FSAAABAA)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Investment advisory services
• Estate planning services
• Tax planning advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Wealth Management Advisory Fees: Likely operates on an Assets Under Management (AUM) fee model typical of registered investment advisors, charging percentage-based fees on managed assets. The firm targets clients with $1M+ in investable assets, indicating a high-net-worth focused revenue structure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

West Coast Financial is a fee-only wealth management firm providing comprehensive financial advisory services for high-net-worth individuals and families with investable assets of $1M to $50M+. Offerings include investment management, estate and gift planning, tax planning, trust services, financial planning, insurance planning, business owner advisory, and family office services. The firm has merged with Cerity Partners and now operates as part of the combined entity.

Product overview

West Coast Financial, now merged with Cerity Partners, operates as a wealth management and financial advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of services. The firm's core offering centers on wealth management for individuals and families, which encompasses investment solutions, capital solutions, estate and gift planning, financial planning, insurance planning, risk management, tax planning and preparation, trust services, and specialized services for business owners through its Business Owner Advisory practice. The platform also extends to corporate services including workplace solutions (executive and beneficiary financial counseling), retirement plan consulting (defined benefit and defined contribution plans), and institutional services through Cerity Partners OCIO and Institutional Consulting. The offering is unified as a full-service financial advisory practice rather than a modular software platform, with clients accessing services through integrated third-party wealth management and financial planning tools including Addepar, Orion, Black Diamond, eMoney, MoneyGuide Pro, ShareFile, and Box.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wealth Management Comprehensive wealth management services for individuals and families, including investment solutions, capital solutions, estate and gift planning, financial planning, insurance planning, tax planning, and trust services.
• Investment Solutions Investment management and advisory services for individuals and families seeking portfolio management.
• Capital Solutions Capital advisory services for individuals and families requiring liquidity and capital management guidance.
• Estate and Gift Planning Estate planning and gift planning services to help high-net-worth clients manage wealth transfer strategies.
• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning services for personal financial goals across investments, taxes, and life events.
• Insurance Planning & Risk Management Insurance planning and risk management advisory services for high-net-worth individuals and families.
• Tax Planning & Preparation Tax planning and preparation services for individuals and families to optimize tax outcomes.
• Trust Services Trust services for asset protection and estate management for high-net-worth families.
• Family Office Comprehensive family office services for high-net-worth families requiring consolidated wealth management support.
• Business Owner Advisory Specialized advisory services for business owners including financial planning and CFO & accounting services.
• Workplace Solutions Corporate workplace financial solutions including executive financial counseling and beneficiary financial counseling.
• Retirement Plan Consulting Corporate retirement plan consulting services for defined benefit and defined contribution plans.
• Cerity Partners OCIO Outsourced Chief Investment Officer services for institutional clients and non-profit organizations.
• Institutional Consulting Institutional consulting services for non-profit organizations and foundations on investment oversight and portfolio management.
• Corporate Venture Capital Corporate venture capital services connecting corporations with entrepreneurs and investors for strategic growth.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AddeparcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Addepar wealth management platform for portfolio reporting and analytics. Clients access their accounts through the Addepar portal linked from the Cerity Partners website.
• OrioncoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Orion advisor tech platform for account management and reporting. Orion portal access provided to clients for viewing portfolios and account information.
• Black DiamondcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Black Diamond reporting platform for consolidated account reporting. Clients use Black Diamond portal for portfolio analytics and reporting.
• eMoneycoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with eMoney financial planning platform for comprehensive financial planning services. Advisors use eMoney to create and manage client financial plans.
• MoneyGuide ProcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with MoneyGuide Pro financial planning software for goal-based financial planning and projections. Used by advisors to develop comprehensive financial plans.
• Juniper SquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationCommercial Real Estate clients access their investments through the Juniper Square portal for fund reporting and investor relations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-coast-financial

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West Coast Financial