Trusted Financial Advisors

What Trusted Financial Advisors does

Trusted Financial Advisors is a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor operating as a solo Certified Financial Planner practice founded by Gary E. Miller in 2002 and based in Laguna Niguel, Orange County, California. The firm serves high-net-worth individuals whose investment and retirement accounts total $2 million or more and who want to delegate investment decision making; named client segments include physicians, software developers, business owners, and retirees from across the United States. The principal differentiation is a fiduciary, fee-only compensation model with no commissions, insurance sales, or third-party incentives.

The firm's product set is anchored by two core services — discretionary Investment Management and a multi-stage Financial Planning process — and augmented by add-on modules covering IRA Rollover, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management, Portfolio Management, Insurance Needs Analysis, Annuity Review, Income Tax Analysis, Estate Plan Analysis, and Business Planning. There is no proprietary technology; client assets are custodied at the institutional divisions of TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab, which provides lower commissions and mutual fund fees than retail pricing. The firm distributes through a content-led marketing engine that includes an educational blog, quarterly market commentary, RSS newsletter, and presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, supplemented by client referrals and a free financial analysis lead form.

Revenue is generated entirely from client-paid fees on a tiered AUM schedule: 1.25% on the first $500,000, 0.95% on $500,000-$1,000,000, and 0.55% above $1,000,000, all billed quarterly in advance. No revenue, AUM, or client count is disclosed, but the solo-practitioner structure, 24-year operating history, and tiered pricing are consistent with a small, stable book of $2M+ HNW households. The firm carries no AI capabilities, no funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no M&A history; strategic positioning rests on the founder's 40+ years of investment experience, CFP credentials, prior NYSE member-firm tenure, and third-party media visibility.

Name

Trusted Financial Advisors

Legal name

Trusted Financial Advisors

Website

https://trustedfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trusted Financial Advisors is a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor and solo Certified Financial Planner practice in Orange County, California, providing investment management and financial planning services to high-net-worth individuals with $2 million or more in investable assets nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

Keywords

• Fee-only financial advisor
• Investment management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Retirement planning services
• Wealth management advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Laguna Niguel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Management Fees: Fee-only compensation model based on assets under management. Fees billed quarterly in advance based on end-of-quarter values. No commissions, referral fees, or incentives from external parties.
2. Financial Planning Fees: Multi-stage financial planning process including data gathering, analysis, recommendations, implementation and monitoring. First defines the financial planning assignment, then assembles proposals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Trusted Financial Advisors is a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor that provides Investment Management (designing and overseeing personalized portfolios aligned to client objectives with ongoing performance reporting) and Financial Planning (a multi-stage process of data gathering, analysis, recommendations, implementation, and monitoring, including Retirement Sufficiency Studies). The firm serves individual clients with $2 million or more in investment and retirement accounts and is compensated solely through asset-based advisory fees billed quarterly in advance.

Product overview

Trusted Financial Advisors is a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor offering two core services: Investment Management and Financial Planning. Investment Management involves designing personalized investment portfolios aligned with client objectives, with ongoing oversight and performance reporting. Financial Planning is a multi-stage process encompassing data gathering, analysis, recommendation development, implementation, and monitoring. The firm also offers a suite of advisory modules including IRA Rollover, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management, Portfolio Management, Insurance Needs Analysis, Annuity Review, Income Tax Analysis, Estate Plan Analysis, and Business Planning. The firm serves clients whose investment and retirement accounts total $2 million and greater, and operates as a fee-only, fiduciary Certified Financial Planner firm, compensated solely by clients without commissions or third-party incentives. Client assets are held at the institutional divisions of discount brokerages such as TD Ameritrade or Charles Schwab.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Management A fee-only advisory service that designs personalized investment portfolios aligned to each client's objectives, oversees investments on an ongoing basis, and provides regular activity and performance reporting. Targeted at individual clients with $2 million or more in investment and retirement accounts who want to delegate investment decision-making.
• Financial Planning A multi-stage financial planning service covering data gathering, analysis, recommendation development, implementation, and monitoring, including Retirement Sufficiency Studies and assignment-specific planning deliverables. Designed for individual clients who want comprehensive coordination across retirement, tax, insurance, estate, and business planning topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Balanced portfolios produced gains or losses of around 2% during Q1 2026 when S&P 500 shed 7.3%
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TD AmeritradecoreOthersClient assets held with institutional division of discount brokerage, providing clients with lower commission rates and mutual fund fees than retail investors.
• Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.coreOthersClient assets held with institutional division of discount brokerage, providing clients with institutional pricing advantages.
• University of California Irvine ExtensionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGary Miller serves on the advisory board for the UCI Extension Management Certificate in Personal Financial Planning. Occasionally teaches a class for UCI Extension titled 'The Investment Process'.
• Financial Planning Association, Orange County ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGary Miller served on the board of directors from 1999 to 2002.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fisher Investments: Large fee-only RIA serving high-net-worth and institutional clients with personalized portfolio management. Comparable business model (AUM-based fees, fiduciary, HNW focus) though operating at materially greater scale than a solo practice.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Fee-only RIA offering financial planning and investment management to HNW individuals. Closely aligned on the fee-only fiduciary model, retirement-focused planning services, and AUM-based pricing.
• Personal Capital (Empower Personal Dashboard): Hybrid digital-plus-advisor wealth management firm combining a free dashboard with fee-based CFP-led advisory services, primarily to HNW households. Direct competitor for the same $2M+ retiree and professional clientele.
• Creative Planning: Fee-only RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, and wealth management to HNW individuals and families. Operates the same fiduciary, fee-only, AUM-based model at significantly greater scale.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National fee-only RIA delivering financial planning, tax, estate, and investment management to HNW clients. Comparable service mix and fiduciary structure; competing for the same high-net-worth retiree and business-owner segments.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only RIA and financial planning firm serving HNW households, founded on the academic evidence-based investing philosophy. Mirrors Trusted Financial Advisors' fee-only fiduciary model and comprehensive planning orientation.
• Carson Wealth: Fee-only RIA providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management to HNW families, with an emphasis on holistic planning across retirement, tax, and estate. Comparable service breadth and target segment.

Broad incumbents

• Charles Schwab Wealth Advisory: Schwab's in-house fee-based advisory program serving investors with substantial assets. Direct overlap with Trusted Financial Advisors' use of Schwab institutional custody plus overlapping client base, but operates at much larger scale with brand incumbency.

Emerging players

• Betterment: Leading robo-advisor with a Premium tier offering access to human CFPs for HNW clients. A scaled, technology-driven alternative pressing fees downward across the RIA category, including for the $2M+ segment Trusted Financial Advisors targets.
• Wealthfront: Automated investment platform with low-fee portfolio management and financial planning tools. Indirect competitor for younger HNW professionals (software developers, physicians) who might otherwise consider a solo fee-only advisor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKdhgpjpS2NXRuDqT1kpAWQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/trustedfinancialadvisors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trusted-financial-advisors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Trusted Financial Advisors