AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / California / San Diego / Financial Alternatives, Inc.
Financial Alternatives, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in La Jolla, CA, registered since 2000, reporting $500 million to $1 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 13, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is Financial Alternatives, Inc. compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Financial Alternatives, Inc. reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; hourly charges; fixed fees (other than subscription fees).
How much does Financial Alternatives, Inc. charge?
Its Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 13, 2026 states: Asset-based fee: 0.5% to 1% a year (a range, as the brochure states it); Hourly rate: $300 an hour (wealth advisory and consulting fees). Fees can differ by service and may be negotiable; the brochure is the complete statement.
Where is Financial Alternatives, Inc. located?
Financial Alternatives, Inc.'s principal office is in La Jolla, CA, according to its Form ADV; the April 2026 filing also lists 1 other office (Schedule D, Section 1.F).
Is Financial Alternatives, Inc. registered with the SEC or a state?
Financial Alternatives, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 2000. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 108245.
How much does Financial Alternatives, Inc. manage?
Financial Alternatives, Inc. reports $614,784,199 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 13, 2026 (99% discretionary).
How have Financial Alternatives, Inc.'s assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for Financial Alternatives, Inc.: Regulatory assets under management: $274,533,512 in the October 2021 data and $614,784,199 in the October 2026 data, up 124%. Total employees: 11 in October 2021 and 13 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does Financial Alternatives, Inc. serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: high net worth individuals (148); individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (121); charitable organizations (2).
Which custodians does Financial Alternatives, Inc. use?
Financial Alternatives, Inc.'s most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and National Financial Services LLC as custodians holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.
Does Financial Alternatives, Inc. report any disciplinary disclosures?
Reports no disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11. The detail of any item is on the firm's SEC record: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/108245
What changed in Financial Alternatives, Inc.'s recent Form ADV filings?
In the April 2026 filing data: Changed its office addresses in La Jolla, CA.
From the Form ADV filing
Every figure below is as the firm filed it with regulators, as of October 2026.
How the firm is compensated
Item 5.E- A percentage of assets under your management
- Hourly charges
- Fixed fees (other than subscription fees)
Item 5.E lists how the firm is compensated for its advice; Items 5.B, 6.A, and 7.A show whether its people or related companies can also earn commissions. Percentage of assets, fixed, hourly, subscription, and performance-based fees come from clients (a performance-based fee depends on investment results); commissions come with a sale or a trade, often from the company behind the product. How fees, commissions, and other arrangements differ
Fees and minimums
Form ADV Part 2AAsset-based fee: 0.5% to 1% a year (a range, as the brochure states it)
The brochure's wording
Fees based solely on AUM typically range from 1.00% to 0.50% on a flat or tiered rate schedule, but may be higher or lower in some cases.
Hourly rate: $300 an hour (wealth advisory and consulting fees)
The brochure's wording
Registrant’s wealth advisory and consulting fees are negotiable, but generally are assessed at a $300 hourly rate or flat fee basis, depending upon the complexity, level, and scope of the service(s) required
As stated in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 13, 2026. Fees can differ by service and may be negotiable; the brochure is the complete statement. Read the brochure on the SEC's IAPD site
Regulatory assets under management
Item 5.F$614,784,199 as of October 2026, filing dated March 13, 2026.
A measure of scale, not skill or returns. Discretionary means the firm decides trades; non-discretionary means clients approve each one. What assets under management means
Who the firm serves
Item 5.DA firm with no individual clients is an institutional manager even if it manages billions; the mix tells you whom the practice is built around.
Advisory services
Item 5.G- Financial planning services
- Portfolio management for individuals and/or small businesses
- Selection of other advisers (including private fund managers)
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 2000 (26 years)
- Employees
- Total: 13. Performing investment advisory functions: 7.
- Wrap fee program participation
- No.
- Custodians (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3))
-
Custodians holding 10% or more of the firm's separately managed account assets, as filed on Form ADV (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)). A custodian holds client assets; it does not endorse or supervise the firm. AdvisorCensus has no relationship with any custodian.
- Other offices (Schedule D, Section 1.F)
-
1 other office, as of the April 2026 filing
- States registered or notice-filed
-
6 states or jurisdictions
SEC-registered investment advisers are examined by the SEC. SEC, state, and exempt registration
Disclosures
Item 11None Reports no disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11. View on IAPD.
Item 11 asks about criminal, regulatory, and civil events involving the firm and its advisory personnel. The detail of each yes answer is on the IAPD record. Reading a firm's disclosures
Assets and staff over time
Items 5.A, 5.F| Data period | Assets under management | Employees | Filing dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $614,784,199 | 13 | March 13, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $547,779,015 | 12 | March 24, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $507,074,427 | 12 | March 28, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $458,983,612 | 12 | August 24, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $458,547,924 | 14 | March 23, 2022 |
| October 2021 | $274,533,512 | 11 | August 3, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $274,533,512 in the October 2021 data and $614,784,199 in the October 2026 data, up 124%.
Total employees: 11 in October 2021 and 13 in October 2026.
As filed in each year's data for the same month. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going; they measure scale, not skill or returns. Most firms update these figures once a year.
Changes in the filing
Last 12 months- April 2026
- Changed its office addresses in La Jolla, CA.
Compared month to month from the SEC's monthly adviser data and the state compilation feed. Owners and control persons are summarized, never named.
Websites listed on Form ADV
Item 1.ISource: Form ADV, as of October 2026. Values appear as filed; a value the firm did not report is shown as "Not reported."
Cite this page
AdvisorCensus. Financial Alternatives, Inc. (CRD 108245): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/financial-alternatives-inc-la-jolla-ca-108245