Financial Alternatives, Inc. (La Jolla)

Name: Financial Alternatives, Inc.
Address: 7825 Fay Avenue, La Jolla, CA, 92037
Telephone: 858-459-8289

Financial Alternatives, Inc. is a large advisory firm based in La Jolla. It manages $204.78 million of regulatory assets for 719 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2002 and has operated in the jurisdictions of California and Texas.

Financial Alternatives provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, and selection of other advisers. It prepares financial plans for more than 100 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Financial Alternatives: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Financial Alternatives, Inc. is $204.78 million. The firm's AUM has grown by 543% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $204.3 million in discretionary accounts and $482.64 thousand in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $290.61 thousand each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $30.16 thousand.

Financial Alternatives has custody of $75.71 million in cash and securities for 70 clients in total but doesn’t act as a qualified custodian.

Investments

The firm invests in investment and business development companies the most. They account for 67% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is pooled investment vehicles, which make up 25% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in cash and cash equivalents form 5% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Financial Alternatives, Inc. for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management, hourly charges, and fixed fees. Compensation based on assets under management promotes a long-term relationship between a client and the adviser and helps align mutual interests. These fees don’t include brokerage commissions, interest, taxes, and other account expenses.

What kind of clients James Alan Freeman serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, charitable organizations, and high net worth individuals. The largest group of clients of James Alan Freeman is high net worth individuals with 56 clients and $180.68 million of assets under management. Among the 8 most similar advisory firms, Financial Alternatives has the highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $204.78 million for 122 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. None of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Financial Alternatives doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Financial Alternatives, Inc.

The company employs 6 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 50 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. No employees are registered as investment adviser representatives with the state securities authorities.

There isn’t anyone with the role of looking for and bringing in new clients on behalf of the firm. The firm compensates employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees don’t receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

James Alan Freeman has been acting as President since 1 Jan 2001. Christopher Edward Jaccard joined the executive team most recently as the Cfp/Chief Compliance Officer.

Direct owners and executive officers

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
James Alan Freeman	President/chief compliance officer	1 Jan 2001	75% - 100%	1397759
Christopher Edward Jaccard	Chief operations officer	1 Jul 2001	Other	4381151
Christopher Edward Jaccard	Cfp/chief compliance officer	1 Oct 2004	Other	4381151

Based in La Jolla

The principal office where Financial Alternatives, Inc. performs its advisory services is located at 7825 Fay Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037, which is also the mailing address of the firm. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 858-459-8289 or by fax 858-459-8258. The normal business hours are 9am - 5pm on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at financialalternatives.com.