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Life Advisors Financial Planning and Wealth Management
Life Advisors is a San Diego fee-only RIA founded by John H. Robinson, serving corporate executives with equity compensation and concentrated stock...
Life Advisors Financial Planning and Wealth Management
John H. Robinson founded Life Advisors Financial Planning and Wealth Management in San Diego, California. The firm operates as a fee-only registered investment advisor — a structure that binds it to fiduciary duty, meaning it must place client interests ahead of its own. This separates the practice from broker-dealer models common among retail-facing advisory shops. The firm targets corporate executives, professionals, and families navigating liquidity events from concentrated equity positions. Strategy centers on comprehensive financial planning rather than pure asset management. Core service lines include retirement income modeling, equity compensation planning for restricted stock and options, and tax-aware portfolio construction. The firm manages concentrated single-stock risk through structured liquidation plans, option exercise strategies, and diversification frameworks. No venture, private equity, or real asset mandates are public. Geographic delivery spans the San Diego metro area with remote client capability across California and select other states where the firm holds registration. Team size and total regulatory assets under management are not publicly disclosed. Altss estimates a managed asset range of $100 million to $250 million based on SEC Form ADV classification by number of accounts and industry benchmarks for practices of this tenure. Robinson serves as the named principal and investment adviser representative; the firm has consistently appeared in national media as an expert source on financial planning for equity-compensated technology and biotech employees. Structural distinction comes from the firm's narrow focus on equity compensation advisory — a technical niche most generalist planning shops handle only occasionally. By building the practice around stock option exercise schedules, AMT exposure analysis, and Rule 10b5-1 plan coordination, Robinson operated as a specialty shop long before the concentrated-stock tech-wealth wave made the category mainstream among West Coast RIAs.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
—
AUM
$100M - $250M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Diego
Corporate office
San Diego, CA, United States
Principals
John H. Robinson
Founder and Financial Planner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Life Advisors?
John H. Robinson serves as the firm's founder and primary investment adviser representative. All portfolio decisions are made in-house under an advisory agreement, not outsourced to third-party managers. Robinson's public media presence confirms he personally leads the planning methodology and client relationship management.
Is Life Advisors a fiduciary?
Yes. As a registered investment advisor (RIA) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the firm has a legal fiduciary duty to act in clients' best interests. This differs from broker-dealer firms operating under the less restrictive Regulation Best Interest standard. Fee-only compensation eliminates commission conflicts.
What type of client does Life Advisors typically serve?
The firm's specialty is corporate executives and professionals with significant equity compensation — restricted stock units, incentive stock options, and non-qualified stock options. Clients frequently work in technology, biotechnology, and other industries where equity grants form a meaningful portion of total compensation.
How does Life Advisors handle concentrated stock positions?
The firm builds structured diversification plans around single-stock risk. This can include staged selling programs, option exercise scheduling that factors in alternative minimum tax exposure, and Rule 10b5-1 trading plan design for executives subject to insider trading restrictions. Position sizing is modeled against retirement income projections.
Does Life Advisors participate in fund commitments or only direct portfolios?
Life Advisors builds client portfolios using direct holdings in publicly traded securities — primarily low-cost ETFs, mutual funds, and individual bonds. The firm does not offer private fund commitments, venture capital access, or alternative investment sourcing. The practice is a traditional financial planning shop, not a multi-family office or institutional allocator.
What geographies does Life Advisors serve?
The firm is headquartered in San Diego, California, and serves clients primarily in Southern California. Depending on registration filings and individual state notice requirements, remote client relationships may extend to additional US states. No international offices or non-US client operations exist.
How is Life Advisors compensated?
The firm charges an asset-based fee calculated as a percentage of assets under management, consistent with the standard RIA model. No commissions, no product sales, no revenue-sharing from fund providers. Financial planning fees may be billed separately or bundled, depending on client engagement structure.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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