Financial Sense Advisors, Inc. (San Diego)


Financial Sense Advisors, Inc. is a large advisory firm based in San Diego. It manages $452.77 million of regulatory assets for 689 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2017 and has operated in the jurisdictions of Alabama, Arizona, California, and 29 other states.

Financial Sense Advisors provides financial planning services and portfolio management for individuals and small businesses. It prepares financial plans for more than 25 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Financial Sense Advisors: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Financial Sense Advisors, Inc. is $452.77 million, all of which is managed in discretionary accounts. The firm's AUM has grown by 15% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $452.77 million in discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $657.14 thousand each.

Investments

The firm invests in exchange traded securities the most. They account for 45% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is investment and business development companies, which make up 20% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in state and local bonds form 15% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Financial Sense Advisors, 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 Joseph Puplava serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, charitable organizations, high net worth individuals, corporations or other businesses, and pension and profit sharing plans. The largest group of clients of James Joseph Puplava is individuals with 605 clients and $238.18 million of assets under management. Among the 11 most similar advisory firms, Financial Sense Advisors has the highest percentage of individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $452.77 million for 689 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. 1% of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Financial Sense Advisors doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Financial Sense Advisors, Inc.

The company employs 15 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 47 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 7 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 doesn’t compensate employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees don’t receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

James Joseph Puplava has been acting as President since 1 Mar 1985. Abdiel Alan Valenzuela joined the executive team most recently as the Chief Compliance Officer.

Direct owners and executive officers


Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
James Joseph Puplava President 1 Mar 1985 75% - 100% 736091
Abdiel Alan Valenzuela Chief compliance officer 1 Jul 2017 Other 1986132

Based in San Diego

The principal office where Financial Sense Advisors, Inc. performs its advisory services is located at 10809 Thornmint Road, San Diego, CA 92127 The mailing address of the firm is Po Box 503147, San Diego, CA 92150 3147. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 858-487-3939 or by fax 858-487-3969. The normal business hours are 6:30am to 4:00pm on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at puplava.com/.