How We Work
Puente Wealth Advisors is a fee-only, fiduciary registered investment advisory firm based in San Diego, California. We provide comprehensive wealth management for affluent families, business owners, and cross-border households — with a specialization in US-Mexico financial planning and a fully bilingual English/Spanish client experience.
Fee-only means we are compensated exclusively by our clients — we never receive commissions, referral fees, or payments from product sales. This eliminates the most common conflicts of interest in financial advice.
When your advisor earns commissions, their income depends on what they sell you. Fee-only advisors have no such incentive — our only incentive is to give you excellent advice so you stay as a client.
A fiduciary is legally and ethically required to act in your best interest at all times — not just recommend "suitable" products. As a Registered Investment Advisor, Puente is held to the fiduciary standard in every client interaction.
This matters because many financial professionals are only held to a suitability standard, which permits recommending products that are acceptable but may not be the best option for you. The fiduciary standard is a meaningfully higher bar.
The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designation is the most recognized credential in financial planning. Earning it requires completing an approved education program, passing a rigorous comprehensive exam, accumulating relevant experience, and adhering to ongoing ethics and continuing education requirements.
CFP® professionals are held to a fiduciary standard and must always act in clients' best interests when providing financial planning services.
We serve three primary client types: (1) business owners preparing for a liquidity event, transition, or succession; (2) high-earning professionals and executives with complex financial lives; and (3) cross-border households — families with meaningful financial ties to both the United States and Mexico.
The common thread is complexity and ambition. Our clients have more going on than a standard advisor can handle — and they want a partner who can truly keep up.
Yes — fully and natively. Puente is a bilingual practice. All advisory services, meetings, documents, and communications are available in both English and Spanish. This is not a translation service — both languages are fully native to our practice.
For families where important financial conversations happen in Spanish, this makes a real difference. Every family member can participate fully, ask questions clearly, and understand decisions completely.
Cross-border financial planning addresses the unique complexity of families and business owners whose financial lives span both the United States and Mexico. This can involve dual tax obligations, foreign asset reporting, currency considerations, cross-border business structures, estate planning across two legal systems, and more.
Very few advisors understand both sides. Puente was specifically built for clients who need an advisor who does.
No. While we are based in San Diego and serve many clients in Southern California, we work with clients throughout California and across the United States. We are well-equipped to serve clients remotely, and regularly hold meetings by phone and video.
The first step is a complimentary 30-minute consultation. We use this time to understand your situation, share how Puente works, and determine whether we're a good fit for each other. There is no obligation.
You can schedule directly through Calendly using the link on this site, or reach out via the Contact page.
Comprehensive wealth management clients typically meet formally at least twice per year for a full planning review. In addition, we communicate proactively when there are changes in tax law, market conditions, or life circumstances that warrant attention — and we are always available when you need us.
Yes — and we consider this essential. Comprehensive financial planning requires coordination across investments, tax strategy, estate planning, and business structure. We actively collaborate with clients' CPAs, tax attorneys, estate planning attorneys, and business advisors to ensure every dimension of the plan works together.
Our fees vary based on the scope and complexity of services provided. We discuss fees transparently during the initial consultation, before any engagement begins. As a fee-only firm, all compensation comes directly from clients — never from product sales or commissions.
We believe you should understand exactly what you are paying and exactly what you are receiving before making any commitment.
Absolutely. Client confidentiality is one of our most fundamental commitments. All information shared with Puente is treated with strict professional discretion. We comply with all applicable privacy laws and regulations, and we never share client information with third parties without explicit authorization.
Schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation and we'll answer everything directly.
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