Our Team

Brad Stark is a Co-Founder of Mission Wealth Management, LLC, which has been recognized as one of America’s “Top Wealth Managers” for the past nine years.¹   His visionary excellence in the financial industry drives the strategic direction of the firm. Mr. Stark is a member of the firm’s Executive Management and Investment Committees and is responsible for the firm’s client fulfillment process. Mr. Stark has been an adjunct professor for the California State University system teaching corporate finance at the CSUCI campus. Brad is the feature writer of the “AskS&B” weekly column published in the Santa Barbara Daily Sound.Mr. Stark was born and raised in Los Angeles and completed his Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Out of college, John Hancock, one of the oldest and largest financial firms in the nation, recruited him into the financial industry. He was later asked to join the company’s high net worth division, “Signature Financial Network,” where he went on the “lecture circuit” talking about estate and investment planning.

In 2000, Mr. Stark co-founded Mission Wealth Management, LLC, a firm built on the foundation of providing comprehensive, objective and independent advice to high net worth families. His vision was for MWM to offer a meaningful alternative to traditional firms by providing high-end planning without a proprietary product bias that is so prevalent in the industry. From 2003 through 2011, Mission Wealth has been named by Bloomberg/AdvisorOne magazine as one of America’s “Top Wealth Managers.” In 2004, Mr. Stark was named by the Pacific Coast Business Times as a “Top 40 Under 40”business leader and he has been listed annually in their “Who’s Who In Banking and Finance” list since 2005.²  In 2011, Mr. Stark was ranked as one of America’s “Top 100 B/D Advisors” by Registered Rep magazine.³

Since 1993, Mr. Stark has been a sought-after speaker on various financial topics for both public and private organizations, including: Northrop Grumman, Hughes Aircraft, McDonnell Douglas, the County of Los Angeles, Lockheed Martin, University of Southern California, Screen Actors Guild and the Charles Schwab 2007 Leadership Meeting.⁴

Professional Certifications and Licenses
With a strong belief in education, Brad completed the Certified Financial Planners program from the College of Financial Planning in 1994, and in 1995 became one of the youngest students at the time to earn the CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM) certification. In 1996, Brad sat for the first national exam to earn the designation as a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC). Continuing his commitment to educational excellence, Brad completed his Master of Science (MS) degree in Financial Planning in 2002. In 2004 Mr. Stark completed the AAMS® program to earn his designation as an Accredited Asset Management Specialist. Brad also carries the following industry licenses: Investment Advisor Law Examination (Series 65), General Securities Principal (Series 24), General and Variable Securities Representative (Series 6 and 7), Uniform State Law (Series 63), and California Life Insurance License.

Associations and Memberships
Mr. Stark is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and is registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).  Brad is also a member of the Planned Giving Committee of the American Heart Association, the Santa Barbara Estate Planning Council, past member of the Advisory Board to Advocacy Press, H.S. Dent Adviser Network, Business & Technology Partnership, Charles Schwab Regional Advisory Council 2006-07, Dean Council Member to the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at UCSB and past Chairman of the Cal State University Channel Islands Business Advisory Council.

Personal
Brad and his wife, Tammy, reside in Westlake Village, CA and he splits his business time between the Santa Barbara and Westlake Village offices. His interests include travel, golf, sports and music.

^{1 Rankings based on average client account size for the prior year ending on December 31st and percentage change in assets under advisement between January 1st and December 31st of the prior year as reflected in these rankings. Mission Wealth is the only ranked firm in Santa Barbara County for 2011.
2 To be considered for inclusion, PCBT considers the nominees’ management role at their business, the scope of their customer’s presence in the region, as well as the size that their territory service encompasses.
3 Rankings based on total assets under management as compiled by Meridian IQ, a firm that offers data intelligence and tools within the financial services industry.
4 The entities listed have not endorsed Mission Wealth Management, LLC or the services offered.}