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Fidelon

Monarch Wealth Strategies is a investment adviser based in Santa Barbara, CA, that holds a 84.6/100 Fidelon TransparencyScore (th percentile), with 8 registered advisors. Score based on public SEC and FINRA filings.

84.6Transparency Score
Bottom36%

Monarch Wealth Strategies

A fee-only investment adviser with a clean regulatory record and fiduciary commitment.

222 East Carillo Street, Suite 208, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101
(805) 564-0800Website
Investment AdviserFiduciary
Prep Kit

Fidelon Fact Sheet

Monarch Wealth Strategies used to be called May Wealth Management Group. The firm is an investment adviser in Santa Barbara, California that manages investment portfolios and helps clients plan for retirement. It charges asset-based fees and reports no commission income. The firm holds client money, which means it or a related party can access client funds. It has a clean regulatory record with zero disclosures or fines.

84.6StrongBottom 36% of scored firms
How they're paidNo advisory commissions. Other business lines not on file.
Asset-based · hourly fees
Duty to youLegally required to put your interests first.
Registered adviser · fiduciary
Assets under managementAcross 956 client accounts.
$463.5M
Firm size
8 advisors
Who holds your moneyThe firm or a related party can hold or access client funds.
Custody disclosed
Regulatory recordNo customer complaints, regulatory actions, or fines on file.
Clean — 0 disclosures
Based on live filings from SEC Form ADV and FINRA BrokerCheck. Scored using Fidelon's published methodology. Data as of Mar 2026

Peer Context

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Key Findings

Strengths

  • Fee-only compensation — no commission income reported
  • Registered as investment adviser with fiduciary obligation
  • No broker-dealer registration — advisory services only
  • Clean regulatory record — no disclosures, arbitrations, or fines
  • Transparent fee structure — charges advisory fees, no commissions

Things You Should Know

  • Conflict disclosure in the client summary — filings provide less detail than higher-scoring peers in this area
  • Fee disclosure could be more detailed — while this firm charges fee-only (no commissions), its regulatory filings describe fee schedules and service terms less clearly than top-scoring peers

Conflict Audit

Conflict AuditClear

Zero material conflicts identified in regulatory filings.

✓
Not registered as broker-dealer
✓
No commission-based compensation
✓
No outside compensation sources
✓
No related-party custodian
✓
No performance-based fees
✓
No other business lines disclosed

Source: Form ADV Part 1, Items 6-8; Part 2A, Items 10-14

What this firm says about how it gets paid

“The more assets that you have in your advisory account, the more you will pay in fees, creating an incentive for us to encourage you to increase the amount of assets in your accounts.”
“Some of our investment advisor representatives (IARs) are also licensed insurance agents. IARs may recommend insurance products, thereby earning commissions or other compensation resulting in a conflict of interest.”

Source: the firm’s own Form CRS, filed 2024-10-18 — quoted directly

Regulatory Events

Next Steps

This firm's score reflects some areas where disclosure could improve. Here's what that means for you.
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Advisor Roster

8 advisors

AdvisorScoreGrade
Irene Therese Timmons Mrs.——
Nga Yu Ho——
Brian Thomas Johnson——
Grant S Colin——
Nicole Renee Allen——
Lucas Ray Poteet——
Aaron Jeffrey Clark——
Fatemeh Ashouri——

Meeting Prep Kit for Monarch Wealth Strategies

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✓Fee structure breakdown
✓Conflict of interest analysis
✓Regulatory track record
✓Fiduciary status check
✓Personalized questions to ask
✓How they compare locally

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does the TransparencyScore measure?

The TransparencyScore measures how clearly and completely an advisor or firm discloses important information in their regulatory filings — things like fees, conflicts of interest, disciplinary history, and business practices. A higher score means better disclosure quality, not better investment performance.

Where does this data come from?

All data comes from public regulatory filings: SEC Form ADV (Parts 1, 2, and 3), FINRA BrokerCheck, and the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) database. These are official filings that firms and advisors are legally required to submit.

Does a low score mean they're a bad advisor?

Not necessarily. A low score means the firm's public filings are less transparent — they may use vague language about fees, skip details about conflicts, or have a more complex regulatory history. Some excellent advisors work at firms with poor disclosure practices. The score measures the filing, not the person.

How often is this data updated?

Fidelon refreshes data from SEC and FINRA sources on a regular schedule. Form ADV filings are updated annually by firms (with amendments throughout the year), and BrokerCheck data is updated as events are reported. Scores are recalculated after each data refresh.

Can an advisor or firm improve their score?

Yes. Scores are based on what's in public filings. A firm that rewrites its ADV brochure in clearer language, discloses conflicts more specifically, or resolves outstanding regulatory issues will see its score improve at the next refresh. The incentive structure is intentional.

Data Sources

SEC Form ADV Part 1 — Filed Mar 2026SEC Form ADV Part 2ASEC IAPDFINRA BrokerCheck

Scores are generated using Fidelon's published scoring methodology and reflect the quality of public disclosures, not the quality of investment advice. A firm that improves its disclosures will see its score improve. Fidelon does not provide investment advice.

Verify on SEC IAPD

Last scored: · Score version: 3.9 · CRD #136029