Spuds Powell, CPWA® Managing Director
Los Angeles, CA
- Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors 2026
- Barron’s Top 1500 Independent Advisor 2026
- LA Times Banking and Finance Magazine: Visionaries: Leaders in Banking and Finance 2026
- Barron's Top 100 Independent Advisors 2025
- Forbes Best In-State Wealth Advisors 2025
- Barron's Top 1200 Advisors by State 2025
- LA Times Banking and Finance Magazine: Visionaries: Leaders in Banking and Finance 2025
- Five Star Wealth Manager 2024
- Barron's Top 100 Independent Advisors 2024
- Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors 2024
- LA Times Banking and Finance Magazine: Visionaries: Leaders in Banking and Finance 2024
- Barron's Top 1200 Advisors by State 2024
Highlights
Industry: 1993
KAR: 2004
EDUCATION
B.S., Industrial and Labor Relations,
Cornell University
PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE
- National Mid-Plan Sales Manager – Financial Engines
- Retirement Plan Consultant – Retirement Plan Strategies
- Franklin Templeton Funds
CERTIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS*
Certified Private Wealth Advisor®
RECOGNITION
- 2012-2025 Barron’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors list
- Barron’s Hall of Fame Advisor (inducted 2022)
- 2018-2026 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors
- 2022-2026 L.A. Times B2B Publishing Banking & Finance Visionary
- Formerly served on the Fidelity Wealth Advisor Solutions® Client Advisory Council
- Frequent public speaker and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Forbes, Investment News, Investors’ Business Daily, Wealthmanagement.com, and ThinkAdvisor
| Q: | What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job? |
| A: | I feel very lucky to do what I do and there’s a lot about it that I enjoy. The most rewarding aspect of my job is developing very close, personal, and trusting relationships with my clients. I love putting in the time and effort necessary to truly understand what they’re trying to accomplish with their wealth and developing a customized investment strategy that aims to help them achieve the financial peace of mind that they’re looking for. |
| Q: | What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KARWA? |
| A: | I love working with so many amazing people! Our firm prides itself on having a corporate culture built on integrity, honesty and trustworthiness and the people here walk that walk. They’re very smart, experienced, friendly, warm, and willing to help each other and our clients. I feel grateful to be able to work with them. |
| Q: | How Does KARWA Approach Wealth Management Differently? |
| A: | We seek to play great defense and protect our clients’ wealth during difficult markets. One of the ways I believe we have had success in this area is through the utilization of different asset classes including alternatives. One of the few guarantees in our industry is that there will always be periods when the stock market does poorly; however, by allocating a portion of our clients’ wealth to asset classes that may provide better downside protection during those periods when equities struggle, I believe we create more opportunities to generate better performance with less risk. Another thing that I appreciate about KAR is that we manage the wealth of our senior investment professionals and principals. I’m always very proud to tell prospective clients and existing clients that we are a classic example of a firm that “eats its own cooking” by investing alongside clients in the same portfolios.
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| Q: | What Do You Hope to Achieve for Your Clients? |
| A: | I strive to provide my clients with financial peace of mind, the notion that they can continue to have confidence in the investment strategy that we’ve implemented for them. |
| Q: | What Are You Involved in Outside of Work? |
| A: | I strive to have a balanced life and spend as much time as possible with my family. I married my high school sweetheart, Ann and we have four children: Emmet, Mary Clare, Finn and Margot. We support Providence TrinityKids Care, Homes of Hope, Moira’s Mission, Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, and American Martyrs Catholic Church, among other organizations. I enjoy playing sports and cooking and am a loyal fan of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Notre Dame Football. |
Contact Form for Wealth Management
*If you have any questions regarding a particular professional’s credentials or for more information regarding each credential’s requirements and qualifications, please contact KAR to receive a copy of your professional’s Form ADV Part 2B.
The 2026 “Best-In-State Wealth Advisors” ranking was given by Forbes in April 2026 and covers the year 2026. KAR has not paid fees to Forbes to obtain or participate in the ranking. The firm has paid a fee to license use of the award logo and market the results of the ranking.
The 2026 “Top 1500 Advisors by State” ranking was given by Barron’s in March 2026 and covers the year 2026. KAR has not paid a fee to participate in the rankings but has paid for a license to distribute the results of the rankings.
The 2026 “Banking & Finance Visionaries” honor was given by LA Times Studio in March 2026 and covers the year 2026. KAR has not paid fees to LA Times Studio to obtain or participate in the award. KAR sponsored an ad in the 2026 Banking & Finance publication but doing so was not a prerequisite to winning the award.
The 2025 “Top 100 Independent Advisors” ranking was given by Barron’s in September 2025 and covers the year 2025. KAR has not paid fees to Barron’s to obtain or participate in the ranking. The firm has paid a fee for a license to reprint and market the results of the ranking.
The 2025 “Best-In-State Wealth Advisors” ranking was given by Forbes in April 2025 and covers the year 2025. KAR has not paid fees to Forbes to obtain or participate in the ranking. The firm has paid a fee to license use of the award logo and market the results of the ranking.
The 2025 “Top 1200 Advisors by State” ranking was given by Barron’s in March 2025 and covers the year 2025. KAR has not paid a fee to participate in the rankings but has paid for a license to distribute the results of the rankings.
The 2025 “Banking & Finance Visionaries” honor was given by LA Times Studio in March 2025 and covers the year 2025. KAR has not paid fees to LA Times Studio to obtain or participate in the award. KAR sponsored an ad in the 2025 Banking & Finance publication but doing so was not a prerequisite to winning the award.
The 2024 “5-Star Wealth Manager” recognition was given by Five Star Professional in May 2024 and covers the year 2024. KAR has not paid fees to Five Star Professional to obtain or participate in the award. The firm has paid a fee to license use of the award logo and market the results of the award.
The 2024 “Top 100 Independent Advisors” ranking was given by Barron’s in September 2024 and covers the year 2024. KAR has not paid fees to Barron’s to obtain or participate in the ranking. The firm has paid a fee for a license to reprint and market the results of the ranking.
The 2024 “Best-In-State Wealth Advisors” ranking was given by Forbes in April 2024 and covers the year 2024. KAR has not paid fees to Forbes to obtain or participate in the ranking. The firm has paid a fee to license use of the award logo and market the results of the ranking.
The 2024 “Banking & Finance Visionaries” honor was given by LA Times Studio in March 2024 and covers the year 2024. KAR has not paid fees to LA Times Studio to obtain or participate in the award. The firm does not anticipate that it will pay fees to re-license or market the award.
The 2024 “Top 1200 Advisors by State” ranking was given by Barron’s in March 2024 and covers the year 2024. KAR has not paid a fee to participate in the rankings but has paid for a license to distribute the results of the rankings.