November 29, 2025
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Award-Winning Financial Advisors I Santa Barbara & Los Angeles
Fiduciary Wealth Management
Montecito Capital Management is where foresight meets financial mastery. We specialize in helping individuals and families grow their wealth, defend it against uncertainty, and live richly — not just in assets, but in life.
Celebrating 20-Years of Excellence
Independent, Insight-Driven Guidance. Elevated Wealth Management for Your Tomorrow.
Why Clients Choose Us ?
Financial success starts with the right partner. Our difference is what sets us apart from the crowd – we work hard to check all the boxes:
✅ Award-Winning Firm – Industry recognition for successfully guiding client financial journeys. We go “above & beyond” for clients!
✅ Expertise & Experience – Decades of developed experience, rigorous training, and deep academic mastery in wealth management.
✅ Independent Advice – As Fiduciary advisors, we have put our clients’ best interests first – unbiased, objective & integrity-driven.
✅ Asset Safety – All client assets are held in custody at Charles Schwab with full transparency & protection. Clients retain complete ownership of their investments with 3rd party reporting & 24/7 access.
✅ Boutique Strength – You’re more than an account. Our more intimate and attentive structure is by design, enabling personalized client focus. Hands-on boutique care, powered by Schwab’s scale, resources and extensive capabilities.
✅ Personalized Strategies – Every plan is designed around your goals, not a one-size-fits-all model. This includes tailoring portfolios, budgets, estate, tax and adjustments for life changes so your financial plan truly reflects your needs and priorities.
✅ Low Market Rate Fees & Transparent Process – Clear communication, no hidden fees, step-by-step process, & clarity on risk-adjusted return goals. Our fees are 30% lower than the industry.
Multiple Industry Awards: "Delivering results that make a lasting impact"
Recognized by Forbes Magazine
10 Most Dependable Wealth Managers for Southern California
by Goldline 2008
(Corp Today, Expertise & Global 100 Awards)
Leadership That Elevates Prosperity: Insight-Driven Wealth Stewardship
Kip Lytel, CFA, is the Founder and Managing Wealth Advisor of Montecito Capital Management, a fiduciary, fee-only Registered Investment Advisory firm with offices in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. A trusted leader and voice in modern finance, Kip is known for his clear, engaging insights as an author and speaker—and for more than two decades of guiding clients toward smarter, more strategic financial decisions.
Before founding Montecito Capital Management in 2004, Kip held senior investment roles at leading multi-billion-dollar asset management firms, where he developed deep expertise in institutional portfolio construction, advanced risk management, and quantitative investment research. Recognizing that individual investors rarely had access to this level of sophisticated risk management, Kip launched Montecito Capital Management to bring these superior, institution-grade portfolio skills directly to his clients through a transparent, conflict-free advisory model.
With both an MBA in Finance and the distinguished CFA® Charter, Kip has built a reputation as a thought leader in capital-market strategy, blending deep analytical rigor with an approachable, relationship-driven advisory style.
Outside of finance, Kip enjoys spending time with his family, fly-fishing local waters, exploring California’s hiking trails, and giving back through community service.
Our Financial Planning Process
(How It Works)
As an advisor, we keep a relentless focus on quality and on consistently exceeding expectations. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to every day.
We believe financial planning should be clear, easy to understand, and fully transparent. Here’s how we work with you:
- Discovery – Understanding your goals, challenges, and vision for the future.
- Organization – We help gather, digitize, and organize your financial information so we begin with clarity and accuracy.
- Analysis – We assess your current financial landscape to identify strengths, gaps, and strategic opportunities.
- Planning – Designing a custom wealth management strategy tailored to your needs.
- Implementation – We put your tailored plan into motion with precision and care.
- Ongoing Guidance – We provide continuous monitoring, reviews, and adjustments to keep your plan aligned with your evolving life.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
At what point should I use a financial advisor?
This is a good question, and the answer really depends on your unique situation, including your financial concerns, goals, and level of confidence managing your financial affairs on your own. However, generally speaking, it is a good idea to have a professional advisor when you start saving for retirement and planning for your future. There are many considerations that not only can save money but also show you the best use of your money for growing wealth.
Additionally, it might be wise to take advantage of a complimentary meeting with one of our professional investment advisors to review your portfolio, assess potential risks, and explore strategies to strengthen your long-term financial goals. Indeed, a financial fitness checkup with an experienced advisor can help you balance daily spending with long-term retirement planning, giving you greater clarity and confidence in maintaining the lifestyle you want.
Are you a fiduciary advisor, and will you act in my best interests at all times?
We are Fiduciary advisors and therefore adhere to the highest Fiduciary standard of being legally bound to prioritize our client’s “best interests” while at all times acting in good faith. You may assume that all advisors uphold the Fiduciary standard of care, but this is not accurate, as only 12% of financial advisors choose to meet this exalted standard.
What qualifications, credentials, and licenses do you hold?
As a team, we have decades of investment and finance experience and hold MBA, CFA, CFP & RIA designation/degrees. As for bachelor’s degrees, concentration in Economics, Accounting & Finance.
How many years you’ve been practicing?
We have been in the business of professionally advising clients on financial matters for over two decades.
How are you compensated / what is your fee structure?
First off, there are no hidden fees or surprise costs — we’re fiduciary advisors, which means we’re legally bound to put your best interests first. Our compensation comes from a straightforward, fee-based structure tied to the assets we manage for you. As your assets grow, our percentage fee rate actually decreases at different asset bracket sizes – a sliding scale. On average, our advisory fees are about 30% lower than the industry standard. For our specific fee brackets, see https://www.mcapitalmgt.com/fees
Second, all initial advisory review meetings are “complimentary” where we look to provide valuable insight, perspective and financial guidance.
What is your investment philosophy / strategy?
We help our clients build financially secure futures by aligning each plan with their specific goals—whether that’s maintaining liquidity, achieving steady growth, ensuring reliable income, or managing portfolio risk. Because we believe that understanding the risks within a portfolio is key to delivering real value, we take an active approach to constructing and managing diversified, multi-asset portfolios. Our aim is to capture long-term gains while maintaining the resilience needed to withstand market fluctuations.
Do you have limitations on the type of client you accept, and/or have minimum account size?
Our clients come from a wide range of backgrounds—diverse in age, wealth, and culture. While we generally recommend a minimum investable asset level of $250,000 to ensure optimal portfolio diversification, we understand every situation is unique. Our advisors are happy to discuss your individual goals and explore flexible options tailored to your needs.
Our clients say it best: exceptional results, reliability, steadfast guidance, and total satisfaction.
Drawing on years of experience across diverse clients, we’ve learned that true client satisfaction rests on several pillars: clear direction, a structured approach, shared purpose, and consistently delivering successful outcomes.
Google Review
Very hands-on, knowledgeable and well-thought out investment (& retirement) planning. The fees are fair, and lower than the others advisors I met during my vetting process. I like that Kip Lytel, my advisor, is always very responsive and actively tracks economic data, earnings, stocks, bonds, valuations, politics and everything that might impact my portfolio. Happy with results!
Google Review
Truly excellent investment advisory services. Kipley and the team have an incredible depth of knowledge, and it shows not only in their performance, but in their frequent articles and newsletters, and their clear, understandable responses to questions. I've never been anything less than satisfied.
Yelp Review
With regards to Montecito Capital Management, not only does Kipley Lytel have impeccable credentials, he is an astute financial advisor with that important personal touch. With his help I have been able to realize my financial goals in a way that best suits my current lifestyle and future plans. I also greatly appreciate that he is an outstanding communicator who can translate technical financial information into terms I can understand and appreciate.
Yelp Review
Our family is very pleased with the highly professional service we have been receiving from Montecito Capital Management over the last several years. My wife and I are both retired, and our preference is for an investment strategy that is conservative. Even so, our portfolia has steadily grown over the years due to investment strategies that are a very good fit for our personal desires.
We align with our clients’ financial objectives by delivering personalized financial guidance, strategic asset planning, retirement roadmaps, comprehensive assessments, and modern portfolio management
Advisor Investment Insights & Investor Financial Resources
Stay informed with our latest market updates, financial tips, and retirement planning guides. Explore our Advisor Investment Insights and Investor Financial Resources for guidance on making better-informed financial decisions.
Advisor Investment Insights
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November 22, 2025
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Investor Financial Resources
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We’d be delighted to learn more about your financial goals. Simply complete the contact form, and we’ll reach out to explore how we can best advise and support you. Every conversation starts with us listening, so we can truly understand what matters most to you. Initial meetings are offered at no cost, and we look forward to the opportunity to connect. Thank you for visiting!
Feel free to email us or call directly: ContactUs@McapitalMgt.com or (805) 965-7955 with any questions or inquiries.
Our Santa Barbara and Los Angeles Office Advisors proudly serve clients throughout Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties.
Prospective clients from beyond our regional offices are encouraged to reach out to our firm. For convenience, our investment advisors frequently travel within a 120-mile radius of our two California wealth management offices to conduct meetings at client homes, places of business, or over lunch at suitable private dining establishments. We always offer office appointments.