Mark Stancato

CRD#

• 2709160

Firm CRD#

• 335528

Name of Custodial Firm

• Schwab, Altruist

Years of Experience in Financial Services

• 25

Number of Years with Current Firm

• 1

Work Experience

• My career spans more than two decades across national RIAs, boutique firms, and fintech startups - an arc that gives me rare perspective on how wealth management can best serve clients.
  
  I began at Mercer Advisors, supporting the Director of Financial Planning in Santa Barbara. There, I helped build internal training systems and supported the firm's transition to a new planning platform. This early exposure gave me a foundation in technical precision and systems thinking.
  
  Mark then advanced to roles with ING and the Strategic Planning Group, where I specialized in retirement, estate, and tax planning. I designed comprehensive financial plans, delivered seminars for educators and professionals, and developed advanced case solutions for affluent families, executives, and business owners. These years sharpened my technical toolkit and gave me experience teaching complex financial concepts with clarity.
  
  At Loring Ward, I entered the highest tier of complexity: advising A-list celebrities, professional athletes, entertainment executives, and ultra-high-net-worth families nationwide. My work spanned tax optimization, estate planning, investment strategy, charitable giving, and even personal financial management like staff payroll and intergenerational education. Serving this clientele required both discretion and mastery of highly sophisticated planning structures. It was here that I developed the discretion, trust, and nuanced judgment that remain core to my practice.
  
  I later spent more than a decade as a Wealth Advisor and Consultant, working with RIAs, military families (including Gold Star survivors), and TD Ameritrade on the development of digital planning tools. This period broadened my ability to innovate in service delivery and to apply planning to diverse populations and needs.
  
  From there, I joined BrooklynFI, a boutique firm known for its focus on equity compensation. I worked directly with startup employees, founders, and executives navigating incentive stock options, RSUs, ESPPs, and concentrated stock positions. My tax expertise allowed me to guide clients through AMT, QSBS eligibility, and complex multi-state filings - areas where a wrong move can cost millions.
  
  As Lead Financial Planner at Range, a fast-growing fintech startup, I combined client service with product innovation. I not only advised high-net-worth clients but also partnered with engineering teams to build tools that made financial advice delivery more efficient and scalable.
  
  Today, as Founder and Lead Advisor of VIP Wealth Advisors, I integrate the best of these experiences: the discretion of Hollywood family offices, the technical sophistication of national RIAs, the equity comp expertise of BrooklynFI, and the innovation of fintech. My firm provides comprehensive planning, in-house tax filing, and investment management to tech professionals, real estate investors, and business owners who demand more than cookie-cutter advice.

Work with the following types of clients

• Businesses, Individual Investors

Advisory Services Provided

• Investment Advice & Management, Estate Planning & Trusts, Financial Planning, Portfolio Management, Retirement Planning, 401K Rollovers, Wealth Management, Money Management, Risk Management, Education Funding and Planning, Financial Planning for Individuals, Financial Planning for Businesses, Tax Advice and Services, Financial Advice & Consulting