What Makes Us Different
True Independence
We're not tied to a broker-dealer, bank, or insurance company. We don't sell products. We build portfolios from the best investments available across the market, always in your best interest.
A Better Fee Structure
You pay a fee just for the services you receive. We will never sell you a product nor receive a commission. All fees are discussed up front, and are generally based on the assets we manage for you.
Four-Pillar Wealth Management
Most advisors focus on investments alone. We integrate four pillars: investment management, financial planning, tax strategy, and estate planning. Wealth isn't built in silos — it's built through coordination.
Fiduciary Duty
It's our job to put your needs first, and we take that commitment seriously. We are held to a fiduciary standard to always work in our clients' best interests.
Active Investment Management
We don't buy the market and hope for the best. We build tactical, theme-based portfolios designed to outperform — conducting deep research, monitoring positions daily, and making deliberate adjustments when the data tells us to act.
Boutique Service, Institutional Strategy
You'll work directly with Kyle and Dane — not junior associates or call centers. We limit our client base to ensure every relationship gets the time and attention it deserves. You'll have 24/7 direct access to the firm principals — call, text, or email anytime.
Meet the Team
Kyle DePaolo
Years of Experience: 16
Kyle is the Co-Founder of DePaolo & May Strategic Wealth. Kyle’s entire professional career has been focused in the financial industry. After graduating from UCLA in 2009 with an economics degree, he spent more than a decade with Mitchell Anthony Capital Management, an investment firm in Irvine, CA with $300 million under management. There, after several years progressing through the firm, he worked as a senior member of the investment team actively managing strategies for clients.
Kyle was born and raised in Orange County, CA, where he currently resides with his wife and four children in Ladera Ranch. Outside of helping clients manage their investments and finances, Kyle enjoys surfing, snowboarding, and enjoying all that the Southern California lifestyle has to offer with his family.
Professional Memberships & Affiliations:
Member, Fee-Only Network
Member, NAPFA
Member, XY Planning Network
Dane May
Years of Experience: 16
Dane is the Co-Founder of DePaolo & May Strategic Wealth. After graduating from Purdue University, he spent 10 years in New York City working at Bank of America / Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan Chase. He later made his way out to the west coast where he joined Mitchell Anthony Capital Management, an investment firm in Irvine, CA. There he helped build active investment strategies to beat benchmarks and manage risk.
Dane currently lives in San Clemente, CA with his wife, two sons and big bernedoodle. When not working, Dane enjoys hitting the beach with his family and going to see his teams (Colts, Pacers and Boilermakers) play live.
Professional Memberships & Affiliations:
Member, Fee-Only Network
Us vs the Competition
Frequently Asked Questions
We are a fee-only independent financial advisory firm. Fees are charged based on the services we provide. Investment management and ongoing planning fees are billed quarterly — we intentionally do not charge hourly fees. We never want you to hesitate reaching out because of cost; our team is here to support you whenever you need us. Fees are generally a percentage of the assets we manage for you. Fees start at an annual rate of 1.0%, with reduced rates at defined thresholds as assets grow.
We believe in disciplined, evidence-based investing. Our portfolios are built around investment themes that we believe will outperform over the long term. We use tactical asset allocation to seek upside in a variety of market conditions. We focus on managing downside risk, tax efficiency, and avoiding emotional decisions.
Fiduciary Duty: As fiduciaries, we are legally and ethically required to act in your best interest at all times — not our own. This means every recommendation we make must be based on what's right for you, not what earns us the highest commission or meets a sales quota. It's the highest standard of care in financial services.
Independence: Being independent means we're not tied to a broker-dealer, bank, insurance company, or investment firm. We don't have proprietary products to push or sales targets to hit. We build your portfolio from the best investments available across the entire market — based solely on what fits your goals and risk tolerance.
Why It Matters: Many advisors work under a "suitability" standard, which only requires recommendations to be "suitable" — not necessarily best. They may earn commissions on products they sell or be incentivized to recommend in-house funds. We don't. We're paid by you, we work for you, and our only job is to grow and protect your wealth.
We specialize in working with successful families, entrepreneurs, and young high-earners (doctors, tech professionals, business owners) who want comprehensive wealth management. Most of our clients are either (a) in or near retirement looking for comprehensive retirement planning, or (b) younger professionals starting to truly build wealth who have a need to organize an increasingly complex and growing financial picture. We're happy to explore any client's situation — don't hesitate to reach out.
In general, quarterly. During onboarding and major life changes, we'll meet more frequently. You'll also have direct access to Kyle and Dane via email, phone and text anytime you need us.
We don't file taxes, but we partner with a CPA to deliver year-round tax planning — strategies like Roth conversions, tax-loss harvesting, and entity structuring. We coordinate with your tax preparer to ensure everything is aligned. We similarly partner with an estate attorney for comprehensive estate planning and support.
We work with clients starting at $500K in investable assets, though we make exceptions for high-earning professionals early in their wealth-building journey, family of existing clients, and other circumstances. Don't hesitate to reach out — we're always happy to chat.
Schedule an introductory call with us. We'll discuss your goals, answer questions, and determine if we're a good fit. No pressure, no sales pitch — just a conversation.
Strategize With Us
Ready to achieve your financial goals?
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