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Recent news and insights from the team at Arlington Financial Advisors.
A Generous Life — Remembering Peter Karoff
November 11, 2025
By Dianne Duva, Katherine Harvey Fellows Class of 2010 The Katherine Harvey Fellows program has inspired many of us to lead with purpose, compassion, and generosity — values deeply rooted in the Santa Barbara community. The program was enhanced when Peter Karoff, founder and Chairman of The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI). Peter was a visionary philanthropist,…
Third Quarter Investment Review
October 30, 2025
By Arthur G. Swalley, CIMA®, Partner, Chief Investment Officer Since 1999, Arlington Financial Advisor’s investment principles have been steady and constant. We invest in high-quality, profitable companies, and we entrust client assets to investment managers who do the same. We invest for the long-term compounding of wealth, and we do our best to avoid fads…
Why a Trust Company?
September 3, 2025
By Joseph R. Weiland, CFP®, Partner I have spent my career as a professional financial advisor. Finances touch all areas of our lives: family, health, longevity, social status and beyond. A professional advisor is one who is paid to give advice. Even paid-for advice is not always heeded, and certainly not all advice is acted…
Investment Commentary, Summer 2025
August 5, 2025
By Arthur G. Swalley, CIMA®, Partner, Chief Investment Officer It was the worst of times, it was the best of times. Charles Dickens… reversed! The Trump administration ushered in spring 2025 by threatening or imposing tariffs on goods from most countries, up to and including an island inhabited by penguins. The S&P 500 then fell…
Timeline of Your Financial Life: What to Do in Your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s to Plan for Retirement
July 24, 2025
By Ally Meier, CFP®, CDFA® CPFA® Associate Financial Advisor Retirement can feel like a far-off idea when you are young, but it’s never too early (or too late) to start planning. In fact, the younger, the better! Each decade brings unique opportunities and challenges that can shape your future. Here’s a checklist to help you…
The Winter of 2024
January 9, 2025
By Arthur G. Swalley, CIMA®, Partner, Chief Investment Officer 2024 has provided historic shifts on many fronts – economic, political, and societal. We make every possible effort to think about the long term implications of major change rather than focusing on the markets’ short term bounces of the ball, while recognizing that short term swings can…
Alternative Investments ESG – History and Opportunity
May 16, 2024
By Arthur G. Swalley, CIMA®, Partner, Director of Investments Principle-based investing has a history stretching back at least to the early 1970’s, when the District of Columbia’s public employee pension plan wanted to hire the Capital Group from Los Angeles to manage their funds. Capital Group’s main fund, the hugely successful and popular Investment Company…
Dianne Duva named managing partner at Arlington Financial Advisors
February 21, 2024
SANTA BARBARA, California – Certified Financial Planner Dianne Duva, a founding partner of the wealth management firm Arlington Financial Advisors in Santa Barbara, has been named the company’s new managing partner. A graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Duva has worked at Arlington Financial Advisors since the firm launched in 2010. She advises high-net-worth families, business…
The Road to One Billion Dollars-One client at a time.
February 8, 2024
By Joseph R. Weiland, CFP, Managing Partner In the last month, Arlington Financial Advisors has crossed One Billion Dollars of client assets under advice. This is something that we as a firm are very proud of. Each one of those dollars is owned by an individual. Each of our clients has entrusted a portion—usually all…
Quarterly Investment Review, January 2024 Volatility and the Markets
February 8, 2024
By Arthur G. Swalley, CIMA®, Partner, Director of Investments Markets closed 2023 with historically strong performance. US stocks mostly erased 2022’s losses. Bonds closed the year up on the back of a 5% rally in November and December but were unable to recoup 2022’s losses. The fall rally was touched off by Federal Reserve Chairman…