About Us

Chad Willardson, AWMA^®, CRPC^®

President, Founder

Chad Willardson is the President and Founder of Pacific Capital and is an Accredited Wealth Management Advisor and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor. Before founding Pacific Capital, he spent 9 years at Merrill Lynch, where he ranked in the top 2% of over 16,000 Financial Advisors nationally. Chad is passionate about financial education and believes that with the right tools and resources, people can be empowered to make smart money decisions. He loves to help people organize their financial life, clarify their goals, and make decisions that lead them to a successful and fulfilling life. A native of Orange County, CA, Chad and his wife of 17 years live in Corona with their five children.

Awards and Recognitions:
● Elite Wealth Management Team of the Year
● White House Volunteer Service Award
● "Top of the Table" at Million Dollar Round Table
● President’s Circle, Chairman’s Club
● “Top 40 Under 40” in Corona
● “Who’s Who of the Inland Empire” 2017
● CA Leadership Council at Merrill Lynch

Featured In:
● Wall Street Journal
● Forbes
● U.S. News & World Report
● Investment News
● Entrepreneur Magazine
● Financial Advisor Magazines
● Inc.

Education/Certifications:
● Bachelor’s Degree in Economics – Brigham Young University
● Accredited Wealth Management Advisor®
● Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor®
● Certified Financial Planning program – Boston University
● Certified professional member of the National Ethics Association

Community Service:
● Elected City Treasurer of Corona
○ Manages the $300 million city investment portfolio
● Appointed to Citizens Financial Oversight Committee
○ Committee for the $396 million bond issued by CNUSD.
● Served as a volunteer in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Belarus for 2 years.
● Boy Scouts of America
○ Served as a Scoutmaster for 5 years
○ Earned the high rank of Eagle Scout