Matt Iantosca is a Managing Partner at Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management. He isn't a traditional number cruncher. He rarely uses a financial calculator – not because he doesn't want to – but because he doesn't need to. Punching numbers in by hand is just a waste of time when Matt can calculate them faster in his head. Matt's gift for numbers dates back to his elementary school days when he regularly won "mental math" contests. He utilizes this quick wit and mathematical talent to generate efficient outcomes for his clients.
Matt's first brush with investing emerged organically from his other gift: gaming. At 13 years old, Matt exhibited prodigy-level talent when he picked up the video game Counter-Strike. By 17 he was a professional who then taught his gaming secrets to others (for a fee) and regularly won significant purses at live gaming tournaments. Instead of spending his first $5,000 in winnings on a man cave, he invested it.
After a stint at Morgan Stanley as an analyst, Matt moved to Gerber Kawasaki in 2010 and developed an impressively diverse clientele. Initially, his business was built on an astute observation: he noticed that many divorced or widowed women had no one to look after their finances. His retired or nearly retired clientele were naturally drawn to Matt's patient explanations, personable approach, and seemingly inexhaustible attention to detail. Clients quickly learned how hard Matt worked and how deeply he cared for them. "I just do for my clients what I would do for my own family," he observes.
Client queries are typically met with lightning-fast responses directly from Matt. And while he's generally a soft-spoken person, Matt will fight for his clients if the result will save them money or improve returns. "I want my clients to focus on their lives and their families, not their finances. My goal is to provide them the confidence that they are being taken care of,” Matt notes.
Given his unique, first-hand experience in the industry, Matt also works with professional gamers to ensure that they, like him, invest their winnings instead of squandering them. Gamers are generally in their teens and twenties when financial discipline can be a real challenge. Matt observes, "It's great when you're making good money as a gamer, but I'm there to make sure they also have a financial plan."
When Matt isn't advocating for his clients, he loves traveling to far-flung spots around the globe. He loves animals and gives to environmental charities. Matt lives in Playa Vista with his wife, their toddler daughter, and a rambunctious Golden Retriever named Toby.
Matt completed his undergraduate degree in Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University, and received a certificate in Personal Financial Planning from Boston University; he is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional. "In 2017 and 2018, Matt was recognized by Forbes and Shook research as one of America's Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors and was also recognized as a Next-Gen Best-In-State wealth advisor in 2019."
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Designation Disclaimers
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
For more than 30 years, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification has been the standard of excellence for financial planners. CFP® professionals have met extensive training and experience requirements, and commit to CFP Board's ethical standards that require them to put their clients' interests first.
Candidates for the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification must have a bachelor’s degree (or higher) from an accredited college or university and three years of full-time personal financial planning experience or the equivalent part-time experience (2,000 hours equals one year full-time). Designation training requirements for the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification include completion of a CFP-board registered program, or hold one of the following: Certified Public Accountant (CPA); Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC); Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU); Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA); Ph.D. in financial planning, finance, business administration or economics; Doctor of Business Administration; or attorney's license. Following completion of the course requirements, applicants must complete a proctored final certification exam and continuing education of 30 hours every two years.
https://www.finra.org/investors/professional-designations/cfp
The Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP® ) designation is a graduate level specialization in estate planning, obtained in addition to already recognized professional credentials within the various disciplines of estate planning. It is awarded by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) to recognize estate planning professionals who meet stringent requirements of experience, knowledge, education, professional reputation, and character, and who commit to the team concept of estate planning.
To be eligible to be considered for the AEP® designation, the applicant must provide documentation of being currently licensed to practice law as an Attorney (JD) or to practice as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA); or of being currently designated as a Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU® ); Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC® ); Certified Financial Planner (CFP® ); Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA); Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA® ); Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP® ); Certified Specialist in Planned Giving (CSPG); or Certified Trust & Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) in any jurisdiction of the United States of America. Applicants who hold the Masters of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) through The American College meet the credential requirement. Lastly, applicants who hold a Master of Science in Taxation (MST) may meet the credential requirement; however, specific criteria pertain to this degree and must be pre-approved by NAEPC.
The applicant must be presently and significantly engaged in "estate planning activities" as an attorney, an accountant, an insurance professional and financial planner, a philanthropic advisor, or a trust officer devoting at least a third of one's time to estate planning and estate planning activities. An applicant must continuously be in good standing with the applicant's respective professional organization and/or license authority (e.g., State Bar Association for attorneys, etc.). An applicant must provide three professional references. The applicant shall provide each individual referrer a copy of the Reference Form included in this application which may be returned to the applicant for submission or returned directly to the NAEPC and minimum of five years of experience in one of these areas: accounting, insurance and financial planning, law, philanthropy or trust services.
https://www.finra.org/investors/professional-designations/aep