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“Wealth Is Having Choices”: A Conversation with Daniel Torreblanca of Guardtower Financial Services
Wealth Stream News sat down with Daniel Torreblanca CFP®, founding partner at Guardtower Financial Services in La Jolla, California, to talk about his unconventional path into finance, the power of education, and why he believes true wealth is about having choices.
Wealth Stream News: Please tell us about your present role about your journey in financial services.
Daniel Torreblanca: My path into financial services was not conventional at all. I transferred to UC San Diego as a pre‑med student and majored in human biology, convinced I would become a doctor. Over time, I realized that while my passion was helping people, medicine wasn’t the only way to do that, and I noticed that all the books I owned were about financial markets and history. With some insightful advice from my dad, I shifted into economics, took finance classes, got a job at a bank, and 15 years later I’m still in this field and building a practice I’m proud of.
Wealth Stream News: What traditional wealth‑building advice do you think needs to be rethought for the next generation?
Torreblanca: Traditionally, people were told that planning for the future meant saving as much as possible and stashing away money, hoping it would be enough to weather financial storms, health emergencies, and other surprises. Retirement is less about the size of your assets and more about cash flow: Social Security, pensions, and income from investments like stocks, bonds, real estate, and insurance. The goal isn’t just “save more,” it’s “save in the most efficient way” so those assets translate into reliable income over time.
Wealth Stream News: How do you explain financial strategies to first‑generation investors or business owners who may feel intimidated by the process?
Torreblanca: I focus on breaking strategies down into examples people see in their daily lives and by walking them through potential outcomes of one approach versus another. A big part of my work is understanding the psychology of decision‑making, because people generally feel financial pain more intensely than financial pleasure and will do a lot to avoid that pain. So, I ask clients how certain outcomes would make them feel: would a given strategy create anxiety or peace of mind? Most clients aren’t trying to become investment professionals; they want someone they can trust, who has their best interests in mind, knows the options, and can guide them along the way.
Wealth Stream News: Can you share a specific episode that was transformative for you as an advisor?
Torreblanca: The 2020 pandemic was transformative for everyone, and our firm was no exception. While people were at home sheltering and dealing with uncertainty, my business partner and I felt a deep responsibility to our clients, so we hunkered down and personally called our entire client base of around 300 households about three times over three months. We didn’t have all the answers about the pandemic itself, but it was essential for them to know we were present, listening to their concerns, and showing how different scenarios might impact their plans. Going through that “battle” together created deeper loyalty, and many of those clients are people I now consider friends.
Wealth Stream News: In your view, what role should wealth advisors play in closing wealth gaps?
Torreblanca: Education is the biggest lever. Most people don’t receive meaningful financial education in elementary, middle, or high school, so advisors have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to fill that gap. At our firm, we consciously educate clients on our process and decision‑making, because an educated client becomes a true collaborator rather than just a recipient of recommendations. When clients understand that an advisor doesn’t control markets but does help control how they respond to markets, they’re better able to avoid emotional decisions; many of our wealthiest clients take measured risk and know when to stay the course during downturns.
Wealth Stream News: What kinds of wealth‑building initiatives or practices do you recommend for people at different stages—just starting out, running a business, or already established?
Torreblanca: First, I encourage people to think of a financial planner the way they think of a primary care physician: not a luxury for the ultra‑wealthy, but a professional everyone should have. Depending on your life stage, your needs change, and a planner can help you make your money more efficient. For newer investors, my biggest piece of advice is to save before you spend—treat savings like a fixed monthly bill alongside rent or the mortgage, then let discretionary spending come last. For more established business owners or professionals, working with a planner who collaborates with your CPA, attorney, and other centers of influence is key; each expert has a niche, and a good planner will help you think beyond the obvious—whether that’s structuring charitable giving more strategically or essentially “funding your own pension” using investments and insurance.
Wealth Stream News: What message do you have for young Latinos beginning their wealth journey and careers, and what resources do you point them to?
Torreblanca: I encourage young Latinos to do two main things. First, again, make savings a non‑negotiable monthly bill as early as possible, even if the amount feels small. Second, educate yourself beyond what you learn in school by reading about financial markets and market history, not just following the latest fads on social media or Reddit. Human nature doesn’t change, and it’s powerful to understand how markets have reacted to past events and which behaviors helped people come out ahead. A book I recommend to interns and new team members is A Random Walk Down Wall Street, a classic that introduces long‑term, evidence‑based investing in an accessible way.
Wealth Stream News: Is there a case or client story that made you think, “I’m really glad I do this work”?
Torreblanca: There are many, but one recent example stands out: I’m attending a client’s retirement party, and she told me, “I wish I had met you earlier.” She’s still able to retire comfortably, but she can see how much stronger her position might have been with earlier guidance and steady coaching through noisy news cycles over the last decade. Moments like that capture what I love about this profession—you can do well by doing good, helping people stay focused on their goals instead of getting derailed by short‑term fear.
Wealth Stream News: How long do you typically work with clients? Do you have multi‑year or even multi‑generation relationships?
Torreblanca: Absolutely. Some of my clients go back about 15 years, all the way to when I was at Wells Fargo early in my career. What’s especially rewarding is that many of those relationships are multi‑generational, but in a somewhat unusual way: instead of parents referring their children, we often see children referring their parents to us. That reverse pattern speaks to the trust we’ve built with younger clients and their desire to bring their families into that sense of security.
Wealth Stream News: Looking back, what do you wish you had known earlier in your own wealth journey?
Torreblanca: Personally, I sometimes think that if I hadn’t gone the pre‑med route, I might have started in this field earlier and gotten where I am a bit sooner—but life is a series of lessons, and those detours also shape who you become. From a financial perspective, I really wish someone had sat me down at 18 and said, “Open your 401(k), put 5–10% of your paycheck in it, and don’t touch it.” You barely feel it at the time, but the long‑term compounding is enormous; I’m in a good place now, but that discipline would have put me even further ahead.
Wealth Stream News: How do you define wealth?
Torreblanca: To me, wealth is all‑encompassing—financial, professional, spiritual, and personal. The simplest way I can describe it is this: wealth is having choices. It’s not about never facing risk or difficulty, but about having enough flexibility to say, “I’m not going to do this,” and being able to accept the consequences from a position of strength. Wealth gives you options in how you live, work, give, and respond to uncertainty, and that freedom to choose is what matters most.
Wealth Stream News: Finally, how would you like your wealth legacy to be remembered 100 years from now?
Torreblanca: A hundred years from now, I’d like to be remembered as someone who did well by doing good, someone who was personally and professionally successful because he cared about teaching and serving others. I hope people will say I was a calming presence in uncertain times, someone dependable whom they could rely on when they were nervous. And I’d like them to remember that I was fun to be around—that they liked me, trusted me, and felt both reassured and empowered after our conversations.
Disclosure: Daniel Torreblanca is a Registered Representative with, and securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. Guardtower Financial Services is a separate entity from LPL Financial. Please also note that the information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice.
Wealth Stream News: Please tell us about your present role about your journey in financial services.
Daniel Torreblanca: My path into financial services was not conventional at all. I transferred to UC San Diego as a pre‑med student and majored in human biology, convinced I would become a doctor. Over time, I realized that while my passion was helping people, medicine wasn’t the only way to do that, and I noticed that all the books I owned were about financial markets and history. With some insightful advice from my dad, I shifted into economics, took finance classes, got a job at a bank, and 15 years later I’m still in this field and building a practice I’m proud of.
Wealth Stream News: What traditional wealth‑building advice do you think needs to be rethought for the next generation?
Torreblanca: Traditionally, people were told that planning for the future meant saving as much as possible and stashing away money, hoping it would be enough to weather financial storms, health emergencies, and other surprises. Retirement is less about the size of your assets and more about cash flow: Social Security, pensions, and income from investments like stocks, bonds, real estate, and insurance. The goal isn’t just “save more,” it’s “save in the most efficient way” so those assets translate into reliable income over time.
Wealth Stream News: How do you explain financial strategies to first‑generation investors or business owners who may feel intimidated by the process?
Torreblanca: I focus on breaking strategies down into examples people see in their daily lives and by walking them through potential outcomes of one approach versus another. A big part of my work is understanding the psychology of decision‑making, because people generally feel financial pain more intensely than financial pleasure and will do a lot to avoid that pain. So, I ask clients how certain outcomes would make them feel: would a given strategy create anxiety or peace of mind? Most clients aren’t trying to become investment professionals; they want someone they can trust, who has their best interests in mind, knows the options, and can guide them along the way.
Wealth Stream News: Can you share a specific episode that was transformative for you as an advisor?
Torreblanca: The 2020 pandemic was transformative for everyone, and our firm was no exception. While people were at home sheltering and dealing with uncertainty, my business partner and I felt a deep responsibility to our clients, so we hunkered down and personally called our entire client base of around 300 households about three times over three months. We didn’t have all the answers about the pandemic itself, but it was essential for them to know we were present, listening to their concerns, and showing how different scenarios might impact their plans. Going through that “battle” together created deeper loyalty, and many of those clients are people I now consider friends.
Wealth Stream News: In your view, what role should wealth advisors play in closing wealth gaps?
Torreblanca: Education is the biggest lever. Most people don’t receive meaningful financial education in elementary, middle, or high school, so advisors have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to fill that gap. At our firm, we consciously educate clients on our process and decision‑making, because an educated client becomes a true collaborator rather than just a recipient of recommendations. When clients understand that an advisor doesn’t control markets but does help control how they respond to markets, they’re better able to avoid emotional decisions; many of our wealthiest clients take measured risk and know when to stay the course during downturns.
Wealth Stream News: What kinds of wealth‑building initiatives or practices do you recommend for people at different stages—just starting out, running a business, or already established?
Torreblanca: First, I encourage people to think of a financial planner the way they think of a primary care physician: not a luxury for the ultra‑wealthy, but a professional everyone should have. Depending on your life stage, your needs change, and a planner can help you make your money more efficient. For newer investors, my biggest piece of advice is to save before you spend—treat savings like a fixed monthly bill alongside rent or the mortgage, then let discretionary spending come last. For more established business owners or professionals, working with a planner who collaborates with your CPA, attorney, and other centers of influence is key; each expert has a niche, and a good planner will help you think beyond the obvious—whether that’s structuring charitable giving more strategically or essentially “funding your own pension” using investments and insurance.
Wealth Stream News: What message do you have for young Latinos beginning their wealth journey and careers, and what resources do you point them to?
Torreblanca: I encourage young Latinos to do two main things. First, again, make savings a non‑negotiable monthly bill as early as possible, even if the amount feels small. Second, educate yourself beyond what you learn in school by reading about financial markets and market history, not just following the latest fads on social media or Reddit. Human nature doesn’t change, and it’s powerful to understand how markets have reacted to past events and which behaviors helped people come out ahead. A book I recommend to interns and new team members is A Random Walk Down Wall Street, a classic that introduces long‑term, evidence‑based investing in an accessible way.
Wealth Stream News: Is there a case or client story that made you think, “I’m really glad I do this work”?
Torreblanca: There are many, but one recent example stands out: I’m attending a client’s retirement party, and she told me, “I wish I had met you earlier.” She’s still able to retire comfortably, but she can see how much stronger her position might have been with earlier guidance and steady coaching through noisy news cycles over the last decade. Moments like that capture what I love about this profession—you can do well by doing good, helping people stay focused on their goals instead of getting derailed by short‑term fear.
Wealth Stream News: How long do you typically work with clients? Do you have multi‑year or even multi‑generation relationships?
Torreblanca: Absolutely. Some of my clients go back about 15 years, all the way to when I was at Wells Fargo early in my career. What’s especially rewarding is that many of those relationships are multi‑generational, but in a somewhat unusual way: instead of parents referring their children, we often see children referring their parents to us. That reverse pattern speaks to the trust we’ve built with younger clients and their desire to bring their families into that sense of security.
Wealth Stream News: Looking back, what do you wish you had known earlier in your own wealth journey?
Torreblanca: Personally, I sometimes think that if I hadn’t gone the pre‑med route, I might have started in this field earlier and gotten where I am a bit sooner—but life is a series of lessons, and those detours also shape who you become. From a financial perspective, I really wish someone had sat me down at 18 and said, “Open your 401(k), put 5–10% of your paycheck in it, and don’t touch it.” You barely feel it at the time, but the long‑term compounding is enormous; I’m in a good place now, but that discipline would have put me even further ahead.
Wealth Stream News: How do you define wealth?
Torreblanca: To me, wealth is all‑encompassing—financial, professional, spiritual, and personal. The simplest way I can describe it is this: wealth is having choices. It’s not about never facing risk or difficulty, but about having enough flexibility to say, “I’m not going to do this,” and being able to accept the consequences from a position of strength. Wealth gives you options in how you live, work, give, and respond to uncertainty, and that freedom to choose is what matters most.
Wealth Stream News: Finally, how would you like your wealth legacy to be remembered 100 years from now?
Torreblanca: A hundred years from now, I’d like to be remembered as someone who did well by doing good, someone who was personally and professionally successful because he cared about teaching and serving others. I hope people will say I was a calming presence in uncertain times, someone dependable whom they could rely on when they were nervous. And I’d like them to remember that I was fun to be around—that they liked me, trusted me, and felt both reassured and empowered after our conversations.
Disclosure: Daniel Torreblanca is a Registered Representative with, and securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. Guardtower Financial Services is a separate entity from LPL Financial. Please also note that the information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice.
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