Sam Gaeta, CFP^®

Designations and Licenses

Sam has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification.

Experience and Education

Sam provides clients with personalized wealth management solutions that include financial planning, tax planning, investing and reporting to help them reach their goals.

Prior to joining Mariner, Sam founded Defined Financial Planning, a Bay Area registered investment adviser. Earlier in his career, he served as an investment advisor with J.W. Cole Financial and as a financial planner with Global Financial Private Capital, which was later acquired by AssetMark.

With a decade of experience in the financial industry, Sam specializes in creating tailored strategies that help clients define and achieve their financial goals. He develops plans using five key principles—cash flow, investments, insurance, taxes and estate planning—while actively monitoring the evolving financial landscape to maximize outcomes.

A recognized voice in financial planning, Sam frequently shares insights on Bay Area television and radio and contributes articles to Kiplinger, offering strategies to help improve tax efficiency and preserve income.

Sam holds a master’s degree in accountancy from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Personal Interests

Away from the office, Sam enjoys sailing and has fond childhood memories of racing a 33-foot Ericson with his grandfather. He also enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and two children.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP^®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^®, and CFP^® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.