Our Leadership

Curtis Hill, Certified Financial Planner, CFP, Investor Advisor Representative, IAR, Fiduciary Financial Advisor, Retirement Planner, Insurance Agent, and Author

Founder

Curtis’s passion is helping people plan their happy “next chapter.” Mr. Hill has more than thirty years of experience in the financial industry. After guiding people through multiple economic and financial storms, he makes sure his clients have a plan for any surprise they might encounter in retirement.

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP, Insurance Agent, and Investment Advisor Representative, Curtis provides a holistic approach to retirement planning, putting together every piece of the retirement puzzle: financial planning, income planning, and legacy planning. Curtis provides fiduciary financial advice.

After earning his two bachelor’s degrees from North Carolina State University (1978) and a Master’s Degree from Southern Methodist University (1981), Curtis worked in corporate management for fifteen years. Although successful, Curtis missed the personal connection with people and making a real difference in their lives. That’s why he pursued his passion of providing investment and retirement advice, where he can combine his strategic mindset, financial experience, and desire to improve people’s well-being.

Raised in North Carolina, Curtis moved to Dallas in his twenties. He moved to Los Angeles in his thirties where his lives now with his wife of 26+ years, Irina and their dog Lucy.

Client Favorites on YouTube

Irina Hill, CPA, MBA, Investor Advisor Representative, IAR, Fiduciary Financial Advisor, Retirement Planner, Insurance Agent, Realtor, and Author

Co-Founder

Irina always dreamed about changing the world and making it a happier place. She started her professional life as a Professor of English. After moving to the United States in 1999, Irina transitioned into the financial industry. After a successful 18-year-long CPA career, Irina realized that Serenity Wealth Management is the place where she can connect with people and make a real difference in their lives.

The key is in combining Irina’s creativity, extensive financial knowledge, and desire to educate with her dreams of a happy world. At Serenity Wealth Management, she can make a true impact on each individual’s financial well-being. Irina provides fiduciary financial advice.

As a CPA and MBA, Irina brings to the table tax and financial planning skills. Focused on giving clients the smoothest transition into retirement, Irina extended her expertise in real estate. As a Realtor, she helps clients plan their real estate planning needs in retirement.

With Irina’s background in finance, investments, planning, and real estate, she makes sure Serenity Wealth Management is setting up for the clients a well-rounded, all-inclusive financial path to a better future and financial serenity.

When Irina is not taking care of her clients, she is in the gym, exploring the world with her husband Curtis, or playing with their dog Lucy. Both Curtis and Irina are dogoholics.

Client Favorites on YouTube

Lucy, Chief Dog Officer (CDO)

The real “Boss”

Lucy loves chicken and is passionate about sleeping and hugs.

Before joining Serenity Wealth Management, Lucy had 4 terrible years of dog life. After Curtis and Irina rescued Lucy, she taught her new “parents” what miracles love and patience can do, transforming a scared wild creature into a loving, affectionate, and bossy dog.

Throughout her career at Serenity Wealth Management, Lucy excelled at grabbing people’s attention and getting what she wants.

What is the difference between IAR and RIA?

What is the difference between IAR and RIA? A RIA (Registered Investment Advisor) is the firm that provides investment advice for a fee, while an IAR (Investment Advisor Representative) is the individual who works for that RIA and delivers the advice to clients. RIAs are legal entities, like a financial advisory firm, that are registered with state or federal authorities (like the SEC), and they are held to a fiduciary standard. IARs are the professionals within that firm who meet regulatory requirements and are also held to that fiduciary standard, putting their clients’ best interests first. 

Our Process

Our process has several important steps

Discovery:

This initial step involves getting to know your goals and concerns. We do a lot of listening during this step while also asking some probing questions attempting to stimulate your thought process. We have discovered that often clients have not fully though out their retirement goals. Couples may have conflicting goals that need to be considered. Understanding your values are crucial for tailoring financial strategies to meet your needs. We also need to learn your feelings about investment volatility, risks tolerance, long-term care concerns, and legacy goals. Currents assets and investments should also be discussed regarding how these assets may accomplish future goals.

Analysis Review:

In this step we examine how current assets and investments are capable of meeting your cash flow and retirement needs. During this analysis it is important to realize how faulty future economic assumptions can dramatically affect your expectations. Assuming the economy to remain as it currently is will cause many plans to fail.  We address these uncertainties by assessing various risks such as much higher future tax rates, rising inflation, increasing volatility, sequence of returns, longevity, and long-term care risks. Implementing methods to mitigate these risks is essential to protect the client’s financial future and ensure peace of mind.

Plan Review/Implementation:

In this step we review how we project to accomplish your goals. We also review how various risks are mitigated according to your risk concerns priorities. We discuss how the plan could be implemented over time and what assets will be involved. We ensure that the plan structure meets your expectations and ensures clarity and alignment between the advisor and you. In this step the cost of the plan will be discussed. Developing comprehensive plans for retirement, tax, social security, long-term care, and legacy is vital for addressing future needs and safeguarding assets. Expectations set during this stage provide the groundwork for measuring future outcomes.

Client Experience and Onboarding:

This step focuses on executing the agreed-upon strategies, whether it’s constructing an advanced retirement plan or implementing protection plans for investment, taxes, social security, and legacy. Regularly engaging the client and reviewing accounts, statements, and progress helps maintain transparency and trust. It ensures the advisor remains aligned with your evolving goals and market changes. 

Each step plays a significant role in fostering a successful advisor-client relationship. Discovery and analysis establish a strong foundation, while regular reviews and advanced planning ensure ongoing adaptability and trust.

Our Services

Investment Solutions for All Stages of Life

Asset Protection

​Retirement doesn’t mean that it’s time to stop growing.  Same holds true for your money.  It should mean, however, that it’s time to stop taking unnecessary risk. 

We specialize in helping retirees protect their retirement assets while continuing to move forward.

Family Legacy Planning

Many of our clients want to leave a legacy for their children and grandchildren and are shocked to learn how easy it is to double, even triple their inheritance – TAX-FREE AND GUARANTEED!

We also work with our clients and help them embrace their own mortality and be prepared for the loss of a spouse and the income burdens this can often create.          

529 Plans and Preparing for College Expanse

529 plans may not be your best method for paying for college expenses. In fact, such plans may substantially increase your cost of college. Read more about the effects of 529 on your expected family contribution for college expenses.

Pension Election Dilemma (Spousal and Lum Sum Options)

If you are lucky enough to have a pension from your current or previous job, you are probably going to need to make an election whether the pension should be for the employee’s life or for the employee’s plus spouses life. This is an important decision that is not as obvious as it appears. Please read more about this topic.

Rollovers and the Tax-Deferral Deception

We have likely been encouraged to delay taxes by using tax-deferred investments like IRA, 401(k)s and similar investments. However, what is often ignored or dismissed is the large tax liability you are creating for your retirement years–the retirement tax bomb your are creating. Let’s examine who really benefits from you delaying your taxes.

Zero Taxes in Retirement

Many retirees are exclusively depending on their pensions, IRAs, 401(k)s and other tax-deferred plans to pay retirement expenses. But they may not have realized how high the taxes would be on these now fully taxable withdrawals. Even Social Security payments are taxed for most people. There are plans that allow for tax-free cash flow in retirement. Learn how to diversify your taxes in retirement.

Long-Term Care/Extended Care Solutions

Long-term care/extended care costs have gone up substantially in the last 10 years.  Unfortunately, the statistics are not in our favor, a plan to address these costs should be included in every retirement strategy.

The good news is we work with hybrid insurance plans that leverage your dollar in case you need it for extended care, but remain 100% accessible for withdrawal if you don’t.    

Retirement Income (Annuities for Growth & Income)

Creating an income plan to last throughout retirement is perhaps the single most important challenge retirees will face.  It’s very likely to spend 30 years or more living in retirement without earned income.

We create a customized retirement income plan, encompassing all sources of income, for each one of our clients and no two plans are exactly alike.  Let us get to work on a plan for you.

Alternative Investments

We help our clients understand the need for investments that do not follow the stock market, avoid the frequent volatility of the stock market, attempt to avoid the frequent stock market declines but instead follows a different path. It is important to have some of you assets isolated from market risks. You need a place to withdrawal money when your other market related investmenst are down, thus giving them time to recover. Alternative investments may sometimes be suitable for this purpose.

Life Insurance

We can provide a whole range of life insurance options for our customers, including:

• Low-cost term life insurance
• Guarantee Universal Life
• Cash Accumulating for Retirement
• Whole life
• Index Universal life

We can provide a whole range of life insurance options for our customers, including Low cost term life insurance, Guarantee Universal Life, Cash Accumulating Life, Whole Life, and Index Universal Life.

Specialty Life Insurance

Special circumstances require a special touch. We have sources of life insurance solutions for people who: 

• are HIV positive
• smoke cigars
• are cannabis users
• are living abroad
• are foreign nationals

Our Books

Confidence Through Education

At Serenity Wealth Management, it is believed that an educated client is a confident client.

Curtis and Irina teach complimentary financial education classes about retirement tax planning and protecting hard-earned savings from stock market down-turns. Curtis Hill, CFP, IAR and Irina Hill, CPA, IAR, provide fiduciary financial advice, investment advice, retirement planning, and life insurance in the Long Beach, CA; Lakewood, CA; Carson, CA; Bixby Hills, CA; Signal Hill, CA; and Los Angeles, CA areas.

Additionally, they have written two books that challenge the traditional advice backed by Wall Street. These books are “The Wealth Conspiracy, Avoid the Dark Side of Wall Street” and “The Financial Blind Side, How Your Investment Advisor’s Bias Limits Your Wealth.” 

The Wealth Conspiracy: Avoid the Dark Side of Wall Street