The People and Experience Behind Classic Financial

Proudly serving Westlake Village with fiduciary financial guidance shaped by long-term relationships, transparent advice, and steady client support.

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Built on Long-Term Relationships

Classic Financial was built to help people navigate financial decisions with more clarity, consistency, and personal attention than they often find through large institutions or product-driven firms. Many clients come to us after feeling overwhelmed by fragmented advice, unclear recommendations, or financial strategies that never fully connected to their real goals. Led by Charles M. Russo, CFP®, our firm brings more than 30 years of advisory experience together with fiduciary standards, independent guidance, and a relationship-focused planning approach that prioritizes long-term trust over short-term transactions. That foundation continues to shape how clients experience our work today—steady communication, coordinated planning, and guidance designed to support life as it changes over time.

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Our Mission

Our mission is to empower a select group of professionals who aspire to achieve a work-optional lifestyle. We believe true financial success comes from seeing the complete picture, which is why we help put all the pieces of the financial puzzle together—aligning your investments, tax strategies, retirement planning, insurance, and estate planning into one comprehensive strategy built around your goals.

Consistent Standards You Can Rely On

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Client-First Guidance

Financial decisions become easier to trust when recommendations are built around your priorities instead of sales goals or quotas. As a fiduciary advisory firm, Classic Financial is committed to putting client interests at the center of every recommendation and planning conversation.

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Experience That Stays Consistent

Long-term financial planning works best when you know the people guiding you and can rely on continuity over time. Clients benefit from experienced leadership, long-tenured support staff, and relationships designed to last through changing financial stages.

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Transparent Communication

Complex financial topics can feel intimidating when explanations are vague or overly technical. Our team focuses on straightforward conversations that help clients understand their options and feel more comfortable making decisions.

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Integrated Planning

Investments, retirement planning, tax strategies, and insurance decisions all affect one another in ways that are easy to overlook. Coordinated guidance helps clients avoid disconnected strategies and move forward with greater organization and clarity.

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Professional Credentials You Can Verify

Trust matters more when experience and credentials are visible instead of hidden behind marketing language. Clients can review CFP® leadership, SEC/IAPD registration details, and professional recognitions that support the credibility of our advisory team.

Meet the Team

The People You’ll Work With Through Every Stage
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Charles M. Russo, CFP®

President, CEO

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Ellen R. Horn

Vice President

Built for Lifelong Clarity

People throughout Westlake Village often are not simply searching for investment management—they are searching for guidance that stays consistent as life, careers, families, and retirement goals evolve. Classic Financial supports physicians, business owners, and families across Southern California with a planning process designed to coordinate wealth management, retirement planning, tax-aware strategies, and insurance guidance under one relationship. Clients also value knowing that the people they meet today are the same trusted professionals they can continue working with years from now. That commitment to continuity, fiduciary responsibility, and personalized planning has helped Classic Financial build lasting client relationships rooted in trust and transparency.

Start Building Your Financial Future

Many people reach out to Classic Financial after spending years trying to piece together financial decisions from disconnected sources or changing advisors. Our team helps make planning feel more organized, understandable, and personal so you can move forward with greater confidence and less uncertainty.