Talk to us Meet John
What do you enjoy most about wealth management?
Working with clients to help them achieve their goals. While there are common themes across many clients, each individual has their own priorities, dreams, concerns and perspectives. This individuality is what makes wealth management so interesting and rewarding.
What's the biggest challenge?
Finding the right solution for each client in a highly uncertain and unpredictable investment environment.
What do you love most about being part of Aspiriant?
Aspiriant puts the client first and values each client as a client of the entire firm.
What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to take some professional risks that turned out to have a materially positive outcome for my personal and professional growth and development. They started with moving from Montana to California after graduating from college, and most recently with the decision to bring Stanford Investment Group into Aspiriant.
What quality of yours makes you best suited to what you do?
Prior to entering the wealth management industry 10 years ago, I worked with a couple of Silicon Valley technology companies, helping to start and build the businesses and raise money in venture and public markets. This background gives me an understanding and appreciation for what many of our clients are doing every day.
How should people think about their wealth?
There is no one answer for this because wealth is so personal and so dependent on each person’s experiences, goals and priorities. It seems that the people who are most happy and at peace with their wealth are the ones who remember the hard work and good fortune that it took to create it.
What do you love to do outside of work?
I love to spend time with my wife and three teenage children, and would be completely happy if I could ski every day of the week.
What would you be doing if you weren't working for Aspiriant?
Be a ski instructor.
What was the most influential book you've read and why?
“The Boys in the Boat,” by Daniel James Brown, because it has three clear and powerful lessons: The strength of a team working in harmony together (in this case, a crew team) is infinitely greater than any individual. Humility, dedication and hard work are qualities that drive success. As challenging as we think the modern era can be, it pales in comparison to what our ancestors had to deal with in the 1930s with the Depression, the Dust Bowl, and then World War II.
Bio
John joined Aspiriant in 2017 as a member of Stanford Investment Group’s Wealth Advisory Team, where he served as an advisor working with high-net-worth Silicon Valley clients and also drove the firm’s investment process and portfolio management.
As Vice President at SIG, John established and implemented standards within research, trading and reporting business operations.
Prior to joining SIG, John served as Director of Corporate Development at Nuance Communications, where he helped raise $250 million in venture and public equity. This included orchestrating the company’s IPO and secondary offerings in 2000. This experience and understanding of the implications of a liquidity event and holding of concentrated stock positions allow John to provide unique knowledge to the clients Aspiriant serves.
John holds an MBA from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Finance from the University of Montana.
