Understanding

Beginning at UBS in 2000, James has managed client wealth through many market corrections and three major recessions.  He focuses on financial and legacy planning for families and has a passion for the global markets.  James organizes and simplifies financial situations by helping clients identify strategies to achieve their goals.  He stays actively engaged and takes a hands-on approach, which enables him to anticipate client needs.

James earned an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Psychology from University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.  He is a Certified Private Wealth Advisor® designee specializing in wealth advising and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor®.  James and his wife Christine have two boys who keep them very busy.  Outside of work, he loves to spend time with family, travel, and exercise.

Nick works with wealthy families, business owners and senior executives in the areas of financial planning, portfolio construction, investment management and strategic exit planning. He also helps privately held companies optimize and manage their retirement plans, including defined benefit pension plans and 401(k)‘s.  Prior to joining UBS, Nick was a Director at an independent investment management firm in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For business owners preparing for a liquidity event in the next few years, Nick helps build out the team of advisors necessary for a successful exit. He understands most business owners will only sell one or two companies in their lifetime and the importance of working with an advisor who has helped multiple clients successfully exit companies before. 

Nick earned an M.B.A. in Finance from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas. He is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst®) charterholder, a member of CFA Institute, a member of the CFA Society of San Francisco, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM practitioner, a Chartered Retirement Plans SpecialistSM and a member of the Estate Planning Council of Diablo Valley.

Nick lives in Walnut Creek with his wife and their two sons. On the weekend, he enjoys spending time with family, traveling and coaching kids soccer.

Steve started his career in the financial services industry in 1977 with Dean Witter Reynolds in Palo Alto prior to moving to UBS in 2005.  He helps his clients in three main critical areas – positioning their children for financial success through education, navigating the challenges of caring for the elder generation, and planning for their transition to a healthy and productive retirement.

Steve earned a B.S. in Accounting from Humboldt State University and has his Certified Financial Planner™ and Certified Exit Planning Advisor® designations.  He resides in Menlo Park with his wife, Mary, and has four grown children.  Steve was an avid parent coach for his children in youth soccer and basketball.  He was a member of the Board of the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF) and also served for 10 years on the Board of Directors of Sacred Heart Schools-Atherton.

Larry realized the importance of wealth preservation as a young man working on his parents’ ranch in Monterey County. Over the course of his 30-year career, Larry has developed a passion for helping families achieve financial stability.  Through listening, learning, and understanding each client’s individual financial objectives, Larry works to alleviate the concerns that keep his clients awake at night. Larry utilizes decades of experience to develop customized financial plans that address client-specific goals and concerns. He also spends considerable time educating clients’ children to ensure that wealth and legacy are successfully transferred across generations.

Larry earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of Nevada, Reno and also played college football under scholarship for the Wolfpack. He earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor® designation in 2020.  He and his wife, Maryclair, have two sons and reside in Menlo Park. Larry spends his free time adventuring with family, reading historical novels, and staying up-to-date on current events. However, it is not unusual to find Larry back in Monterey County helping his parents tend to their beautiful fifty-year-old ranch.

Since 2007, Mike has specialized in wealth planning for executives, business owners, & multi-generational families. As the needs of these individuals are unique, they also have their own specific challenges and opportunities. Mike’s role is to help clients navigate items in order to financially grow and achieve their personal objectives.

Like a true trusted partner, Mike understands clients and their unique needs, which helps clients focus on what is most important to them – their businesses and their families.

Mike earned an M.B.A. in Finance from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Engineering from Marquette University. He also holds the Certified Financial Planner™ designation.

Mike lives in Menlo Park with his wife Ginna. In his free time, he likes to exercise and travel.

Throughout my years of experience, I have developed the insight and perspective to help guide my clients through all kinds of market conditions and their own life-changing events. As a UBS Financial Advisor, I have access to some of the most up-to-date research and analysis, a wide spectrum of investment choices and some of the best trading platforms in the industry. My aim is to put these resources to work for you as I devise a complete financial strategy for you and your family. In my view, each client has a unique financial need, and I customize our products and services to fit those needs and goals, whether those are appreciation, income, or capital preservation. Whether your needs involve estate or retirement planning, lending, or a wide variety of insurance products, my experience and knowledge help me have a holistic approach to my clients’ goals. My team prides themselves on providing our clients with excellent service, and our standard is to exceed our clients’ expectations.

Colleen assists the team in handling and addressing the operational and administrative needs of clients.  She brings extensive knowledge of brokerage operations having been in the financial services industry for over twenty years in various branch and regional management roles.  In her previous capacity she was frequently asked to sit on internal committees designed to improve the client experience.  She is passionate about client importance and considers excellent service the number one priority in the business. 

Colleen was born in Colorado and raised for most of her school life in Southern California.  She currently lives in Fremont with her husband, Jim and a menagerie of animals.  She enjoys travel, movies, mystery novels, and musical theatre.

Veronica leads the day to day operations and paperwork processing for the team.  She also liaisons with accountants, estate planning attorneys, and other trusted advisors on behalf of clients.  Veronica has been working at UBS since 2012 and has earned her series 7 and 66 licenses. 

Veronica enjoys attending concerts, sporting events and traveling in her spare time.

Suzi joined UBS in 2022 after spending many years at both Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers.  She has been assisting private clients with their wealth management needs since 2000.

Suzi grew up in San Jose and earned her degree in Creative Writing from University of California Santa Cruz.  She and her husband Terry love animals and always have some combination of dogs and/or cats in their home in Santa Cruz.  They love to hike, travel, and watch movies.