Jay affiliated HighTower in 2014 as a Managing Director and Founder of Natoma Wealth. Previously, he spent 15 years as a Senior Vice President of Wealth Management and Senior Portfolio Manager in the PIA Program at Merrill Lynch. Jay was a member of the Circle of Excellence, as well as Designated Retirement Plan Advisor, an elite group of Financial Advisors chosen by Merrill Lynch based on their experience in the Institutional Retirement Plan space.Jay’s main areas of focus are Private Client and Institutional Services. Jay leads the group’s research and investment process, driving customized portfolio construction and management for affluent private clients, institutions and endowments. Jay also leads the firm's Business Value Enhancement process, providing advice for business owners and key executives as they prepare for a transaction. Jay provides Institutional Clients with fiduciary services that include the creation and maintenance of fiduciary governance processes, as well as independent analysis and due diligence of investments in qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, defined benefit plans and endowment funds.Jay holds dual degrees from California State University, Sacramento and an advanced certificate from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed the Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P™) program at The Retirement Advisor University (TRAU) at the UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education, the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) program through the Exit Planning Institute, and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.