Guiding people through some of the most complicated seasons of their life is where I find my skills and passion come together. Situations such as selling a business, exercising stock options, retiring, getting divorced, or facing the loss of a loved one, present a number of intricate decisions for families and especially for women. I have 40 years of experience helping others take all the details into consideration before making decisions and collaborating with a variety of professional advisers to be sure we reach the best solution for each family.I attended Harvard before joining the Merrill Lynch training program in 1983 and obtained the Certified Financial Planner designation three years later. During my time at Merrill Lynch, I managed offices in San Bernardino, Ontario, Fresno and Rancho Santa Fe, served as a sales manager for larger office complexes, and trained all new financial advisors in the San Diego region. I also conducted advisor training sessions around the country, regularly speaking at national recognition meetings and was the featured speaker on Merrill’s national financial planning broadcasts for advisor training on two separate occasions. During my time at Merrill Lynch, my wife Nicki worked with me as an advisor and due to her efforts, we were able to foster and maintain close connections with our clients as my role involved frequent travel. In 2012, Nicki and I made the decision to start our own independent financial services firm out of a desire to put the needs of our clients first. We founded California Wealth Transitions (CWT) because we believe it is important to focus on helping the families we serve rather than serving the goals of a large company. Our goal is to provide comprehensive collaborative planning assistance to families (especially women) who are going thru a financial transition.When not involved with CWT, I enjoy traveling with my wife and two daughters, especially to Europe. I play tennis, basketball, ride bikes, ski, and play golf on occasion. We have a small ranch in Montana where we spend summers with our cows, horses, chickens, cats, and dogs. In Montana we enjoy entertaining guests, river rafting, fly fishing, and hiking.