My Background

I focus on the wealth management needs of clients all across the country. A large portion of his clients are business owners as he is. He improves the lives of entrepreneurial families by working with them on investment policy, retirement planning, alternative investments, tax strategizing and estate planning. He’s always had a passion for financial literacy and helping others in their own journeys, financial or otherwise.

He began his career after being exposed to it at a young age. Jeff had the unfortunate experience of having his father pass away when he was just 16 years old. As a bright student who had already begun to develop an interest in business and finance, he accompanied his young, newly widowed mother to meet with financial advisors and navigate the often murky waters of receiving good financial advice. Little did they know that the “advisors” they spoke to were all salespeople selling products. His mother never received good advice on what steps to take to become financially strong. 

After Jeff graduated magna cum laude from UC Santa Barbara, he set his sights on a career in financial planning and advice. He knew that people wanted to develop relationships with advisors they could trust, who spoke like real people (not over people’s heads), and were knowledgeable enough to give them an edge in their family’s personal finances. 

Jeff is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) professional and began his financial career with Morgan Stanley in the late 1990s. He is a leader in his industry, having co-authored the book, FlexScore: Financial Advice for the Rest of Us and holds US Patent #8,533,092, the financial industry’s first personal finance “health score” that provides conflict-free advice. Jeff has also hosted his own personal finance weekly radio show “Making Dollars and Sense” and produced the “One Minute Market Recap” for several radio stations from 2001-2009.

After co-founding his own independent advisory firm known as Valley Wealth in 2008, he merged with Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management predecessor firm United Capital Financial Advisors in 2014. In 2021, he decided to again leave Wall Street and create his own independent advice company, Sierra Ocean, LLC. 

Jeff is a member of the Stanislaus County Estate Planning Council, a founding member of the Transfer of Wealth Technical Advisory Committee for the Stanislaus Community Foundation, and has been a board member for the Boys & Girls Club of Stanislaus County, as well as The State Theater. 

Born and raised in the Central Valley of California, Jeff is happy to live in the same area where he grew up in Ripon, CA. He and his wife, Nicole, keep busy raising their three children. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, hiking and going to the beach with family.