John’s focus is helping business owners and retirees accumulate and preserve wealth for retirement. In addition, John works closely with those individuals in achieving their income needs through personal fixed income portfolios.
The Investment Advisory Process
John emphasizes an investment advisory process to help him determine the appropriate risk level for each of his clients prior to making any investment recommendations. An investment policy statement is the first step in helping to determine the risk level and suitability for his clients. This statement is based off a series of questions regarding risk and return. Next, John would need to evaluate his client’s investment objectives for their retirement plan. The investment policy statement would help him determine what those objectives are. Time horizon is another critical piece in developing a successful retirement plan. To determine an appropriate time horizon, the client’s age, liquidity needs and years to and during retirement need to be carefully considered.
The second step in the investment advisory process would be to develop an asset allocation model. There are several asset classes that are available through different investment platforms to meet the needs of each client through Wedbush Securities.
The third step in the investment advisory process involves implementing high quality investments through Wedbush Securities to meet the asset allocation process.
The last step in John’s process would be to effectively communicate with his clients on an ongoing basis through one on one private meeting.
Background
In 1991, John began his career as a Financial Advisor with Shearson Lehman Brothers in Orange, Ca. Prior to joining Shearson in 1991, John graduated from California State University, Fullerton in June of 1991 with a bachelor of arts degree in economics.
In his free time, john enjoys surfing and Karate training. He is also an active member of the Santa Ana Kiwanis club in Santa Ana, Ca and the Surfrider Foundation. John and his wife Monica have a 11 year old daughter, Sophia.
Nick McKay is Vice President, Equity Research at Wedbush Securities. He covers the Entertainment Software and Internet: Media and Gaming sectors.
Nick has been an integral part of the Wedbush Securities Equity Research team for over thirteen years. He focuses primarily on the video game industry, with over a decade of experience studying its most important companies, its key trends, and the corresponding ramifications for entertainment more broadly. He has become a go-to resource for clients seeking to get up-to-speed on the industry, as well its past, present, and future. The video game team’s in-depth research notes, detailed financial models, and network of contacts on the Buy Side and within the video game industry have made it an important resource for the investment community.
Prior to joining Wedbush Securities, Nick started off his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, before spending time at both Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers in their investment banking departments. He holds a degree in Economics and Accounting from Claremont McKenna College.
Taz Koujalgi is an Equity Research Analyst covering the Enterprise Software sector, including cybersecurity, infrastructure, data/analytics and communications. Prior to joining Wedbush in 2022, Taz served as Director of Software Equity Research at Guggenheim Partners as an integral part of the firm’s software coverage team. He has been covering the software sector, on the sell-side and buy-side for more than a dozen years, starting in equity research with FTN Equity Capital following the enterprise software space before moving to Deutsche Bank and Aurmedis Global Investors with his coverage of software and technology respectively. His deep understanding of the software space is rooted in his engineering background and early career in technology and programming at Wipro Technologies, Taos (an IBM company), and Merrill Lynch before transitioning to the sell-side research.
Taz received his Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from DYP College of Engineering in India, and his MBA in Finance from
New Your University’s Stern School of business.
Robin (Rob) sees his role to clients as multi-faceted and seeks to apply his deep-rooted industry knowledge to each individual he works with. Rob believes himself to be a value investor first, looking to dovetail investment ideas that fit into the value sleeve of his clients’ portfolios. He values taking a broader, holistic overview while planning and therefore considers his clients’ entire financial picture, which he sees as essential to an overall successful outcome into the distribution phase of his clients’ lives.
Born in Nocona, TX, Rob is a true Texas native. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and has lived in Dallas, Texas since 1986. After serving clients with Investors Diversified Services and First National Monetary Corporation, Rob was with OLDE Financial Corporation for over 11 years before it was acquired by H&R Block Financial Advisors, and was with H&R Block Financial Advisors for over six years before it was acquired by Ameriprise Financial. Rob spent over 30 years with Ameriprise Financial before moving to Wedbush Securities in July of 2018. Over his career, Rob has developed an acumen for technical analysis to aid in advising clients with more tactical, actionable ideas within a primary strategy to further tame drawdowns from negative event driven turns in the markets. He is readily successful in addressing the increasing calls for above-average income in a long-running, low-interest-rate environment with risk moderation through both thoughtful and strategic diversification.
Rob is involved in his Texas community and enjoys the outdoor lifestyle. He is a long-time water and snow skier, and has even competed at the amateur level in various water ski tournaments. He considers himself a “fair-weather camper,” and is a self-taught chef, finding joy in both preparation and dining. Further, he is closely involved in the North Texas Food Bank, a foundation close to his heart. Rob and his wife Julie have been married for 21 years, and their children, Noah and Kylie, now in their first and second years of college, are a major part of
their lives.
Paul has proudly served 34 years in the financial industry, fostering a sense of dedication to meeting the needs of both individual and institutional investors, especially in the area of estate planning. He believes strongly in fostering generational wealth and his many years in the industry have granted him the unique experience of the ebb and flow of markets.
Paul was first introduced to the world of finance through his grandfather, who was instrumental in his decision to study finance in college. When he was young, Paul’s grandfather taught him how to read the “Ticker-Tape” and study company balance sheets. These interactions sparked Paul’s passion for serving others, providing them with individualized plans for their retirement, and focusing on generational wealth. Paul obtained his Bachelor’s Degree of Business Administration with an emphasis in Business Finance from Saginaw Valley State University and Central Michigan University. He was also a collegiate athlete, playing football for both schools. From there, Paul served at Old Kent Bank, Prudential Securities, and Raymond James & Associates before joining Wedbush in 2019. He is also an active member of his community, serving as a volunteer for both the Wounded Warrior Project and Honor Flight Veterans and is dedicated to Leadership Grand Traverse, Saint Francis Church, and the Traverse City Central Football Team.
A native Michiganian, Paul grew up in suburban Detroit before moving to Traverse City, Michigan in 1986. He currently resides in his dream house on Old Mission Peninsula, which he and his wife, Lisa built in 2016. They are happily surrounded by the beauty of Grand Traverse Bay, nestled within cherry orchards, wine vineyards, and all that mother nature has to provide. Paul and Lisa have four wonderful children: Melina, Nicholas, Jack and Gabrielle.
Gerald Pascarelli, CFA® is an Equity Research Analyst covering the beverages sector. Prior to joining Wedbush, Gerald served as VP
of Equity Research at Cowen, Inc., where he covered both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage sectors for eight years and was also an integral part of the firm’s coverage launch into the cannabis sector in 2016. In his previous role Gerald contributed to several research whitepapers and cross-category consumer reports, focused on market sizing, consumer demographics and cannabis’ impact on alcoholic beverages. He has made numerous public speaking appearances, including The National Conference of State Liquor Administrators and Bar Convent Brooklyn, as well as the CWCBExpo. Prior to Cowen, Gerald spent eight years at Kingdon Capital Management, a New York-based hedge fund.
Gerald received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the State University of New York, at Albany. He is also a CFA® charterholder.
Because he views business as an extension of human character, David holds each client’s values, needs and goals as unique. His business philosophy stems from understanding, as he believes that his role as an advisor is to help clients navigate their personal opportunities, changes and challenges and create a strategic wealth plan that reflects what is important to them.
With an extensive 30+ year background in finance, David is part of the ever-growing Pasadena office. Prior to joining Wedbush in 2022, David served as Senior Vice President at Hilltop Securities, where he was an active member of Hilltop Securities’ Leadership Council. He spent 12 years with M.L. Stern as Vice President and head of their Retirement Department. When the firm merged with Southwest Securities in 2008, David served seven years as Senior Vice President and was a member of their President’s Council. He also worked for T. Rowe Price for four years in their Retirement Plans Group to start off his financial career. His experience with retirees from a wide array of professions and careers provides David with a rare ability to find solutions to protect, provide and transfer wealth efficiently. Further, David brings with him knowledge of retirement plans and planning a study that allows him to achieve expertise in tax-qualified accounts such as 401ks, IRAs, and profit-sharing plans.
David is originally from Huntsville, Alabama, but currently splits his time between his two favorite places in the United States: Los Angeles and Las Vegas. His Alabama roots shaped him into an avid SEC football fan, while his 30 years in Southern California did much to establish a foundation for his financial career. In Las Vegas, he is an active board member of the GiveNV Charitable Foundation, focusing on helping the local community, and enjoys the active lifestyle that both Las Vegas and Los Angeles provide.