It is First Allied’s goal to assist our advisors in delivering world-class customer service, and objective, expert guidance to their clients. To achieve this objective, we offer our advisors the knowledge and services of our subject matter experts – seasoned professionals who specialize in wealth management, fee-based planning, retirement planning, alternative investments, annuities and much more. They are available to consult with our advisors or attend important client meetings by phone, in person or via video conference at no cost.
In addition, our advisors benefit from the frequent appearances of several leaders within our family of companies on national TV news programs and in national publications. CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous trade publications in the financial services industry, among other media outlets, turn to our team for expert opinions on the condition of the market and of the industry in general. Not only do our advisors have the opportunity to count on the participation of these key executives in important client meetings, but advisors can also leverage the national exposure of our in-house experts to generate awareness of their practices in local markets.
Craig E. Columbus
Chief Market Strategist/Senior Managing Director
First Allied Asset Management
Mr. Columbus is Chief Market Strategist/Senior Managing Director of First Allied Asset Management (FAAM), our captive money management subsidiary, which serves First Allied’s affiliated advisors. His diversified background equips him with a unique perspective on macro-economic issues, combining geo-political knowledge with investment expertise to help guide the FAAM Investment Committee.
Mr. Columbus is one of Wall Street’s most recognizable figures as a regular guest on CNBC’s "Kudlow & Company" and "Power Lunch," where he discusses market events and trends, and delivers astute commentary on issues pertinent to investors.
Prior to First Allied, Mr. Columbus was the Chief Market Strategist for Thomson Financial, a leading provider of information and technology solutions to the worldwide financial community.
Mr. Columbus also serves as the Chair of the Entrepreneurship program at Grove City College, in Grove City, Pennsylvania, where he works on programs designed to educate students to transform society through commercial and social enterprise. He is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, holds an MBA from Penn State University, and a law degree from Indiana University. He also was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives.
Jeff Mindlin
Managing Director
First Allied Asset Management
Mr. Mindlin, CFA, leads the captive money management team that serves First Allied’s financial advisors. Prior to joining First Allied, he was the Director of Research and Co-Portfolio Manager of Greenbook Investment Management, Inc., where he was instrumental in the design of sophisticated, proprietary investment strategies.
Mr. Mindlin has also worked as Assistant Portfolio Manager and Senior Financial Engineer for Pinnacle Investment Advisors, LLC, which operates a hedge fund and a series of managed accounts for institutional and high-net-worth clients, and sub-advises a publicly traded mutual fund. Previously, Mr. Mindlin was the Manager of Financial Engineering at Camelback Research, leading the development of several successful institutional-grade quantitative products, including the popular MSN Money Stockscouter system.
Robert S. Holcomb
Chief Marketing Officer
First Allied Securities, Inc.
As Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Holcomb is responsible for overseeing the revenue generating and business development functions at First Allied including marketing/communications, recruiting, pension services, Business Strategies Group, asset management, insurance services, and our fee-based technology platform.
Prior to his role as Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Holcomb was President of First Allied’s wealth management division where he steered the overall direction of the division and was responsible for the continued refinement and evolution of First Allied’s planning platform.
Prior to joining First Allied, Mr. Holcomb founded DataStream, a software development firm that created proprietary applications for the financial services industry. DataStream was acquired in early 2000 by Thomson Financial, a division of the Thomson Corporation.
Post-acquisition, Mr. Holcomb served as Chief Operating Officer for Thomson’s Wealth Management division where he secured several large contracts for use of the company’s wealth management technology. Mr. Holcomb has also served as a lead consultant to prominent investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan on many of the largest initial public offerings in Wall Street history.
Thomas R. Samuelson
Chief Investment Officer
First Allied Wealth Management
Thomas R. Samuelson, CFA, CMT, serves as the Chief Investment Officer for First Allied Asset Management, First Allied’s captive money management team. Previously, Mr. Samuelson served as Portfolio Manager at Geronimo Partners where he oversaw a family of three hedge funds. He was also Portfolio Manager at Invesco Funds Group for a diversified long/short fund and a sector energy fund, where he improved the energy fund’s Lipper peer group ranking from bottom-quartile to upper-quartile while its assets grew to more than $330 million.
Previously, he also served as President and Portfolio Manager for Denver Energy Advisors, where he managed separate accounts for large institutional clients such as the Notre Dame endowment. Mr. Samuelson received his derivatives experience from Suisse Bank Corp (previously O’Connor & Associates), where he managed proprietary funds for the bank.
He began his career as a high-yield bond analyst for Duff & Phelps in Chicago and later became a partner of the firm. Mr. Samuelson received a B.S. in engineering and an MBA from the University of Tulsa. He is one of less than one thousand people worldwide who have earned both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designations.
Matt McGinness
Managing Director
Advisory Consulting Services
As Managing Director of First Allied’s Advisory Consulting Services, Mr. McGinness’ primary focus is the strategic development, ongoing maintenance, and sales and marketing of Guided Portfolio Solutions, First Allied’s highly competitive fee-based platform. He is also responsible for the development of programs and tools to support the growth of advisors’ fee-based businesses across varying stages from inception to maturity.
Prior to joining First Allied, Mr. McGinness was Vice President of Business Consulting for LPL Financial Services where he directed the delivery of business analysis and practice management consulting services to LPL’s top financial advisors focusing on recommendations to improve both profitability and gross revenue growth rate. Prior to working at LPL, he served as Associate Director at Cerulli Associates and managed the firm’s intermediary research practice, focusing on the distribution of advice and product in the U.S. financial services industry. He has also led and participated in strategic consulting engagements with numerous broker/dealers, asset managers, insurers, investment banks, commercial banks, and technology vendors that have resulted in the development of new markets for these firms’ services or validated existing and proposed strategies.
Mr. McGinness has also authored numerous studies in the Cerulli Report™ series, including reports on advisor adoption of fee-based pricing, the RIA market, wholesaling, and alternative investments. He is a frequent keynote speaker at industry roundtables and conferences, and a regular contributor to industry publications. Mr. McGinness graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colby College.
Yanni V. Bousnakis, CFA
Managing Director of Investment Management
First Allied Securities, Inc.
Yanni V. Bousnakis, CFA is the Managing Director of Investment Management at First Allied. In this role, Mr. Bousnakis leads the development and implementation of our wealth management platforms.
Mr. Bousnakis served as LPL Financial’s inaugural Overlay Portfolio Manager, and headed the development and management of the firm’s Centrally Managed Platforms. Prior to assuming the position, he was a Research Analyst for LPL Financial, covering international and fixed income managers. In addition, he also covered the Telecommunications and Energy sectors. Prior to joining LPL Financial, Mr. Bousnakis worked at Scudder Investments as Vice President of Business Analysis.
Mr. Bousnakis holds an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Northeastern University and a B.S. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Athens, Greece. He received his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2002 and is a member of the Boston Security Analysts Society (BSAS) and the CFA Institute. He holds Series 7 and 63 licenses.
Clark Richard
Managing Director – Private Client Services
First Allied Wealth Management
As the Managing Director of Private Client Services for First Allied Wealth Management, Clark Richard provides business development and relationship management support to the company’s advisor community. As such, he acts as a conduit between advisors and First Allied’s in-house portfolio management team, helping advisors evaluate custom portfolio opportunities for a select group of high-net-worth clients.
Mr. Richard’s 18 years of financial services industry experience includes serving as a financial consultant at Shearson Lehman Brothers, as well as founding, building, and selling investment advisory firms, a multi-family office, and a state-chartered bank. Mr. Richard received his MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and is a graduate of the University of Iowa.
Guy Hocker
Senior Managing Director
First Allied Retirement Services
Guy Hocker joined First Allied in 2010 to lead the pension services team, which primarily focuses on providing qualified retirement plans to the clients of our advisors. As an authority in the field of pension services, Mr. Hocker serves as a subject-matter expert to advisors seeking to grow their business in this area.
Prior to joining First Allied, Mr. Hocker held the role of President and COO of Benefit Planning, Inc., the Los Angeles office of National Investment Managers, Inc., a publicly held company. He has more than a decade of experience as a practicing ERISA lawyer including substantial Internal Revenue Service/Department of Labor submissions and negotiations; complex plan designs (defined benefits/defined contribution combinations); niche designs (prevailing wage and non-profit); and comprehensive experience with qualified plan compliance practice management.
Mr. Hocker is a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA), the National Institute of Pension Administrators (NIPA), and the Western Pension and Benefits Conference and is an associate member of the National Tax Sheltered Accounts Association (403(b) emphasis). His professional designations include ASPPA Certified Pension Consultant and ASPPA Associate Professional Member. He frequently speaks at industry events and has served as president of the Los Angeles NIPA chapter.
Mr. Hocker earned his law degree from William Howard Taft University and his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Walter Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a licensed member of the California bar.
Saul Dougherty
National Sales Director
FASI Insurance Services, Inc./Crump Life Insurance
Mr. Dougherty is responsible for marketing insurance products to First Allied advisors, which includes providing sales assistance to advisors and their clients. He coordinates advisors’ access to Crump resources and assists them in driving revenue and achieving their insurance sales goals. Mr. Dougherty has been instrumental in developing and solidifying the relationship between Crump and First Allied.
Mr. Dougherty began his career with AIG Sun America in Los Angeles in 1997 wholesaling their variable annuity products. In 2001, he left the independent sales department of Sun America and joined Liberty Mutual, wholesaling life insurance products through banks in California, Arizona and Nevada. In 2006, he joined Crump Insurance Services and began recruiting independent insurance agents, general agencies and broker/dealers to Crump.
Mr. Dougherty attended UC Santa Barbara where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies with an emphasis in business. He currently holds his Series 6, 7, & 63 licenses, as well as licenses in life and health insurance and real estate.
Alex Petrenko
Vice President
First Allied Retirement Services
Alex Petrenko serves as Vice President for First Allied Retirement Services, assisting independent financial advisors in their efforts to design and implement custom company-sponsored retirement plans for small business owners. In addition to performing retirement plan consulting, Mr. Petrenko researches complex retirement plan issues and solutions, provides continuing education, helps advisors identify candidates for retirement plans and present proposals to clients.
Mr. Petrenko has been working in the financial services industry for 10 years. Prior to First Allied Wealth Management in 2006, he assisted small business owners in creation of personal financial and employee benefit plan strategies. Alex is a credentialed member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) and a recipient of the 2010 Martin Rosenberg Academic Achievement Award.
Michael A. Nichols
Senior Vice President - Marketing
First Allied Wealth Management
Mr. Nichols serves as Senior Vice President of Marketing for the asset and wealth management divisions at First Allied. He oversees the execution of the divisions’ integrated marketing strategies, including branding, product positioning and electronic media development. Mr. Nichols is also responsible for the development of First Allied’s turn-key lead generation system designed to drive qualified prospects to participating advisors.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Nichols was Director of Product Marketing at Electronics for Imaging, a software company based in Foster City, California. Prior to this role, he served as Director of Technology Marketing at IKON Office Solutions where he was responsible for all technology and product marketing deliverables, research and development labs, and various company Web sites.
Early in his career, Mr. Nichols held a variety of editorial and publishing roles during nine years at VPI, a Phoenix, Arizona-based niche trade magazine publisher.
Mark Dransfield
Senior Managing Director - Acquisition & Business Growth
First Allied Securities, Inc.
Mr. Dransfield leads the Business Strategies Group (BSG) at First Allied as Senior Managing Director. The BSG is charged with supporting advisors in the adoption of cutting-edge wealth management practices designed to increase advisor productivity. It offers a robust goals-based business coaching program and wealth management consulting, as well as support in branding, differentiation and business planning.
From 2004 to 2007, Dransfield served as President of First Allied. Prior to his presidency, he was Senior Vice President and National Sales Manager at First Allied. Concurrently, he was Senior Managing Director at Josephthal & Co. Inc., an affiliated company of First Allied, with responsibilities for Josephthal Global Asset Management, national marketing, public relations, packaged products, and investment advisory services sales and marketing.
Prior to Josephthal, Mr. Dransfield was Vice President of Marketing at Financial Network Investment Corporation. He also worked at PFG Securities where he developed the industry’s first fee-based advisory program for the independent broker/dealer channel. The company was later bought by First Affiliated Securities where Mr. Dransfield continued to develop advisory products as Senior Vice President and National Sales Manager. Mr. Dransfield began his career with Shearson Lehman Brothers as a financial advisor. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.
Joseph Schlesser
Underwriting Consultant
FASI Insurance Services, Inc./Crump Life Insurance
Joe Schlesser joined FASI Insurance Services, Inc./Crump in 2010 as an underwriting consultant. His extensive experience working on complex financial and multiple impairment medical cases, coupled with his certification to read resting electrocardiograms (EKGs) allows him to proficiently review medical records to assess the risk associated for life insurance applicants. He works with numerous insurance carriers and underwriters to obtain the best rates for our advisors’ clients.
Mr. Schlesser began his underwriting career in 1995 and has worked for several large insurance companies where he obtained training in both life and disability underwriting, and served as a trainer and mentor to other underwriters. In 2006, he began working with a small life insurance brokerage where he gained experience underwriting large complex cases, and educated himself on life settlements underwriting.
Mr. Schlesser has earned his Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU) designation, and is currently pursuing his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation.
Steph Laflamme
Managing Director - Financial Services Group
First Allied Securities, Inc.
Mr. Laflamme joined First Allied in March 2008 to help oversee and develop private equity sales at the firm. Working several years on Wall Street servicing institutional clients and investors, his background is primarily in the marketing, origination and distribution of complex equity, fixed-income and alternative investments.
Prior to joining First Allied, Mr. Laflamme was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Centurion Counsel, Inc., an SEC Registered Investment Adviser. In this capacity, he was directly responsible for increasing assets under management by more than 300 percent in the firms’ separately managed accounts and hedge fund products. Prior to Centurion, Mr. Laflamme was a fixed-income trader at Goldman Sachs, where he managed the firm’s capital in investment grade bond transactions, trading more than $1 billion in securities weekly. He also provided markets to institutional investors and supported corporate clients’ securities in the fixed-income markets.
As an investment banker at Salomon Smith Barney, Mr. Laflamme worked with numerous Fortune 500 clients accessing the debt and equity capital markets, helping to raise more than $8 billion. In addition, he provided strategic advisory services for merger, acquisition and divestiture transactions totaling more than $15 billion, including the $4.5 billion acquisition of Diamond Field Resources by Inco; the largest non-bank acquisition in Canadian history at the time.
Mr. Laflamme graduated from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada with a bachelor’s degree in economics and psychology. He also earned his master’s degree in business administration from the Anderson School at UCLA. Mr. Laflamme is registered with FINRA and currently holds the Series 7 and 63 license designations.
