ADVISORY GROUP WEST - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Research Associate, Investment Management and Research
Supporting analysts and senior analysts with ad-hoc investment research requests and administrative functions.
Researching and analyzing mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative investments and summarizing findings.
Responding to inquiries from Commonwealth's advisors on investment topics and products.
Providing assistance with asset allocation, portfolio construction, case design, and consultation.
Job Titles:
- Retirement Solutions Investment Associate
Job Titles:
- Retirement Solutions Analyst
Job Titles:
- Senior Retirement Solutions Consultant
Job Titles:
- Advanced Planning Consultant
Job Titles:
- Advanced Planning Consultant
Serves as a resource for advisors on financial planning issues, including trust, estate, business, education, social security, and charitable planning
Spent two years at the University College Dublin in Ireland and the Université Paris Panthéon-Assas in France pursuing a double degree in comparative law and international law, earning the French and Irish equivalent of an American JD. She then earned an LLM in U.S. and international law from the Chicago-Kent College of Law
Job Titles:
- Senior Investment Research Analyst
Job Titles:
- Advanced Planning Consultant
Arleta Hacopian has been an excellent client relations manager with the firm since 2002. She's in charge of our clients' financial services; making certain our clients' needs are handled promptly and meticulously. In addition to overseeing transactional details, financial calculations, such as required minimum distributions (RMDs), and assistance with planning, Arleta oversees all of the back-office support. Our clients know that they are well cared for at Advisory Group West.
Arleta is a graduate of California State University, Northridge, with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance with a concentration in financial services. She is a Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional™from the College for Financial Planning, a life agent and a State of California commissioned notary public. Her commitment to her career shows how she is especially qualified in the areas of service our clients' value.
Arleta is a very social person who enjoys the company of her friends of many years as often as she can when she is not with her family. She likes traveling and tries seeing new places as often as possible.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager
- PlanAssist Program Manager
Brad McMillan - Chief Investment Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Investment Officer
- Managing Principal
Job Titles:
- Manager, Investment Management and Research
Job Titles:
- Managing Principal, Investment Management and Research
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Alternative Investments
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Manager, Investment Management and Research
Chris holds his FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations, along with the AIF® designation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Investment Research Analyst
Job Titles:
- Manager, Retirement Product
Job Titles:
- Team Lead, Advanced Planning
Job Titles:
- Associate Planner
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER
Derek McLaughlin brings a wealth of knowledge to the AGW team with more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Currently holding the position of Associate Planner, Derek assists Bob & our clients in all matters related to financial consulting
Derek is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and earned a bachelor's degree from CSULA. He maintains professional licenses including the FINRA Series, 6, 7, 63 and 65 and California state insurance licenses.
When not in the office, Derek enjoys traveling to new and exotic places, fostering animals, reading, and spending as much time as possible with friends and family.
Job Titles:
- Senior Investment Research Analyst
Job Titles:
- Advanced Planning Consultant
Serves as a resource for advisors on financial planning issues, including trust, estate, business, education, social security, and charitable planning
Earned a bachelor's degree from the Merrimack College and a JD from Suffolk Law School
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income
Job Titles:
- Retirement Solutions Consultant
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Equity Research
Oversees the Equity Research team, which assists advisors with ongoing due diligence and analysis of equity-based mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, separately managed accounts, and individual securities
Job Titles:
- Research Analyst, Fixed Income
Analyzes fixed income portfolios & individual fixed income securities, responds to advisor requests, and assists with fixed income market research
Job Titles:
- Managing Principal, Executive Management
Job Titles:
- Research Analyst, Real Assets
Facilitates due diligence and research activities on real asset-focused investments (commercial real estate, commodities, infrastructure, and natural resources)
Is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) charterholder and holds the FINRA series 6, 26, and 99 securities registrations
Earned a BBA in Finance and Operations Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Advanced Planning
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Strategic Retirement Solutions
Job Titles:
- Senior Advanced Planning Consultant
Job Titles:
- Supervisor, Paraplanning & Advanced Planning Consultant
Job Titles:
- Director, Strategic Retirement Solutions
Job Titles:
- Advanced Planning Consultant
Job Titles:
- Advanced Planning Consultant
Job Titles:
- Retirement Solutions Consultant
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Analyst, Equity
Job Titles:
- Advanced Planning Consultant
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Analyst, Equity
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Managing Principal
Robert "Bob" Donaldson is founder and managing principal of Advisory Group West, an independent wealth management firm. Since 1977, Bob has been assisting California residents to strategically plan for and protect their financial future. Taking a personalized approach to financial advising, Bob has created an interactive and educational process that helps each individual client gain clarity and confidence when making his or her own financial choices. Using his proprietary and complimentary Cornerstone Vissions™ process, prospective clients align their financial priorities with their personal values. With visions and missions clear and united, this becomes the foundation for building holistic financial plans that account for and coordinate all important areas of one's financial life. Bob provides the financial security guidance and strategies to help each of his clients work toward realizing their unique dreams and goals throughout their lives.
Bob enjoys providing financial education to his clients and community, and regularly hosts public events featuring the issues most relevant to the pre-retired and retired age groups. With an innate ability to simplify complicated concepts to terms that can be easily understood, and a passion for helping others sort through the plethora of conflicting opinions and misinformation, he works to provide people with the insight and education they need to make informed financial decisions. Bob is personally committed to raising the standard of financial care and client expectations for wealth management and development and has become a trusted resource for impartial counsel to the people he serves.
Bob has earned a number of credentials qualifying him to incorporate comprehensive and progressive retirement planning strategies into a client's overall plan. He is an investment adviser representative, which requires Bob to serve as a fiduciary advisor to always advise in a clients' best interest. He is also a registered representative of Commonwealth Financial Network, a Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) through the American College, and a Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) through the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants. He maintains Series 22, 39, 7 and 63 securities and life and health insurance licenses in multiple states.
Bob served as a proud U.S. Marine for almost five years. As an undergraduate, he studied at the University of Maryland's European Division (London, England) and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach. Prior to opening his independent advisory firm in 2003, Bob worked as the sales director in a private placement securities firm, a field force manager with Penn Corp. Financial, Inc., and a registered representative with CIGNA and Lincoln Financial Advisors. He is actively involved with the American Society of CLU/ChFC®, an organization for professionals who provide personal, family, and business financial services, and registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Bob currently resides in Shadow Hills, California, with his wife, Dona. In his downtime, Bob enjoys reading, traveling, and golf. He and his wife have three adult children.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate, Investment Management and Research
Job Titles:
- Platform Manager, Investment Management and Research
Job Titles:
- Retirement Solutions Specialist
Job Titles:
- Sup., Retirement Consulting Services
Job Titles:
- Investment Research Analyst
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Analyst, Fixed Income