Brian Breen

John Cruse is the principal of Cruse Investments in Petaluma, CA, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 24 years of industry experience. He has led Cruse Investments since 2013. Cruse Investments provides investment management and written financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm customizes portfolios using stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds, operates primarily on a non-discretionary basis, and offers advice on retirement rollovers and employer plan distributions.

John Baughman is a financial advisor with Baughman Financial Group in Novato, CA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 33 years of industry experience. He has worked at First Allied Securities, Inc. from 2008 to 2018 and has been with Baughman Wealth Advisors Inc. and Baughman Financial Group since 2008 and 1999, respectively. Baughman Wealth Advisors, operating as Baughman Financial Group, provides portfolio management, financial planning, retirement and estate planning, and consulting services to individuals, families, trusts, foundations, charitable organizations, and various institutional clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, modern portfolio theory, technical, and cyclical analysis to create customized portfolios and offers discretionary management, insurance product sales, and educational seminars.

Daniel Peterson is a CFP® with 32 years of industry experience and has been with Northbay Financial Group, Inc. since 2003. He is the president and CEO of North Bay Financial Group, which provides income tax preparation services through its subsidiary Express Income Tax Services. Northbay Advisors is an independent firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses with personalized financial planning and investment management. The firm combines advisory services with an affiliated tax-preparation practice, offering clients integrated tax and planning coordination.

John Jones is the principal of John Schooler Jones LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Petaluma, CA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 24 years of industry experience. Jones has led his firm since its founding in 2003. John Schooler Jones LLC provides financial advisory and planning services to a client base primarily consisting of higher-net-worth individuals, closely held corporations, trusts, and pension plans. The firm operates on a non-discretionary model, coordinating third-party asset managers and dedicating significant focus to business succession planning.

“I want to make the right decisions but I don’t have time to figure it out on my own.” “Can you help me with my student loans? This is more complicated than I thought it would be.” “How do I invest? I know it’s important but I don’t know the best way to do it and I don’t want to mess it up” Have you said any of these before? You’re not alone if you have. I have heard these statements from many lawyers I’ve met throughout my wife’s time in law school and her legal career. As a CPA, CFP, and someone who has worked in financial planning, I have seen young people who are overwhelmed about managing their personal finances. I have also seen people near retirement who unfortunately didn’t make good financial decisions and now have to modify their future lifestyles because of their financial situations. I hate seeing people not achieve everything they want in life because they can’t afford their dream lifestyle. So I set out to change that. My mission is to help young lawyers establish a strong financial foundation early in their careers so they can capitalize on future opportunities instead of trying to fix financial mistakes. So I created the Developing Financial Process. My process identifies what is most important to you, analyzes your current financial situation, builds a comprehensive financial plan, implements the plan, adapts the plan as your life changes on an ongoing basis, and most importantly educates and empowers you throughout the entire process. My process helps you pay off your student loans completely, invest effectively, save and spend intentionally, and achieve your financial goals and ambitions. I believe that everyone should live their dream life without worrying about their finances. I live what I preach and when I’m not working, I am out living. I love to travel and have visited many states and countries. My family and I go camping, spend time at the beach, and visit friends and family as often as possible. I truly love educating and empowering people to live their ideal life. I hope you reach out to learn more about my process and how financial planning can benefit young lawyers like yourself!