Brian D. Holmes, MS, CFP^®, AIF^® is the President and CEO of SEIA. As of December 31, 2021, SEIA and its affiliates manage $17.0 billion of assets. He is one of SEIA's four founding partners, who have shared over two decades of teamwork together and he currently sits on SEIA's investment committee. Brian has been in the investment management business for over 35 years, maintaining a successful independent private practice with his team for over 300 clients.

Brian was named to the Barron's Hall of Fame in 2019, as one of 145 advisors nationwide. Each member of the Hall of Fame has appeared in ten or more Barron's Top 100 Advisor Rankings. He is the only advisor from Los Angeles and Orange Counties to make the elite Barron's Top 100 Independent Advisors from 2008-2018. Worth Magazine ranked Brian among the nation's Top 250 Financial Advisors of 2008 and featured him from 2010-2019 in "Leading Wealth & Legal Advisors."

He is a past member of the Schwab Institutional Advisory Board and served on the UCLA Department of Economics Board of Visitors to enhance the curriculum of the Business Economics major. Many notable clients, executive groups, corporations and universities have retained him for lectures, including guest lectures at UCLA's undergraduate Economics and Investments classes. Brian is involved with numerous charities in the Southern California area. He has been a resident of Malibu, California since 1987 along with his wife, son and daughter.

Brian received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Business Administration from UCLA in 1983. Additionally, in 1994, he received a Master of Science degree in Financial Planning from the College of Financial Planning. He earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification in 1988, after completing the professional education program through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. In 2011, Brian earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary^® (AIF^®) professional designation from Fiduciary360, receiving formal training in investment fiduciary responsibility. He is also a licensed insurance agent (CA Ins. License #0657377).

For additional information on awards and accolades received, please refer to our Disclosure Information page.

Gary K. Liska, MS, CFP^®, AIF^®, CMFC^®, AAMS^® is a Founding Partner for Signature Estate & Investment Advisors, LLC (SEIA). He is one of SEIA's four founding partners who have shared over two decades of teamwork together. His emphasis is in investment management, retirement planning and estate planning strategies for affluent individuals and corporations. He has been in the securities and insurance business since 1994 and has presented hundreds of seminars on investments, tax, retirement and estate planning throughout Southern California.

Gary has been featured in Worth Magazine, a publication for high-net worth individuals and their financial advisors. Also, he is currently a member of SEIA's Investment Committee, which meets monthly to analyze current market trends on the fixed income and equity markets, as well as alternative investments. Gary proudly achieved his Eagle Scout Award in 1987 and is currently a member of the Eagle Scout Association. He is also involved in charities such as Signature Fund for Giving. He lives in Pacific Palisades, California with his wife and two sons.

Gary received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He received his Master of Science degree with an academic emphasis in Financial Planning from the College of Financial Planning in 2004. He earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP^®) certification from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. after completing the CFP^® professional education program in 1996. He completed the Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC^®) Education program in 1998. Gary has earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF^®) professional designation from Fiduciary360 and has received formal training in investment fiduciary responsibility. Gary also holds the Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS^®) designation. He is also a licensed insurance agent (CA Insurance License #0B39385).

Paul Taghibagi, CFP^®, AIF^® is a Senior Partner with SEIA and is one of the four founding partners, who share over two decades of teamwork together. He is a Partner with Signature Comprehensive Insurance Services, LLC (SCIS).

Paul has been in the securities industry since 1990. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association of Los Angeles and also serves on the Investment Committee for SEIA. Paul resides in Pacific Palisades, California with his wife and two daughters. He enjoys sports, traveling and spending time in the local community with his family and friends.

Paul received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification in 1993, after completing the CFP® professional education program through the College of Financial Planning. Paul also has earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary^® (AIF^®) professional designation conferred by Fiduciary360, receiving formal training in investment fiduciary responsibility. He is a licensed insurance agent (CA Ins. License #0798553).

Theodore E. Saade, CFP^®, CMFC^®, AIF^® is a Managing Senior Partner with Signature Estate & Investment Advisors, LLC. His specialties include investment planning, retirement planning and estate planning. He is also a licensed independent insurance broker. Mr. Saade has been in the securities and insurance business since 1995 maintaining a successful independent private practice for over 250 clients.

He was voted Top 40 Under 40 as published in REP. Magazine since its inception in 2013. He was also recognized as a Top Wealth Manager for "Providing Exceptional Service And Overall Satisfaction" as published in Los Angeles Magazine in 2014. Furthermore, he has been published annually in Worth Magazine since 2010 and has been recognized annually as a Leading Wealth Advisor as published in Worth Magazine since 2012. Many notable clients, executive groups and corporations have retained him for seminars and lectures. Mr. Saade is a 30+ year resident of Los Angeles, currently residing in Beverly Hills, California along with his wife and 4 sons.

Mr. Saade received his Bachelor's degree in Economics with an emphasis in Biochemistry with Honors from University of California, Los Angeles. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc, having completed the CFP® professional education program in 1998. In addition, he completed the Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC^®) Education program in 2000 and earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary^® (AIF^®) professional designation, conferred by Fiduciary360. He also has received formal training in investment fiduciary responsibility. He also holds an insurance license (CA Ins. License #OB63654).

Jennifer Kim, MS, CFP^®, CMFC^®, ChFC^®, CLU^® is a Managing Senior Partner at SEIA. Currently, she is a licensed independent insurance broker with Signature Comprehensive Insurance Services, LLC (SCIS). Her specialties include estate planning, retirement planning, and corporate benefits. Jennifer has been in the investment management and insurance business since 1993.

She has written several articles for Worth Magazine and Audrey Magazine on various financial topics. Jennifer has had numerous speaking engagements, including the USC County Hospital, the Writers Guild of America, Panda Express, and Charles Schwab.

Jennifer is currently a member of the Parent Association Board at St. James Episcopal School and also serves as a Girl Scout Troop leader. She is an alumni of the Chi Alpha Delta sorority at UCLA. Jennifer is involved with numerous charities, including NGA, and has served as the past president of the Women's Auxiliary division of the Korean American Museum. Jennifer resides in Los Angeles with her husband and four children.

Jennifer received her Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Recently, she also completed her Master's Degree in Personal Financial Planning through the College for Financial Planning. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. She completed the CFP^® professional education program in 1998 and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) through the American College in 1998. She completed her Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) through the American College in 1998 and Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) Education program in 1999. She is a licensed insurance agent (CA Insurance Lic. #OB11807).

Hayley Wood Bates, MBA, CFP^® , AIF^® is a Financial Advisor with SEIA. She analyzes and interprets client financial data to generate guidance on estate, charitable, investment, protection, corporate benefit, and tax planning, all focused on the individual client. Hayley brings over ten years of industry experience serving high-net-worth families and businesses in developing, implementing, and monitoring comprehensive wealth plans.

She is passionate about her involvement in local and global philanthropic initiatives and currently serves on the Leadership Council of A Place Called Home. Hayley oversees SEIA's Signature Fund for Giving which supports various children-focused charities. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House of Durham, North Carolina and the Rotary Club of Kihei-Wailea, Hawaii. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California and enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, and traveling to our National Parks.

Hayley received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing, Finance & Banking with honors and a concentration in Certified Financial Planning from Appalachian State University in 2009. Additionally, in 2015, she received a Master of Business Administration degree with honors from the University of Hawai'i Shidler College of Business. Hayley earned her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification in 2013 after completing the professional education program through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. She also carries her Series 7, 63, and 65 licenses and Life & Health Insurance license (CA Ins. License #OL83425).

Deron McCoy, CFA^®, CFP^®, CAIA^®, AIF^® is the Chief Investment Officer at SEIA and has served on the firm's Investment Committee since 2001. As managing director of SEIA's Department of Investment Management & Economic Strategy (DIMES), Mr. McCoy has duties that are varied and include acting as Head Portfolio Manager on the firm's discretionary accounts as well as leading the research team in developing the global macro strategy, ultimately incorporated into the firm's investment models and asset allocation strategies. Mr. McCoy also coordinates the investment due diligence and manages search processes.

Mr. McCoy received his Bachelors of Science degree in Mathematics-Applied Science with a Specialization in Economics and Business Management from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1995. He has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner under the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. since 1998, and has held the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation issued by the CFA Institute in 2002, thereby making Mr. McCoy one of only 940 active CFA^® charterholders to hold both the CFA^® and CFP^® designations. He also has held the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA^®) designation since 2009 and has been an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF^®) as of 2011.

Mr. McCoy currently resides in Pacific Palisades, California with his wife and two children.

Vincent Reyes, CMFC^® is the Director of Trading Operations at SEIA. Since joining SEIA in 2007, Vincent has overseen and managed all trading operations in the Century City, Pasadena, Newport Beach, Redondo Beach, and Virginia offices.

Vincent previously worked as a NASDAQ Market Maker and Proprietary Trader at two major brokerage firms from 1993 to 2007. He has handled many institutional clients, including hedge funds, pensions, and mutual funds. He has also worked directly with specialists and floor brokers on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Chicago Board of Exchange (options), and other regional exchanges. Vincent is a Bloomberg Certified user and is well versed in using many electronic trading systems.

Vincent has been an active member of the Security Traders of Los Angeles for 25+ years. He has been involved with numerous market structure committees giving guidance and input on NASDAQ, NYSE, and various electronic exchanges.

Vincent is a graduate of UC Riverside and currently resides in Westwood with his wife and daughter. In his spare time, Vincent enjoys traveling, reading, and playing in league sports. Vincent is a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) and is also a FINRA Equity Trader license holder.

Howard Chen, AIF^® is the Director of Investment Services at SEIA. He has worked with SEIA since 2009 and currently works in the Department of Investment Management and Economic Strategies, where he handles trade reconciliation, research and portfolio administration. Howard previously worked for SEIA as an operations specialist and has continued developing his expertise in investment management by earning his Series 7 and 66 licenses.

He is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics as well as minors in Global Studies and Asian Studies. In addition, he has honed his Chinese language skills, studying abroad for a summer at the University of Hong Kong.

Sam Miller, CFA^®, CFP^®, CAIA^® is the Director of Research & Marketing and a member of the SEIA investment management and research department, where he contributes thought leadership and expertise to the due diligence, portfolio construction, and investment selection processes. He works closely with SEIA's Investment Committee to formulate and communicate opinions on the economic and investment environment.

Previously, as Vice President and Portfolio Manager at United Capital, Sam was responsible for management and oversight of all Tax Managed, Factor, and ESG portfolios. He also led and directed the management of United Capital's portfolio construction, monitoring, and evaluation tools and resources. Earlier, Sam worked at Slayton Lewis, where he successfully managed a portfolio of discretionary equity and fixed income assets for a time period including the 2008 financial crisis. Sam began his career at Northwestern Mutual, where he built and managed a team of analysts who advised on client assets and were responsible for aspects of investment decision-making, including portfolio construction and security selection. Originally from Chicago, Sam and his wife and daughters currently reside in San Pedro, CA.

Sam received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2002. Additionally, in 2011 he received a Masters in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting, Analytic Finance, and Econometrics from the University of Chicago. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst^® (CFA^®) charter in 2007, the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA^®) designation in 2017, and the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP^®) certification in 2018.

Tony Nguyen is the Senior Fixed Income Trader in the SEIA Trading Department. Tony works closely with the firm’s financial advisors and portfolio managers to provide efficient trade executions in fixed income securities.

Prior to joining SEIA, Tony was a trader for Banc of America Securities on the institutional fixed income desk serving the Los Angeles and San Diego regions. His clients included Fortune 500 companies, municipalities, and insurance companies.

Tony received his Bachelor of Sciences degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance from the University of California, Riverside. He enjoys traveling, training for marathons, and exercising his skills in the kitchen.

Chad E. Bates, CFP^® is a Financial Advisor with SEIA. He joined the firm in 2003 and works with President and CEO, Brian D. Holmes.

Chad has been in the securities and insurance business since 2003. He is also a licensed insurance agent (CA Lic. #0E38602).

Chad received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification from the CFP Board of Standards, Inc. and completed the CFP^® professional education program in 2006, through the College for Financial Planning.

Chad currently resides in Los Angeles and enjoys spending his free time with his daughter. He is an active sportsman and has been a competitive ice hockey player since he was 10 years old.

Michael Macauley, MBA, CFA^®, CFP^® is a Financial Advisor with the Century City office of SEIA. His practice areas include wealth management, retirement and estate planning. He also has extensive experience with life insurance and long term care planning. Michael has been in the investment management business for over 14 years, working with both institutional pension plan sponsors, family office investors and with individual clients and their families. Prior to SEIA, Michael worked with Wilshire Associates, a Santa Monica based investment consulting firm. He also worked with Julius Baer Investment Management, and with the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. He is a member in good standing of the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute.

Michael is an active member of ProVisors, a Trusted Advisor organization. He is also a past member of Toastmasters International, a competitive public speaking organization. Michael was raised in Nigeria and in Czechoslovakia. Currently, he is a resident of El Segundo, California along with his wife and their two sons.

Michael received his MA in International Business from the University of Economics in Slovakia. He also received his MBA with an emphasis in Finance & Entrepreneurship from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner (CFP). Michael also received the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charter from the CFA institute in 2006. He is also a licensed insurance agent (CA Ins. License #0G73288).

Eugene Lev, RICP^®, AIF^® is a Financial Advisor with Signature Estate & Investment Advisors, LLC (SEIA).

Eugene Lev has over 12 years of experience in the financial services and investment management industry as a wealth advisor and investment consultant. As an Advisor, Eugene coordinates all stages of the financial planning process, assessing risk, asset allocation, investment implementation, and portfolio monitoring customized to the needs of his clients. Eugene holds the Retirement Income Certified Professional® designation, specializing in helping retirees and near-retirees develop a comprehensive plan for managing and using the assets they have accumulated for retirement. Eugene's goal is to help his clients live for today, as well as plan for tomorrow.

Eugene graduated with honors from the California State University, Northridge and holds a Bachelor's of Science in Finance and Real Estate. He received his Retirement Income Certified Professional^® (RICP^®) designation from the American College of Financial Services. Eugene is currently enrolled in the Bryant University CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP&^®) curriculum. Eugene also is an effective bilingual communicator, fluent in English and conversational in Russian.

Eugene currently resides in Valencia, California with his wife and daughter. He is an avid soccer player and enjoys an active, healthy lifestyle.

Jessica Cherness, CFP^®, AIF^®is an Advisor with Signature Estate & Investment Advisors, LLC (SEIA). She joined the company in 2015 and has since become a central member of the team of Senior Partner Theodore E. Saade, CFP® , AIF^®, CMFC^®. The team's services include comprehensive financial planning, portfolio strategies and intergenerational wealth transfer.

Jessica received the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional designation after completing the CFP^® professional education program through the College for Financial Planning. She holds her Series 7 and 66 securities licenses and is also a licensed insurance agent (CA Ins. License #0L56221). Jessica graduated from Brown University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Organizations. While attending Brown, Jessica played four years of Division I softball and tutored fellow student-athletes in economics.

Jessica is a Los Angeles native and currently resides in Beverly Hills. She enjoys playing slow-pitch softball, beach volleyball, and hiking.

Cole Brownell, CFA^®, CFP^® is an Advisor at SEIA and a member of Founding Partner Gary Liska's team. His areas of practice include developing investment and retirement strategies, creating financial plans, and working directly with clients. He has been working in the financial services industry since 2014 and was previously a financial advisor at Capstone Partners.

Cole received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, magna cum laude, from California State University Northridge (CSUN).

In 2018, he earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP® ) certification after completing the professional education program through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. Cole also earned his Chartered Financial Analyst^® (CFA^®) designation in 2020 having passed the three levels of the exam on his first attempt. He holds series 7 and 66 licenses and is a licensed life & health insurance agent (CA Insurance License #0J05371).

As a native of Southern California, he spends his free time hiking, going to the beach, socializing with friends, and traveling.

John Williams is the Advisor to Paul Taghibagi. He started at SEIA in 2004 and has been working with Mr. Taghibagi to focus on investment management strategies for affluent individuals and businesses. Prior to SEIA, Mr. Williams joined the retail arm of Ladenburg Thalman & Co. in New York, where he became securities licensed. Mr. Williams graduated from Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.

Carlos F. Sanabria, CFA^® is a RFP Department Manager within the Department of Investment Management & Economic Strategy (DIMES). Prior to joining SEIA, Carlos worked for Payden & Rygel Investment Management as a Client Portfolio Manager within the Los Angeles Institutional PM team. He previously worked within PNC Wealth Management's Investment Advisor Research division, providing oversight and ongoing due diligence of fixed income strategies. Carlos began his career within Prudential Investment Management's (PGIM) manager research department.

He received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a focus in Finance from American University's Kogod School of Business, as well as a Bachelor of Arts: Political Science with a focus in Political Theory from American University's School of Public Affairs.

Carlos speaks English and Spanish. He has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and is a member of the CFA Society of Los Angeles. Originally from the Philadelphia area, he is based out of the Century City office.