Industry Start Date: 2005
KAR Start Date: 2015
Education: B.S. in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management.
Credentials: CFP® (Certified Financial Planner), CPWA® (Certified Private Wealth Advisor), Series 7, Series 66, California Health and Life Insurance licenses. Certificate in Financial Planning from UCLA and Certified Private Wealth Advisor from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Recognition: Dustin was named a Five Star Wealth Manager by Los Angeles Magazine for the last four years, a Banking & Finance Visionary by the L.A. Times B2B Publishing (2022-2023), and a Leader of Influence, Wealth Manager by the Los Angeles Business Journal (2023).
Prior to Joining KAR:
Dustin was a Vice President, Private Banker for Wells Fargo’s Wealth Management Group, where he provided investment management services to high net worth individuals, their families and their businesses. Before that position, he was a Premier Client Manager-Assistant Vice President with Bank of America, where Dustin spent the first four years of his career.
What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job?
I’m passionate about what I do because I get to work with my clients, my friends and my family in order to help them find peace of mind. In this day of age, with access to smartphones, social media, information on the Internet, there is a ton of noise out there. This noise can be disseminated extremely quickly, which can be overwhelming to individual investors. When we set a strategic plan for our clients, we know that we’re setting a disciplined approach to allow our clients to go out and enjoy their lives without paying too much attention to the daily noise.
What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KARWA?
I enjoy working at KAR because of the culture. Every team member knows that at the end of the day the clients’ interests come first. Mr. John Anderson said it best: “Do the right thing.”
How Does KARWA Approach Wealth Management Differently?
We approach wealth management differently in that we aren’t just focused on two-asset portfolios of stocks and bonds. We look at alternative strategies in order to help protect our clients on the downside but also capture up-market swings. Having a background in financial planning, I look at both sides of my clients’ balance sheets, along with their goals, to make sure we’re taking a holistic approach to their financial needs. From there, we create customized asset allocation strategies.
What Do You Hope to Achieve For Your Clients?
My goal is to help my clients find peace of mind while achieving their previously established goals. I don’t want my clients worrying about their investment portfolios or current financial condition. If the expectations and stage are set properly, routine reviews should be the only times that my clients are focusing on their investments. After all, that’s why they’re hiring a professional wealth advisor.
When Not in the Office:
Born and raised in Los Angeles, I currently live in Encino with my wife and two sons. I am the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors at Project ECHO, a non-profit which organizes annual at-risk youth High School Entrepreneurship and Business Plan Competitions on campus at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management among other organizations I work with in Los Angeles. I am an avid surfer, golfer, reader, snowboarder, and traveler.