People

I'm into cars and once won a new Porsche Boxster in a nationwide drawing.Learn more.

Industry Start Date: 1998

KAR Start Date: 2014

Education: B.S. in Economics from Santa Clara University

Credentials: Series 7, Series 66

Prior to Joining KAR:
Randy worked as a Vice President-Senior Financial Consultant for Charles Schwab & Co. During his 12 years at Charles Schwab, Randy provided private-client investment-management services to high-net-worth families. Randy was consistently recognized as an elite performer by way of 10 consecutive invitations to the Chairman’s Club from 2004-2013. Before that position, he was a First Vice President-Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley, where Randy spent the first four years of his career. While at Morgan Stanley, Randy was presented with the National Sales Director Award, an honor and distinction awarded to the top one percent of Advisors with the firm.

When Not in the Office:
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Randy lives in Newport Beach with his wife, Erica. They have two dogs, Scooter and Charlie, who bring a daily dose of energy, joy and entertainment to their lives. As a former NCAA Division I collegiate athlete, Randy enjoys all aspects of sports and fitness. He also enjoys traveling abroad and has a great appreciation for a variety of performing arts.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job?
Competing and winning are the two most rewarding aspects of my job. This industry is extremely competitive and I love competing for an investor’s business and I love winning their trust over time.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KARWA?
What I enjoy most about working at Kayne Anderson Rudnick are the people I work with every day. This group is one of the most thoughtful, intelligent and disciplined bunch of individuals I’ve associated with in my career.

How Does KARWA Approach Wealth Management Differently?
Periods of market volatility can really test an investor’s patience and commitment to their long-term strategy. At Kayne Anderson Rudnick, we intentionally structure portfolios to be defensive during difficult markets. One technique that has been particularly effective for us over the years involves blending alternative investment strategies together with traditional stock and bond portfolios to truly benefit from diversification.

What Do You Hope to Achieve For Your Clients?
When a client says “Randy, I trust you,” it is the ultimate compliment and it represents the very stage in a relationship that I hope to achieve with all of my clients. Trust is something that is earned over time and to hear those words form the clients you represent is a special thing.

Darnel J. Bentz

I am an avid golfer and used to play on the University of St Andrews golf team.Learn more.

Industry Start Date: 2000

KAR Start Date: 2013

Education: B.S. from Arizona State University, M.B.A. in Finance & Strategy from the University of California, Los Angeles (selected for the Student Investment Fund).

Credentials: Series 7, Series 63, Series 65, Series 86, Series 87, Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) license

Recognition:
Darnel was named a Five Star Wealth Manager by Los Angeles Magazine last year, a designation awarded to wealth managers who scored highest in overall satisfaction.

Prior to Joining KAR:
Darnel worked in equity research for KeyBanc Capital Markets covering the gaming and lodging industries. Before working at KeyBanc Capital Markets, Darnel was a Vice President-Financial Consultant for Charles Schwab & Co. During his seven years at Charles Schwab, Darnel provided private-client investment-management services to high-net-worth families.

When Not in the Office:
Darnel loves spending time with his family. He is married to Tamany Vinson Bentz and they have two children, Blaise and Nora. The Bentz’s support the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, among other organizations. Darnel also enjoys travel, reading, skiing, golf and basketball. He currently resides in Manhattan Beach, California.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job?
I really enjoy the collegial, collaborative environment that we have at Kayne Anderson Rudnick. People of all different backgrounds come together and really work hard to help our clients meet their goals.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KARWA?
I love what I do at KAR because I get to see people achieve their retirement goals and dreams, or save for their children’s education. It’s really satisfying to be able to give them peace of mind and confidence in what they’re doing.

How Does KARWA Approach Wealth Management Differently?
With a 30-year history, we’ve seen the ups and downs of the market and we have great experience managing volatility by investing in only the highest-quality companies, along with fixed income and select alternative strategies. We also have a strong track record of playing great defense during the inevitable difficult market environments. This gives our clients a much smoother return along the way.

What Do You Hope to Achieve For Your Clients?
I want my clients to experience the highest-quality service, to gain valuable peace of mind and to have trust and confidence that we are doing all the rights things to help them achieve their goals and dreams for retirement and college savings. I want to allow them to not worry about their investments or any market volatility.

Curt M. Biren, CPWA®

I started learning about investing when my best friend in high school told me he got his new car with profits from trading. Decades later I found out he got it from his parents, but I’m already hooked Learn more.

Industry Start Date: 1986

KAR Start Date: 1999

Education: B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, M.A. in Public Policy from George Washington University, M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Credentials: Certified Private Wealth Advisor®

Recognition:
Curt is a member of the Investment Management Consultants Association. He is was named a Five Star Wealth Manager by Los Angeles magazine for the last eight years, a designation awarded to wealth managers who scored highest in overall satisfaction. This resulting list represents less than 2 percent of the wealth managers in the Los Angeles area.

Prior to Joining KAR:
Curt worked as a Financial Adviser at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company.

When Not in the Office:
Curt enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife, Carolyn, have two daughters, Chloe and Lana. The Birens are involved in several charitable organizations and Curt is an avid golfer, having spent his junior year in college at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He also enjoys reading good books about history, politics and religion.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job?
My primary concern is earning the trust of my clients. Our clients look to us to help them with their investments, their wealth and their financial well-being now and over time. Obviously, trust doesn’t happen overnight, but with the kind of assistance and advice that we give them and the high-level of investment management we provide, we earn their trust over time and that’s what I find most gratifying.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KARWA?
My favorite part about Kayne Anderson Rudnick is the culture. When John Anderson co-founded the firm over thirty years ago, he set the tone. John had enormous success in business, but he came from very humble origins in the Mid-West. He provided an ethic to our culture and our organization that was fantastic. John used to say “Doing the right thing is the right thing to do” and that has permeated our organization since.

How Does KARWA Approach Wealth Management Differently?
In this day and age, there’s a lot of concern and confusion about what’s going on in the investment world. Obviously, the economy and the markets go through ups and downs and with all the distraction and noise out there, it’s pretty easy for one to lose one’s way. We take a lot of pride in helping our clients stay on track, in the sophistication of our investment solutions and in keeping our clients really focused on what’s most important.

What Do You Hope to Achieve For Your Clients?
When assisting my clients with their wealth, I don’t focus solely on their investment portfolio. I also try to assist them with their entire financial well-being. To that end, one of the most important aspects of wealth management is listening to our clients. Each client is different. It’s crucial that we understand a client’s situation, goals and objectives. We take our fiduciary responsibility very seriously and we want to make sure that we understand what our clients’ needs are and what they hope to accomplish over time.

Brian Chang, CFA, CFP®

My family and I were contestants on the game show the Family Feud.Learn more.

Thomas E. Connaghan, III

My bucket list includes traveling to 100 countries. So far I am at 35.Learn more.

Industry Start Date: 1992

KAR Start Date: 2011

Education: B.A. in Classics from the University of Notre Dame (Monogram in NCAA Division I soccer), M.B.A. from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, study abroad experience in Japan and the U.K.

Credentials: Registered Investment Adviser Representative, Series 65, Certificate in Financial Planning (the UK FSA qualification)

Prior to Joining KAR:
Tom worked as Vice President in the Institutional Group for Fisher Investments, a global wealth manager based in Woodside, California. During his nearly 10 years at Fisher Investments, Tom provided private client as well as institutional investment management services to high-net-worth families, public, corporate and multi-employer relationships in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. His depth of knowledge in global capital markets and portfolio management has helped clients make informed decisions regarding their specific financial plans. Tom also served as a Director in the Financial Services Group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and was responsible for providing strategic public finance services to state and local governments.

When Not in the Office:
Tom enjoys spending time with his family around San Francisco’s Bay Area. He is married and has four children, and the Connaghans support the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation, Pathways Home Health and Hospice, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, St. Raymond’s Catholic Church among other organizations. Tom spends any free time outdoors, as he likes to golf, surf, bike and coach his children’s teams. He also enjoys trying new cooking recipes, recording and playing music and is a loyal fan of Notre Dame Football and Soccer. Additionally, Tom is involved with ProVisors, a network of top-rated professionals that enable Tom to provide his clients with very helpful and knowledgeable referrals.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job?
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is to work with successful individuals who have incredible life stories. We partner with them to develop a financial plan to help them with financial freedom so they can live the lifestyle they want.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KARWA?
I enjoy working at KAR because of the variety of clients I get to work with. We work with individuals who are in the early stages of their careers and are looking to grow their assets, as well as individuals who are at or nearing retirement and are looking for capital preservation and diversified income streams. We also work with individuals and families who are thinking about the most efficient way to pass on their wealth to future generations.

How Does KARWA Approach Wealth Management Differently?
We do things differently here at Kayne Anderson Rudnick. For over thirty years, we have been solely focused on high-net-worth individuals and investment management. With over a quarter of our employees focused on research, we can offer access to both proprietary strategies not widely available to the general investing public as well as external managers offering best-in-class strategies.

What Do You Hope to Achieve For Your Clients?
I hope to help my clients achieve financial freedom and security. For example, I recently worked with a client who was anticipating a big windfall from his professional endeavor. We worked together to create a plan for when that event would happen – working on income, potential lifestyle changes and how to invest that money tax- efficiently – so that he and his family could enjoy the lifestyle they had worked so hard to achieve.

Dustin Gale, CFP®, CPWA®

I ran a big banking operation for the U.S. Navy and wrote checks on the U.S. Treasury, my signature alone... no limit!Learn more.

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.

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.

When Not in the Office:
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dustin is an avid surfer, golfer, reader, snowboarder and traveler. He lives in Brentwood, not far from his family and works with non-profits in the area as well. Among other Los Angeles-based organizations with whom he works, Dustin is the current Co-Chair of the Board of Directors at Project ECHO, which organizes annual at-risk youth High School Entrepreneurship and Business Plan Competitions on campus at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

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.

Industry Experience Start Date: 2003

KAR Start Date: 2016

Education: B.A., Technical Sales, Weber State University (graduated magna cum laude)

M.B.A., Cornell University, Johnson School of Management

Credentials: CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst designation), CFP® (Certified Financial Planner)

Prior to Joining KAR:
Sam was a Vice President, Private Banker for Citi Private Bank and a Vice President, Private Client Advisor for JPMorgan.

When Not in the Office:
Sam lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife, Amy and their five children. Together, they enjoy spending time in the mountains and taking trips to the family cabin. Sam enjoys a variety of sports and he is a regular participant in local and regional squash tournaments.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KARWA?
I love connecting with my clients on a personal level and being in touch with them frequently as they make important decisions for themselves and their families. I enjoy working with my colleagues at KAR and I have a firm belief that we are all trying to do what is best for our clients.

How Does KARWA Approach Wealth Management Differently?
KAR is different from many other wealth management firms in that we have the flexibility to build a customized portfolio for each and every one of our clients. I believe that this leads to better outcomes in the long run and a higher level of client satisfaction. I want my clients to feel like I know them as individuals and that I am not just trying to fit them into a pre-determined “bucket” or allocation.

What Do You Hope to Achieve For Your Clients?
First and foremost, I hope to earn my clients’ trust over time by demonstrating that I care about their personal and financial well-being above all. I want my clients to feel like they understand the value that we provide at KAR and that I listen to them and their individual wants and needs. I want my clients to feel confident that they are on the right path to achieve their most important financial objectives and to protect their hard-earned wealth.

I love sci-fi - I have watched every episode of every Star Trek series.Learn more.

Grace Apuy, CFP®, CDFA™

Wealth Advisor

Having been to well over a dozen countries, I love to travel, but no place is better than home in Venice, CA with my apricot poodle, Teddy. Learn more.

Bridget E. Costello, CFP®

Wealth Advisor

I love good barbecue—both eating and cooking—and can be found in front of my smoker most weekends honing my skills.Learn more.

Erik Orbach, CFP®, CTFA

Wealth Advisor

Industry Start Date: September 2004

KAR Start Date: June 2021

Education: UCLA – Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics, Cum Laude, University Honors Program (graduated at age 19)

Credentials: Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA), CPA (inactive)

Prior to Joining KAR:
Erik’s professional background spans nearly 20 years of helping affluent families protect and grow their wealth.

Erik was formerly a Vice President and Client Advisor at Whittier Trust Company, serving as a trusted resource for ultra-wealthy families across all aspects of their financial lives, including investment management, trust and intergenerational planning, strategic philanthropy, and family office services.

Prior to that, Erik served as a Senior Director of Development for the financial literacy nonprofit Junior Achievement of Southern California. While there, he helped develop and implement strategic philanthropic initiatives for prominent businesses and wealthy donors across Southern California.

Erik began his career as a Private Client Advisor at Deloitte Tax, providing tax services to high-wealth individuals and their related entities

When Not in the Office:
Erik can be found with his family near any body of water: pool, beach, or marina. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Southern California.

What Do you Enjoy Most About Working at KARWA?
It’s the people I work with. I enjoy being surrounded by really smart people who are great at understanding a constantly changing economy and are exceptional at charting a course consistent with the plans and goals of our clients.

It’s the people I serve. Kayne Anderson Rudnick clients know that we will always put their interests first—and it is an honor to serve as a trusted resource for these families in the financial matters which are most important to them.

How Does KARWA Approach Wealth Management Differently?
Individually. Specifically. Uniquely. Holistically. Our wealth strategies are not driven by computer algorithms or off-the-shelf packages. Every individual client has specific needs and deserves a unique financial plan. We don’t work in a vacuum, we take a holistic approach: our investment and financial planning decisions are informed by our knowledge of a client’s long-term goals, values, and objectives.

What Do you Hope to Achieve For Your Clients?
I see my role as helping clients build a financial base from which to live a life that is in alignment with their deepest goals, and in harmony with their values.

In my last year of college, my landlord was a Four Seasons Chef. We had an arrangement that I would handle all of his personal finances in exchange for meals. Learn more.

Thomas Pontius

Financial Planner

I have been all over the world on bicycle.Learn more.

Stephen A. Rigali, CFA

Executive Managing Director and member of the Executive Management Committee

I was born in Ethiopia and have lived in 4 countries and traveled to 36.Learn more.

Jeannine Vanian

Chief Operating Officer and member of the Executive Management Committee

I love baseball and have been an Angels fan since 1962. Learn more.

Douglas S. Foreman, CFA

Chief Investment Officer, Portfolio Manager and member of the Executive Management Committee

I love baseball and have been an Angels fan since 1962. Learn more.

Douglas S. Foreman, CFA

Chief Investment Officer, Portfolio Manager and member of the Executive Management Committee

I am a Fantasy Football fanatic wrapped tightly around my two daughters' little fingers.Learn more.

Chris Armbruster, CFA

I have a fear of heights. No ferris wheels or lighthouses for me. Learn more.

Todd Beiley, CFA

I am an equestrian competing on the West Coast Hunter Jumper circuit. My horse, Bravo, basically runs my life outside of work!Learn more.

Research Experience Start Date: 1999

KAR Start Date: 2002

Sector Coverage: Small and mid-capitalization communication services and energy sectors

Todd Manages: Small Cap Core, Small Cap Sustainable Growth, Small Cap Quality Select, Global Small Cap

Education: B.S., Finance, Northern Arizona University
M.B.A., University of Southern California

Prior Work Experience:
Associate Analyst, Equity Research – Prudential Securities
Equity Research Associate – RNC Capital Management

What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job:
I love learning about different kinds of very interesting companies—what makes good business and how it can differentiate itself from its competitors. I enjoy the combination of developing an understanding of a business’ unique attributes with the intellectual challenge of investing and the requirement of cultivating a view that is oftentimes different from prevailing wisdom.
Also, the experience of coming into the industry in 1999, when things were pretty euphoric in the market and then living through the market downturns in 2002 and 2008 has given me a lot of perspective in seeing the highs and lows of investor emotions. I believe this helps me maintain objectivity in times when emotions can run high.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KAR:
The most enjoyable part about working at KAR is having the freedom to find investments wherever they may be. I am empowered to manage the portfolio in a way that I truly believe and I am supported by strong analytical resources to help me in this endeavor.

What Are You Involved in Outside of Work:
When I’m not working I like to spend time with my kids coaching their sports teams. My two sons play baseball and I feel like I am reliving my youth with them when I get out there on the field and coach their teams.

I am also involved in helping the public education system in Los Angeles. I am on a Young Professionals Board of the largest charter school organization in the city and we help thousands of inner-city kids get a better education.

Julie Biel, CFA

I am a huge baseball fan (Dodgers!) and own over 20,000 baseball cards.Learn more.

Research Experience Start Date: 2008

KAR Start Date: 2013

Sector Coverage: Small and mid-capitalization information technology sector

Julie Manages: Small-Mid Cap Sustainable Growth

Education: B.A., Economics and Psychology, New York University
M.B.A., University of California, Los Angeles

Prior Work Experience:
Equity Research Associate – Imperial Capital
Equity Research Associate – Merrill Lynch

What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job:
What I love about investing in the sense of discovery. I love learning about new companies, understanding why they have been successful in the past, why they are going to be successful going forward and how they are going to manage in difficult economic conditions. To me, it is really getting under the hood and understanding each individual company that makes this job so fascinating. I truly enjoy being able to look at every single company and realize that there are different questions that need to be answered in order to understand if it is going to make a suitable investment for us.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KAR:
What I really love about working at KAR is the people. There is such a strong sense of comradery. People have a real open-door policy. I have found that the people here are incredibly open and willing to discuss ideas. People take you seriously and they want to hear what you have to say. Some of the informal professional development that I have experienced includes the portfolio managers taking you into their jobs so that one day I can become a portfolio manager. I really appreciate that level of accessibility.

What Are You Involved in Outside of Work:
Outside of work, I ride horses and participate in competitions. I used to ride competitively when I was a kid and I took a long break when I worked on Wall Street. I recently have gotten back into it and I find it to be such good use of my competitive spirit (more so than yoga!). It is so fun to develop a young animal and to see it come along and flourish.

Jon K. Christensen, CFA

I spent six of my teenage years in Germany and still speak the language.Learn more.

Hyung Kim

I can’t live without humor. I adore Mark Twain. On special occasions, I write humorous poems for friends and family.Learn more.

Julie Kutasov

I like to go on hikes with my kids and follow Boston sports teams.Learn more.

Richard Sherry, CFA

I enjoy photography and have pictures from my travels around the world. I have also been the company fantasy football champ four times and counting.Learn more.

Craig Stone

I served 6 years in the Marine Corps Reserve as an anti-tank assaultman.Learn more.

Craig Thrasher, CFA

I knew I wanted to work in finance after my 5th grade class did a stock picking challenge. Learn more.

Research Experience Start Date: 2004

KAR Start Date: 2008

Sector Coverage: International and emerging markets small cap portfolios

Craig Manages: International Small Cap, Emerging Markets Small Cap, Global Small Cap

Education: B.S., Business and Public Administration, concentration in Finance, University of Arizona
M.B.A. , University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business

Prior Work Experience:
Equity Analyst – Kirr, Marbach & Company

What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job:
What I enjoy most about investing is that it involves solving a wide range of very complex problems. When you do your work on an investment, you conduct a lot of research and analysis and then you form a hypothesis about the investment you are either going to make or not make. When you do this over a number of companies over a number of years you get to test your investment hypotheses over time. Through this process, you get to learn a lot and I find that to be very fascinating and rewarding.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Working at KAR:
One of the best things about working at KAR is that the firm’s investment philosophy is the same as my own personal investment philosophy. There are a lot of different ways to approach investing, but I believe that if you are going to excel you really need to believe in what you are doing. I spend a lot of time studying and thinking about investing and I really do believe that the most important aspect of any investment decision is the quality of the business. There aren’t a lot of other firms out there that place as much emphasis on business quality as we do here at KAR and that makes it very satisfying for me to come to work every day.

What Are You Involved in Outside of Work:
Outside of work, I really enjoy traveling. I have traveled to over 40 countries outside of the U.S. and I enjoy visiting new places, observing different cultures and seeing how people live throughout the world.

Another thing that I find fulfilling outside of work is participating in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. I have been a Big Brother for over seven years and my little brother and I have been able to do things together that I am not sure he would have had a chance to do if it were not for the program. Some of the things we have done together include taking him to see snow for the first time and teaching him to ride a bike and to swim. It has been very rewarding to be a part of these activities with him.

Chris Wright, CFA

I grew up in Central Asia, went to college in Russia, attended business school in the U.S. and settled down in LA with my husband and son.Learn more.

Ekaterina Advena

I like to surf, ski and run with the hope that staying active will promote an enduring vigor to keep up with my wife and daughter.Learn more.

Sean Dixon

Learn more.

Noran Eid

I ran track in college and hope to run a marathon in the next year.Learn more.

David Forward

I love written and spoken word. I learned English when I moved to America as a child mostly from reading books and performed in school productions in my teens.Learn more.

Sean Pompa

Research Analyst

Adam Xiao, CFA