Bios

JEFFREY B. YAMADA

Jeffrey B. Yamada CFP®, MBA

Wealth Counselor, Chief Compliance Officer

Jeff Yamada helps clients answer the financial questions that might otherwise keep them up at night. Advising clients on retirement, tax, risk, education, or estate planning – or all of the above through comprehensive financial planning – Jeff navigates the complex and interrelated aspects of personal finance. Blending his expertise in the securities industry with his experience working with people from diverse cultures and economic backgrounds, Jeff excels at helping clients make sound financial decisions that meet their personal goals.

Jeff began his career at the global headquarters of Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) in Zurich and spent the next five years in the firm’s North American headquarters in New York City. While in Los Angeles, Jeff was chief compliance officer and director of operations for Bradford & Marzec, Inc., a fee-only institutional fixed-income investment advisor. He was also director of operations with Post Advisory Group, LLC, a high-yield bond and distressed-debt investment advisor and hedge fund manager.

Jeff Yamada has held the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification since 2007 and held the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®) designation from 2017-2021. He is a member of the fee-only National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). Jeff received his MBA in international finance from St. John’s University in New York in 1994 and his B.A. in international business and German from California State University, Fullerton, in 1989.

Jeff is actively involved in community service. He is a newly elected director of Carry It Forward, an innovative, trauma-informed non-profit serving Eugene/Springfield’s unhoused community. He has served seven years as a director (three as board chair) for Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC). His past work includes volunteering at Horse Feathers Equine Rescue in Guthrie, OK, as president of the Financial Planning Association’s Central Oklahoma Chapter, and on committees for the City of Norman, OK and Norman Public Schools. Jeff is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served three years in an Amerindian rainforest community in Suriname, South America.

Raised in Orange County, California, Jeff has lived and worked in three countries and four states. An avid traveler, he is fluent in German and Sranan Tongo and has studied French and Dutch. Jeff enjoys being outdoors and active, hiking, swimming, volunteering, and being an empty-nest dad.