Our Story

Native San Diegans, John and Kevin grew up less than ten miles apart.  The two met through mutual friends circa 2000 in Manhattan Beach, California as their careers in finance were just getting started.  

Over the next twenty-plus years, John collaborated with some of the world’s largest institutional investors, leading quantitative researchers and noted academics.  His primary function was to make their insights and resulting strategies more actionable for wealth managers and their clients.  During the same stretch, Kevin went on to lead a multi-billion-dollar team of account managers at two of the world’s largest asset management firms. For two decades, he and his team consulted with the country’s leading wealth managers in portfolio construction across fixed income and private alternatives.  This afforded Kevin the unique opportunity to work with several different types of advisors and large family offices across the country, cultivating best practices in building a firm based on a fiduciary standard. 

As their careers grew, they connected often, first with one another and eventually with their spouses and growing families.  Life had grown considerably more complex than Manhattan Beach when decision points were surf breaks or fishing spots.  One day over fish tacos, Kevin and John asked one another what they wanted in the second half of their careers.  They lamented that with each rung up the corporate ladder they felt like they were having less impact, helping fewer people.  

Further, both felt like the wealth management industry wasn’t evolving fast enough to reliably address the increasing complexities of wealth.  Despite new technologies and advancements in academic finance, most advisors overtly focused on one-size-fits-all products and many were not fiduciaries to their clients.  With these frustrations firsthand, we desired a robust solution for us and our families. And then thought why not do this for others?  Flatrock Wealth Partners was born.