Team Citrine
Ryan S. Cole, CFP®
Founder, Chairman
Ryan began investing at the age of 18 while earning his degree in business and management of technology at Clarkson University. Through his studies and over 20 years of investment experience, Ryan became a firm believer in tax-efficient investing and low-cost portfolio management. His financial know-how eventually led him to be a resource for friends and family, and he quickly discovered his passion for helping others with financial planning and investing.
Previously, Ryan worked as a financial planner at Ameritas Investment Corporation where he earned his series 65 license. In 2014, he left Ameritas to found Cole Wealth Advisors, which evolved into Citrine Capital when Jirayr joined in 2016.
Ryan is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with a specialty in equity compensation. taxation, and financial independence. He currently serves as the Managing Director of Citrine Capital.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Ryan has the pragmatism and objectivity of an East Coaster balanced by an easygoing, holistic attitude adopted from twelve years in the San Francisco Bay Area. Outside of work, he enjoys goofing around with his wife and three daughters, ice hockey, cycling, great food, craft beer, and lots of espresso.
Jirayr R. Kembikian, CFP®
Co-Founder, Managing Director
Jirayr started his career with one of the nation's largest banks, where he repeatedly witnessed the enduring impact of a solid financial plan on clients’ success. This led him to pursue a career as a financial planner with a mission to provide all clients with a financial roadmap and professional guidance in order to help them reach their full potential.
Today, Jirayr is a managing partner and wealth advisor at Citrine Capital, where he serves as an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.Prior to joining Citrine Capital, Jirayr was a financial planner at Ameritas Investment Corporation where he helped hundreds of individuals, families, and small businesses develop a financial plan and work towards their financial goals.
Jirayr holds a degree in finance from San Francisco State University. Born and raised in Marin County, he is an active community and board member in local service organizations. He is passionate about his active lifestyle including sports, mountain biking, hiking, photography and international travel.
Samantha Mockford, CFP®, AFC®
Paraplanner (she/her)
Sam studied economics at the University of California, Davis, then spent 14 years mentoring college students, spending 8 of those years overseas. Since joining Citrine, Sam has achieved the ACCREDITED FINANCIAL COUNSELOR® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certifications.
She’s developed a reputation as a friendly nerd who will cheerfully help anyone make a budget based on their values. Sometimes reality can be scary, but she believes a good financial planner should allay anxieties and get people excited about the future.
Sam lives with her husband and two sons in Sacramento, where she skis, swims on the local masters team, and finagles space on their small kitchen table for tabletop games and copious homemade baked sweets. Her happy place is her backyard, where she gardens and swings around on their ninja course.
Kiersten Peshek, CFP® (they/she)
Lead Wealth Advisor
Kiersten started their journey towards a financial planning career in 2018 after learning about the basics of personal finance and how that knowledge can be used to help folks flourish personally and financially. Having always wanted a career helping others, this sparked a passion to become a fee-only financial planner to provide their clients with the guidance and advice needed to reach personal and financial goals.
Prior to joining Citrine Capital, as a career changer, Kiersten had varied job experience in mortgage servicing, real estate appraisals, and as a tech professional.
Today, Kiersten is a Lead Wealth Advisor with Citrine Capital, where they serve as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) and Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) specializing in company equity, LGBTQ+ planning, and FIRE planning.
As someone with a passion for helping others, Kiersten also volunteers as a Financial Coach with Habitat for Humanity Atlanta and is on the FPA of Georgia’s DEI Committee for 2024 whose goal is to bring more diverse people into the financial planning profession by doing outreach on college campuses around Georgia.
Kiersten holds a degree in English and Spanish from Illinois State University as well as a Financial Planning Certificate from DePaul University. Born and raised in Illinois, Kiersten now lives in Columbus, Georgia with their husband and cute, black cat named Pounce. Kiersten is passionate about reading, yoga, baking, travel, supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and all things Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE).
Favorite books: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Sister Outsider, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Work Optional, the Heartstopper series, and Laziness Does Not Exist.
Melanie Askey
Client Service Associate
Melanie’s passion for business strategy started while she was in high school, as a member of various clubs and organizations. She is constantly thinking of strategic improvements in all areas of an organization, to find more streamlined, automated and consistent processes. Her analytical mind, coupled with her person-first outlook, offers a unique skillset in all her personal and professional interactions.
Melanie has always been extremely competitive, both on and off the field. While playing collegiate soccer at University of Lynchburg in Virginia, she was repeatedly named as a member of the Lynchburg athletic honor society as well as the athletic conference’s academic team. Twice during her 4-year tenure, the team won the conference championship and went on to compete in the NCAA Tournament. Off the field, Melanie was an active member of Delta Sigma Pi (co-ed professional business fraternity), earned Dean’s List honors all four years, received the Stephen W. Streep Award for Excellence in the School of Business and Economics, and was named as a finalist for the Richard Clark Sommerville Scholarship (the highest academic honor at Lynchburg).
Melanie has a continued thirst for learning and professional development, which led her to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration from Loyola University in Maryland. She enjoys traveling to new locations and while at Loyola, she went to Chile as part of an international study tour.
Prior to joining Citrine, Melanie spent 10 years working for BGE HOME and concluded her tenure there as the Marketing Manager, where she led a team responsible developing and executing integrated marketing plans and strategy support. Always viewed as a leader, she was selected into Exelon’s (Constellation’s parent company) Emerging Leaders Program. After resigning from BGE HOME, Melanie began her next professional chapter as the Principal/Founder of Askey Consulting, where she specialized in the development, execution and management of business and marketing plans.
A healthy and active lifestyle is very important to Melanie and her family. She spends her free time working out to her favorite playlist, podcast or audible and finding new recipes to cook for her family. On the weekends, you can find her on the sidelines cheering for her two sons in soccer, lacrosse and basketball or for her daughter in gymnastics. As a Maryland girl, Melanie enjoys all four seasons and especially looks forward to pumpkin and apple picking in fall with her family, cutting down a Christmas tree together for the holidays, and playing with her kids and golden retriever in the snow outside in the winter.
Nick Loeffelman, CFP®
Wealth Advisor
Nick began his financial planning journey through the University of Missouri’s CFP® Registered Financial Planning program. While in school, he participated in various financial planning events and competitions- most notably the Edward Jones Portfolio Competition and his team’s first-place victory in the Northwestern Mutual Comprehensive Financial Planning Competition. In addition to his studies, Nick co-owned and operated a small business in his community as a means to support himself through school.
Before joining Citrine Capital, Nick started his professional career in mortgage banking where he worked closely with clients and families to find the best solutions for their goals. He brings valuable experience in investment research, entrepreneurship, and real estate finance.
Growing up in an Army family, Nick has experienced life and culture all over the world living in the Netherlands, Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois. After graduation in 2020, he moved to Huntington Beach, CA with his girlfriend and their dog, Marley. He enjoys spending his free time reading, surfing, golfing, and exploring Southern California’s many hiking trails.
Services
Wealth Management
Comprehensive Financial Planning & Analysis
Asset Protection and Risk Management
Our Investment Philosophy
1) Embrace Market Pricing
The Market is an effective information-processing machine. Each day, the world equity markets process billions of dollars in trades between buyers and sellers— and the real-time information they bring helps set prices.
2) Don’t Try to Outguess the Market
The market’s pricing power works against fund managers who try to outperform through stock picking or market timing. As evidence, only 18% of US-domiciled equity funds and 15% of fixed income funds have survived and outperformed their benchmarks over the past 20 years.
3) Resist Chasing Past Performance
Some investors select funds based on their past returns. Yet, past performance offers little insight into a fund’s future returns. For example, most funds in the top quartile of previous five-year returns did not maintain a top-quartile ranking in the following five years.
4) Let Markets Work for You
The financial markets have rewarded long-term investors. People expect a positive return on the capital they supply, and historically, the equity and bond markets have provided growth of wealth that has more than offset inflation over the long term.
5) Consider the Drivers of Returns
There is a wealth of academic research into what drives returns. Expected returns depend on current market prices and expected future cash flows. Investors can use this information to pursue higher expected returns in their portfolios.
6) Practice Smart Diversification
Holding securities across many market segments can help manage overall risk. But diversifying within your home market may not be enough. Global diversification can broaden your investment universe.
7) Avoid Market Timing
You never know which market segments will outperform from year to year. By holding a globally diversified portfolio, investors are well positioned to seek returns wherever they occur.
8) Manage Your Emotions
Many people struggle to separate their emotions from investing. Markets go up and down. Reacting to current market conditions may lead to making poor investment decisions.
9) Look Beyond the Headlines
Daily market news and commentary can challenge your investment discipline. Some messages stir anxiety about the future, while others tempt you to chase the latest investment fad. When headlines unsettle you, consider the source and maintain a long-term perspective.
10) Focus on What You Can Control
A financial advisor can offer expertise and guidance to help you focus on actions that add value. This can lead to a better investment experience.
• Create an investment plan to fit your needs and risk tolerance.
• Structure a portfolio along the dimensions of expected returns.
• Diversify globally.
• Manage expenses, turnover, and taxes.
• Stay disciplined through market dips and swings.
Disclosures: Past Performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are not available for direct investment. Index performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual portfolio.
Diversification does not eliminate the risk of market loss. There is no guarantee investment strategies will successful. This information is for illustrative purposes only. See back page for additional exhibit information and important disclosures.
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Our Process
Our comprehensive approach to wealth management focuses on the four cornerstones that are essential to the creation and conservation of wealth: asset protection, cash flow optimization, asset growth, and tax mitigation.
