Rowling & Associates (R&A), a multiple award-winning independent wealth management firm, announced today that founder and CEO Sheryl Rowling has successfully transitioned the ownership of R&A through an internal succession plan. Veteran financial professionals, Tara Weisinger, Lorenzo Sanchez and Juan Aguilar have been named as the new Principals and owners of the firm and will lead R&A in its next chapter of growth.
With a 30 year+ track record of success, R&A has been consistently recognized as an outstanding firm not only in the San Diego area, but also nationally as well as in the wealth management industry. After a long career as the executive leader of R&A, founder Sheryl Rowling is pleased to have been able to identify and groom the next generation of talent inside R&A to become the new owners of the firm.
“I am so proud of the continued development of Tara, Lorenzo and Juan as leaders for our clients and employees, and I know that the firm will be in good hands as the new owners of R&A,” said Sheryl Rowling, founder of R&A. “All three of them have shown tremendous talent and ability over the years and I am confident that they will be able to take the firm to the next level. In the meantime, I want everyone to know that I am not retiring – I plan to stay actively involved in the business and industry as I continue to enjoy working with clients – I’m not going anywhere!”
The succession and transition plan for R&A has been an ongoing effort for the past several years, as the new owners have been stepping up more and more in key functions of managing the firm. Additionally, all key employees of the firm will remain, so that there will be no service interruptions.
“Having three owners younger than me provides many benefits to our clients and staff,” said Rowling. “It brings continuity, experience, energy and the opportunity for everyone to grow in their roles, while continuing to provide the outstanding client experience that I envisioned for R&A back in the beginning.
The new owners of R&A are:
Juan Aguilar, Director of Operations, joined R&A in 2013. His primary responsibilities include developing and updating comprehensive financial plans, providing portfolio research & analysis, spearheading the firm’s Marketing initiatives and most recently, overseeing Operations. Prior to joining the firm, Juan worked for an asset manager in Del Mar, CA. He also spent two years working for The Vanguard Group where he provided investment guidance to high net worth clients. Juan holds an Executive Financial Planner Advanced Certificate and B.S. in Finance from San Diego State University.
Lorenzo Sanchez, Director of Wealth Management is a Certified Financial Planner and joined the R&A team in 2013. His primary responsibilities include developing and updating comprehensive financial plans, providing portfolio research and analysis, and account rebalancing. Prior to joining the firm, Lorenzo worked in the finance department of a Fortune 500 company at their Latin America offices in Mexico implementing credit risk models and providing market research. Lorenzo earned his B.S. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
Tara Weisinger, Director of Tax Services is a Certified Public Accountant and joined R&A in April 2012. Tara’s primary responsibilities include supervising and organizing the tax return preparation for individual, trust and business tax returns. She leads the tax team to provide personalized tax planning for R&A’s individual and business clients. Tara also manages the firm’s Charitable Committee, which handles everything from client events, to team building exercises, to firm-wide charitable initiatives. Prior to joining the firm, Tara spent three years at OUM, LLP, a CPA firm in Carlsbad where she handled bookkeeping, tax planning, and tax return preparation. Tara graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with emphasis in accounting from California State University San Marcos and received a Masters in Taxation from National University.
“As I move into the next chapter of my career, I couldn’t be more proud and honored at the great work and efforts that everyone on the team has contributed to over the years – it truly has been a team effort,” said Rowling. “I look forward to staying actively involved and know that the new ownership team are more than ready and able to navigate the firm through the challenges and opportunities sure to come.”
