Vaughn L. Woods, CFP®, MBA
Founder, President & Senior Portfolio Manager
Vaughn Woods Financial Group, Inc.
For more than four decades, Vaughn L. Woods has helped individuals, families, business owners, and trustees make thoughtful financial decisions through changing markets and life transitions. He is the Founder, President, and Senior Portfolio Manager of Vaughn Woods Financial Group, Inc., an independent wealth-management practice based in La Jolla, California.
Vaughn works directly with a select group of clients who value experienced portfolio oversight, clear communication, and a long-term professional relationship. His work includes portfolio management, retirement-income planning, retirement-account and required minimum distribution coordination, tax-aware planning considerations, and estate-transition coordination.
Vaughn believes that financial guidance is most valuable when it is personal, accountable, and grounded in a genuine understanding of each client’s life, responsibilities, and priorities. His work extends beyond a standard allocation model to address the practical questions clients face as they move from wealth accumulation into retirement, manage income needs, plan for family members, or navigate an unexpected change in circumstances.
Through his regular writing and market commentary, Vaughn helps clients place economic and market developments in a broader context. His aim is not to encourage reaction to daily headlines, but to help clients understand changing conditions and make decisions consistent with their long-term goals.
Vaughn also works with successor trustees, beneficiaries, attorneys, and CPAs during estate transitions. He developed the Successor Fiduciary Protocol to help families and their professional advisors organize the financial questions that often arise in the early stages of trust administration. His white paper, The First 72 Hours, provides practical guidance for successor trustees assuming new responsibilities during a period of loss and transition.
His perspective on financial decision-making is also informed by a longstanding interest in neuroeconomics, context, and human behavior. In his 2007 MBA thesis, Context: A Neuroeconomic Solution Set for the Integration of Intelligence Models, Vaughn examined how people use context to make complex decisions. That research continues to inform his practical approach to wealth management: good decisions require sound analysis, but they also require an awareness of the emotional pressures that can influence judgment during periods of uncertainty.
Vaughn is a CFP® professional and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Fermanian School of Business at Point Loma Nazarene University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Oregon School of Journalism.
He has also served in leadership and advisory roles throughout the San Diego community. Whether helping a client organize retirement income, review a portfolio, coordinate an estate transition, or navigate a difficult market environment, Vaughn’s purpose remains the same: to offer thoughtful guidance, personal attention, and a steady long-term perspective.
Curriculum Vitae
Vaughn L. Woods, CFP®, MBA
La Jolla,California
vw@vaughnwoods.com
www.vaughnwoods.com
www.vaughnwoods.com
Professional Experience
Vaughn Woods Financial Group, Inc.
Founder, President & Senior Portfolio Manager
La Jolla, California
- Founded and leads an independent wealth-management practice serving individuals, families, business owners, and trust-related accounts.
- Provides portfolio-management and financial-planning coordination within the applicable advisory and broker-dealer framework.
- Works directly with clients on retirement-income planning, retirement-account coordination, asset allocation, portfolio oversight, and estate-transition considerations.
- Uses fundamental and technical research, macroeconomic analysis, and the Cyclical Trend Index as part of the firm’s investment-research process.
- Developed the Successor Fiduciary Protocol and authored The First 72 Hours, a practical guide for successor trustees and families navigating estate transitions.
- Publishes economic-cycle commentary and educational material addressing markets, retirement planning, behavioral finance, and long-term decision-making.
- Coordinates, as appropriate, with estate attorneys, CPAs, trustees, and other client professionals.
Research, Writing & Thought Leadership
MBA Thesis
Context: A Neuroeconomic Solution Set for the Integration of Intelligence Models
Point Loma Nazarene University, 2007
- Examined the relationship among context, human decision-making, neuroeconomics, and models of intelligence.
- Explored how individuals interpret information and make decisions under uncertainty.
- Continues to inform Vaughn’s interest in behavioral finance, emotional decision-making, and the practical role of context in financial planning.
The Southwestern Company
Public Relations Director
- Led public-relations and corporate-communications initiatives.
Education & Credentials
- Master of Business Administration, MBA Fermanian School of Business, Point Loma Nazarene University
- CFP® Professional Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards
- Bachelor of Arts, Journalism University of Oregon School of Journalism
White Paper
The First 72 Hours
- Developed as part of the Successor Fiduciary Protocol.
- Provides practical guidance for successor trustees and families managing the early financial and administrative responsibilities of an estate transition.
Civic & Community Leadership
- Advisor to the Board, San Diego Art Institute
- Advisor, The Human Factor Leadership Academy
- Mentor and Tutor, UPLIFT / Kids at Heart Tutoring Program
- Curator, La Playa Gallery, La Jolla, California
- President of the Board of Directors, Christian Community Theater
- Co-Founder and President, La Jolla Shores Tomorrow
- Elder, La Jolla Presbyterian Church
Disclosures
Vaughn L. Woods, CFP®, MBA is President and Founder of Vaughn Woods Financial Group, Inc., an Investment Adviser Representative of Bolton Global Capital, Inc. Client assets are held in custody through Pershing LLC, a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon.
Securities offered through Bolton Global Capital, Inc., 579 Main Street, Bolton, Massachusetts 01740. Member FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services offered through Bolton Global Asset Management, a registered investment advisor, 579 Main Street, Bolton, Massachusetts 01740. Telephone: (978) 779-5361.
This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk, including possible loss of principal.