Derek Bruton is the Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Modern Wealth Management, where he leads the firm’s national M&A and Partnership Development strategy. In this role, he oversees Modern’s national inorganic growth initiatives while mentoring and leading the firm’s Partnership Development Team.  

A 35-year veteran of the financial services industry, Derek brings a rare combination of M&A expertise, RIA operating experience, and leadership across custodial and broker-dealer platforms. Before joining Modern, he served as Senior Managing Director at Gladstone Associates, where he led more than a dozen RIA and broker-dealer transactions and guided several large institutions through strategic growth and business optimization initiatives. Derek also played an active role in industry thought leadership, appearing frequently in wealth management media and authoring several white papers on M&A trends, valuation, and sustainable growth strategies. 

Earlier in his career, Derek held executive positions with Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and LPL Financial. He helped recruit more than 10,000 financial advisors and advised over 20,000 firms and institutions on growth, succession, and transition strategies. His broad understanding of business models, compensation structures, and advisor ecosystems has made him an experienced advisor and respected industry voice. 

Derek graduated from Stanford University and completed executive business management coursework at Harvard University. He played collegiate basketball for Stanford and professional basketball in Japan. 

On the personal side, Derek lives in San Diego, California, with his wife and two grown children. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys playing tennis and gardening in his spare time. 

Experience: Financial Analyst since 2021

Education: Attended Monterey Peninsula College before earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

Stan joined the Modern Wealth team in October 2024. He works out of Modern Wealth’s Monterey, California office in a support role for President and Co-Founder Jason Gordo. Stan spends much of his time analyzing merger and acquisition deals.

Stan believes wealth management is a great field to be in to help people deal with their money intelligently. The opportunity to work at Modern Wealth brought Stan closer to his family in Monterey. He previously worked at William Blair as an investment banking analyst for the technology group in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Family and friends are the two most important things in Stan’s life. He enjoys having life conversations with friends and family, traveling, tennis, golf, drawing/painting, reading, and talking with strangers. A fun fact about Stan is that he has four passports: the United States, Israel, Russia, and Ukraine.

Experience: Started career in 1999

Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in business administration from Marquette University

Danielle joined the Modern Wealth team in May 2024 following an 18-month stint with SageView Advisory as the Vice President of Business Operations. She also spent 15 years consulting in the wealth management industry for Actifi in Plymouth, Minnesota, working with firms on transitions, practice management, and process improvement. Prior to working for Actifi, Danielle spent eight years at Piper Jaffray in various roles but largely as a relationship manager between the home office and Piper’s 100 wealth management offices.

The most important thing in Danielle’s life is her family, especially her husband and two sons, Ben and Alex. Danielle lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and enjoys spending time at the family cabin, watching her kids play sports, and traveling.

Experience: Nearly a Decade in Wealth Management and Real Estate

Education: Pursuing MBA at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School

Jacqueline is the Vice President of Partnership Development at Modern Wealth. Working with partner opportunities, she helps facilitate goals of business confidence, freedom, and time to live a better life. Her deep passion for the industry fuels her dedication to establishing and enhancing partnerships while ensuring smooth business relations.

Joining Modern Wealth in June 2024, Jacqueline brings a distinguished track record in advancing scalability, expanding corporate reach, and capital raising through the establishment and optimization of strategic partnerships. Her efforts in expanding lead-generating networks both nationally and internationally have contributed to a near 9x increase in managed assets. Previously, Jacqueline led the corporate development team at a $3 billion+ RIA, where she evaluated M&A opportunities and integration on strategic initiatives while guiding high-performing teams.

Outside of her professional pursuits, Jacqueline remains active in real estate and enjoys traveling, exploring new dining experiences, and spending quality time with her family. She is also committed to supporting charitable organizations, including the National Breast Cancer Coalition, Boys & Girls Club, and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

Experience: Financial Services since 2012

Education: Bachelor of Arts degree in politics and government from Ripon College

As the manager of partner development and onboarding, Casey works with firms joining the Modern Wealth Management family. Her role is to help guide these individuals throughout the discovery and onboarding process, ensuring the transition from candidate to new team members is as smooth as possible.

Prior to joining Modern Wealth, Casey worked in similar roles at Goldman Sachs and United Capital. Throughout her tenure, she has assisted over 50 wealth management teams and numerous advisors through the messy-but-completely-worth-it process of joining a new firm.

Casey is originally from Minnesota and is proud of it! She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics and government from Ripon College, and now resides in Downers Grove, Illinois, with her husband, their three rambunctious children, and cat Jasper. Casey loves the cold and snow seasons … even when her co-workers are describing their 72-degree, sunny weather.

Jason Gordo is a co-founder and president at Modern Wealth Management. Gordo is an accomplished wealth management executive with a diverse background in business strategy, execution, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining the founding team at Modern Wealth, Gordo was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management where he was Head of Advisor Growth.

Gordo was part of the team that scaled and sold United Capital, a $25B RIA with 90 locations, to Goldman Sachs for $750M. While at United Capital he held various positions, including Head of Office and Head of FinLife Partners. Gordo was also a member of the United Capital executive team where he worked to help drive the firm’s growth and success.

Before joining United Capital, Gordo co-founded Valley Wealth, Inc., a wealth management firm that served high-net-worth clients, endowments, foundations, and corporate retirement plans. Under his leadership, the firm was named to Forbes Magazine’s list of fastest-growing RIAs.

Gordo graduated from Gonzaga University, earning a master’s degree in organizational leadership. He also holds industry credentials from the College for Financial Planning and the Center for Fiduciary Studies.