Education: Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara

Allison joined the Modern Wealth Management team in September 2026 as a Managing Director for the firm’s Monterey, California office. She provides her clients with the deep knowledge, personalized guidance, and high-touch service they have come to value. With access to Modern’s enhanced resources, specialized subject-matter expertise, and dedicated client service, Allison is able to further elevate the experience she provides while preserving the personal relationships, local presence, and individualized attention that are at the heart of her approach.

Allison develops lasting, trusted relationships, bringing a thoughtful and empathetic approach to advising clients through the many personal and financial circumstances they encounter. It’s important to Allison that she understands each client as an individual, creating an environment where they feel heard, respected, and confident that their unique goals and needs are understood and thoughtfully addressed.

Prior to coming aboard at Modern Wealth, Allison was a partner, advisor and Chief Advisory Officer with Integris Wealth Management, a Monterey-based wealth management firm that served high-net-worth families, couples and non-profits. Prior to that, she worked for a national public accounting firm that specialized in audit and tax services for hedge funds, venture capital funds, and broker dealers.

Allison lives in Salinas, California, with her husband and two young sons. She enjoys travel, any and all snow-related sports, and hiking in the summer.  Additionally, Allison is passionate about supporting her community and serves on the boards and committees of numerous local nonprofit organizations. Allison is also a member of the Financial Planning Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and California Society of CPAs.

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: A Decade in Wealth Management

Education: MBA, Beta Gamma Sigma | Pepperdine University, Graziadio Business School

Jacqueline Ferdowsi is Vice President of Partnership Development at Modern Wealth Management, where she leads strategic partnership and acquisition initiatives nationwide. She works closely with founders and leadership teams to evaluate growth opportunities, navigate partnership discussions, and identify long-term solutions that create value for clients, employees, and shareholders. Passionate about helping entrepreneurs achieve greater scale, freedom, and confidence in their businesses, Jacqueline is focused on building relationships that drive sustainable growth while preserving the culture and legacy that make each firm unique.

Since joining Modern Wealth in 2024, Jacqueline has helped expand the firm’s national partnership and M&A efforts, building relationships with advisory firms, intermediaries, and industry leaders across the country. Prior to Modern, she led corporate development initiatives for a $3+ billion RIA, where she was responsible for evaluating acquisition opportunities, supporting integration efforts, and executing strategic growth initiatives. Earlier in her career, Jacqueline launched and scaled a Schwab Advisor Network (SAN) referral program, establishing relationships across 47 Schwab branches nationwide and significantly expanding the firm’s referral footprint. Throughout her career, she has built strategic partnerships, expanded referral networks, raised capital, and helped drive substantial asset and revenue growth for advisory businesses.

Jacqueline is particularly passionate about advisor development, succession planning, and creating opportunities for the next generation of leaders in wealth management. She is also a strong advocate for advancing women within the industry and serves on Modern Women’s Opportunity Steering Committee, helping drive initiatives centered on mentorship, professional development, leadership pathways, and meaningful career opportunities for women across the organization.

Outside of work, Jacqueline enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, exploring in real estate, and spending time with family and friends. She is committed to giving back to her community and has supported organizations including the National Breast Cancer Coalition, Boys & Girls Club, and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

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.

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.

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: 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.

Education: Bachelor of Science (financial planning track) from CSU Sacramento

Armando has served as a relationship manager for Modern Wealth’s Monterey, California office since joining the team in October 2026. As a relationship manager, Armando supports our advisors by meeting with clients and assisting them with financial planning items. He looks forward to meeting new people and getting to know clients on a personal level.

Prior to arriving at Modern Wealth, Armando worked with Ameriprise Financial, where he obtained his Series 7 and 66, California Life and Health insurances, and his CFP® certification. At Ameriprise, Armando directly supported senior advisors by handling money movements, preparing recommendations, and any tasks as needed so that the senior advisor could focus on conducting the meetings.

Armando grew up with his three siblings in the Monterey area and spent a lot of time in his family’s landscaping business. Some of his favorite hobbies are attending cars and coffee events, playing soccer, and working on classic or unique cars.

Armando is currently in the California National Guard. With so many people from Monterey coming from a military background, Armando believes that sharing some of the experiences from his time in the National Guard can help him relate to certain situations military families face.