Our Team - Advisors
Kurt Brouwer, Chairman
Together with Steve Janachowski, he pioneered the firm's investment strategy of investing in a portfolio of superior mutual funds. Kurt is the firm's Chairman. He is a member of the firm's Board of Directors and its Investment Committee.
Prior to forming Brouwer & Janachowski, Brouwer was an officer in two New York Stock Exchange member firms. He began his career with Merrill Lynch in San Francisco.
Kurt is the editor of the Marketwatch Fundmastery Blog, which can be accessed at http://blogs.marketwatch.com/fundmastery. He is the author or co-author of three books on investing, the most recent of which is Mutual Fund Mastery (Times Business 1997). He has written for Forbes, Barron's, The San Francisco Chronicle, Pension World and other publications. He has a Bachelor's degree in Applied Economics from the University of San Francisco.
Stephen Janachowski, President & Chief Executive Officer
Together with Kurt Brouwer, he pioneered the firm's investment strategy of investing in a portfolio of superior no-load mutual funds. Steve is the firm's Chief Investment Officer and, in that role, he oversees the firm's investment research process. He concentrates on working with clients, researching investments and managing portfolios. He is a member of the firm's Board of Directors and its Investment Committee.
Prior to forming Brouwer & Janachowski, Steve was an officer in two New York Stock Exchange member firms and he began his career with Holt & Collins and later moved to Merrill Lynch, both in San Francisco.
Steve is the co-author of Mutual Fund Mastery and has written for The San Francisco Examiner and other publications. He has a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Chicago.
Robert D. Smoke, Vice Chairman
Bob is a member of Brouwer & Janachowski’s Investment Committee.
Prior to joining Brouwer & Janachowski in 2008, Bob was the President and sole shareholder of Seton Smoke Capital Management, the successor to his own investment advisory business that started in 1983. Prior to starting his own firm, he was a Vice President in Bank of America’s Private Banking Group. Bob began his career with the Big Eight CPA firm of Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young) where he practiced as a CPA specializing on individual and corporate income taxes.
Bob is a graduate of Adrian College in Michigan and Eastern Michigan University. He has spoken before professional groups including the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and the California Society of CPAs.
Jack H. Scaff III, MSBA, Vice President
Jack is a member of Brouwer & Janachowski’s Investment Committee.
Prior to joining Brouwer & Janachowski in 2008, Jack was a Vice President and a portfolio manager with Seton Smoke Capital Management. He previously worked for Anderson Capital Management, Enright Financial Consultants and Wells Fargo Bank.
Jack has his MSBA, Finance from San Francisco State University where he was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, and his BBA, Finance and Marketing, from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He is a former Instructor of Finance with the University of Phoenix, and has completed coursework towards the Certified Financial Planner designation.
Chris Akamine, CFP®, Financial Advisor
Before joining Brouwer & Janachowski, Chris served as a Financial Advisor & Associate Investment Consultant at Morgan Stanley in his home town of Honolulu, Hawai'i. At Morgan Stanley, he co-managed approximately $50 million in assets for individuals and families, small businesses and non-profit groups. Chris was a member of the Morgan Stanley Pacesetter's Club for 2006 and 2007.
Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Chris spent nearly two years at Brouwer & Janachowski as a Performance Analyst. In that role, he helped prepare client reports and he tracked overall portfolio and mutual fund performance results. Chris began his career at Spectrum Pension Consultants, a third party pension administrator in Tacoma, Washington, where he worked as a Trust Accountant.
Chris graduated with honors from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, majoring in Mathematics and Business. While in school, Chris co-authored a group paper, "Efficiencies of the Markets Post 9/11," which was presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Business. Chris currently holds a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP) designation.
Shawn Southerd, CFP®, Financial Advisor
Shawn works closely with Kurt and Steve to service our clients. He attends client meetings and gathers information to help clients establish and identify ways to achieve their financial goals.
Prior to becoming a Financial Advisor, Shawn was a member of the Performance Analysis team. In that role, he helped prepare client reports and assisted with trading and portfolio management.
Shawn graduated from the University of California at Davis with high honors in Economics and International Relations. While at U.C. Davis, he worked as a Research Assistant in the Political Science Department assisting in research on Japanese politics. Shawn holds a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP) designation and has received the Personal Financial Planning Certificate from UC Berkeley.
Chris Eagles-Smith, Financial Advisor Associate
Chris works closely with the other advisors to service our clients. He attends client meetings and gathers information to help clients establish and identify ways to achieve their financial goals.
Prior to becoming a Financial Advisor Associate, Chris was a member of the Performance Analysis team. In that role, he helped prepare client reports and assisted with trading and portfolio management.
Chris attended the University of California, Irvine and he graduated with a Bachelors' degree in Sociology. Prior to joining Brouwer & Janachowski, Chris taught Tae Kwon Do, in which he holds a Third Degree Black Belt.