Bryan Garris, CFP®, CEPA®
Bryan Garris is a third-generation Investment Advisor Representative, a founding partner of TriaGen, and someone who knows that earning and keeping his clients’ trust is the most important part of this business. Raised in the industry, he co-founded TriaGen Wealth Management to carry on the mission of his father and grandfather: helping people create, grow, and protect their wealth for generations to come. Bryan understands that finances are highly-personal and that’s why he’s passionate about taking the necessary time to get to know his clients and understand who they are, what they care about, and what they hope to accomplish before he makes financial recommendations.
Growing up in Southern California, Bryan studied hard and was active in a lot of different sports where he learned life lessons that he still uses today. His talent and ambition gave him opportunities to play Division III football in college, but instead, Bryan chose to go the academic route at UC San Diego in La Jolla to study Management Science and Business Economics. During that time, he began working with his dad on summer breaks, and he saw firsthand the incredible impact that advisors can have on people’s lives. Always motivated by making a difference, those summers convinced Bryan to follow in the family footsteps and become an advisor himself.
Over the last decade, Bryan has continued his financial education by earning two advanced designations: CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA). Bryan was recognized in 2019 as a “Forbes Next Gen Best-in-State Wealth Advisor”, one of his proudest professional accomplishments to date. He is also a Registered Representative with M.S. Howells & Co and currently holds a California Insurance License.
When he’s not in the office, Bryan spends as much time as he can with his wife, Stevie, their children, Duke, Rocky, and Harley and the rest of their extended family. He still follows a lot of sports, and even plays pick-up games when he can find the time. But in the phase of life he’s in, working and raising a young family keeps his calendar very full!
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*The Forbes ranking of America’s Top Next Generation Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors born in 1980 or more recently, with a minimum of four years of experience and weighing factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receive a fee in exchange for rankings. Recipients do not pay a fee to become eligible for the award. See http://bit.ly/2ktpEkW. For additional detail on the criteria Forbes used for the ranking, see http://bit.ly/2m30Pgd.
Nick Garris, CFP®
Nick Garris is a founding partner of TriaGen Wealth Management and a second-generation financial advisor. Nick joined the industry at 19-years-old taking to heart the simple advice from his father: always do what’s right. For over 40 years, he has made it his mission to remain true to that by practicing fairness, respect, and honesty in every interaction with everyone he encounters. His father also taught him about the markets and educated him on money management. To this day, his greatest passion and focus is in the portfolio management and investment side of the business.
Before entering the financial services industry, Nick earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from UCLA in 1981. Since that time, he has helped countless families create and sustain generational wealth.
In his personal time, Nick and his wife enjoy a wonderful life in their Woodland Hills community. They raised their two sons there, remain very active in their church, and love spending time with their grandkids as much as they can. Nick is also a musician, so his ministry at church revolves around his music group where he sings and plays the guitar and harmonica.
Orlo Elfes
Orlo Elfes has spent his career helping families across the kitchen table to imagine, establish and execute their ideal retirement plans. The ability to connect individuals and families to their goals, and help them execute and achieve them, is what he cherishes most about this business.
Orlo attended UCLA and earned a Master of Arts in Climatology. After graduation, he spent a decade in aerospace doing scientific computer programming before joining his longtime friend, Nick Garris, in the financial services industry. They have worked together since 1992 to help families establish and grow their wealth and protect it for generations to come.
When he’s not in the office, Orlo loves spending time with his three grown daughters and four grandchildren. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Railroad Heritage Foundation, a 501c3 organization devoted to sharing California’s railroad history with the next generation. Orlo also enjoys skiing, biking, hiking, and anything else that gets him outdoors.
Leslie Sagers
Leslie began her career in the financial services industry in 1991. Since that time she has relocated from Salt Lake City, Utah to Santa Monica, CA and has held a variety of positions within the field including her current role as a Client Service Associate with TriaGen. She joined the team in 2007 while they were practicing as The Garris/Elfes Group and has been cultivating an environment of positivity and efficiency within the office since.
Leslie is also a licensed Master Esthetician and Massage Therapist. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, traveling, watching football and movies, painting and spending time with family and friends.
Kaela Alba
Kaela joined the TriaGen team in 2022 and supports our firm in a variety of ways. She assists with scheduling, prepares documents for client meetings, updates client flies, and makes sure we have everything we need to care for our clients efficiently and effectively. Kaela has always been interested in the financial industry; her grandmother worked in finance her entire career, and Kaela spent time shadowing her when she was a fiscal manager. From that time, Kaela knew she wanted to serve in the financial industry, and today she loves the dynamic atmosphere at TriaGen and the fact that she’s always learning something new. She wants to help people make their money work for them, and one day, she hopes to earn her certifications and become an advisor herself.
Kaela earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Oregon State University and worked at a bank before joining the TriaGen team. In her free time, she loves to head outdoors for a day of sunshine or simply stay in bed watching TV. She appreciates a good “dad joke,” enjoys great sitcoms like Friends and New Girl, and—like the rest of the TriaGen team—can’t live without coffee.
