3-17-26 - Round Table: How local advisors are running their practices

Please join us for a panel discussion with a few of our fellow advisors in the FPA.

We will be handling topics from portfolio construction to client communication.

Come join your peers in a discussion that will improve all of your practices.

Panelists:

Leslie Miller, MBA - Miller Pacific Advisors

Leslie Miller has delivered financial services to individuals, families, and businesses for over 30 years. Two key threads run through her business career: a focus on economics and a global perspective, both of which she believes have tremendous impact on all of us. Today she incorporates this awareness into investment strategies.   

After growing up in Marin and earning degrees in Economics and International Relations at UC Davis, she became an officer at an international bank in San Francisco. Following two more degrees at the master’s level in business administration and international finance, she honed her financial analysis and forecasting skills on projects across the U.S and in countries such as Germany, Canada, England, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Now she applies this analytical talent for the benefit her clients via portfolio design and financial planning projects. 

Having spent sufficient time on airplanes, and drawn by the opportunity to work in her own community, Leslie turned her attention in 2006 from working with large entities to individuals. This required earning several securities licenses to do so. In 2016, Leslie left Morgan Stanley to form her own company, Miller Pacific Financial Advisors, in order to work with clients on a fee-only, fiduciary basis.

Leslie is also dedicated to community service. She is a Vice President of the board of directors for Girl Scouts of Northern California, which serves 40,000 girls from San Jose to the Oregon border. She was President of the Financial Women of San Francisco and the Bay Area, and created the Financial Women of the Year award event which has raised over $2 million for scholarships. She served on many school committees and on various boards such as the Marin Symphony and the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) of Marin. 



Leslie is an active member of the Financial Planning Association, the Marin County Estate Planning Council, the Marin Forum, and the Wednesday Morning Dialogue.

Julie Asti, CFP® - Asti Financial

Asti Financial Management, LLC was founded in 2005 out of a desire to help individuals gain control over their finances and to maximize their wealth in order to realize their goals and dreams. The firm has always been completely independent and not affiliated with any broker/dealer because we want to be 100% objective in any strategies or investment products recommended to clients. This business is built on our reputation. The advice provided to clients is the best possible solution, in our opinion, for each client’s goals and needs.

Julie brings clients over 35 years of experience in the financial services and investment management industry having worked with small independent financial firms to world-class organizations like Barclays Global Investors, creating and launching their iShares products. 

She earned her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ credential in 2005 after attending the University of California, Berkeley, where she received a Graduate Certificate, with honors, in Personal Financial Planning (2005). She also has a Bachelor of Science in Finance, Banking and Real Estate from San Francisco State University (1991). She is a licensed health, life, and long-term care insurance agent with the State of California (#0E67228).

Julie is an active member of the Financial Planning Association of San Francisco, having served on the Board and as President of the Board during my membership. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Financial Education Foundation which provides free financial education to at-risk Bay Area youth.



She is a Bay Area native and enjoys spending time with my family and friends, exploring the Bay Area in all its uniqueness, is a lover of music and enjoys traveling around the US and abroad.

Steve Seid, CFA - Thornburg Asset Management

Steve Seid is a senior investment consultant for Thornburg Investment Management, serving financial professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Before joining Thornburg, Steve held leadership roles at Touchstone Investments for over 15 years, including divisional vice president and head of investment strategy and practice management. Most recently, he was with T. Rowe Price, developing a distribution channel for Morgan Stanley Graystone, Wells Fargo Private Bank, and PNC Private Bank.

Steve is a CFA charterholder, a KOLBE-certified consultant, and a frequent practice management speaker at Barron’s Top Teams, Barron’s 100, and other industry conferences. He earned a BS in finance from Rutgers University and a master’s in finance and business administration from Indiana University – Kelley School of Business.



Based in the Bay Area, Steve lives with his wife, Becky, and daughter, MJ. He is registered with FINRA with a Series 7, 24, and 63.

Thank You to Our Meeting Strategic Partner!