PROFESSIONAL BIO

I am Ryan Hughes, the Founder and CEO of Bull Oak Capital, a financial advisor in San Diego. I started the firm in 2014 after graduating from the UCLA Anderson School of Business, where I was awarded the J. Fred Weston Finance Award for academic excellence, was nominated as a GAP Fellow (the top 5% of program thesis participants), and I was the ASAM Chief Investment Officer. While at UCLA, I completed an in-depth independent graduate research project where I wrote an original whitepaper on Risk-Contribution Analysis and Value Investing as a basis for portfolio management. In addition to my current role, I also have equity analysis experience at Wedbush Securities and personal finance experience at Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and Charles Schwab.

I completed my B.S. degree in Entrepreneurial Studies from the USC Marshall School of Business. If you are wondering whether I root for the Trojans or the Bruins, I support both schools, except when it comes to football. I support the Trojans. Fight On!

PERSONAL BIO

I live in San Diego, the greatest city in the world, I have a fantastic wife that supports all of my endeavors, and I have two amazing kids.

WHERE I’M FROM

I was born and raised by my grandparents in Pueblo, CO. I graduated from Pueblo County High School in 2000 and had a very strong desire to serve my country. Two months after receiving my high school diploma, I enlisted in the United States Navy.

THE U.S. NAVY

I served onboard the USS Jarrett and was deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. When I achieved the rank of Second Class Petty officer, I joined the command’s Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) team. We boarded numerous ships in the Persian Gulf to capture enemy vessels, combat terrorism, piracy, smuggling, and conduct customs. In April 2004, I safely returned to our homeport in San Diego.

GOING TO SCHOOL

After separating from the Navy, I got accepted to the USC Marshall School of Business. During my senior year, I interned at Merrill Lynch & Co. at their flagship office in Beverly Hills. Using the discipline I obtained in the Navy, I turned the internship into a full-time job.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF FINANCE

My first day on the job was in mid-2007, where I joined a very large and successful corporate retirement planning team at Merrill Lynch as a Junior Partner. However, by October 2008, the Great Financial Crisis was at its height, and Bank of America acquired Merrill Lynch. As a result, my team disbanded. As the lowest member on the team, I was left in a difficult situation without much help.

Shortly thereafter, I joined Morgan Stanley as a traditional Financial Advisor and built a small book of business over several years. I was recruited by Charles Schwab in 2010 and joined with the promise that I would be “making more money and working fewer hours.” While true, the sales culture and the high churn rate made me miserable. This was when I began to realize the importance of financial expertise and fiduciary responsibility.

GOING BACK TO SCHOOL

I quit my job in 2012 after getting accepted to the UCLA Anderson School of Business. I studied Investment Management and immersed myself in the academic world of finance. While there, I completed a yearlong graduate research project studying the feasibility of passive investing and risk-weighting for retail investors. This ultimately led to the creation of Bull Oak Capital.

STARTING SOMETHING NEW

I started Bull Oak Capital in San Diego in March 2014. The firm was created to fill a much-needed void: better wealth management services to the mass affluent. I wanted to create a fiduciary investment advisory firm specializing in smarter money management and comprehensive financial planning.