Chad Willardson is the President of Pacific Capital and is also an Accredited Wealth Management Advisor and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor. Before founding Pacific Capital in 2011, he spent 9 years working for Merrill Lynch, where he ranked in the top 2% nationally. While at Merrill Lynch, Chad earned the titles of Senior Vice President and PIA Portfolio Manager and traveled to speak at conferences on investment and lending strategies for high-net-worth investors. He is also a Guest Lecturer on Investments at Chapman University and is a member of the National Ethics Association. Chad graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in business management.

While at BYU, he worked for the Portfolio Manager of a $10 Billion investment company. Chad completed advanced education programs at Harvard University and Boston University, including the CFP® program. He is an Eagle Scout and recently volunteered 5 years as a Scout Master for the Boy Scouts of America. Chad helped as a translator for the American Embassy in Lithuania while living in the Baltic States for two years as a church service volunteer. A native of Orange County, CA, Chad and his wife of 14 years live in Corona with their five children.