First Allied Wealth Management capabilities are driven by a team of financial talent and strategic thinkers who hold executive positions at First Allied and its affiliates. These specialists and their teams design and manage each of the four cornerstones of our balanced platform: business structure optimization, risk management, portfolio design and estate planning.

Robert S. Holcomb

Robert S. Holcomb sets the firm’s strategic direction and management priorities. Prior to becoming President, Mr. Holcomb founded DataStream, a software development firm that created proprietary applications for the financial services industry. DataStream was acquired in early 2000 by Thomson Financial, a division of the Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC). Post-acquisition, Mr. Holcomb served as Chief Operating Officer for Thomson’s Wealth Management division, overseeing several large contract wins for the design of next generation in wealth management technology. Mr. Holcomb has also served as a lead consultant to prominent investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan on many of the largest IPOs in Wall Street history.

Craig E. Columbus, JD, MBA

Craig E. Columbus serves as Chief Market Strategist of First Allied Asset Management (FAAM). Mr. Columbus was formerly the Chief Market Strategist for Thomson Financial, a leading provider of information and technology solutions to the worldwide financial community. During this time, he became one of Wall Street's most recognizable figures, appearing each Monday on CNBC's Power Lunch program for seven years. He is currently a regular guest on a variety of CNBC shows, including Kudlow & Company and Power Lunch, among others. Mr. Columbus also serves as the Chair of the Entrepreneurship program at Grove City College, in Grove City, PA, where he works on programs designed to educate students to transform society through commercial and social enterprise. Mr. Columbus is a graduate of Loyola University, holds an MBA degree from Penn State University and a law degree from Indiana University. He is also the 2007 recipient of the Penn State University Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement in the Field of Finance. He was previously a candidate for the United States House of Representatives.

Jeffrey J. Mindlin, CFA^®

Jeffrey J. Mindlin serves as FAAM's Chief Operating Officer, managing day-to-day operations. In this capacity, Mr. Mindlin is responsible for the portfolio management team and its efforts, including portfolio selection, trading, execution, proprietary money management and product development. Prior to joining FAAM, Mr. Mindlin was the Director of Research and Co-Portfolio Manager of Greenbook Investment Management, Inc., where he was instrumental in the design of sophisticated, proprietary investment portfolio strategies. Before that, he worked as the Assistant Portfolio Manager and Senior Financial Engineer for Pinnacle Investment Advisors, LLC, which operated a hedge fund and a series of managed accounts for institutional and high-net-worth clients, and sub-advised a publicly traded mutual fund. Previously, Mr. Mindlin was the Manager of Financial Engineering at Camelback Research, leading the development of several successful institutional grade quantitative products, including the widely popular MSN Money Stockscouter system. Mr. Mindlin has earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, as well as a BS in Economics and a BS in Finance from the College of Business Honor’s Program at Arizona State University, where he received the prestigious Moore Award.

Michael A. Nichols

Michael A. Nichols serves as Vice President of Marketing for First Allied Wealth Management, Inc. overseeing the company’s integrated marketing strategy. In this position, Mr. Nichols is responsible for FAWM’s brand identity, lead generation efforts and events, working from the company’s Scottsdale, Ariz. office. Mr. Nichols began his career in business media, holding a variety of editorial and publishing roles over a nine-year career at VPI, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based publisher of niche trade magazines. He later served as Director of Technology Marketing at IKON Office Solutions, responsible for all technology and product marketing deliverables, as well as the company’s various websites and Research and Development labs. Prior to joining Greenbook, Mr. Nichols was Director of Product Marketing for Electronics for Imaging, a Foster City, Calif.-based software company. Mr. Nichols earned a BA degree from Kansas State University.