About Us

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Jay Kirkwood

Founder & CEO of Secure Financial Management

Jay has been involved in the investment and money management field since 1999, starting out at a brokerage firm in Brisbane, Australia. He is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Texas Monthly magazine. In 2011, he left USAA to establish Secure Financial Management. His goal was to create a company focused on one-on-one, face-to-face relationships free of the conflicts of interest that exist when a firm is connected to a bank, insurance company, brokerage, or investment group. Jay is also a private pilot and loves the freedom that comes with getting up in the air.

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Jacob McDonald

VP of Financial Consulting

Jacob is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional at Secure Financial Management and a graduate from Texas A&M University as a participant in the financial planning program. Jacob likes to stay involved in the community as an Eagle Scout and Alamo Heights Rotarian.

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Jarod Mercado

VP of Investment Operations

Throughout his career, Jarod has played a pivotal role in supporting investment teams and portfolio managers, ensuring seamless execution of investment strategies and adherence to regulatory requirements. He is committed to staying abreast of market trends and regulatory changes, continuously seeking opportunities to enhance operational efficiency and improve the client experience.

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Frank Esquivel

VP of Health Solutions

Frank is a San Antonio native with an extensive background in Life, Health, and Annuity sales. He is currently focused on enhancing our clients’ life, health & Medicare plan experiences. After 21 years of service he retired from USAA, where he had the honor of serving in various roles. Frank was also formerly FINRA licensed and completed rotations in Medicare Product Management and Centralized Supervision. He is an avid sports fan (Go Spurs Go!) and enjoys playing golf and volunteering at his church.

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Nelda Chapa

Customer Care Specialist

Nelda retired after 33 years of service with AT&T. Throughout her career, customer service has been her number one priority. Now with Secure Financial Management, Nelda is the first line of support and aims to ensure your experiences with us are positive and memorable.

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Alyssa Vargas

VP of Communications

Alyssa graduated from UTSA with a BFA in English and Communication. She enjoys bringing ideas to life through writing and strives to one day publish her own creative works.

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Melany Gomez

Administrative Assistant

Melany graduated from UTSA with a Bachelors in Kinesiology. Her love for helping people and desire to make a positive impact on their lives has led her to pursue client-serving fields. She is always seeking new ways to enhance her skills and knowledge to better serve those around her. Her goal is not only to contribute to SFM’s success, but to also gain valuable experiences and continuously grow both professionally and personally. She believes that every opportunity presents a chance to grow and is eager to learn and expand her skill set.

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Carmen Hernandez

Brand Ambassador

Carmen retired from USAA after 48 years of experience in customer service, training, and investments. Carmen loves hanging out with friends, fishing, and traveling.

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Secure Financial Management and The Fiduciary Standard

Secure Financial Management (SFM) is a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) established federally through the Security and Exchange Commission. Because of this, SFM is held to a fiduciary standard, which is a legal obligation to put the client’s interest ahead of everything else. As an independent RIA, we remain free of the conflict of interests many other firms find themselves subject to. Operating this way allows us to provide truly customized solutions for every client we work with.

We are entrusted with managing hundreds of millions of dollars for hundreds of USAA retirees. The enormity of this responsibility is not lost on us, and we make it our mission to be worthy of this privilege every day. We hope for the opportunity to meet you soon, learn about your story, and partner with you on this journey through retirement.

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