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About Our Team

We're here to serve you. 

At BetterWealth, we’re about asking the right questions for the right reasons for the right outcomes. BetterWealth is the outcome we strive for with every client.

Our team is dedicated to taking the right steps to helping each of our clients be better informed, educated on key financial matters and life events, and engaged in pursuing better wealth based on what’s important in their lives.

Our team is always ready to answer your questions and constantly be moving you towards financial clarity and better wealth.

SCOTT STAUFFER CFP® Photo
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SCOTT STAUFFER CFP®

Principal

SCOTT STAUFFER CFP®

Principal

Teachers, coaches and mentors all know that anyone can improve through instruction and practice. These leaders also know that without assessment, evaluation and instruction, it is unlikely you will see the desired progress. Whether your goal is weight loss, self-improvement or financial security, the value of a teacher or coach is invaluable to assess your current proficiency and then develop a plan to enhance the specific skills that need improvement. And finally, there’s the role of a mentor in guiding the proficiency in each of the skills in order to evaluate their progress and provide the wisdom they need to continue to move forward.

Scott Stauffer, Principal, of BetterWealth, has been a teacher, coach and mentor and is not complacent with plug and play strategies for clients that don’t adapt to individual conditions and prepare for how things can change when it comes to game time. Just as athletes require the discipline of maintaining a positive attitude, setting goals, managing their emotions and staying focused, Scott understands his role as a wealth advisor is to accomplish this by helping to educate clients each step of the way.

Scott will naturally grab a marker to help clients to map out their unique financial goals. He is an educator at heart and by trade and enjoys making complicated things easy to understand.

Having worked in the public and social sectors before he was a small business owner and financial advisor, Scott is committed to the transparency of communicating how fees are paid and where all of the money goes. He cares deeply about clients understanding how their wealth is managed and whether they will be able to meet their goals. Scott wants his clients to develop a confidence about their financial plan and awareness about how to make adjustments along the way as their life and family needs change.

Scott is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. He understands the unique challenges professionals and families face trying to maximize their wealth and life. He has an MBA from the University of California at Davis, and a BA from Grinnell College where he also received his secondary teaching certificate. His early career took him around the country and the world learning about leadership and civic participation. Scott splits his time working in the San Jose office every other week and from his home in Park City, Utah, where he lives with his wife and three sons.

ANDREW HOWARD CFP® AIF® Photo
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ANDREW HOWARD CFP® AIF®

Principal

ANDREW HOWARD CFP®, AIF®

Principal

Andrew literally has a perspective from the mountaintop as he currently resides and grew up in the mountain community bordering Silicon Valley.  This relaxed orientation has served him well not only in taking a long-view of problem-solving but also in how easy it is to make connections with people and let them feel comfortable with his back-to-basics approach to financial planning and life in general.

As one of six kids, Andrew got his start in business through a true grit immersion into marketing and selling educational products as a means of putting himself through college.  He learned early about how people make good and bad financial decisions.  Andrew went on to complete his degree in Business Administration and Finance at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and he’s also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and an ACCREDITED INVESTMENT FIDUCIARY™. 

With 19 years in personal financial advising, Andrew’s focus is on fundamentals, for his clients as well as the investments his family owns. With a practical perspective as a multi-unit rental housing owner, he embraces real estate as a valuable piece of the retirement income picture. He is invariably conscious of the intersection of investments, taxes and estate concerns. 

Andrew’s best self is when he is working through challenges to find unique solutions to unique cases. Whether it’s a couple for whom he has helped determine if and when they can retire by using strategies to pay off debt and increase cash flow or a widow learning to take new responsibility for personal finances and eventually obtaining his counsel to transition to a retirement community, Andrew seeks to sustain long-term relationships with clients to build the discipline together for better wealth.

Andrew’s connection with people has also taken him around the world. Prior to starting his formal career, he spent seven months with his wife, Georgia, traveling to New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe. They still enjoy yearly travel, although the locales are a bit less exotic now with four small children. He also enjoys cycling, hiking with the family and board sports.  In 2011, Scott joined him on a 450-mile bike tour across the state of Iowa known as the largest bike touring event in the world, and Andrew continues to participate regularly.


JESSE LOWNSBURY CFP® CPA Photo
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JESSE LOWNSBURY CFP® CPA

Principal

JESSE LOWNSBURY CFP® CPA

Principal

Jesse’s passion for financial planning is rooted in a deeper calling — to serve others well. Through years of volunteering as a Little League umpire, youth sports coach, children’s Sunday school teacher, and church board member, he’s learned firsthand the importance of giving back and investing in others. These experiences have shaped his heart for community, taught him the value of showing up consistently, and deepened his commitment to helping people live with purpose. That same spirit of service drives the way he works with clients — with a focus on building trust, listening well, and helping people move forward with clarity and purpose. He’s especially passionate about helping others give back in ways that are intentional and aligned with their values — whether through legacy planning, charitable giving, or living generously today.

Before becoming a financial advisor, Jesse built a strong foundation in tax and accounting. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), as an auditor where he specialized in stock compensation, employee benefits, and mergers and acquisitions. He later transitioned into corporate finance as a revenue manager at Plantronics (now Poly), where he managed forecasting, revenue recognition, and cross-functional financial operations. This blend of technical expertise and business acumen shapes the strategic, client-centered approach he brings to every relationship.

Jesse holds both CPA and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designations and earned his business degree with an emphasis in accounting from Fresno State. He’s an active member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and the Financial Planning Association (FPA). He joined BetterWealth in 2025 and plays a leadership role in both client advising and in improving internal systems that support consistent, high-quality service across the team.

Clients appreciate Jesse’s calm, grounded presence and his ability to make complex financial decisions feel approachable and clear. Whether it’s helping clients navigate the complexities of tax strategies, retirement planning, estate considerations, or long-term wealth building, Jesse’s work is guided by a desire to serve others well and make a lasting impact.

He lives in San Jose with his wife, Jodee, and their two kids, Brooks and Blakely. When he’s not working, you’ll often find him outdoors — hiking, biking, golfing, or playing basketball — or volunteering in his community. For Jesse, financial planning is ultimately about stewardship: using your resources with intention, generosity, and purpose.

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JAMES GRAHAM

Senior Advisor

JAMES GRAHAM

SENIOR ADVISOR

Jim Graham is a novice fly fisherman, and he’s learned that anglers must wait for the right moment to cast their line in the river. This patient effort requires the discipline to repeat the process even if one doesn't catch anything immediately.  Jim likens this mindset to how investors need to wait for their investments to grow over time and resist the temptation to make impulsive decisions based on short-term market fluctuations. Jim has built his financial advising career based on his experience that success often comes to those who are patient, knowledgeable, adaptable, and disciplined just like the best anglers.

Jim helps clients cultivate these values as they make good choices for setting life goals and managing wealth. His particular expertise is to counsel families preparing subsequent generations to be responsible stewards of significant wealth.

After two decades as a co-founder and managing member of Greenberg Graham Advisors LLC headquartered in Irvine, California, Jim is merging his practice with BetterWealth. This collaboration enables Jim to be more efficient with business operations and spend more time on the metaphorical riverbank with clients to focus more deeply on service and portfolio management which brings him the greatest satisfaction.

Jim designed his career around the capacities of investment planning and management, estate planning and income tax planning. His clients include successful entrepreneurs, senior executives, entertainers, professional athletes, and beneficiaries. Jim leveraged the experience of his early career in senior positions with some of the country’s most respected trust banks and financial services firms. He got his start with a finance degree from Brigham Young University in Utah and has continued to add on professional training and certificates.

Balancing out his days at the office, Jim and his wife enjoy traveling together and spending time with their children, three grandchildren and German Shorthaired Pointer. They are active in their church and community having focused much of their community work with organizations who support the arts and address the needs of underserved children and teenagers. 

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SUE COX

Chief Compliance Officer

SUE COX

Chief Compliance Officer

If there were an app for being Sue Cox, it would pop up a consistent, daily routine for getting projects accomplished. As the app tracked daily progress, it would provide concise updates to her team and clients and be filled with 5-star peer reviews.

Sue is the Chief Compliance Officer for BetterWealth. She is responsible for managing and overseeing the firm's operational functions including technology, client services, procedures and compliance.

Sue brings over 20 years of operational and investment industry experience from both the registered investment advisory and brokerage platform to her current role. Prior to joining BetterWealth, Sue held management positions as the Director of Operations at Niemann Capital Management and District Business Manager at Morgan Stanley.

It’s no surprise that her B.A. in Mathematics from University of California, Santa Cruz, has helped to keep her oriented to logical systems. Her management perspective in our office is also enhanced because she has held the following FINRA licenses, 7, 9,10, 24, 63 and 66 throughout her career.

JODEE LOWNSBURY CFP® Photo
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JODEE LOWNSBURY CFP®

Director of Financial Planning

JODEE LOWNSBURY CFP®

Director of Financial Planning

Jodee has worked for several financial services firms and currently is the Director of Financial Planning for BetterWealth. Everyone on our staff provides concierge service for client accounts, and Jodee’s early career in hospitality services at a California destination resort hotel elevates our team approach. For BetterWealth, Jodee’s specialty area is financial planning, and you can expect her guidance in helping gather your information, analyzing your retirement planning options and producing the reports to let you know if you are on track.

Jodee knows what it takes to stay disciplined and achieve her own goals. Not too long ago, she was a stand-out on and off the court with her university’s basketball team having been the team captain, MVP and outstanding female athlete of the year as well as for earning the title of national champion for her institution’s student invested management fund. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration/Finance from California State University, Fresno, and recently completed the CFP® Board Examination and obtained her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification in 2017.

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JOANNE VENEGAS

Client Service Associate


JOANNE VENEGAS

Client service associate

Joanne began working with our staff and clients back in 2003 and brings a tremendous commitment to the success of their experiences.  In particular, Joanne’s high emotional IQ has been instrumental in ensuring the trust and loyalty of our clients and managing essential details with our partners and vendors.  You can reach out to Joanne as a first point of contact for any question and especially for scheduling appointments.  Joanne has over two decades of experience in administrative work in the finance industry.  There is not a form or a phone call that intimidates her.  It’s no surprise that she has numerous professional awards for her role as a key player in supporting wealth management teams.