About Us
Our Why
At Kelsey Financial, we are driven by our desire to create positive change in your financial life. There are few things more personal than your finances, and you deserve a relationship with an advisor who prioritizes you and your unique financial path. Our goal is to create the most attentive, responsive and personable relationship you could receive.
We know that your finances are more than just returns, projections and charts. Your finances are your hard work, your family’s future and the security and legacy you’ve built or strive to build over decades. There is a growing service gap in our industry. Through automation and corporate expansion, the financial services industry has become less about your personal story and more about offering proprietary investments that often favor the corporation or advisors’ priorities over your own. We are different, so we are changing that experience.
Our History
Robert Kelsey founded Kelsey Financial in 2014 after 25 years in the industry, with the goal of providing fee-only, active investment management to individuals that understood the benefits of a trading-centric investment approach. By late-2015 Bob partnered with Steve Hoppel, an industry veteran with over a decade of experience, to expand the company's financial planning services and client experience. Today, Steve has fostered Kelsey Financial’s money management roots, continuing to grow and evolve the company by cultivating exceptional industry talent, while utilizing state-of-the-art investing and planning resources to deliver a top-tier, professional relationship to you.
Our Team
Robert Kelsey — Founder
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Bob migrated from his hometown in Connecticut through Wisconsin and ultimately came to call Southern California his home for nearly 40 years. Bob has enjoyed UCONN basketball and golf for many years, and more recently has pursued a passion for astronomy. Bob met his wife Lynne in college and they have a daughter, Lauren. While Bob began as a quality control inspector in the food industry, he soon transitioned to finance, using his grasp of algorithmic mathematics, combined with the coming advancements in computing power, to create an active trading strategy. While Bob is currently enjoying his first year of retirement, his trading strategy continues to play an integral role at Kelsey Financial and remains the foundation this company was built upon.
Steve Hoppel — Owner, CEO, CCO, Advisor
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Steve was born and raised in Ohio, where he could always be found playing sports as a child and young adult. With a desire for adventure, he left his small hometown for California in the spring of 2004 after college. In late 2005 he met another mid-western transplant, Jennifer (JJ), who would become his wife. Together they have two amazing girls, Charlie and Andi, that love to dance, swim and volunteer taking care of a farm of animals. Steve’s passion for solving problems that positively impact the lives of those around him motivates him to focus on individuals’ needs with respect to the financial services industry. After spending more than 15 years developing his talents in various roles throughout the industry, he ventured out to build an advisory firm centered on the client experience. His goal for Kelsey Financial is to build an advisory firm where each client’s unique needs are at the forefront of the relationship with the advisor, and he continually focuses his talents and energy towards the goal of positively impacting each client’s financial wellbeing.
Kiel Holmes — Vice President, Advisor
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Kiel grew up an avid sports fan in Southern California, who always holds his birthplace of Chicago near and dear to his heart. After graduating from college and spending nearly a decade coaching high school baseball, Kiel began his career in the financial services industry in 2013--the same year he married his wonderful wife, Jennifer. After spending five years as an independent advisor, Kiel joined Kelsey Financial in 2018, eager to build upon the foundation of a client-centric business model Bob and Steve had started. Now, through nearly a decade in investment management and financial planning, he has maintained his focus on developing lasting relationships with his clients. Kiel truly believes that the quality and attentiveness of his client relationships allow him to continually provide the investment insight and proactive financial solutions that set the Kelsey Financial experience apart from the rest of the financial services industry. Kiel became a father in 2020 when he and Jen welcomed their first son, Will, into their family. Recently, the family has grown as their second son, Rhys, joined them in April of 2025.
Jonathan Fersht — Advisor
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Jonathan was born and raised in Southern California. He grew up with a passion for math, sports, and music. Following his love of sports, he went on to play collegiate baseball. After graduating with a degree in finance from San Diego State University, Jonathan was hired to work on a fixed income trading desk where he honed his skills and developed fixed income expertise. Over the next decade, Jonathan traded mostly corporate bonds for various firms until ultimately starting his own bond trading business in 2018. Jonathan’s goal is to use his knowledge of trading and fixed income to help clients make sound investment decisions for their future and families. Jonathan currently lives in Thousand Oaks, CA with his wife Christine, and their three children -- Mia, Hannah, and Benjamin. In his free time, you can find him playing tennis and golf or hiking with his dog, Murphy. Jonathan looks forward to serving his clients by providing them with the guidance to help them navigate changing market environments and by designing specific solutions to reach their individualized financial goals.
Stephen Egnatchik — Advisor
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Stephen was born in Westlake Village, California, and grew up in the city of Thousand Oaks. Stephen’s interest in investing began as a child when his father shared with him the writings of famous stock trader William O’Neil and his newspaper, Investor’s Business Daily. This early exposure led to Stephen’s lifelong obsession with economics and finance. Stephen graduated from California Lutheran University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and joined the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Stephen had a storied career of nearly two decades where he was awarded for his work investigating sophisticated criminal organizations. After honorably retiring from the Sheriff’s Office, Stephen continues to help others by sharing his lifetime of experience with his clients. Stephen is passionate about educating others and believes it’s never too early to start investing. He strongly believes that with proper guidance, families can grow multigenerational wealth that will bolster families’ legacies for generations to come. Stephen is a great listener and communicator. He prides himself on his ability to listen to his client’s needs and put their dreams into action. Stephen is married with four children.
Chandler Tso — Advisor
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Chandler was born and raised in Simi Valley, California and attended the University of Southern California for both his undergraduate and postgraduate studies. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon and enjoys fencing, photography, craft coffee production and music. Chandler joined the Kelsey Financial team in 2022 eager to bring his talents and passion for data, research, and mathematically derived methodologies to each and every relationship he builds with his clients.
Annette Gallo — Administrative Assistant
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Annette grew up in Southern California, spending most of her life in the Conejo Valley where she has lived since she was eight years old. She has two children, Dominick (34) and Sunny (29). She takes great pride in having been with Kelsey Financial since its inception, joining the company as office manager after building a 35-year career as a hairstylist. She looks forward to helping grow the company.
Erica Chen — Intern
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Erica was born and raised in Southern California. She joined the Kelsey Financial team in 2025 after learning about the company through a school scholarship opportunity. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and traveling the world. She uses her skills to address client needs as best as possible.