Nick Lemus, CFA, CFP®

Financial Planner

As a senior in high school, I had a phenomenal Econ teacher who opened my eyes to the world of investing. Since then I’ve had the investing bug and I’ve helped many of my friends open accounts and begin investing. Naturally, I looked into the career path as a financial advisor. However, after speaking with advisors at several large banks, it seemed the focus wasn’t on putting the client first but rather on doing what was best for the bank and the advisor.

So, I put my hopes of working as an advisor on pause, pursued my CFA and began a career in sales and trading where I worked as a fixed income trader at Great Pacific Securities. Trading over a billion dollars in all areas of fixed income was a great experience as I learned to execute with precision in a high stress, time sensitive environment.

Then one day, Rob reached out to me via LinkedIn as Summit was looking for a portfolio trader. After Rob explained to me how Summit operated, my dormant desire to be an advisor awoke as I realized wealth management could be done in a way that puts the client first.

In my 2+ years of working at Summit, I have seen firsthand how important a role a good advisor plays in helping families achieve not only financial well being, but peace of mind in their life.

While at Summit, I have my completed my CFA journey and have earned my CFP® as the pursuit of knowledge is never ending. I look forward to continuing to sharpen the sword every day so I can be a better advisor and better serve our clients’ needs.

  • Outside of work, I love exercising and exploring the country with my fiancée Kristen. As a physical therapist she is able to travel for work, so we have been taking contracts all around the country. Our current list of stops includes Boston, Morro Bay, Palm Springs, Washington state, Maryland, and Idaho.

    I also have a deep passion for fantasy football and I won my maiden championship this past year. I’m already preparing my title defense.

    Finally, when I am in my hometown of San Clemente, CA, I love spending time with my family as I have a great relationship with my parents and siblings.