Born and raised in San Diego, I come from a third generation San Diego family. The Navy originally brought the Behner family to San Diego with my great grandfather serving as Rear Admiral stationed on North Island. My grandfather served as executive officer at the 32nd St. Navy Base. Both commanded ships in the Theatre of the Pacific in WII with my great grandfather also serving in WWI. My father, grandfather and great grandfather all went through basic training at the Naval Training Center in Point Loma at what is now known as Liberty Station.
During pre-law studies at UCSD I interned with Merrill Lynch and immediately found a passion for the capital markets, more so than Law. Prior to graduation I procured a position with Prudential Securities La Jolla in their Financial Advisor development program. Of 138 trainees I was ranked number one at six months, one year and two years. The bear market of 1999-2002 took its toll and upon graduating at the end of year two, I was one of only three left in their program nationwide.
I took an offer to run the Wealth Management arm of several Citibank branches in 2004 but quickly found the bank environment was not the right fit. A year later I accepted a management position with the investment arm of New England Financial, an insurance company with roots to 1897. At New England Securities I was responsible for running the San Diego branches’ investment book and also served on the investment committee defining investment policy and asset allocation for the five-state firm. I was also responsible for new advisor development and training, a role I truly enjoyed.
Although I took great pleasure in my five years with New England Financial, establishing my own firm was always the long-term vision. I founded Nautilus Advisors in September of 2010. I am thrilled with the move to independence and believe that we built the platform that best serves our clients needs.
I am married to Melissa Behner, a teacher at Cathedral Catholic High School. We have three children, Max, Hagen, and Gretchen. My interests include wine and cooking, watching Premier League Soccer, and playing sports with the kids.