Associates

Please click on the name of associate(s) you would like to view:

James F. Sawyer, CFP
Ross D. Collingwood, RFC
Denny Moore
Daniel C. Porth
Blue Mountain Investment Management LLC

sawyer photo James F. Sawyer, CFP
Co-Founder and President of Great Oak Financial Group (see also History).
Serving clients in Oregon, California, Washington and Idaho
E-mail: jim@greatoakfin.com
Click here to e-mail Jim Sawyer.

Jim's career reflects his love of learning, and his love of people. He served his country for four years in the Navy, and after working his way through college, he taught high school science and agriculture and served as an FFA advisor for 12 years, instilling character and leadership in his students.

While classroom teaching offered many rewards, Jim felt the need to grow and to control his own financial future. He believed that by helping former colleagues and other public employees achieve financial prosperity, he could build a business providing an invaluable service. Hundreds of grateful clients have thanked him for it.

As a former educator and as a practicing financial advisor of 20+ years, Jim understands the goals, dreams and investment preferences of public employees and small business owners alike. They like his insight, and the fact that he makes education the cornerstone of a lasting relationship.

Jim co-founded Great Oak Financial Group in 1995 to bring together a team of professionals who shared his interest in providing financial experience to the often-neglected educators and civil employees. Jim's knowledge of the unique retirement savings and distribution options of public employees has helped many realize their dreams and retire early.

The dreams you've invested in deserve to come true. You can plan today to realize them. Call Jim Sawyer - he's building lasting relationships for a better retirement.

Jim's civic and community involvement is demonstrated by memberships in the following organizations:

Member - Salem Chamger of Commerce
Member - McMinnville Chamber of Commerce
Co-Instructor of "Financial Strategies for Successful Retirement" - Chemeketa Community College Training and Economic Development Center

Jim's educational and professional background include:

Certified Financial Planner - CFP Board of Standards
CFP Professional Education Program - College for Financial Planning
Member, Financial Planning Association
Past Board Member - SAFECO Life Insurance President's Advisory Board
Investment Advisor Representative - Multi-Financial Securities Corporation
Registered Principal - Multi-Financial Securities Corporation
Registered Representative - Oregon, Washington, California, & Idaho - Multi-Financial Securities Corporation

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Ross D. Collingwood, RFC
Co-Founder and Vice President of Great Oak Financial Group (see also History).
Serving clients in Oregon, Washington and Idaho
E-mail: ross@greatoakfin.com
Click here to email Ross Collingwood.

The journey continues--an invitation to join!

It's been an interesting journey from Farm Management consulting in New Zealand to co-owner of Great Oak Financial Group for Ross Collingwood. Ross brings a wealth of experience and a strong background in education to the role of financial advisor.

A resident of the U.S. since 1972, Ross held a variety of positions in higher education administration and teaching before spending a few years pastoring a church. In 1991, he combined his counseling skills with past management experience to begin building a successful financial services business. In 1995 he teamed with Jim Sawyer in forming Great Oak Financial Group, an independent financial services company.

Ross focuses on providing retirement planning and portfolio management for individuals and families. He also manages retirement plans for several small businesses. Socially responsible investing and college funding are two areas of special interest.

An avid rose grower and gardener, Ross takes great pride in the beauty he is able to create around the home he shares with his wife Allison and occasionally their two grown sons, Dale and Robin. That same attention to detail and devotion to success marks Ross' work in the financial services area.

No matter where you are in your journey--just beginning to save for retirement or for a child's college education, or retiring with a retirement plan rollover, you will find a caring and careful "travel counselor" in Ross.

Mileposts and Credentials from the Journey:

Registered Financial Consultant
CFP Professional Education Program Certificate - College For Financial Planning
Master of Divinity - Northern Baptist Theological Seminary
BS - Eastern Mennonite University
Dip Ag, Dip VFM Lincoln University
Member - Financial Planning Association
Co-Instructor of "Financial Strategies For Successful Retirement" and "Retirement Plan Distributions" - Chemeketa Community College Training and Economic Development Center
Member - Board of Education, Overseer Board for Mennonite Colleges and Universities (1991 - 2002)
Member - National Education Integration Committee, Mennonite Church (1998 - 2002)
Chair - Salem Social Services Advisory Board
Member - Salem Chamber of Commerce
Life Member - National Institute of Appraisers (New Zealand)
Investment Advisor Representative - Multi-Financial Securities Corp.
Registered Representative - Oregon, Washington, California & Idaho - Multi-Financial Securities Corporation
2005 Vern Miller Key Citizen Award Recipient - City of Salem

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Denny Moore
Serving clients in Oregon, Washington and California
E-mail: denny@greatoakfin.com
Click here to e-mail Denny Moore.

Meet Denny Moore!

What a great way to top off a successful career! Denny has blended his PERS system experience and personal investment success with additional credentials to offer retirement planning and investments to individuals and small businesses. This is one great recipe for helping people save and invest their hard-earned dollars.

Denny spent 22 years as an administrator in the Oregon Department of Transportation in Salem and now is in his sixth year as an investment professional. Denny understands people, their financial needs, their concerns and their dreams. That's why Denny is committed to making the investment process understandable and relevant.

Meet Denny and you meet a professional who is concerned to be there for your questions and to keep you informed. He works hard to keep abreast for the latest developments in tax law and retirement plans. He is throughly versed on the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) and takes delight in showing people like himself how they can plan for and execute a successful retirement experience.

Denny says, "Enjoy those long-awaited and well-deserved retirement years with effective use of 401(k), SEP IRA, Simple IRA, Deferred Comp, TSAs, Roth IRAs, Traditional IRAs, and Rollover IRAs." Give Denny a call and schedule a visit. It will be a pleasant experience!

Some additional background on Denny includes:

Vice-Chair of the PERS Deferred Compensation Advisory Committee
Board member of the Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO)
Holds a Masters Degree from Lewis and Clark College
Oregon Insurance Licenses - Life, Health, Variable Annuities
Oregon, Washington and California Securities Registrations
Investment Advisor Representative - Multi-Financial Securities Corporation
Registered Representative, Multi-Financial Securities Corporation

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Daniel Porth Daniel C. Porth, CPA®
Serving clients in Oregon, Washington and California
E-mail: dan@greatoakfin.com
Click here to email Dan Porth.

Dan is a practicing certified public accountant (CPA) who has affiliated with Great Oak Financial Group in 2004 in order to expand the services he can offer his clients. He began his career in accounting in 1981 and received his professional certification as a CPA in 1983. In 1989, Dan moved to Salem and began his association with the CPA firm that is now Mackey Porth & Unrein.

Although Dan's clientele is broad-based, he focuses mainly on individuals and family-owned businesses. Over the years he has seen the need to broaden the advice he is able to provide his clients. His interests in investing and the integral role investing plays in the long-term business and personal planning led him to pursue the professional qualifications and securities registrations required to add those services to his practice.

Dan is married to Margaret and they, along with their son Lane, live in West Salem.

Dan's civic, community and professional involvement, and credentials include:

Licensed Oregon CPA
LIcensed Oregon life and health insurance agent
Registered Advisor Representative - Multi-Financial Securities Corporation
Investment Advisor Representative - Multi-Financial Securites Corporation
Registered Principal - Mutli-Financial Securites Corporation
Member - Optimist Club of Salem
Member - Salem Area Chamber of Commerce
Member - Trinity Covenant Church
Board Member - Home Owners Association

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Rita Van Schoiack

Founder of Blue Mountain Investment Management LLC
430 W Linden Way, Heppner, OR 97386
Serving clients in Oregon and Washington
Phone: 541-676-5226 or 866-325-5326
E-mail: ritatvan@multifin.com
Click here to e-mail Rita Van Schoiack.

Rita Van Schoiack has been in the financial services industry for 25 years. She started her career at US Bank of Oregon in Portland in the investment department as an Institutional Investment Officer Trainee. Within 6 months of being hired, she obtained the required licenses and for the next 17 years worked for US Bancorp Investments Inc. as an Institutional Investment Officer. During this time she was promoted to an Assistant Vice President and again later to a Vice President.
Rita’s investment experience is diverse and covers a wide range of clients and scenarios. While at US Bancorp, her client base consisted of Oregon school districts, cities, counties, hospitals, corporations, insurance companies and individuals. Her experience encompasses everything from helping organizations and individuals manage multi-million dollar portfolios, to working with individuals to manage inheritances, rollovers, and IRA’s, to managing the proceeds of the sale of a clients business and guiding them through the transition into retirement.
During her time at US Bancorp she had the opportunity to gain specialized knowledge in fixed income. This knowledge, together with a disciplined investment process, has carried forward to her current methodology of how she works with clients. Her fixed income background and conservative orientation provides a solid foundation to work with clients looking to plan and invest for retirement and maintain and grow their wealth.

After marrying her husband in September of 2004, Rita moved to Eastern Oregon. Once settled into her new environment, she went to work for Baker Boyer Bank as a Financial Advisor in their Kennewick, Washington Business Banking and Trust office. Here she transitioned to primarily working with individuals.
In August of 2009 Rita opened her independent practice, Blue Mountain Investment Management LLC. She serves clients throughout Oregon and the Tri Cities Washington area. Rita feels that one of the benefits of being independent is that she can spend as much time as is necessary with each client to thoroughly develop a sound comprehensive financial strategy. She says “it is very important to listen carefully, analyze and research each step in putting together a client’s financial strategy, and this takes time”. She provides her clients with a highly personal level of service that encompasses all aspects of their financial profile.
Rita is a strong advocate and supporter of promoting financial knowledge. She teaches classes and offers workshops continuously in Umatilla and Morrow County. She believes that everyone, once empowered with basic financial knowledge, can apply the fundamental principles of financial management in a disciplined manner and can succeed at reaching their financial goals. This concept becomes even more successful when a trusted professional in the field is brought in to help. If you are interested in finding out more about the classes and workshops that Rita offers you can check the "Classes and Workshops" tab on the website or contact her for more information.

Licenses & Registrations:

Investment Advisor Representative, Series 65
Registered Representative, Series 7
Blue Sky, Series 63
Health and Life Insurance - Oregon and Washington

Education:

Bachelor of Arts Degree - Portland State University

Civic and Community Involvement:

Girl Scouts of Oregon and South West Washington - Board Vice President
Pioneer Memorial Hospice - Volunteer
Morrow County School District Budget Committee Member
St. Patrick Catholic Church of Heppner - Parish Council
Washington State Extension - Master Food Preserver
Heppner Chamber of Commerce Member
Hermiston Chamber of Commerce Member
Boardman Chamber of Commerce Member
American Association of University Women (AAUW), Tri-Cities Branch- Member
ALTRUSA, Hermiston Branch - Member

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