About Us
Why SJS Investment Services
Our independent advisory firm maintains a culture where our clients come first all the time, every time. Your best interest is paramount at SJS, and our investment philosophy and service standards are built on this foundation and fiduciary duty. In addition, we are set apart by the following:
MarketPlus® Investing
Our investment management process, MarketPlus® Investing, serves you throughout the various stages of your life. It is a simple and easy-to-understand process for investing that is founded on science rather than speculation. Our team provides major money center investment experience to you no matter where you live, where you work or when you need it.
You Come First
“You come first. All the time. Every time.” It isn’t just a slogan. It’s how we live our lives. It’s how we were raised. SJS was founded on this client-first philosophy.
Teamwork
No one person is smarter than the collective whole. When you have one of us working on your side, you have all of us, even if you regularly meet or speak with only one or two team members. We call it “bench strength”—with an emphasis on strength. We don’t fly solo, and neither do you.
Collaboration
Did you know that we can work with other professionals who support and assist you? We can work with your accountant to help streamline your finances and coordinate tax planning. We can work with your estate planning attorney to assist with implementing your estate plan, titling your accounts properly, and correctly naming your beneficiaries.
Transparency
Fee transparency is very important to us. We have been an independent registered investment advisory firm with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since our founding. We charge a fee based on assets under management that is paid directly by our clients.
Expertise
Our team members include Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®), and Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) certificants. We believe that learning is a constant endeavor that helps us to continue to provide you with the timely advice you need.
our Purpose, Mission, & Values
Purpose
Empowering You to Build a Better Life
Mission
We provide major money center management experience while maintaining small town values and putting you first, all the time, every time.
Core Values
Accountability – We take ownership for high levels of personal and organizational performance.
Client-Centric – We care deeply about our clients and put them at the center of all we do.
Collaborative – We win as One SJS.
Proactive – We are forward-thinking, innovative, and adaptive.
Giving – We give back to enrich the lives of others and our communities.
Integrity – We hold ourselves to the highest standards to build your trust.
Servant Leadership – We lead our clients and each other by being of service, with confidence and humility.
Meet Your Team
Scott J. Savage
Founder & CEO*
Kevin Kelly, CFA
President, Chief Compliance Officer*
Jennifer Smiljanich, CFP®
Senior Advisor, Managing Director - Arizona*
Jeff Yost
Managing Director
Meredith Sleet
Executive Assistant
Kirk Ludwig, AIF®
Senior Advisor, Director of Institutional
Investment Management*
Gary Geiger, CLU®, AIF®
Senior Advisor
Andrew Schaetzke, CFP®
Senior Advisor*
Thomas Kelly, CFA
Chief Investment Officer, Senior Advisor*
Lisa Denstorff
Manager of Client Services
Katie Floyd
Associate Advisor
Austin Grizzell, CFP®, CPWA®
Associate Advisor
Bobby Adusumilli, CFA
Investment / Compliance Associate*
Katie Cristofoli
Client Service Associate
Ryan Walter
Client Service Associate
Tiffany Wilson
Manager of Human Resources
Molly LaClair
Associate Advisor
Jeff Lewis
Associate Advisor
* Investment Committee Member
If you are interested in joining our Team, please see our Careers page.
In the Community
Serving communities while serving people is front and center at SJS. And when we work in your community, we give back to your community through programs that better the lives of people, provide educational opportunities for children in need and make towns and cities better places to live. For more information on the communities and organizations we serve, please see here.
A STORIED BEGinning for SJS Investment Services
Raised in a goal-oriented family, Scott Savage set his sights on the world of finance the minute he discovered that on the opposite side of the sports page was the stock page. He was about 12 years old, and from that point forward, he was hooked. Scott decided at that young age that he would become a stockbroker. And after college, he did just that a few days after graduation.
It didn’t take long before Scott realized that his role of stockbroker was on a collision course with his values and upbringing. As a young boy helping out in his father’s business, he saw how clients were cared for and even saw ways he could do it better in his own company, if he had one someday.
By contrast, the stock brokerage business put him at odds with clients. As Scott says, “I didn’t understand conflict of interest until I was knee-deep in it, and I didn’t like it very much.” He knew there had to be a way that he and his clients could sit on the same side of the table and both win.
He was right. There was a way, and in 1995, Scott started SJS Investment Services. He founded it based on a very simple premise that originated during his childhood, was reinforced during his days as a stockbroker, and has since become part of his DNA: Put others before self. And if there is a phrase that defines SJS Investment Services, that would be the one. It has helped the company choose its team of seasoned financial professionals—people of like heart and mind—and it has helped the company achieve countless milestones of service and growth.
Today, SJS Investment Services has more than $2.2 billion* in assets under management, serves both individual and institutional investors, and has offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Chicago, Illinois, in addition to its headquarters in Sylvania, Ohio. And, true to form, Scott and his team aren’t taking the easy approach to growth.
Being there for their clients all the time, every time, is a company promise the team takes very seriously. And architecting their clients’ financial futures is a big responsibility. Nothing about this is easy. But as the team at SJS Investment Services knows all too well, what worthwhile thing in life ever is?
*As of 12/31/2023
SEC Disclosures
Form CRS is a relationship summary disclosure form (“CRS” stands for customer or client relationship summary).
Form ADV is the uniform form used by investment advisers to register with both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and state securities authorities.
The privacy notice adopted by SJS describes the types of nonpublic personal information collected by SJS from customers and noncustomers.
Get Started
Let’s see how we can help you. Contact us for a complimentary discovery meeting.
