Ashton Thomas Expands San Francisco Presence with $900M Duo 

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth, an Arax Investment Partners firm, announced the addition of Lance Millar and Stewart Preziose to its San Francisco office, forming the Speritas Private Wealth Team. Millar joins as a partner, managing director, and private wealth advisor, while Preziose serves as a wealth advisor.  

The duo, previously with SVB Private (a division of First Citizens Bank), brings decades of experience managing $900 million in assets under management. They specialize in wealth management, banking, and financial planning for clients including founders, executives, entrepreneurs, families, and non-profits. 

Millar emphasized their client-centric approach, stating, “Stewart and I pride ourselves on a high-touch approach to wealth management, providing a truly customized experience that helps our clients make informed and effective decisions about their money.”  

Aaron Brodt, CEO of Ashton Thomas, highlighted the team’s alignment with the firm’s commitment to exceptional client solutions, noting their addition strengthens the firm’s San Francisco hub. Haig Ariyan, CEO of Redbird Capital Partners-backed Arax Investment Partners and Chairman of Ashton Thomas, underscored the firm’s innovative partnership model, which supports advisors and clients across a growing national footprint. 

This follows Ashton Thomas’s January 2025 establishment of a San Francisco office led by Mark Cavalier, Jonathan Smith, and Gregory Weiss, who joined from Wells Fargo Advisors, managing over $2.5 billion in assets. The office, located in the Financial District, serves as a hub for West Coast expansion, with Michael Hansen, a former Wells Fargo executive, as senior director for the Northwest region. 

Ashton Thomas, headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, manages approximately $8 billion in advisory assets across 17 offices, offering services including fee-based financial planning, portfolio management, pension consulting, and insurance through its various entities.