About us

About West Branch Capital

An Investment Adviser acting as a fiduciary on your behalf

Founded in 2004, West Branch Capital is an independent, minority owned, fee-only Registered Investment Adviser. Our core investment team collectively represents over 100 years of investment management experience.

As a firm, we are committed to maintaining a culture of integrity that permeates everything we do. We pride ourselves on offering independent, objective money management services and providing complete transparency to our clients in the management of their assets. The tradition and culture of the firm is not to sell products. We understand the high degree of trust placed in us by our clients and we work tirelessly to preserve it.

West Branch Capital offers a full range of investment management services for individuals, institutions and corporate retirement plan sponsors. We manage equities, domestic fixed income (both taxable and tax-free), balanced portfolios, mutual funds, closed end funds, exchange-traded funds and similar vehicles.

West Branch Capital’s clients benefit from the collective expertise of our staff. A team approach, with client service at its core, is the hallmark of our professionalism.

Where our name comes from

Why "West Branch Capital"?

Although branches happen to be a wonderful symbol of growth, our founder and CEO, Ayaz Mahmud, pursued dual graduate degrees in his college days, and he was able to first become published in prestigious literary publications West Branch and Prairie Schooner. In 2004 when the firm was established, it seemed a natural fit to celebrate the inspirational collections that gave his literature a chance.

Over 100 Years of Collective Experience

About Our Team

As a firm, we are committed to maintaining a culture of integrity that permeates everything we do. We pride ourselves on offering independent, objective investment management services and providing complete transparency. We understand the high degree of trust placed in us by our clients and we work tirelessly to keep it.

Please feel free to research our Investment Adviser Representatives at https://www.adviserinfo.sec.gov/

Anne Christopulos CFP

Anne Christopulos

Anne is a Managing Director and Financial Planner with over twenty years of experience in the financial services industry. After holding corporate management positions in finance and strategic planning in New York City, she moved to Boston to become the Product Manager for the IRA business at Fidelity Investments. Following that, she was Vice President, Retirement Investments, at Fleet Financial Services. A native of Cape Cod, she returned to the Cape in 2001 and made the transition to personal financial planning with Secure Future Financial Services in Dennis and Davis Financial Services in Orleans before joining West Branch Capital. Anne holds a B.A. in music and economics from Wellesley College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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Ayaz Mahmud, CEO

Ayaz Mahmud

Ayaz brings almost thirty years of investment management experience to West Branch Capital. He serves as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer. Ayaz founded West Branch Capital in 2004 after spending over twenty years as a top wealth advisor at premier global investment banks: Kidder Peabody, Smith Barney and Lehman Brothers. At Lehman Brothers, he helped build the Wealth Management Group in Boston and co-managed the Equity and Fixed Income Middle Market Institutional Trading Desks. Ayaz has managed client portfolios throughout his career. Ayaz holds an M.A/M.B.A and a B.A/B.S from Syracuse University.
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Cheryl Slattery, Director of Operations

Cheryl Slattery

Cheryl Slattery is the Director of Operations for West Branch Capital in Amherst, MA. She has 28 years of experience in the financial industry having worked as a Senior Personal Banker for Bank of America in the Springfield, MA area providing exceptional client support and service, specializing in high-net-worth clients. Cheryl is responsible for client service, back office support, compliance, and administrative operations of the firm.
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David Fadel, CFP

David Fadel, CFP®

David brings over thirty years of investment advisory experience to his role as a Managing Director of West Branch Capital. He held various labor and management positions for 11 years with a division of General Motors. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1979 and an MBA from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1982. In 1992 he co-founded Summit Financial Strategies, a registered investment advisor. David was granted the CFP® certification by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. in 1992.
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Georgann Ramage

Georgann Ramage

Georgann is Director of Operations for the West Branch Capital office in Hyannis, MA. She has spent her career in the financial services and private banking industry, first in a large mid-Atlantic bank in the Washington, DC area, in individual client management, then in the Private Banking Division, leading a team of Private Banking professionals providing financial services, including trust and investment management.

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Howard Singer

Howard Singer, CFP®

Howard is a Investment Portfolio Analyst. He began his career in the 1980s, and co-founded Singer Potito Associates in 1990. Howard holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado and an M.F.A. from Columbia University, New York. He was granted the CFP® certification by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. in 1993.
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Ian Mahmud

Ian is a Principal at West Branch Capital, bringing 10 years of experience in the financial services industry to the firm. Ian started his career at Barclays in Investment Banking focused on Equity Capital Markets. He then joined the Research Department, as an equity analyst on a three-person Institutional Investor Top 5 ranked team in the country, covering the Medical Technology Sector. He covered the Healthcare Sector as a Coverage Investment Banker at Credit Suisse and most recently was a Mergers & Acquisitions Investment Banker at Centerview Partners in New York. After graduating from Milton Academy, Ian earned a B.A. in Economics (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Recipient of the College Key) from Bates College. At Bates, he was the President of the Debate Team, ranked 9th in the world. Ian holds an M.B.A. with a Finance Track Certification from MIT Sloan School of Management. He enjoys golf, tennis and skiing.
Contact Ian Mahmud
James K. Ho, CFA

James K. Ho, CFA

Jim has over thirty years of investment management experience. He is a Managing Director and Principal of the firm.

Prior to West Branch Capital, Jim was a fixed income Portfolio Manager at John Hancock Advisors. Previously, he managed the John Hancock Tax Exempt Income Trust. Prior to joining John Hancock Advisors, Jim was a Senior Investment Officer at The New England (MetLife), where he managed multiple bond portfolios, including taxable and tax exempt mutual funds and separate accounts.

Jim holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University, New York, as well as an M.S. in Applied Math and B.S. in Applied Math and Economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Boston Society of Security Analysts.

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Joan Long

Joan Long

As Business Manager, Joan’s focus is on bookkeeping, quarterly newsletters, and client database maintenance, providing office assistance and supporting the firm’s principals. She has a BA in English. Joan spends her free time as a volunteer coach for Girls on the Run Western Massachusetts.

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Lori Mahmud

Lori Mahmud

Lori began her working life as an English teacher at Brookline High School. She joined West Branch Capital in 2004 as an Operations Manager. She currently plays the role of Operating Officer for the firm.

Lori holds a B.A. in English Literature and a B.S. from the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Masters Degree in Education from Northeastern University.

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Michael DuBois

Mike is a Managing Director and Personal Risk Management Specialist. Mike brings forty years of insurance industry experience to West Branch Capital. He will focus on advising clients on annuities, life insurance, retirement products, disability income, long-term care insurance and other insurance products. He will evaluate the quality of the options available to clients and make independent and objective recommendations as part of the firm’s holistic advisory approach to clients’ wealth and risk management needs. In keeping with the firm’s tradition, he will not “sell” any insurance products or policies.

Prior to his retirement as an actuary from MassMutual in 2019, he was a regular speaker at actuarial conferences, served as an advisor on studies by the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and participated in the education and examination committees of the SOA. Mike is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Fellow in the SOA (FSA) and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA)..

Contact Michael
Not Convinced Yet?

Why Our Clients Choose Us

- 01
Convenience

With four office locations, clients have the benefit of scheduling meetings in a convenient location and for servicing accounts efficiently. We offer a secure and user-friendly client portal so that you may view quarterly reports and upload documents for review at any time of day.

- 02
Reliability

Client contact is a priority and we are proud of our quick response time to requests, questions, and concerns.

- 03
Trust

As a fiduciary, you are assured that our team continuously works with your best interests in mind.

- 04
Communication

Clients receive quarterly reports along with our “West Branch Capital Report” newsletter, and regular check-ins via meeting or phone call.

- 05
Peace of Mind

Clients are comfortable knowing that we handle their accounts with confidentiality and industry best practices to ensure security.

Good things come to those who plan for them

Download our free 401(k) primer

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We can help you plan for healthcare in retirement

Download our primer on retirement healthcare options and expenses

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Get Started Saving for College

From opening 529 account to calculating how much to save, we’ll help you create a college saving plan with our free guide.

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Consider a Financial Caretaking Plan

A Financial Caretaking Plan outlines the steps you take to transfer bill paying, investment management, estate planning, and tasks you need to complete to prepare for the day you can no longer manage finances on your own. 

This enables us to help you prepare for transition of financial management to your financial caretaker(s). If portions of the questionnaire are not applicable, that’s ok! We can work on this report together to reflect your plans.

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Do You Need a Trust?

Download our guide which provides a broad overview of some of the most commonly used trusts FAQ. We collaborate with estate planners and can explore with you if a trust could benefit you and your family.

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We're here to help.

Download our guide to understanding long term care expenses and options.

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