The West Group
John "Woody" Abbott
CAIA
CAIA
Managing Director/Investments
2147069462
Woody joined Stifel in 2020 after 12 years with Merrill Lynch. He focuses on offering clients investment opportunities that align with their vast needs. He also understands the importance of providing services traditionally available largely to institutional clients, formulates investment plans through fundamentally driven stock and bond strategies, and provides knowledge of private equity, hedge funds, market-linked notes, and alternatives. On behalf of the team, he maintains relationships and builds bonds with C-suite executives, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals by offering a full suite of services tailored to their unique needs. He and his team are invigorated with a youthful and entrepreneurial spirit, which is directly channeled to serve clients at a high level on a daily basis.
With many of his clients’ net worth comprised of stock options and restricted stock, he also focuses on establishing and implementing 10b5-1 trading plans designed to help clients maximize the value of and/or monetize their restricted stock positions.
Woody graduated from Southern Methodist University and completed the SMU Cox School of Business Executive Development Program. He holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst® designation, which is designed to provide added knowledge for financial professionals specific to alternative investments.
A New York native, he now lives in Dallas with his wife, Meredith, and their two sons. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, running, cooking, and making breakfast with family.
Investors should be aware that hedge funds often engage in leverage, short-selling, arbitrage, hedging, derivatives, and other speculative investment practices that may increase investment loss. Hedge funds and private equity funds are not appropriate for all investors. Hedge funds and private equity funds can be highly illiquid, are not required to provide periodic pricing or valuation information to investors, and often charge high fees that can erode performance. Additionally, they may involve complex tax structures and delays in distributing tax information. While hedge funds may appear similar to mutual funds, they are not necessarily subject to the same regulatory requirements as mutual funds.
With many of his clients’ net worth comprised of stock options and restricted stock, he also focuses on establishing and implementing 10b5-1 trading plans designed to help clients maximize the value of and/or monetize their restricted stock positions.
Woody graduated from Southern Methodist University and completed the SMU Cox School of Business Executive Development Program. He holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst® designation, which is designed to provide added knowledge for financial professionals specific to alternative investments.
A New York native, he now lives in Dallas with his wife, Meredith, and their two sons. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, running, cooking, and making breakfast with family.
Investors should be aware that hedge funds often engage in leverage, short-selling, arbitrage, hedging, derivatives, and other speculative investment practices that may increase investment loss. Hedge funds and private equity funds are not appropriate for all investors. Hedge funds and private equity funds can be highly illiquid, are not required to provide periodic pricing or valuation information to investors, and often charge high fees that can erode performance. Additionally, they may involve complex tax structures and delays in distributing tax information. While hedge funds may appear similar to mutual funds, they are not necessarily subject to the same regulatory requirements as mutual funds.
Shane R. Stein
CPFA
CPFA
Managing Director/Investments
2147069472
Shane joined Stifel in 2020 after working at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith and Bank of America since 2008. Prior to this, he worked in the private equity and charter aviation industries. He focuses on formulating multigenerational wealth strategies and developing customized retirement and philanthropic planning strategies. He also focuses on business strategies for clients and is the team’s primary liaison to the firm’s investment bank. Depending on the client’s situation, he may employ a “homerun bucket” approach, which entails keeping the vast majority of assets in traditional nest egg investments and diversifying a smaller portion into mid cap, small cap, and micro cap companies with the potential to “hypergrow” into attractive long-term profitability, all while keeping a keen eye on the client’s specific risk profile.
Shane earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Dallas, he now lives in North Dallas with his wife, Tracey, and their three daughters. He is an Eagle Scout, an alumnus of the National Young Leadership Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America, a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, an alumnus of the Zin Leadership Fellows Program of Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and actively involved at his synagogue.
In his free time, Shane enjoys multiple artistic pursuits, including executive producing both the feature film Adventures in Game Chasing and the LP record Crest by Texas singer-songwriter Barton Stanley David, both released in 2022. He has also been a theater producer, a published songwriter, and a contributing author to books on 1980s and 1990s video games.
Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against loss.
Shane earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Dallas, he now lives in North Dallas with his wife, Tracey, and their three daughters. He is an Eagle Scout, an alumnus of the National Young Leadership Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America, a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, an alumnus of the Zin Leadership Fellows Program of Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and actively involved at his synagogue.
In his free time, Shane enjoys multiple artistic pursuits, including executive producing both the feature film Adventures in Game Chasing and the LP record Crest by Texas singer-songwriter Barton Stanley David, both released in 2022. He has also been a theater producer, a published songwriter, and a contributing author to books on 1980s and 1990s video games.
Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against loss.
Laura (Laurie) Cox
Client Service Associate
2149397629
Laurie joined Stifel and The West Group in 2022, having spent more than three decades in the financial services industry in a variety of roles, most recently as Executive Assistant to the Managing Director and Office Management Team at JPMorgan Securities. Prior to this, she worked in the Order Room and Operations Department at Bear Stearns & Co. (which was acquired by JPMorgan in 2009), supporting financial advisors and the institutional equity and municipal bond trading desks.
Laurie is committed to building and enhancing the team’s client service model and believes that listening, understanding, and having a great attitude are all vital elements to maintaining an outstanding client experience.
Laurie was born and raised in Dallas and now lives in Rockwall, Texas. Her favorite time is spent with family and friends and her dog, Rosie. She also enjoys gardening, reading, and traveling.
Laurie is committed to building and enhancing the team’s client service model and believes that listening, understanding, and having a great attitude are all vital elements to maintaining an outstanding client experience.
Laurie was born and raised in Dallas and now lives in Rockwall, Texas. Her favorite time is spent with family and friends and her dog, Rosie. She also enjoys gardening, reading, and traveling.