STEPHEN H. NELSON, CFA, CFP®
Founder & President
Stephen Nelson is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charterholder and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional who has spent his career in the investment management and financial planning profession. His desire to more personally serve clients led to the creation of Birchwood Capital in 2020. 
Stephen serves individuals and families throughout North County San Diego and across the country. Stephen received a Master of Science in Finance along with a B.B.A of Finance from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) Charter and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. He is a member of The National Association of Personal Financial Planners, and a proud member of FlatFeeAdvisors.us and FlatFeeAdvisors.org associations. Lastly, he serves as a committee member for the Rancho Del Sol area of Young Life in San Diego.
Originally from Oregon, Stephen traveled to Texas to study business and play football. He and his wife met at school and now live in North County San Diego with their twin daughter and son, Rylynn & Brayden.
Together, the Nelson’s enjoy spending time with each other and their extended family, having friends over, getting outside, cooking up a new recipe, reading, and savoring each of life’s moments.
Each year Stephen writes an ‘Annual Letter,’ which provides the best look into the character of the firm and its owner.
2025 Annual Letter
2024 Annual Letter
2023 Annual Letter
2022 Annual Letter
2021 Annual Letter
MATT E. HIGBIE, CFA, CFP®
Managing Director
Matt Higbie is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charterholder and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. Prior to joining Birchwood Capital, Matt spent ten years in investment research and portfolio management at some of the largest and most successful hedge funds in the world. He’s excited to help individuals and families manage their investments and achieve their financial goals.
Matt lives in Loganville, GA and serves individuals and families throughout North Georgia and across the country.
Matt received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also a member of the Financial Planning Association as well as the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. He is a proud member of FlatFeeAdvisors.us and FlatFeeAdvisors.org associations.
During his time at UNC, Matt met his wife who coincidentally had also grown up in New York before moving south for college. They spent the first nine years of their marriage in Dallas, Texas before moving to Georgia with their daughter in 2023 to live closer to family.
Linda Jones-Zack
Director of Client Services
Linda has worked in the financial advising profession for over the past 15 years, primarily in administrative and office management roles. At Birchwood, she helps manage all aspects of back office oper
ations to our existing high net worth clients.
Outside of the office, Linda has taught courses for the English as a Second Language program at the Carlsbad Learning Center.
She also enjoys overseeing her large Italian family’s regular gatherings and helping her husband’s gourmet grocery store in community events. If you’re wondering where to eat in San Diego, she’s Birchwood’s in-house “foodie” and loves to share about new restaurants her and her husband have found.
Alliances:
Vanguard is one of the world’s largest investment management companies, offering a large selection of low-cost mutual funds, ETFs and related services. From its start in 1975, Vanguard has stood out as a very different kind of investment firm. It was founded on the simple but revolutionary idea that a mutual fund company should not have outside owners. This framework has enabled it to put clients first and to continually lower investment costs. 
Dimensional Fund Advisors is a leading global investment firm that has been translating academic research into practical investment solutions since 1981. Guided by a strong belief in markets, the firm builds and implements strategies to help clients pursue higher expected returns. An enduring philosophy, strong client commitment, and deep working relationships with the academic community underpin Dimensional’s approach to investing and form the foundation for new strategies.
Birchwood Capital has selected Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. as primary custodian for our clients’ accounts. Schwab Advisor Services, which includes the custody, trading and support services of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”), is the leading provider of those services to independent investment advisors. Since 1987, Schwab has provided independent advisors with the platform, products, programs and resources they need to serve their clients and grow their businesses efficiently and effectively. These materials have been independently produced by Birchwood Capital. Birchwood Capital is independent of, and has no affiliation with, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. or any of its affiliates (“Schwab”). Schwab is a registered broker-dealer and member SIPC. Schwab has not created, supplied, licensed, endorsed, or otherwise sanctioned these materials nor has Schwab independently verified any of the information in them. Birchwood Capital provides you with investment advice, while Schwab maintains custody of your assets in a brokerage account and will effect transactions for your account on our instruction.
