R. Jones Jr. and Associates
INVESTMENT GROUP
Our Team
Proactive and Experienced
With a Highly Personal Touch
Our Approach
At R. Jones Jr. & Associates, we believe exceptional financial planning starts with understanding the world our clients actually live in. Our advisors didn't begin their careers in finance—they came from the industries and professions you work in. That experience shapes how we serve you: with insights earned from real-world careers, not just textbooks.
When you work with us, you're matched with an advisor who understands your industry's unique financial landscape—the compensation structures, career transitions, and challenges that textbook advisors miss. We've lived in your world, and that perspective makes all the difference.
While each advisor brings focused industry expertise, we operate as a unified wealth management team—collaborating to deliver comprehensive strategies tailored to your goals, your career trajectory, and your family's future.
Our Approach
At R. Jones Jr. & Associates, we believe exceptional financial planning starts with understanding the world our clients actually live in. Our advisors didn't begin their careers in finance—they came from the industries and professions you work in. That experience shapes how we serve you: with insights earned from real-world careers, not just textbooks.
When you work with us, you're matched with an advisor who understands your industry's unique financial landscape—the compensation structures, career transitions, and challenges that textbook advisors miss. We've lived in your world, and that perspective makes all the difference.
While each advisor brings focused industry expertise, we operate as a unified wealth management team—collaborating to deliver comprehensive strategies tailored to your goals, your career trajectory, and your family's future.
J.R. JONES
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Investment Officer
Managing Partner
Since 1999, J.R. has specialized in helping mid-career professionals and business owners navigate critical financial transitions—from job changes and 401(k) rollovers to retirement planning and legacy wealth management.
His approach combines technical expertise with strategic clarity. Whether you're consolidating retirement accounts, optimizing investment allocations, or planning your next chapter, J.R. builds goals-based strategies designed to grow and preserve what you've worked hard to build.
In 2006, J.R. expanded into entrepreneurship—successfully acquiring and scaling businesses. That experience deepened his understanding of cash flow dynamics, strategic risk-taking, and the unique financial needs of business owners. Since 2015, he's focused on leading his family-run financial services brokerage alongside his wife and two adult children.
J.R. holds Series 6, 63, 65, and 26 licenses, plus variable annuity licensure, enabling him to deliver comprehensive investment and wealth management solutions. His clients value his holistic, no-nonsense approach—strategic advice rooted in transparency, clear communication, and shared long-term success.
Outside the office, J.R. enjoys cooking, exploring new culinary experiences, and unwinding on the golf course with family and friends.
AUTUMN SHANNON
Senior Wealth Strategist
Partner
Autumn specializes in helping HR technology professionals and corporate systems analysts turn their analytical expertise into personal financial clarity. If you spend your days optimizing HRIS platforms, building reports, and translating between stakeholders—but your own financial picture feels fragmented—Autumn speaks your language.
As a Senior HRIS Analyst working with enterprise platforms like UKG, PeopleSoft, Achievers, and iCIMS, Autumn understands how systems-thinkers approach complex problems. She's spent her career being the trusted translator between business needs and technical execution—and now applies that same precision to financial planning.
Holding Series 6, 63, 65, and 26 licenses, Autumn works with individuals and families to design long-term investment strategies that are both analytical and deeply personal. Her process starts with understanding the future you've already imagined, then clearly showing where you stand today. From there, she builds a structural roadmap—grounded in clarity, discipline, and decisions that compound over time.
As a new mother to a one-year-old, Autumn especially understands the financial planning needs of young families balancing career growth, childcare costs, and long-term wealth building.
RICH JONES III
Managing Director
Managing Partner
Chief Wealth Strategist
Rich specializes in helping young professionals and next-gen wealth builders turn career momentum into lasting financial security. If you're in your 20s or 30s, earning well but unsure how to optimize student loans, max out retirement accounts, or actually start investing—Rich gets it, because he's building alongside you.
Since joining the family practice in 2016, Rich has become the firm's go-to advisor for millennials and Gen Z professionals navigating their first real wealth-building decisions. He understands the financial landscape young professionals face: gig economy income, stock-based compensation, remote work flexibility, and balancing today's lifestyle with tomorrow's goals.
Rich brings a tech-forward approach to financial planning, leveraging modern tools and automation to make investing accessible and transparent. Whether you're building your first $100K or scaling toward seven figures, he develops personalized strategies that grow with your career.
Rich attended Georgia State University in Atlanta with a focus in Finance and now holds Series 6, 63, 65, and 26 licenses, plus variable annuity licensure, enabling him to deliver comprehensive investment and retirement planning solutions designed for the next generation of wealth builders.
DREW SPEARMAN
Chief Wealth Strategist
Partner
Drew specializes in helping HR professionals and corporate benefits specialists translate their expertise in managing others' financial futures into building their own. If you spend your days explaining 401(k) match formulas, open enrollment, and equity compensation to employees—but haven't optimized your own strategy—Drew gets it.
With two decades as an HR sales consultant before transitioning to wealth management nine years ago, Drew brings insider knowledge of corporate benefits structures, deferred compensation plans, and the career trajectories of HR leaders. He understands the irony: HR professionals often know what benefits mean, but rarely have time to maximize their own.
Drew excels at simplifying complex financial concepts and building tailored strategies for families looking to create stable, multi-generational wealth. His approach combines the consultative skills honed in HR sales with strategic financial planning designed for corporate professionals navigating stock options, executive compensation, and career transitions.
Outside the office, Drew enjoys staying active, working out, and traveling with his wife Samara and their children.
SAMARA SPEARMAN
Chief Wealth Strategist
Principal
Samara specializes in helping nurses and healthcare professionals build financial security without sacrificing the career they love. If you're navigating 403(b) decisions, pension options, or wondering how to retire before burnout wins—Samara understands, because she's been there.
After 20+ years as a practicing nurse, Samara brings firsthand knowledge of the unique financial challenges healthcare workers face: shift differentials, irregular schedules, emotionally demanding work, and complex benefit packages that often go underutilized. She transitioned to wealth management 9 years ago to help nurses do what they rarely have time to do for themselves—plan for their own futures.
As a Principal at R. Jones Jr., Samara leads client reporting and relationship management, combining the empathy and problem-solving skills honed in patient care with strategic financial planning. Her approach is compassionate but clear-eyed: helping healthcare professionals maximize retirement contributions, optimize tax strategies, and build exit plans that honor both their financial goals and personal well-being.
Samara holds Series 6, 63, and 26 licenses, enabling her to deliver comprehensive investment and retirement planning solutions tailored to the healthcare community.
JEANNE KERNEY
Senior Wealth Management Associate
Jeanne specializes in helping engineers and technical professionals navigate complex financial decisions—from stock options and RSUs to retirement planning across career transitions.
A Georgia Tech Civil Engineering graduate, licensed Professional Engineer (PE), and Certified Project Manager (PMP), Jeanne spent decades in construction management before transitioning to wealth management. She understands how engineers think—and applies that same analytical rigor to building clear, data-driven financial strategies.
As a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Jeanne also serves military families and veterans, particularly those managing TSP rollovers and navigating post-service financial transitions.
Jeanne holds Series 6, 63, and 65 licenses and is active in Georgia Tech alumni networks and engineering professional organizations. Her approach is methodical, jargon-free, and tailored to the unique needs of technical professionals and those who've served.
KILEY ROBINETTE
Retirement Plan Specialist
Partner
Kiley specializes exclusively in helping business owners and HR leaders design, implement, and optimize company retirement plans. With experience on both sides of the table—13 years as a financial advisor and 12 years as a 401(k) wholesaler—he brings a rare dual perspective that most plan advisors simply don't have.
Over 25 years, Kiley has helped 500+ employers evaluate and enhance their retirement plans, from startups launching their first 401(k) to established companies restructuring for better employee outcomes and tax efficiency. He understands plan design, fee structures, fiduciary responsibilities, provider selection, and employee engagement strategies because he's worked every angle of the retirement plan business.
Whether you're considering adding a 401(k), evaluating your current plan's competitiveness, or navigating compliance requirements, Kiley provides strategic guidance grounded in real-world experience. His focus is keeping companies informed of regulatory changes, market trends, and plan design innovations that drive both talent retention and bottom-line results.
Kiley holds a BA in Business Administration/Finance and BS in Political Science from the University of Oregon, plus Series 6, 7, 26, 63, and 65 licenses, along with Life, Health, and Variable Annuities licensure.
With his wife Christy and daughters Tori, Lauryn, and Evelyn, Kiley is an avid traveler (25+ countries across 5 continents), devoted Oregon Ducks fan, and enjoys skiing, biking, golfing, and scuba diving.
DANIELLE JONES
Chief Operating Officer
Client Service Director
Danielle specializes in supporting clinical research professionals and pharmaceutical industry employees who need financial strategies as sophisticated as the work they do. With 20+ years as a Senior Contract Manager for clinical research organizations, she understands the unique financial landscape CRO professionals navigate—milestone-based compensation, stock options, international assignments, and the volatility of contract-driven careers.
As Chief Operating Officer, Danielle oversees firm-wide operations and leads our client service teams, implementing best-in-class protocols that ensure seamless experiences for our clients. Her contract management expertise translates directly into building efficient workflows, managing complex client needs, and maintaining the operational excellence our practice is known for.
Danielle is transitioning from behind-the-scenes client support to direct wealth advisory—bringing her deep CRO industry knowledge to help clinical research professionals optimize equity compensation, navigate career transitions, and build long-term financial security.
Danielle attended Rutgers University with a focus in Business Management. Danielle combines operational precision with genuine understanding of the clinical research community she's spent two decades serving.
Guiding Values
Integrity
Strive to do the right thing in
all circumstances.
Trust
Earn confidence by following
through on expectations.
Transparency
Be open and honest in every
interaction.
Authenticity
Build real relationships
through genuine care.
Client-first
Always protect the best
interests of clients.
Connect with us to learn how our Firm can help protect and grow your wealth.
Guiding Values
