Monte Rio Partners
Our Mindset & Culture
Everyone is Worth a Cup of Coffee
At Monte Rio Partners, we believe in the irreplaceable value of human insight and the deep connection between advisors and their clients. In an industry that’s increasingly driven toward automation, influenced by major corporations and robo-advisors seeking to replace human decision-making with algorithms, we stand firm in our conviction: technology should serve as a tool, not a substitute. Technology can enhance our lives and amplify our reach, but it lacks the wisdom, intuition, and nuanced understanding that only a human advisor can provide. We see technology as a multiplier effect, working in concert with human intelligence—not as a replacement.
Our mission is to position advisors as the true quarterbacks of their clients’ financial teams. With our support, you can be freed from the burden of doing everything alone and, instead, focus on orchestrating a comprehensive strategy for your clients’ success. By partnering with Monte Rio, you can move from the role of executor to coordinator, using your expertise to guide clients while we handle the operational complexity behind the scenes.
Monte Rio offers a fully integrated solution, allowing advisors to meet business strategy needs seamlessly under one roof. Rather than juggling multiple vendors for digital marketing, operations management, research, and strategy consulting, our collaborative architecture brings everything you need together, saving you time, reducing complexity, and helping you stay focused on growth. We’re here to amplify your impact, make you irreplaceable, and empower you to do what you’re passionate about: building meaningful relationships and driving success for your clients. With Monte Rio, you’re equipped not just to compete but to lead in a market that increasingly values human-centered financial guidance.
Our Story
At Monte Rio Partners, we understand the world you navigate every day. It’s a world of meaningful connections, where clients turn to you with their dreams, worries, and hopes for the future. For financial advisors like you, these aren’t just numbers and portfolios—they are people’s lives and legacies. And behind every client, there’s a story that you help shape.
At our core, we are more than just a service provider. We’re an ally, a guide, and a confidant who stands beside you every step of the way. We know that when you can spend more time on the relationships that drew you to this profession, your clients feel more seen, heard, and valued. Our role is to give you that time and freedom, managing the portfolios and strategies behind the scenes so you can focus on what truly matters: fostering the bonds that build trust and security.
Our team has lived and breathed this industry, thriving under the pressure of tough markets and navigating the high stakes of financial decisions. We know that big choices can be daunting, and we’re here to make them easier, clearer, and rooted in your clients’ best interests. In times of market uncertainty or emotional client conversations, we’re here as a steady hand and a supportive voice. Advisors who work with us feel the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have a seasoned team backing them up—one that cares as deeply about their success as they do.
Partnering with us means more than gaining a service; it’s gaining a trusted extension of your practice, a team that feels like family. With us by your side, you can spend more time with those you love, pursue the passions that fuel you, and nurture the relationships that inspire you. We’re here to make life a little lighter, to make your practice more rewarding, and to help you grow with confidence and heart.
Let us help you unlock the best of both worlds: a thriving business and a fulfilling life. Because at the end of the day, your clients’ dreams—and your own—are what we’re here to protect and multiply.
Meet The Team
Anthony M. Cardenas, MBA
Founder & CIO
Our founder brings a depth of experience that’s rare in the industry, combining over a decade of strategic insights with a practical approach to financial services. For the past eight years, he has guided investment strategies and delivered high-level solutions to decision-makers, most recently serving as Deputy CIO for a nationally-recognized asset management firm with over $5 billion under management. Before this, he directed strategy and operations at a prominent fund manager in Greenwich, Connecticut, where his colleagues often joked that he had the mindset of a 50-year-old seasoned pro—despite his actual age of 29. Anthony began his professional financial journey in 2016 as a business development analyst with a retirement plan consulting firm based in Los Angeles. Since this time he has developed deep investment operations and management experience in a wide variety of settings such as hedge funds, fund of funds, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, registered investment advisor firms and registered investment companies. Lastly, due to his operational and strategic acumen, various enterprises such as Kodak 3D Printing, SureFire Capital, Arrived Workforce Connections (acquired by LiveHire), SMJ Drones and Parentfile have asked Anthony to serve on their Board of Advisors. With a legacy of political advisors and strategists in his family lineage, he embodies a tradition of service and thoughtful counsel, extending back to ancestors who advised the Catholic Church through the Orders of Calatrava and Santiago. His career has taken him from boardrooms in San Francisco to projects in the Middle East and Asia, equipping him with a global perspective that fuels his unique approach to investment management. Beyond work, he’s a passionate learner and adventurer. Whether he’s hiking in the Sierra Nevada, enjoying the flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine, or diving into languages like Arabic and Chinese, he brings curiosity and energy to all he does. With an MBA from Pepperdine University, he’s here to provide advisors with an edge—allowing them to focus on growing their business with confidence, knowing they’re backed by a team that understands the path to sustainable success.
David Nelson, CFA
Chief Market Strategist
David Nelson, CFA is the Chief Strategist of Belpointe Asset Management. In 2011, the members of his firm, DC Nelson Asset Management, LLC (DC Nelson), merged into Belpointe. David is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), a designation issued solely by the CFA Institute. Learn more about his role at Belpointe Asset Management. David founded his own investment firm in October 2000. Prior to forming DC Nelson, David was a portfolio manager at Lehman Brothers’ New York City office, where from 1997-2000, he was responsible for managing the assets of high net worth clients and small institutions. Lehman approached David at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter where, from 1995-1997, he played an active role in management at their flagship New York City office. He is a frequent commentator and guest on CNBC, Fox News, The Street.com, Yahoo Finance and Bloomberg TV where he discusses markets, politics and individual securities. David also served as the Financial News Anchor for Newsmax TV interviewing many of our nations leaders as well as top financial personalities. His investment career follows his well-publicized success in the entertainment industry where he performed with recording artists The Turtles and David Johansen. David is a contributor to Yahoo Finance: David’s Yahoo Finance Articles
Alix Stirton
Business Development Manager
Alix has over 20 years of business management and development experience across multiple industries. He brings his depth and breadth of relationship management prowess to help Monte Rio Partners connect with potential corporate clients. While he's not busy helping Monte Rio grow its pipeline, you might catch him at a local concert, the nearest art museum or the closest dog park.
Dismas Womack II
Strategy Analyst - USA
Dismas (Junior) is a valuable member of Monte Rio's global research team. He specializes in European geopolitics where he focuses on cross-border migration patterns and regional trade policy. His analysis impacts company decision-making at the executive level and is an emerging specialist in statistical analysis. Prior to joining Monte Rio Partners, Junior worked as a manager at both a Tahoe-based hospitality company and award-winning restaurant. He attended Whittell High where he honed his competitve spirit as a star athlete in football, basketball and baseball. When Dismas isn't helping Monte Rio Partners with critical investment research, you can find him hiking the Sierra Nevada mountains or playing disc golf at the local course.
Our Technology Stack
.png)
.png)
_jfif.jpg)
