Russell E. Towne

Like many of you I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors, who immigrated predominately from Germany and Ireland. It was through their hard work and sacrifice that provided me the foundation and work ethic that has given me the success I now enjoy. I am truly blessed.

My paternal grandfather, George Towne, born in Berkley, CA, settled in San Francisco, California. He was big, physical man, active in union jobs throughout the city and played baseball actively as a hobby. My grandmother, Marge Driscoll was born south of Market Street in the Irish borough of the city before the great earthquake. She was an early telephone operator for AT&T. Marge noticed George at one of his baseball games, and soon after, they were married, building a house in the mission district of San Francisco in 1925.

My maternal grandfather was Fred Lynch. He graduated from Creighton University and made his living as an attorney. He married Marie Zeman and they raised their family in South Dakota.

My father, William Towne, was raised in San Francisco. Dad was in the Navy during WWII. He was the first man on his side of the family to attend college, attending both City College of San Francisco, and Golden Gate University utilizing the GI Bill. Starting in the mail room while in college, dad spent an entire career of thirty-nine years at Crown Zellerbach Corporation. He ultimately became head of one of the top divisions there… one of the largest companies in the United States.

My mother, Joan Lynch, moved to San Francisco in the 1940s, attending the prestigious Lowell High School. Mom did some modeling after high school, and met my father at City College. She procured dad as an escort to accompany her on a photoshoot in a questionable neighborhood, and they hit it off. They were married in 1950 in Carmel California then moved to Palo Alto, California to start a family.

I was born in Palo Alto, California, a burgeoning suburb, south of San Francisco, where many moved to start a life in the post WWII expansion. I had an idyllic childhood living in the San Francisco bay area, playing baseball while idolizing the San Francisco Giants and Willie Mays.

My high school years were first spent in Deerfield, Ill, due to my dad’s relocation for business. My senior year in high school we moved back to the San Francisco Bay area, settling in Walnut Creek. During high school, I fell in love with team sports, girls, and school (in that order).

I received my AA at Diablo Valley College. Then I attended San Diego State University, and graduated from Sacramento State University. I studied Political Science, Business, English and Journalism, with the idea of writing about business and sports. I wrote for my college paper, and ultimately received my degree in English and Journalism. These majors served me well by developing my thinking and communication skills. To this day, I still enjoy a great history book and love to write poetry.

After college I worked in business sales for a distributorship of Sony Corporation in San Francisco, and then in Sacramento. In 1981, I entered the financial services industry, funding Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) offerings. In the REIT industry, I held positions as Financial Wholesaler, Property Manager and National Sales Manager, working closely with Financial Advisors nationwide.

In 1995, I expanded my role to that of a Financial Advisor, helping individuals and small business owners pursue their financial goals. I truly enjoy working close to my home and within my community.

I have appeared on both the radio and TV, and have given thousands of seminars on a variety of financial topics. My intent has always been to help investors develop a vision of the investment world around them so that they can be an integral part of their own financial plan.

In my spare time, I enjoy working out, volunteering in my neighborhood church, and coaching football at Granite Bay High School, where my children were involved in many sports and music. My lovely wife, Jill, a native Sacramentan, has been my loving partner for over 30 years, while raising our three children, Haley, Conner and Brittany.  Now, they are all young adults, and we are fortunate that they still live and work in our community, so we can enjoy spending time with them.