Who We Are

Who We Are

Our investment philosophy, disciplined process, and commitment to you remain constant.

Downtown Cleveland Ohio

Our Story

At Woodland Wealth Partners, our journey began with a simple but powerful realization: wealth management isn’t just about numbers; it’s about the people and the transitions that define their lives. We founded this firm to move away from the traditional, rigid corporate model and toward a philosophy where the client is the only boss.

By combining disciplined oversight with a deeply personal direction, we’ve built a practice dedicated to guiding you through every stage, from building your “growth years” to securing a lasting legacy. We believe that reliability is the precondition for trust, and our story continues to be written by the success and peace of mind of the families we serve.

What We Believe

Decorative divider

Everything we do is centered around the client and creating the best customized client experience over decades. This focus reverberates through every facet of our firm. Our current clients always take precedence over future clients, and we are investment professionals first – not salespeople.

Long-Term Stewards

We work hard and smart to separate the noise from the signal and to differentiate between short-term anomalies and true long-term secular trends. We believe that engaging in “horse races” with market indices encourages poor short-term decisions and is detrimental to the long-term client experience.

Fiduciary Is Not a Marketing Term

We are true fiduciaries – we are legally and ethically bound to act in our clients’ best interest. This is not a challenge for us. When your clients are the center of your efforts, and you think of them like family, being a fiduciary is a natural instinct. This is also why we do not sell products; there are no sales commissions, and our revenue model aligns with our clients’ best interests.

Customization, Not Standardization

We believe that investing primarily in individual stocks and bonds offers our clients a more efficient, direct, and customized experience. Further, employing this strategy eliminates a second layer of fees and offers more control over taxes. This is another way we place our clients at the center of our efforts; it certainly is not the easiest route, but it is the best route for our clients.

Keep It Simple

We believe a critical part of good investing and great client experiences is to keep it simple. We seek clarity, transparency, and to focus on what really matters. We are not concerned with sounding smart. We strive to be smart. In a world full of noise, we seek the truth and to separate that noise from the true signal – what really matters.

Independence Improves Outcomes

This is important to our client-centric model of creating great outcomes. We have ONE boss: the client. We have no pressure to sell, no outside investors to satisfy, no profitability hurdles or corporate mandates. We have one job with one focus – creating great experiences for our clients.

We Are Curious

We are naturally curious and avid learners, always seeking the truth. We have a never-ending and natural drive to acquire more information and to recognize facts, trends, and patterns in all aspects of life. This trait not only helps us make sound investment and financial planning decisions, but it also means we are authentically curious about our clients and business efforts, too. This leads us to a day one attitude – every day is day one.

Our Investment Process

At Woodland Wealth Partners, we approach investing with the same discipline that governs scientific discovery. For us, looking at investments through this lens is natural and instinctive, not forced.

Observation

Scientific discovery begins with careful and unbiased observation.

One of our most distinguishing characteristics is our sense of curiosity and desire to learn everything we can about the world around us. We begin by observing behaviors, trends, and patterns around us and specifically within businesses, industries, markets, and technological progress more broadly.

We strive to ground our observations in objective reality, not the opinions or narratives of others or the media. As such, we tend to be skeptical about the latest craze and question conventional thinking.

Scientists form hypotheses to explain what they observe. In investing, this corresponds to developing an investment thesis — a clear, logical explanation for why we believe a company will continue to grow or even accelerate that growth going forward. Conventional thinkers will often just apply past trends to predict future results, but math is not an edge. The most compelling opportunities exist where future expansion is driven by factors that standard predictive models tend to overlook.

Scientific hypotheses must be evaluated against evidence.

Investments are no different. We constantly test our theses against new information and observable reality. As new data and behaviors develop, those data points should corroborate our thesis. If not, then we must be willing to admit that we may be wrong. Conviction is good, too much conviction leads to ignoring facts that contradict the thesis.

We actively seek disconfirming evidence — not just confirmation — because the goal is not to be right, but to discover the truth. We always think about how we might be wrong, and what the costs of being wrong would be. On the other hand, we also consider the potential upside magnitude of being correct. We seek situations where the risks are asymmetrically tilted to the upside.

Scientists draw conclusions based on evidence.

If the evidence, valuation, and observable trends support our thesis, we will consider initiating an investment.

Science is never static – in the natural world, things are always evolving and changing.

Likewise, we are constantly monitoring our investments for changes that might not fit and are willing to revise our conclusions when facts change. The best decision-makers are those who are willing to change their minds, not those who feel a need to prove themselves right even when things have changed.

We do not anchor to past decisions — we adapt to evolving information. We cannot change the past, but we can make forward-looking decisions today that affect our future.

Investing, like science, is a continuous process of learning, adapting, and refining our understanding of reality. It is more than financial models, ratios, and spreadsheets.

Meet
Our Team

Meet Our Team

Qualified by experience. Motivated by your goals.

Our team brings together decades of financial experience with a genuine passion for the people we serve.

Brent Luce
Founder and Portfolio Manager

Brent Luce
Raz Pounardjian
Managing Director and Portfolio Manager

Raz Pounardjian
Jennifer Dolejs
Office Manager

Jennifer Dolejs
Neil Varnish
Head Trader and Analyst

Neil Varnish
Miranda Love
Concierge and Client Experience Associate

Miranda Love
Denny Johnson
Portfolio Management Associate

Denny Johnson
Founder and Portfolio Manager

Brent Luce

Brent founded Woodland Wealth Partners in 2026 and works passionately with clients to create the best possible long-term financial outcomes for them.

Brent began his career in 1997 and has developed a deep understanding of the financial markets through years of experience in investment research, trading, portfolio management, strategy development, and alternative investments. Prior to co-founding Woodland Wealth, Brent spent eleven years with Carnegie Investment Counsel as a portfolio manager and managing director. Before Carnegie, Brent was a partner at CapitalWorks and began his career with Shaker Investments, where he served in a variety of roles.

Brent attended Clemson University and earned a BBA in finance from Cleveland State University. Brent and his wife, Kim, live in the Chagrin Valley, where both have resided most of their lives. Outside of work, Brent enjoys family time, participating in sports like platform tennis and golf, serving on local boards, and exploring the road less traveled in his Land Cruiser.

Email:brent@woodlandwealthpartners.com

Phone:216-377-0123

Managing Director and Portfolio Manager

Raz Pounardjian

Raz is the Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Woodland Wealth Partners. He has over 16 years of experience in the investment management industry and previously served in research and operational roles.

Raz works closely with clients to help them achieve their financial goals by designing and managing custom portfolios and advising on financial, estate, and tax planning. He is committed to creating long-lasting relationships and great experiences for all clients. He is also the author of the monthly Market Musings blog.

He is an active member of the Cleveland Armenian community, as he recently served on the Parish Council at St. Gregory of Narek Armenian Church and continues to serve on its finance and investment committee. He is also a member of the Armenian Cultural Group of Cleveland. In addition, he is on the marketing and investment committee for Solon Community Living, a non-profit focused on serving young adults with developmental disabilities, and the Treasurer of the Holocaust & Genocide Education Network of Ohio.

Raz earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from John Carroll University. He currently lives in Shaker Heights with his wife, Claire. In his free time, he enjoys running, cooking, cheering on Cleveland and John Carroll University sports teams, and spending time with family and friends.

Email:raz@woodlandwealthpartners.com

Phone:216-377-0125

Office Manager

Jennifer Dolejs

Jennifer Dolejs is a seasoned administrative and operations professional with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations run smoothly through strong coordination, thoughtful support, and a detail-oriented approach. As Office Manager, she supports daily office operations, helps create efficient processes, and works to ensure both internal teams and clients have a positive, professional experience.

Jennifer is recognized for her organizational skills, reliability, and ability to manage competing priorities with care and efficiency. She takes pride in creating structure, solving problems, and helping the people around her do their best work.

Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Science from Kent State University. She enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with her daughter and dogs, attending concerts, and visiting Playhouse Square.

Email:jennifer@woodlandwealthpartners.com

Phone:216-377-0122

Head Trader and Analyst

Neil Varnish

Neil serves Woodland Wealth Partners as Head Trader/Analyst. He is responsible for developing and improving the firm’s trading practices & procedures, executing portfolio trades for clients, and assisting in analytical endeavors pertaining to investments and portfolio management. He is also working toward his Certified Financial Planner designation, with a longer-term vision of expanding into financial planning for Woodland’s clients.

Neil brings nearly a decade of experience in financial services to the Woodland team. Prior to joining Woodland Wealth Partners, Neil worked at GFP Private Wealth, where he honed his expertise in trade execution, portfolio analysis, and process automation. Before GFP, Neil spent over four years at MAI Capital Management, gaining experience across all facets of investment operations at a full-service wealth management firm.

Neil earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The Ohio State University and holds the Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional™ (FPQP®) designation from the College for Financial Planning. He is bilingual and resides in Cleveland near Ohio City. Outside of work, Neil enjoys sports, traveling, music, and exploring new languages and cultures.

Email:neil@woodlandwealthpartners.com

Phone:216-377-0124

Concierge and Client Experience Associate

Miranda Love

As Concierge / Client Experience Associate, Miranda helps deliver a polished, high-touch experience for Woodland Wealth Partners clients while supporting the firm’s day-to-day operations. She brings more than a decade of experience supporting executives and high-net-worth clients within a private investment firm environment. Known for her discretion, organization, and attention to detail, Miranda helps ensure clients feel welcomed, respected, and well cared for.

Miranda earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in Accounting with high honors from Centennial College in Toronto, Canada. Outside the office, Miranda enjoys music, cooking, and spending time outdoors.

Email:miranda@woodlandwealthpartners.com

Phone:216-626-3560

Portfolio Management Associate

Denny Johnson

Denny Johnson brings a well-rounded foundation in investment advisory services to the Woodland Wealth Partners team. His experience spans portfolio management, operations, trading, and client service, including prior roles as an investment specialist across Northeast Ohio.

Denny holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and an Executive Master of Business Administration, both from Cleveland State University.

Outside the office, Denny can be found on the trails backpacking and hiking, out on his motorcycle, or exploring new destinations. His sense of adventure and curiosity carries over into his approach to serving clients and staying sharp in an ever-changing market.

Email:denny@woodlandwealthpartners.com

Phone:216-377-0121