R. Travis Upton, CFA, FRM, CAIA
Clifton StrengthsFinder®
Strategic – Woo – Competition – Communication – Achiever
Travis provides visionary leadership to enhance The Joseph Group’s culture and mission through big ideas and impactful relationships. In his role as Chief Investment Officer, Travis chairs the firm’s investment committee and uses his communication skills to simplify investment concepts.
Values are the foundation of The Joseph Group and Travis frequently references the value of excellence. “Avoiding complacency and making things better can apply to a process or procedure, but also applies to our team and clients. We have the opportunity to make an impact on people we love and care about, and we should always be striving to make things better.”
Travis has over two decades of financial services experience. Earlier in his career he served as an Institutional Portfolio Manager with Fifth Third Investment Advisors where he worked extensively with investment policy for endowment and pension funds. He also worked in institutional sales for the Harbor Funds mutual fund family. In addition to his investment duties, Travis served as a Kaplan Licensed Faculty member for Kaplan Education’s Leadership and Professional Development program where he taught training programs for investment banks across the country and helped develop study materials for financial certification programs. Travis is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Toledo and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM), and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations.
Active in professional and community organizations, Travis is a member of CFA Institute, Past President of the CFA Society of Columbus, and currently serves on the boards for Convene Columbus, Cypress Church, and the Columbus Speech and Hearing Center.
Travis and his wife Shannon live in Hilliard and are active members at Cypress Church. They have three children – Spencer, Karly, and Oliver (whose middle name begins with an S so his initials would be OSU). In his free time, Travis loves trying new foods and enjoying tranquility on Sunday afternoon hikes or kayak trips. He once had a teacher tell him “the pun is the highest form of humor” something that forever changed Travis’ life and the lives of those around him.