Meet the Team

Brian Cox

Managing Partner & Investment Advisor Representative

Email: briancox@pacificasset.com

Brian joined Pacific Asset Management in 2007 after graduating from the University of Portland with a degree in Business Finance.   Brian has worked extensively in all departments of Pacific Asset Management including operations, compliance, marketing, and investment management. 

Currently, Brian is serving as managing partner where his focus centers on ensuring all clients have a positive experience with the firm.  He also takes great pride in creating a culture that is comfortable, challenging, and enjoyable for the Pacific Asset Management team.  

“The trust our clients place in us is something we never take for granted.  We’re grateful to be able to work with a special group of people,” says Brian.  

Outside of the office, Brian loves spending time with his wife, Stephanie, and two young girls.  He can also be found frequently on the golf course.  The Cox family has a strong passion for athletics.  Brian played baseball in college and also coached basketball for 15 years at South Kitsap High School.  Stephanie played professional soccer, including a lengthy tenure with the U.S. Women’s National Team where she was a part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal winning team.  She is currently the head women’s soccer coach at the University of Puget Sound.    

Josh Morin, CPA, CFP®

Principal, Investment Advisor Representative

Josh is a native to the Pacific Northwest and has called Washington home since 2010. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) Professional. He first discovered his passion for financial planning while creating a financial plan for him and his wife to purchase their first home together.

Growing up in a small town in Oregon, Josh has always had a passion for helping others. As a boy, he earned the honor of Eagle Scout. While he may not remember everything he learned as a Scout, the one thing he has not forgotten are the values that were instilled into him from scouting. To this day, he still lives by the Scout Motto, which is be prepared, and the Scout law which represents twelve values every Boy Scout lives by. Clients can expect a trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent Advisor. When tailoring financial plans for clients Josh believes a good financial plan is much like the Scout Motto, it should be prepared for the unexpected. It is not to say that we can eliminate volatility, rather plan and be prepared for cash flow in all types of markets.

Josh is a true student of the industry and enjoys bringing simplicity to often complicated financial planning subjects. He is dedicated in helping clients save money, invest smarter, and retire confidently. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association and American Institute of CPAs.

Josh is a proud graduate from the University of Portland Pamplin School of Business, with a degree in Finance and Accounting.

Outside of work, Josh can be found watching football, gardening, bicycling, barbecuing with friends and family, or spending time with his wife and three children walking around Gig Harbor, their hometown.

Don Cox

Founder, Principal, Investment Advisor Representative

Don established the accounting firm of Donald Cox and Associates in 1981. In 1984, he partnered with Gary Lucy, and the firm was renamed Cox & Lucy CPA’s. Don practiced public accounting there until the firm was sold in 2010. 

Don has over 40 years experience and is an Investment Advisor Representative for Pacific Asset Management. 

Don resides in Gig Harbor with his wife Julie. They have two children, Jamie and Brian, as well as four grandchildren. Don enjoys growing dahlias, riding his motorcycle, boating and spending time with his kids and grandkids and dog Ellie.

Ralph Latza, JD (California), LLM, CFP®

Investment Advisor Representative

Ralph’s mission is to help those in transition make smart financial and informed life-decisions.   Retirement, aging in place, loss of a loved one, returning to the workplace – these are often times where people are treading in new waters.  

Ralph believes the best way to help people navigate these waters is by asking questions and active listening – skills build from years as a trial lawyer and his training as a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach® (CPCC).   His work centers on removing barriers and opening pathways for people to accomplish great things at whatever stage of life they find themselves.  

Ralph bridges these softer personal skills with robust problem-solving abilities from over 20 years as an attorney, financial planner, and tax practitioner. He remains licensed in California as a lawyer, with a masters in taxation (LL.M.).   Ralph’s undergrad degree is from Stanford University, and his JD is from University of Minnesota Law School.   

As a  CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) Professional, Ralph’s financial and investment planning experience spans across clients of all ages, as he has counseled those in the wealth distribution stage, as well as those building wealth through stock options and career advancement.

Ralph has been an active member of the San Francisco Chapter of the Financial Planning Association (FPASF).  There, his involvement and leadership helped create a vibrant and dynamic chapter, becoming the acting President in 2011 and Chair in 2012.  In 2015 the FPASF awarded Ralph the Heart of Financial Planning Award, the highest honor for the chapter.

In his spare time, Ralph loves a good story.  He enjoys how a life unfolds on the page or on the screen.  In his spare time, you may find him at a local coffee shop crafting his next screenplay or in his backyard, moving piles of dirt hoping to get something to grow or at the grill celebrating friends and family.

Gary Lucy

Founder, Investment Advisor Representative

Gary has over 40 years of experience and teamed with Don Cox in 1984 to form the Cox and Lucy CPA firm. Gary practiced public accounting there until the firm was sold in 2010. In 1998, they shared a common goal to offer a distinctively different form of financial advisor services, establishing the investment advisor firm of Pacific Asset Management. Gary is an Investment Advisor Representative.

His passion for helping clients with their financial decisions, and for the prudent investment philosophy adopted by Pacific Asset Management, is what inspires Gary. Building long-term relationships that have created peace of mind for clients is what he believes sets Pacific Asset Management apart from other firms.

He has been married to JoAn since 1972 and they have two children and a grandson. Gary is an avid hiker, kayaker, acoustic guitar player and reader.

Deborah Schmidt

Operations Manager

Deborah joined Pacific Asset Management in October of 2018. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with her Bachelor of Science degree and was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in cross country. 

Deborah has spent the last 20 years managing and operating both small and large non-profit organizations. As a longtime resident of Gig Harbor and a committed volunteer, she has spent many years volunteering in the Peninsula School District and with the WSU Master Gardeners. Deborah loves working for an organization that is committed to serving its community.

Deborah has lived in the Gig Harbor Area for the past 30 years with her husband and three children. In her free time, Deborah continues to run and spend time traveling, gardening and keeping honey bees as well as watching her husband and kids run ultra-marathons and trail races.