Jeffrey Bird is an investment advisor representative of Gradient Advisors, LLC, an SEC registered investment advisor. Jeffrey Bird serves customers in Mesquite, Nevada and surrounding communities. Jeffrey Bird’s mission is to provide local families and businesses with personalized financial strategies and planning that are designed to help lead to financial clarity and security.
Jeffrey Bird
Investment Advisor Representative, Gradient Advisors, LLC
Jeffrey was born and raised in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During high school and after graduation, he worked for Kohl’s Food Store for five years, during which he worked his way to a Department Manager. In 1977, Jeff met his future wife, Roberta, and they were married in 1978.
Soon after he and Roberta were married, an opportunity presented itself for Jeff to own a trucking business, thus his self-employment journey began. After selling that business in 1986, Mr. Bird obtained his Series 6 securities license, his insurance license, and his real estate brokers’ license, beginning his long career in the financial services industry.
Tired of the long Wisconsin winters and looking for better opportunities, he moved his family out west to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Soon, he was back in the financial arena, starting by writing group health insurance. In 1995, he became relicensed in securities, getting his Series 7, then his 24 Principal’s License.
In 1996, Jeff and his family moved to Mesquite, Nevada where he opened his office, Financial Concepts, Inc. He has been serving the Mesquite area for over 27 years and has enjoyed helping and watching his clients reach their financial goals.
In his twenty-eight plus years as a financial advisor, Jeff has refined his skills of educating prospective and current clients. He enjoys explaining how investments are structured and why certain financial plans are able to help a client meet his or her goals. Most importantly, Jeff loves personally getting to know his clients. As a fiduciary, Jeff feels that building a relationship of trust is paramount. He says, “Becoming a client is like being part of our family.”
Jeff enjoys spending time with his four sons, five grandchildren and is active in his church, in his community, and in his participation of various charities.
Ron Bird
Investment Advisor Representative, Gradient Advisors, LLC
Ronald likes to say he was born with cheese in his blood. Originally from Wisconsin, Ron grew up in the desert. After graduating Virgin Valley High School in Mesquite, Ron served 4 years active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps. It was in the Marine Corps that Ron met his wife, Caroline, who was also an active-duty Marine at the time. During his time in the Marines, Ron earned a BA in Business Administration from AIU.
Upon completion of their 4 years of military service, they moved back to Mesquite where Ron joined his father as an Insurance Agent for Financial Concepts. Ron initially focused on group health insurance for employers but would eventually become the go-to agent in town for Medicare.
After 15 years of experience in the insurance industry,
Ron got securities licensed and works alongside his father as an Investment Advisor Representative with Gradient Advisors, LLC. Ron is also a Certified Document Preparer in NV and can assist clients in drafting legal documents such as Trusts, Wills, and POAs. Ron enjoys the holistic approach his office takes to ensure that their clients aren’t treated as just transactions, but rather life-long relationships.
Ron and Caroline are blessed with two daughters that are daddy’s little girls, even though they’re both adults. Ron is involved with his church playing guitar on the worship team as well as teaching. Ron loves music, art, and the outdoors.
Roberta Bird
Office Manager
Roberta was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After graduating high school, she met and married Jeff Bird in 1978. She and Jeff began their family, then moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona in 1990. In 1996, their family moved to Mesquite, Nevada, where she and Jeff currently reside.
Roberta worked for the Clark County Library in Mesquite for six years before joining her husband in the financial services business in 2006. She enjoys working alongside Jeff as the office manager where she keeps the office running smoothly.
Roberta enjoys time with the Bird’s four sons, daughters-in-law, and spoiling their six beautiful grandchildren. She is active in her church and enjoys spending any free-time crafting.
Nick Bird
Administrative Assistant
Nicholas was born in Madison, Wisconsin. At age 9, the family moved to Lake Havasu City, AZ where he lived until graduating from Lake Havasu City High School in 1999. Immediately after graduating high school, he joined the US Navy as a cryptologic technician in the advanced electronics field. He served honorably at multiple duty stations including Naval Security Group Activity, Pensacola, FL and Naval Strike and Air Warfare center in Fallon, NV.
After leaving the Navy in 2005 Nick pursued and completed a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. He continued to work in the tech industry which included helping to develop medical respiratory equipment and then later in the manufacturing of semiconductors for satellites.
In late 2020 he was asked by his father if he would like to join the family business. Not having any experience in business, he was a little hesitant, but the prospect of working with his family and preserving the legacy of his father’s business which he had been building for over 25 years made the decision clear. Nick joined the office in early 2021 as administrative assistant. Learning a new industry has been challenging, but Nick has found meeting with clients and assisting them in their financial goals to be rewarding.
Nick is most passionate about his faith, family, and friends. He is an avid gamer and enjoys bowling, traveling and music. Getting to work with his family has been a real joy in his life and he looks forward to continue working with his family to keep the business thriving for years to come.
Michelle Lawrence
Receptionist
Michelle moved to Mesquite, Nevada from Florida at the end of 2022 with her husband Warren to help care for her father-in-law. While seeking financial advice, she visited the Financial Concepts office for appointments to look at her finances, set up a trust and get her taxes done. She was pleased to get to know the Financial Concepts Team and was impressed by their kindness and professionalism. She is thankful for the opportunity to be working alongside the proficient Bird family and serving the friendly people here in Mesquite and surrounding areas.
Since high school, Michelle has always wanted to be involved in the business of helping and serving people. She attended Rhema Bible College in Broken Arrow, OK for two years and graduated in 1991. After serving in youth, pastoral and children’s ministry with her husband, she continued her ministry education and attended a third year at Rhema and graduated in 2003. Besides ministry work, Michelle was a caretaker in an assisted living home in Tulsa, OK and was a front desk person and an assistant in an orthodontist/oral surgery office in Silver City, NM. In South Dakota she worked as a paraprofessional in Madison High School for six years. In 2012 Michelle and her husband moved to Bradenton, Florida to help with a new church start up. For ten years she served in various volunteer positions in the church, and she also worked part-time for a realtor.
Mrs. Lawrence is happy to warmly greet all clients and potential clients and will help them get in touch with the excellent services provided at Financial Concepts. Michelle answers the phone, schedules appointments, maintains client records, and helps organize and facilitate client events. She is ready and willing to help with whatever needs to be done in the office.
Michelle likes serving at church, baking cookies and sharing them, exercising, singing and spending time with family. Auggie and Everett are her two adorable step-grandsons, and she LOVES that they call her “Shellma”. Her main desire is to love people and glorify God in all she does.