ADAM L. WAY
CFP®, AEP®, ChFC®, AIF®, AIFA®, CLU®, CLTC®
Founder I Chief Executive Officer I Chief Compliance Officer
In financial services since 2002 I SEC CRD #4609168 I Licensed across the United States in 47 states as of May 11, 2026.
Adam Way founded Global Wealth Strategies & Associates (GWS&A) to bring comprehensive financial planning, integrated estate planning, and fiduciary investment management under one roof. Since 2002, he has worked with families, individuals, and business owners on the parts of their financial lives that don't fit neatly into any one specialty — retirement distribution strategy, tax mitigation, business valuation and succession, and the multi-generational design questions that estate planning raises for households with meaningful assets.
Estate planning is the throughline of Adam's practice, and his Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation reflects that focus. Conferred by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils, the AEP® is awarded only to professionals with at least five years of demonstrated estate planning experience who complete graduate-level estate planning coursework, hold a qualifying primary credential (CFP®, ChFC®, CPA, JD, or CTFA), pass a rigorous application, and are peer-recognized. It is a deliberately small community of practitioners. Adam is also an active member of the Denver Estate Planning Council, the regional NAEPC chapter where he collaborates directly with attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, and insurance specialists on complex client situations — the kind of cross-disciplinary work that estate planning, done well, actually requires.
In 2025, Adam earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst® (AIFA®) designation. Beyond the more common AIF®, AIFA® training qualifies the holder to conduct formal fiduciary assessments — to examine whether an advisor or firm is meeting the fiduciary obligations it owes its clients. For prospective clients who want a second opinion on a current advisory relationship, or for trustees evaluating whether their existing arrangements still serve the beneficiaries they're responsible for, this analytical capability is a tool Adam puts to work. Rounding out his credentials, Adam holds the ChFC®, CLU®, and CLTC® designations — covering advanced financial planning, life insurance, and long-term care planning, respectively — and has passed the FINRA Series 6, 63, 65, and 7 examinations.
Adam grew up around small businesses, and that background informs the way he serves business-owner clients today. He brings working fluency in business valuation, tax and legal entity structuring, employee benefits design, and the buy/sell mechanics that determine whether a successful business eventually produces a successful exit for its owner.
Beyond GWS&A, Adam serves on the Board of Directors of Rachel's Challenge, a national non-profit dedicated to preventing violence in schools, and volunteers with Trails Preservation Alliance, which works to keep wilderness trails accessible across the West. He also volunteers with the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning, contributing time and counsel to the body that certifies CFP® professionals.
Adam and his wife Barb live in Cherry Creek, Denver and Moab, Utah. He is a competitive skydiver, loves to weld and fabricate, rock-crawls, shoots IPSC competitively, and spends as much time in the Colorado Rockies and Moab deserts as the calendar allows.
ERIC M. JACOBS
MBA, APMA®, AIF®
Chief Investment Officer I Portfolio Manager
Eric’s background is centered in retail investments and banking, with a deep focus towards comprehensive planning, through diverse asset management strategies. His experience led him to GWS&A after beginning his career in financial services at JP Morgan Chase and Edward Jones, following a desire to serve clients in a fiduciary capacity. During his time at JP Morgan Chase, he worked on large, complex retirement plans and is highly competent in the Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit spaces.
Charged with directing GWS&A’s Investment Operations & Strategies, Eric believes in taking a big picture approach to the investment planning process. He uses holistic methodologies aimed at mitigating risk, while still focusing on consistent and measured growth in client portfolios. He has a passion for educating clients and guiding them along the journey towards financial success and independence.
A firm believer in continually furthering his knowledge and financial acumen, Eric’s educational background includes his Master’s Degree, earned from the University of Colorado, Denver, with dual specializations in Finance and Risk Management & Insurance. Prior to this, Eric completed his undergraduate work at the University of Redlands in southern California, with a double major in Business and Philosophy. Most recently, Eric earned the Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor℠ - APMA® - designation, completing advanced coursework in portfolio construction, augmentation and maintenance - with emphasis on sophisticated and unique client situations. Additionally, Eric has earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary - AIF® - designation, signifying his commitment to upholding the highest fiduciary standards. Eric has also passed both Series 7 and 66 licensing exams.
Remaining active in his community, Eric currently serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for ALS United, Rocky Mountain, an organization dedicated to helping those living with ALS and finding a cure for Lou Gehrig’s Disease. In addition, Eric participates as a mentor in the Mentor Collective program through the University of Colorado, Denver; meeting with and guiding current Undergrad and Graduate students as they enter into the workplace and transition through life and their careers.
A native of Montana, Eric now resides in Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood with his wife Jami, their boys Foster and Arley, and daughter Willah. In his free time, Eric enjoys exercising, training in Krav Maga, watching and playing sports, fly fishing, coaching his kids in youth sports, and spending quality time with his family.
Sara began her financial services career in January of 2008, as a Financial Representative Intern with Northwestern Mutual. Shortly into her internship, she realized that the analyzing and planning aspect of the industry suited her talents more than the Representative role. During this time, she met Adam Way. It was apparent to Adam that Sara's skills were a great fit for Adam's practice vision, and he brought her onto his team as a Financial Plan Analyst. Over the past 14+ years, Sara has been a GWS&A mainstay, the primary component of Adam's original team.
Since entering the financial services world, Sara has attended numerous Advanced Planning seminars, Estate Planning workshops, and focused her knowledge on how to bring all aspects of a client’s financial situation together. In keeping with GWS&A's philosophy of furthering one's education, Sara obtained her RP® (Registered Paraplanner) designation in 2014, now retitled as FPQP® (Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional℠).
Sara specializes in analyzing current and future planning ideas; optimizing the needs and goals of our clients. She works closely with our client's estate planning attorneys and CPAs to determine how their financial situations could be improved and what steps are needed in order to make these improvements.
Most recently, Sara has transitioned into the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for GWS&A. This role allows Sara to further impact the GWS&A business using her skills in project management, IT integrations, and unique attention to detail. GWS&A clients can rest assured that Sara is taking on the challenges every day to keep our team running like a well-oiled machine and at the same time at the forefront of independent financial planning innovation.
Sara grew up on the Western Slope of Colorado and then attended the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where she earned a degree in Sports Health & Wellness. Sara currently lives in San Diego with her husband Sam, daughter Grace, and their dog, Rucker. While Sara loves sunny Southern California, much of her heart still resides in Colorado, where she makes frequent trips back to visit family and enjoy the Colorado lifestyle. In her free time, Sara enjoys photography, off-roading, mountain biking, and camping.