Our Story

Paragon Capital Management, LLC was founded by Howard Jacobson in 1998 to manage money for his family and friends. With decades of experience in the brokerage business and bank trust departments, he saw a trend change as the industry began moving its focus to the aggressive growth of the firm size and Assets Under Management (AUM) while moving away from the old-school, white-glove approach of advisors who focused on client service.

Howard Jacobson

Having spent his career serving affluent and ultra-affluent families, Howard was aware of the complex, unique, and cookie-cutter approach that many in the industry were adopting.
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In 1998 and at 58 years old, Howard Jacobson started Paragon Capital Management, LLC and word spread quickly about both his financial proficiency and gregarious, friendly approach to client service and asset management, and the rest is history.

Howard managed over $100 million within the first year and began building the business. By using both stocks and bonds to create custom portfolios for his clients, Howard was able to bring a mix of reliable fixed-income cash flows and equity-based growth through portfolios that were custom designed to meet the client’s goals. At a time when the industry was gravitating towards putting clients into pre-built financial products such as mutual funds and ETFs, Paragon’s traditional way of using individual securities to manage goals, risks and taxes was attractive to their clients and prospects.

Craig Novorr

Howard Jacobson met Craig Novorr (the current Paragon Capital Management President and Chief Investment Officer (CIO)) when he hired Craig as an intern at the previous financial firm where they worked together. Craig interned through college and was hired full-time after he graduated. Howard personally mentored Craig in the markets and portfolio management, with the two separating when Howard set out on his own to found Paragon.

Craig began his career on the trading desk learning how the markets work, how they trade, and what makes stocks and bonds move and react to different market conditions. He moved into portfolio management and learned from Howard before his departure. Within a few years, he became one of the most senior officers in the organization. Craig managed several of the largest individual clients, large pension plans, and started & co-managed two different mutual funds from inception.

Being born to a family of entrepreneurs, Craig’s entrepreneurial drive led him to join Howard at Paragon Capital Management, LLC. In 2006 they reunited when Craig joined Howard once again with a plan for Craig to become Howard’s succession plan and majority owner of Paragon.
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In the aftermath of the 2008/2009 financial crisis that roiled the global markets, Craig brought his team together to begin a massive research project to find a better way to both protect and grow their client’s legacies in various financial and economic environments. They realized that with the increasing frequency and size of market dips, crashes, and turbulence, there had to be a better way to serve their clients’ financial interests.
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Craig began developing an approach of using wholesale structured notes with institutional pricing for the clients of Paragon Capital Management, LLC. He realized that by having the largest investment banks bid against each other to custom-build fixed-income & equity hybrid structured notes, he could provide a new level of service that would differentiate them from their peers. The wholesale structured notes provide investment opportunities to capture upside potential while also significantly limiting downside risk.

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Craig Novorr

Howard Jacobson met Craig Novorr (the current Paragon Capital Management, LLC Chief Investment Officer (CIO)) when he hired Craig as an intern at the previous financial firm where they worked together. Craig interned at the firm through college and was hired full-time after he graduated. Howard personally trained Craig in the markets and portfolio management, with the two separating when Howard set out on his own to found Paragon.

After Howard left their previous firm, Craig began to feel a strong desire to spend more time one-on-one with his clients than most financial firms are structured for. Although he had become a highly accomplished mutual fund manager at an acclaimed firm, he wanted to provide a personal touch for his clients.

Being born to a family of entrepreneurs, Craig’s entrepreneurial drive led him to join Howard at Paragon Capital Management, LLC. In 2006 they reunited when Craig joined Howard once again, with a plan for Craig to become Howard’s succession plan and majority owner of Paragon.When the 2008-2009 financial crisis began roiling the global markets, Craig brought his team together to begin a massive research project to find a better way to both protect and grow their clients’ legacies in various financial environments and paradigms. They realized that with the increasing frequency and size of market dips, crashes, and turbulence, there had to be a better way to serve their clients' financial interests.Craig began developing an approach of using wholesale structured notes with institutional pricing for the clients of Paragon Capital Management, LLC. He realized that by having the largest investment banks bid against each other to custom-build fixed-income & equity hybrid wholesale structured notes, he could provide a new level of service to Paragon’s clientele. These wholesale structured notes provided investment opportunities to capture upside potential while also significantly limiting downside risk.

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While these products were not new or unique, most firms were not taking advantage of them. The relationships that Craig and his team had throughout their career allowed them to utilize these financial products that most other firms either hadn’t heard of or understood-even though they are not complicated.

Rather than focusing on Paragon's growth of Assets Under Management, they take a multi-generational approach to building their clients' assets. Paragon is very proud to have several families for whom they are working with the 4^th generation (going back to Howard at E.F. Hutton in the 1960s), several 3^rd generation clients, and a multitude of 2^nd generation clients. Affluent and ultra-affluent clients view their legacies as paramount to their families and know that Paragon Capital Management, LLC will handle them with care.
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Instead of using high-pressure sales teams & tactics to push clients into pre-designed investment vehicles, Paragon grows its clients the old-fashioned way-one portfolio at a time.

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Staying true to Howard’s original vision to provide a high level of personal service and dedication, every portfolio for each of Paragon’s clients is unique, and custom-built to their risk tolerance, needs, and goals.

While Paragon Capital Management, LLC does maintain a model portfolio of equities to provide the upside of market growth for clients, their fixed-income strategies provide a level of opportunity that mitigates downside risk in a way that is not often found in other financial firms.

A boutique firm that combines the opportunities of an institutional advisor with a family office feel dedicated to client service, Paragon Capital Management, LLC has proven that Howard’s initial vision to put the client first is something that affluent and ultra-affluent individuals appreciate.

If you want to feel like the firm managing your family’s legacy is family itself, contact Paragon Capital Management, LLC today!

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Staying true to Howard’s original vision to provide a high level of personal service and dedication, every portfolio for each of Paragon’s clients is unique, and custom-built to their risk tolerance, needs, and goals.While Paragon Capital Management, LLC does maintain a basket portfolio of equities to provide the upside of market growth for clients, their fixed-income strategies provide a level of opportunity that mitigates downside risk in a way that is not often found in other financial firms.

Paragon Capital Management, LLC not only focuses on investments but also has in-house experts who can help clients design the right strategies for them. With a client roster of CEOs, entrepreneurs, risk-averse affluent and ultra-affluent individuals, millionaires next door, and clients who have been with Paragon through multiple generations, the wealth management team can provide expertise on the best and most advantageous tax and structuring strategies for unique needs.

A boutique firm that combines the opportunities of an institutional advisor with a family-office feel dedicated to client service, Paragon Capital Management, LLC has proven that Howard’s initial vision to put the client first is something that affluent and ultra-affluent individuals appreciate.

If you don’t mind being simply a line item on your advisor’s spreadsheet no matter how many of your assets they hold, you can go with the other guys. If you want to feel like the people managing your family’s legacy are family themselves, pay a visit to Paragon Capital Management, LLC.

Our Story

Howard Jacobson

Craig Novorr

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Whether you feel as if you’ve outgrown your advisor or you just want a fresh perspective on portfolio strategies in our current market, our team of experts is here for you.