Our Team

Ward has advised wealthy individuals, endowments and trusts in Virginia for the past 35 years. The cornerstone of his process consists of valuation using discounted cash flow modeling: nevertheless, he believes that models are, at best, only representations of future events. As a result, he also emphasizes judgment based on qualitative factors. Ward manages individual portfolios using a combination of quantitative and qualitative measurement techniques. He is a firm believer that the value of any asset is the discounted present value of its future cash flows. He also believes in the creative destruction process whereby individual entrepreneurs can find ways to make money regardless, sometimes at the expense of entrenched interest. Risk management also plays a vital role in the investment process.

Ward consults each client regularly and continuously seeks to properly match each client’s risk tolerance with his or her goals. He monitors all portfolios in an effort to find the proper balance among asset classes and within equity portfolios. His clients’ all-equity portfolios contain a mix of stocks selected across capitalization ranges and growth rates, but always with an eye toward the companies’ management and their ability to sustain their growth and replace their productive assets.

Before coming to Oppenheimer, Ward served as First Vice President at Scott & Stringfellow as well as at UBS Wealth Management.

He has been active in the Richmond financial community, serving on various not for profit boards. He is currently a Board Member of the Saint Michael’s Episcopal School.

A graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, Ward earned a B.A. in English literature. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute and received the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA)® designation from the Investment Management Consulting Association through coursework at the Wharton School of Business, the University of Pennsylvania.

He has four children and, in his spare time, exercise and reading historical fiction.

John Hopper is a Financial Advisor at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (Oppenheimer) in the Richmond, Virginia office. John’s clients include high-net-worth individuals, families, and their closely-held businesses. With over twenty years of experience, he works closely with CPAs, estate attorneys, business brokers, and others to address each client’s unique needs, and prides himself on consistently delivering exceptional service.

He provides a comprehensive approach, which begins with listening to his clients ‘needs and goals, and he aligns strategies with their objectives and risk tolerance. John’s holistic, goals-based method is essential to the client-advisor relationship, which he deems essential for trust and success. He strongly believes in investing with a purpose to provide practical results. Additionally, John’s team approach combines collaboration, knowledge, and adaptable investment strategies.

John graduated from Hampden-Sydney College with degrees in Economics and History. He holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 registrations, and he is licensed for life and health insurance in the state of Virginia. John is also a graduate of Lead Virginia, a renowned leadership program.

Drawing on his previous career as a banker, John is passionate about his service as a Board Member for Peter Paul, a nonprofit, after-school enrichment program focused on Richmond’s East End families. John is a past president of his college’s national alumni association and is also a certified Virginia High School League lacrosse referee. He is also the past Chairman of the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority. In his spare time, John enjoys golfing, snow skiing, and all things lacrosse. John grew up in the rural Tidewater area of Virginia and resides in Richmond with his wife and three children.