John A. Suarez, MBA, CIMA®, CEPA®
President & Founder of Peristyle
Certified Investment Management Analyst®
Certified Exit Planning Advisor®
I have been a market fanatic since 1992, carrying stock pages (and car magazines) to school in my loaded down backpack starting in the 4th Grade. Fueled by a lifelong obsession with markets, I cut my teeth in the industry by becoming a currency and commodity trader in 2004 upon completing my undergraduate degree in Finance. During that time, I learned countless powerful lessons about trend following, fundamental analysis, and how to utilize risk management strategies that are designed with the goal of protecting assets. Looking to expand my knowledge base, I later completed an MBA with a focus on energy markets in 2010.
This is where my skillset was first put to use in the world of Wealth Management. You see, at that time I was interviewing for trading jobs all over the world. However, with my wife's father being terminally ill and taking a turn for the worse, I took what I believed would be a "placeholder" job at Merrill Lynch in New Orleans because I couldn't imagine pulling my wife away from her father, on my account, during those later stages of his battle.
In this twist of fate, it became readily apparent that my technical background in markets was extremely valuable and in high demand. Upon meeting early success, I made it my mission to learn about financial planning strategies and structures that could greatly enhance how people protect themselves from serious financial risks that exist outside of markets. Reason being, it may not matter how well one does in markets if they unknowingly are exposed to potentially ruinous risks that can undermine whatever gains may have been made with their investments.
To round out my educational background, in 2017 I earned my Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) designation through The Wharton School after completing rigorous coursework in portfolio construction, investment management, risk mitigation, and behavioral finance. This was recently followed upon in 2025 by earning the Certified Exit Planning Advisor® (CEPA) designation from the prestigious Exit Planning Institute so that we can provide astute exit planning guidance to our entrepreneur clientele.
Realizing that I was only working with families who shared my disposition of cautious optimism, I broke away from the traditional confines of Wall Street and founded Peristyle Private Wealth in 2019. This was quite intentionally done to embrace my specialty of serving entrepreneurs and innovators with deep expertise in a much more nimble, and effective, setting. I firmly believe that undiluted focus, obsessive attention to detail, and shared life goals make me the right financial steward for these exceptional human beings.
Outside of work, I am the devoted husband to Liz and father to our daughters, Evelyn and Sadie. I am a Louisiana native and moved from New Orleans to Denver in search of beautiful landscapes and an outdoor lifestyle for my family. When I'm not working, we're usually skiing, hiking, traveling, and enjoying the mountains. We're also locally famous for hosting the best crawfish boils in Denver. Individually, I am an avid Ferrari enthusiast and am highly passionate about sharing experiences both with the brand and the cars with anyone who shows an interest. Meaning, I'm a hero to all 12 year old kids in our neighborhood...
Education
The Wharton School - IMCA Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®)
The Exit Planning Institute - Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®)
Tulane University - MBA (Finance/International Business/Energy Markets)
Tulane University - BSM (Finance)
Community Work
Past Board Member - Tulane Alumni Association
Past Board Member - Committee for a Better New Orleans (CBNO)
Past Board Member - Fisher House of Louisiana
Past Board Member - Thomas & McMahan Cancer Foundation
Past Treasurer - Encore Academy Charter School
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Investment & Wealth Institute (The Institute) is the owner of the certification marks “CIMA” and “Certified Investment Management Analyst.” Use of CIMA and/or Certified Investment Management Analyst signifies that the user has successfully completed the Institute’s initial and ongoing credentialing requirements for investment management professionals.
