Our Story

Hi, I’m Abduhl Karim Mashhoon, but you can call me AK. I’m the founder of Buena Vista, which I started in 2024 to chase a passion I picked up as a young adult. As a kid I noticed the people in my family with more money didn’t seem any happier for it. That question — what money is really for — has followed me ever since.

I was born on the Central Coast of California to a Persian father and a Mexican mother, and I had what you’d call an atypical upbringing. My earliest memories are of working the strawberry fields in Santa Maria, splitting time between my parents’ households, and falling hard for sports — baseball, basketball, and a serious habit of collecting cards and autographs. In high school I picked up water polo and swimming too.

College wasn’t really stressed in my family, but a swim coach nudged me toward community college. It was there, during the tech crash, that I got hooked on finance — and realized how few people understood how any of it actually worked. I transferred to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and graduated with a degree in Business Administration, with concentrations in finance and accounting.

A professor was the first to suggest I become a financial advisor. I loved the idea until I started interviewing at big firms and found the whole thing discouraging. The emphasis was always on how much money you could make, never on the relationships you could build. That was the moment I realized my real passion was helping people.

I found my way in through a Craigslist ad from an advisor looking for an assistant. I took that job in 2007 and stayed until 2021, when I struck out to build my own practice. In 2024 I went one step further and left the employee model entirely. That’s how Buena Vista was born: a place built on the belief I started with — that money is only worth something if it makes your actual life better — and run on financial education and real relationships.

These days I live in Decatur, Georgia, with my wife, Jessie, our two kids, Maisy and Hayes, and our dogs, Charlie and Yoshi. I still love water polo, plus cycling and live music. And I still love meeting new people and hearing their stories. So if you’re new here, welcome.

Hello, I’m Patrick. I’d like to believe I was named after the patron saint of Ireland, but it’s more likely my mom just liked the sound of it. I’ve collected a few nicknames over the years, but Patrick is the one that gets my attention across a crowded room. Some have tried “Pat.” Few have lived to tell the tale.

For as long as I can remember, my two favorite things have been people and problem-solving — and those two tend to intersect, since everyone alive has a problem that needs solving. I credit my parents, who constantly gave up their own time to help the people they loved. However it started, I’ve always found myself listening to people share their stories and puzzle through their goals.

That passion led me to study Theatre at Young Harris College and Valdosta State University, where I earned a degree in Fine Arts. After college I taught high school drama in Monroe, Georgia, where I met AK Mashhoon, who was new to Atlanta and starting out in financial planning. Watching how much he enjoyed helping people made me realize something was missing in my own career.

Looking for an adventure, I moved to South Korea to teach English. It was in Asia I really noticed that people tended to open up to me. I still remember a stranger in Vietnam sharing all his hopes and dreams while we watched the sun rise over the ocean, and thinking, “I get real fulfillment from this. Maybe I should build a career around it.”

In Korea I also met a cute girl from Minnesota named Holly, who was teaching at an international school in Seoul. We moved back to the States, got married, and started a family. I went into auto insurance at first, drawn to helping people through stressful moments, but the urge to make a bigger impact led me back to AK, who offered me a role at his firm. It’s let me do exactly what I love: help people manage their financial lives while learning from their stories.

Thank you for trusting us with your financial journey.

Hi y’all! I’m Brianna Shealey, a Georgia peach who loves helping people make the most of what they have to build the life they dream about. I’ve had a passion for financial planning since I was a kid, though I didn’t call it that back then. I was just fascinated by how the financial system worked and the amazing things people could do with money. That curiosity pulled me toward the math and finance classes, and eventually to a finance degree at Kennesaw State University, with stops along the way auditing derivative markets at SunTrust (now Truist) and doing financial planning at Henssler Financial.

After graduating, I became a senior financial analyst at Wells Fargo, analyzing big corporate clients to help the bank make smart lending and investment calls. I learned a ton but I kept feeling unfulfilled. Digging into why, I realized I didn’t want to help businesses make money. I wanted to help people with their personal finances, and watch their lives get fuller because of it.

That realization led me to wealth management and to Raymond James in 2022, where I met AK and Patrick. They took me under their wings and helped me build the foundation for the kind of advisor I wanted to be. A year later I opened my own shop there, serving clients with the planning-focused approach I’d learned from my mentors. It felt like home.

In late 2025, AK asked if I’d join him. Teaming up is a big step in this industry, and if I was ever going to do it, AK was always my first choice. So in 2026 I merged my practice into Buena Vista and I haven’t looked back. Our industry is always changing, but there’s no group I’d rather serve clients with.

When I’m not working to save people from themselves, I like to read, write poetry, dance, and spend time with family and friends. I’m also active with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., my church, the Empty Stocking Fund, Ladies Who Golf, and the Georgia Festival of Trees. I’m a pretty bubbly person who loves to smile and laugh. So if you see me out and about, don’t be shy. Say hi!

Sometimes the best careers begin with an unexpected opportunity.

After growing up in Woodridge, Illinois, I accepted what was supposed to be a temporary receptionist position at a local brokerage firm. The more I learned about investing, financial planning, and the financial markets, though, the more fascinated I became. That curiosity launched a career in financial services that has now spanned over 35 years.

I’ve had the privilege of supporting numerous financial advisors and building meaningful, long-lasting relationships with clients. I take pride in anticipating needs, keeping every detail on track, and researching all possible solutions. I enjoy helping people understand the “why” behind their financial decisions. I believe that when clients understand their financial plan, they feel more confident about their future. While financial strategies may evolve, trust, communication, and genuine relationships will always remain my foundation.

I’m always looking for better ways to serve our clients, whether that’s embracing new technology, improving processes, or finding opportunities to make the client experience even better. My goal is for every client to know they have someone they can count on, who will listen, communicate openly, and work diligently to help make every interaction as smooth and stress-free as possible.

When I’m not at the office, I enjoy traveling with my husband, Paul, spending time with our two sons, Sean and Michael, gathering with family and friends, and enjoying the company of our three cats, Milo, Lucifer, and Luna. I also enjoy knitting, crocheting, and creative DIY projects. No matter what I’m doing, I enjoy bringing people together, solving problems, and finding ways to make life a little easier for those around me.