The Team
Cheviot has always strived to exceed the fiduciary standard of care in providing prudent and individualized advice to help you achieve your goals. Meet our team of dedicated investment managers, advisors, and analysts.
Darren C. Pollock
David A. Horvitz, CFP®
Zena L. Shlah
James M. Whiting, CFP®
Catherine Siphron
John F. Feldsted
Martin R. Irani
Amanda M. Leger
Frederic G. Marks
1933 – 2020
Cheviot is a completely independent firm, focused on providing objective advice to clients – always with the highest of integrity and the priority of putting the client first in everything we do.
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“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
— Warren Buffett
Contact:
Cheviot Value
Management, LLC
433 N. Camden Dr., Suite 800
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310-451-8600
Darren C. Pollock
Darren C. Pollock, a member of Cheviot since 1998, provides investment analysis and portfolio management for the firm. Referring to Darren as “a manifestly bright fellow” and a “seasoned, risk-conscious portfolio manager,” famed journalist Alan Abelson of Barron’s says: “Mr. Pollock obviously knows his way around a financial statement and has a seasoned investment eye.” In addition to Barron’s, Darren’s views on the financial markets are regularly sought after in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Financial Times, CNBC, Money Magazine, Yahoo! Finance, Fox Business and others. He has served on Cheviot’s investment management team as a portfolio manager since 2000. Darren is the chief architect of Cheviot’s safety-first style of growth investing and is recognized for helping clients navigate the extreme bear markets of 2000-2002, 2008, and 2022.
David A. Horvitz, CFP®
David A. Horvitz, CFP® joined Cheviot in 2006. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, David has been practicing comprehensive financial planning since 2002. He is skilled in the areas of taxation mitigation, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance and personal risk management. David holds a BSBA degree in Management from Washington University in St. Louis, an MA in Education degree from Pepperdine University, an MBA from California Lutheran University, and a professional designation in Personal Financial Planning from UCLA Extension where he also serves on the faculty teaching the Introduction to Personal Money Management course, the Practical Investing course, and the Mutual Funds and ETFs Investing course.
David’s community service includes teaching financial literacy to high school-aged foster children at UCLA Guardians and Operation Hope, and he provides pro bono financial planning services to the faculty at his alma mater, Harvard-Westlake School, and at Campbell Hall School where he served as a teacher from 1999-2006. David also sits on the Board of the Jewish Free Loan Association, a charitable organization that provides interest-free loans to people of all faiths, cultures, and backgrounds.
David has been featured in Fortune Magazine (2022) and interviewed by Investment News TV (2013) for his work on inter-generational financial planning. He has been recognized by Forbes as a “Best-in-State” Wealth Advisor and AdvisorHub’s top 200 Advisors under $1 Billion to Watch in 2025, as well as being named a Five-Star Wealth Manager, a distinction attributed to less than 2% of all wealth advisors, in Los Angeles Magazine every year since 2012. Forbes Media LLC (Forbes), AdvisorHub Magazine (AdvisorHub), and Essential Marketing Services (Five-Star Professional) were not compensated for the ratings.
Amanda M. Leger
Amanda M. Leger joined Cheviot in 2024 and currently serves as Financial Advisor and Associate Compliance Officer, providing financial planning and investment management for clients, conducting research and data operations, while supporting compliance functions for the firm. Amanda’s detail-oriented approach to developing financial plans, maintaining compliance standards, and refining operational processes is an asset to both her clients and to Cheviot’s commitment to excellence in personalized wealth management.
Amanda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from McNeese State University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, and is licensed as an Investment Adviser Representative through the Series 65 examination.
James M. Whiting, CFP®
James M. Whiting, CFP® is a seasoned Financial Advisor and Portfolio Manager at Cheviot, having joined the team in February 2018. In addition to his role as a financial advisor, he also serves as Cheviot’s Chief Compliance Officer. James leverages his diverse background in finance, small business ownership, and real estate investing to provide comprehensive financial guidance to his clients. Before joining Cheviot, he founded two start-up companies in consumer communications and robotics between 2008–2014, and also spent time in education, where he helped lead efforts around faculty evaluation and compensation.
In addition to being a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, James holds a certificate in financial planning from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School, as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music from the Manhattan School of Music.
Martin R. Irani
Martin R. Irani joined Cheviot in 2023. After over thirty-five years in financial roles in private equity, investment banking and commercial banking and compliance, Martin is now focused on providing financial planning for clients. Martin holds a BA degree in Economics and an MBA degree in Finance from the University of Southern California (USC). In addition, Martin has obtained a Certificate in Financial Planning from Pepperdine University and has completed the CFP and Series 65 exams.
Martin is currently a Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Westminster School in Connecticut, has previously served USC on the boards of USC Dornsife College and the USC Alumni Association, and is a Trustee Emeritus of the Buckley School.
John F. Feldsted
John F. Feldsted has over 30 years of experience as a tax and corporate attorney and is a legal and tax advice resource to Cheviot’s clients. John has been involved in all phases of business analysis, real estate development, financing and syndication transactions throughout the course of his professional practice.
John holds a B.S. in Engineering Physics from Cornell University and a Masters of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 1981 and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University in 1983.
Zena L. Shlah
Zena L. Shlah joined Cheviot Value Management in 2007 and currently serves as Director of Client Services. Zena has accumulated more than 25 years of experience in the financial industry. Her duties include managing client service relationships, handling all administrative inquiries and processes related to client investment accounts, and overseeing office operations. Prior to joining Cheviot, Zena worked in Client Services at CIBC Wood Gundy in Calgary, Canada.
Catherine Siphron
Catherine Siphron joined Cheviot in 2025 as an Investment Advisor Representative, bringing with her over a decade of experience in education and finance. With a strong background in teaching and financial wellness, she is dedicated to guiding her clients. Catherine also teaches at Campbell Hall, a K-12 private school in Los Angeles, where she developed a financial wellness curriculum for faculty and staff. She also founded a UC-approved Financial Literacy and Wellness course for teens. Catherine’s holistic approach to personal finances is further informed by her Certification in Mindfulness Facilitation from UCLA, complementing her multiple Bachelor’s degrees from UC Berkeley and Master of Arts from Middlebury College.
Frederic G. Marks
Frederic G. Marks is the founder and former Chief Investment Officer at Cheviot where he served on the Advisory Board through 2020. Fred lectured on Investments, Security Analysis, and Financial Planning at UCLA Extension (1988-1997). He was formerly a lawyer in private practice (business law) in Los Angeles (1965-1989), a member of the Executive Committee, Taxation Section, of the State Bar of California (1984-1987), and author of West’s California Code Forms: Corporations (1978). Fred received his B.A., M.A., and Ll.B. degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles.