Our team
One point of contact — and the crew behind him.
Clients work directly with the President, supported by a dedicated exchange-coordination team, a hand-picked partner network, and an independent broker-dealer’s separate review.
Josh Chapin — President
President
Josh Chapin
Josh founded Breakwater Capital after an extensive financial-planning career specializing in investment and tax strategies. He has spent more than a decade in the DST world and has delivered over 200 educational seminars on 1031 exchanges and tax-advantaged real estate.
His approach is practical and common-sense: complex strategies explained plainly, with the numbers on the table. Clients work directly with Josh as a single point of contact — and he personally invests in the same offerings he recommends.
Josh lives in Newport Beach, California. Off the clock you'll find him on a golf course, traveling, or involved with charitable and industry organizations.
- Series 7
- Series 6
- Series 63
- Series 65
- SIE
- Life & Health
Exchange coordination
The team that keeps the clock.
Debbie Bannister
Certified Exchange Specialist (CES)
18 years coordinating exchanges in Northern California; former accounting manager at UC Davis with a deep escrow background.
Monique Wilson Kaiser
Senior Exchange Administrator
In title and escrow since 1989 and 1031 exchanges since 1996, with a commercial specialization.
Taylor Pennington
Exchange Administrator
In real estate since 2003 — keeps every identification and closing deadline on the rails.
Naomi Booker-Abawag
Operations Manager
Runs banking and exchange accounts so funds move exactly when the timeline says they must.
Partner network
Hand-picked, discipline by discipline.
Holistic planning means the 1031 rarely stands alone. Breakwater coordinates with a hand-picked partner network across the disciplines an exchange touches.
Adam Bar
Strategic Planning · CLF
Author of “Unleash Your Financial Powerhouse” and host of the “Uplifters” podcast.
John Reed
Advanced Insurance Planning
190+ premium-finance cases and $1.9B+ in coverage placed; aerospace engineer turned planner.
Mayer Nazarian
Advanced Tax Strategies · JD, MBT
Tax attorney focused on the strategies that surround a sale or exchange.
David Blaine
Cost Segregation & Valuation
Chairman of Mentor Securities LLC and The Mentor Group Inc.
Adam Gauthier
Trust & Estate Planning · JD
Solo practice since 2009 — QDOTs, special-needs trusts, and California estate work.
Shana Leon
Employee Benefits
Dual master's degrees; benefits design for business owners heading into a sale.
Mike Cloutier
Marketing Director
A decade running Breakwater's education and events program.
Our broker-dealer
Emerson Equity LLC
Breakwater's broker-dealer — an independent firm that raises 12–15% of the annual DST market with more than 150 investment professionals. Every offering Breakwater presents has passed Emerson's separate due-diligence and compliance review.
Dominic Baldini
Founder, CEO & COO
Founded the firm in 2003; Series 4, 7, 24, 27, 53, 55, 63, 65, and 79.
Kathleen Morrissey
Chief Operating Officer
Bank of America, Citicorp, Dean Witter, Pershing/DLJ, and NASD before Emerson.
Matt Larson
Chief Business Officer · CFA, JD
USC JD and former Bloomberg Intelligence analyst.
Next step
Start with a conversation.
Bring us the property, the timeline, and the goal. You'll leave the first conversation knowing every option on the table — and what we'd do in your position.