Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Engel.
Hi Dan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Los Angeles in the 60s and 70s, graduated from UCLA in 1983, and went straight to UC Berkeley for graduate school where I earned an MBA and a JD. I began my financial career as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers Inc in New York City in the real estate finance group before being transferred to Los Angeles in 1989. My investment banking career spanned 15 years including real estate restructurings, general corporate finance, casino finance and mergers and acquisitions. I later helped build a company I had financed in an earlier role that was sold to Berkshire Hathaway and later was CFO and COO for two single-family offices.
I moved to San Diego in 1999 and except for 2019 and 2020 when I moved back to Los Angeles to run a family office, I’ve lived here the entire time since then. For the past 20 years, almost my entire focus has been on positively impacting the communities in which I live, work and operate.
My most prominent role has been as co-founder of the Miracle League of San Diego (“MLSD”), a non-profit that provides children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to play baseball in an organized league. For 18 years now, we have played at Engel Family Field in San Dieguito Park and now serve over 350 players at two locations. Every player has a buddy who provides encouragement and support. I describe our buddy program as “nurturing philanthropic souls®,” because we are teaching children at a young age (beginning at ten) how good it feels to give back and help someone less fortunate. We like to call it the happiest place in San Diego. MLSD is a prime example of my collaborative approach to bringing all stakeholders together for a common cause. I’m extremely proud to say that MLSD is being honored on January 12th by the San Diego Sports Association with the Ron Fowler Community Champion award.
From mid-2013 through mid-2018, my additional focus was on mentoring young adults in a program I also co-founded called Pitch it Forward. Our mission was to teach leadership to high school athletes and to challenge them to create real and meaningful culture change in their schools. Among my favorite lessons (I taught most sessions over the course of five years) were passion, values and character. I developed my own definition of leadership: “passionately creating an environment of support, encouragement, accountability and respect in which every individual is committed to the cause.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am a stage four metastatic melanoma survivor, one of the earliest immunotherapy success stories in America, and have had more immunotherapy than almost anyone in the world. Collectively, I’ve been through ten surgeries, radiation, gamma knife surgery on a brain metastasis, and six clinical trials. Much of this transpired during a two-year period during which my passion for getting the Miracle League off the ground helped fuel my healing efforts. I believe that forming the Miracle League was instrumental in my overcoming metastatic melanoma. In fact, my first clean scans in two years came two weeks before Miracle League of San Diego’s inaugural opening day.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
JAG Legacy is a financial firm whose core services include insurance and legacy planning, tax planning and strategy, and custom structured products and investments. We offer insurance-based and securities-based solutions for individuals, families, businesses and business owners.
Our team is committed to helping our clients through all stages of their financial lives. By getting to know each client and understanding their unique circumstances, we are able to develop a custom plan that aligns with their goals. Throughout the process, we provide education and support to help our clients make well-informed decisions.
Our firm has a deep commitment to giving back. We believe that financial success should be used to empower others and make a positive impact on their world.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I was ten, my family took a summer trip in a Winnebago up the coast of California, through Oregon and Washington, all the way to Vancouver, Canada. We stopped at multiple colleges along the way helping my oldest brother make application decisions. My favorite place of all was Big Sur, which I think is one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever seen. Throughout the trip, I slept in the little bed in the narrow compartment above the passenger seats.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://miracleleagueofsandiego.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danengel1962/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dan.engel.39/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/danengelthrives
