Meet the Team
Dan Cairns, CFP®, CIMA®, CPWA®, RICP®
Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor
Dan's career in the finance and investments business began back in 1980, in Chicago, with A.G. Edwards & Sons. Four years later, Dan accepted a management position with the firm in California. In 2011, four years after A.G. Edwards was purchased by a large bank, Dan joined Baird, a smaller firm based in the Midwest. In 2021 Dan made the decision to join D.A. Davidson & Co., a firm which embraces a more holistic approach to wealth management.
Dan and his wife, Debbie, live in Sacramento, where they raised their three kids, Dan Jr., Patrick, and Erin. Away from work, Dan enjoys spending time with family, cycling, reading, and traveling. Dan and his family are avid fans of the Chicago Cubs.
A midwest native, Dan grew up in Indianapolis and graduated from Indiana University in 1980, where he majored in finance and economics.
For more than four decades, Dan has helped his clients achieve their goals with his insights regarding investment management. To work with Dan is to have access to a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding various financial strategies and market environments.
Dan's practice is marked by his commitment to, first and foremost, serve his clients. By understanding their goals and priorities, he enjoys tailoring strategic plans to their situation that are also built to take advantage of the current macroeconomic landscape.
Ultimately, when someone goes looking for an advisor-financial, investment, or otherwise, it becomes a search for intangibles: knowledge, insight, clear judgment, honesty, integrity, track record, understanding, kindness. Namely, people look not for just any financial advisor, but a true partner with whom they can place their trust.
Dan deeply respects the role an advisor can play — his favorite aspect of his work is the opportunity it offers him to build long-term, fruitful relationships with his clients and their families.
CA Ins. Lic #0A12472
Davidson Agency Lic #0763476
Erin Cairns
Financial Advisor
Erin recently joined the Cairns Wealth Management Team. Her previous work history includes three years with PepsiCo as a Logistics Manager and three years in the tech industry focusing on client experience. Erin was inspired to join the family business through identifying her passion as working with and for clients to help them realize and reach their goals.
Erin is a graduate of Gonzaga University and enjoys spending her spare time cooking and reading a variety of genres. She loves to travel and make the most of her time with friends, family, and her 15-pound mini schnauzer mix, Seger, named after Bob Seger.
Dana Vega, FPQP®
Senior Registered Associate
Dana Vega has been a Client Service Associate in wealth management practices for over 30 years. Before working with Dan and Erin at D|A|Davidson, she worked for an independent advisor and previous to that Morgan Stanley. Dating herself, she also worked for PaineWebber and Dean Witter Reynolds. At Davidson she earned the designation, Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional. This credential further developed Dana's skills, allowing her to work more closely with Dan, Erin and their clients throughout the financial planning process. In pursuing her goal of supporting Dan and Erin, she spends much of her time in her favorite professional capacity, interacting directly with clients.
Every year Dana, Jorge, Joshua, and Samuel and her brother's families, vacation 20 miles outside of a little town called Big Timber in Montana. They spend the days fishing, eating, and playing cards – wash, rinse, repeat. This family tradition started with Dana's Grandparents, so her first trip was when she was two years old. Another ritual that the four of us enjoy is dinner together every Sunday evening. Afterwards we have been known to play the card game Shanghai just so we don't lose our touch.