diff --git a/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.cpp b/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.cpp
index 14d558e62..ad31bd9e5 100644
--- a/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.cpp
@@ -521,15 +521,14 @@ break;
 
 	} // \EliminatePreferCholesky
 
+
+
+
 	/* ************************************************************************* */
 	Errors operator*(const GaussianFactorGraph& fg, const VectorValues& x) {
 		Errors e;
 		BOOST_FOREACH(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr& Ai_G, fg) {
-			JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai;
-			if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(Ai_G))
-				Ai = Ai_J;
-			else
-				Ai = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*Ai_G); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
+		  JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(Ai_G);
 			e.push_back((*Ai)*x);
 		}
 		return e;
@@ -544,12 +543,8 @@ break;
 	void multiplyInPlace(const GaussianFactorGraph& fg, const VectorValues& x, const Errors::iterator& e) {
 		Errors::iterator ei = e;
 		BOOST_FOREACH(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr& Ai_G, fg) {
-			JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai;
-			if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(Ai_G))
-				Ai = Ai_J;
-			else
-				Ai = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*Ai_G); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
-			*ei = (*Ai)*x;
+      JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(Ai_G);
+      *ei = (*Ai)*x;
 			ei++;
 		}
 	}
@@ -560,12 +555,8 @@ break;
 		// For each factor add the gradient contribution
 		Errors::const_iterator ei = e.begin();
 		BOOST_FOREACH(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr& Ai_G, fg) {
-			JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai;
-			if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(Ai_G))
-				Ai = Ai_J;
-			else
-				Ai = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*Ai_G); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
-			Ai->transposeMultiplyAdd(alpha,*(ei++),x);
+      JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(Ai_G);
+      Ai->transposeMultiplyAdd(alpha,*(ei++),x);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -575,12 +566,8 @@ break;
 		VectorValues g = VectorValues::Zero(x0);
 		Errors e;
 		BOOST_FOREACH(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr& Ai_G, fg) {
-			JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai;
-			if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(Ai_G))
-				Ai = Ai_J;
-			else
-				Ai = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*Ai_G); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
-			e.push_back(Ai->error_vector(x0));
+      JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(Ai_G);
+      e.push_back(Ai->error_vector(x0));
 		}
 		transposeMultiplyAdd(fg, 1.0, e, g);
 		return g;
@@ -592,12 +579,8 @@ break;
 		g.setZero();
 		Errors e;
 		BOOST_FOREACH(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr& Ai_G, fg) {
-			JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai;
-			if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(Ai_G))
-				Ai = Ai_J;
-			else
-				Ai = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*Ai_G); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
-			e.push_back(-Ai->getb());
+      JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(Ai_G);
+      e.push_back(-Ai->getb());
 		}
 		transposeMultiplyAdd(fg, 1.0, e, g);
 	}
@@ -606,12 +589,8 @@ break;
 	void residual(const GaussianFactorGraph& fg, const VectorValues &x, VectorValues &r) {
 		Index i = 0 ;
 		BOOST_FOREACH(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr& Ai_G, fg) {
-			JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai;
-			if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(Ai_G))
-				Ai = Ai_J;
-			else
-				Ai = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*Ai_G); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
-			r[i] = Ai->getb();
+      JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(Ai_G);
+      r[i] = Ai->getb();
 			i++;
 		}
 		VectorValues Ax = VectorValues::SameStructure(r);
@@ -624,12 +603,8 @@ break;
 		r.vector() = Vector::Zero(r.dim());
 		Index i = 0;
 		BOOST_FOREACH(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr& Ai_G, fg) {
-			JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai;
-			if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(Ai_G))
-				Ai = Ai_J;
-			else
-				Ai = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*Ai_G); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
-			SubVector &y = r[i];
+      JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(Ai_G);
+      SubVector &y = r[i];
 			for(JacobianFactor::const_iterator j = Ai->begin(); j != Ai->end(); ++j) {
 				y += Ai->getA(j) * x[*j];
 			}
@@ -642,12 +617,8 @@ break;
 		x.vector() = Vector::Zero(x.dim());
 		Index i = 0;
 		BOOST_FOREACH(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr& Ai_G, fg) {
-			JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai;
-			if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(Ai_G))
-				Ai = Ai_J;
-			else
-				Ai = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*Ai_G); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
-			for(JacobianFactor::const_iterator j = Ai->begin(); j != Ai->end(); ++j) {
+      JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(Ai_G);
+      for(JacobianFactor::const_iterator j = Ai->begin(); j != Ai->end(); ++j) {
 				x[*j] += Ai->getA(j).transpose() * r[i];
 			}
 			++i;
@@ -658,12 +629,8 @@ break;
 	boost::shared_ptr<Errors> gaussianErrors_(const GaussianFactorGraph& fg, const VectorValues& x) {
 		boost::shared_ptr<Errors> e(new Errors);
 		BOOST_FOREACH(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr& Ai_G, fg) {
-			JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai;
-			if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(Ai_G))
-				Ai = Ai_J;
-			else
-				Ai = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*Ai_G); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
-			e->push_back(Ai->error_vector(x));
+      JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(Ai_G);
+      e->push_back(Ai->error_vector(x));
 		}
 		return e;
 	}
diff --git a/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h b/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h
index 6c06e34c0..5e6e792be 100644
--- a/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h
+++ b/gtsam/linear/GaussianFactorGraph.h
@@ -303,7 +303,9 @@ namespace gtsam {
    */
   GaussianFactorGraph::EliminationResult EliminateCholesky(const FactorGraph<
 			GaussianFactor>& factors, size_t nrFrontals = 1);
-	
+
+  /****** Linear Algebra Opeations ******/
+
   /** return A*x */
   Errors operator*(const GaussianFactorGraph& fg, const VectorValues& x);
 
diff --git a/gtsam/linear/JacobianFactor.cpp b/gtsam/linear/JacobianFactor.cpp
index 759be4948..c0aefab39 100644
--- a/gtsam/linear/JacobianFactor.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/linear/JacobianFactor.cpp
@@ -489,4 +489,13 @@ namespace gtsam {
     return description_.c_str();
   }
 
+  /* ************************************************************************* */
+  JacobianFactor::shared_ptr convertToJacobianFactorPtr(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr &gf) {
+    JacobianFactor::shared_ptr result = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(gf);
+    if( !result ) {
+      result = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*gf); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
+    }
+    return result;
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/gtsam/linear/JacobianFactor.h b/gtsam/linear/JacobianFactor.h
index def36b086..1c73f621a 100644
--- a/gtsam/linear/JacobianFactor.h
+++ b/gtsam/linear/JacobianFactor.h
@@ -322,8 +322,10 @@ namespace gtsam {
     	ar & BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NVP(model_);
     	ar & BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NVP(matrix_);
     }
-
   }; // JacobianFactor
 
+  /** cast from GaussianFactor::shared_ptr to JacobianFactor::shared_ptr */
+  JacobianFactor::shared_ptr convertToJacobianFactorPtr(const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr &gf);
+
 } // gtsam
 
diff --git a/gtsam/linear/SubgraphSolver.cpp b/gtsam/linear/SubgraphSolver.cpp
index 47d33831b..4cb95c404 100644
--- a/gtsam/linear/SubgraphSolver.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/linear/SubgraphSolver.cpp
@@ -111,11 +111,7 @@ SubgraphSolver::splitGraph(const GaussianFactorGraph &jfg) {
   size_t t = 0;
   BOOST_FOREACH ( const GaussianFactor::shared_ptr &gf, jfg ) {
 
-		JacobianFactor::shared_ptr jf;
-		if(JacobianFactor::shared_ptr Ai_J = boost::dynamic_pointer_cast<JacobianFactor>(gf))
-			jf = Ai_J;
-		else
-			jf = boost::make_shared<JacobianFactor>(*gf); // Convert any non-Jacobian factors to Jacobians (e.g. Hessian -> Jacobian with Cholesky)
+		JacobianFactor::shared_ptr jf = convertToJacobianFactorPtr(gf);
 
     if ( jf->keys().size() > 2 ) {
       throw runtime_error("SubgraphSolver::splitGraph the graph is not simple, sanity check failed ");