Mission
Financial planning requires technical knowledge which most people have neither the time nor the tools to handle on their own. The advice available in books or on the internet is written for a general audience and fails to account for the uniqueness of each person’s circumstances, desires, and concerns.
As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNING™ practitioner, I aim to personalize the financial planning process, designing a plan around the uniqueness of each client’s story. I help my clients to organize all aspects of their financial lives around their core values to meet their life goals. The comprehensive nature of this work integrates: retirement planning, asset allocation, tax considerations, estate planning, life insurance, and long-term care insurance, and invites conversation about the things which matter most to each client. The relational aspect of my vocation is the most gratifying element, and it enables and encourages me to be emotionally vested in the outcome of each client’s financial plan.
Academic & Professional Background
I started college as a history major because I wanted to steep myself in the stuff of significance, which I thought to consist of historical events. I soon discovered that what I really loved about history was the narrative action and the characters involved, so I switched my major to English Literature. As my college career came to a close, however, I realized that I wanted something more than to be a passive observer of two-dimensional stories; I wanted to make a difference in the lives of real people. Thus, I embarked on a career as a financial planner, which has enabled me to immerse myself into the stuff of significance—the personal stories of my clients—and, by plying the tools of my trade, to make a difference in their lives.
I acquired these tools of the financial planning trade by working for an institutional money management firm after college, acquiring my Securities Registration Series 7 and 66, and then joining my father’s advisory business in 2003. I completed post-graduate studies in Financial Planning at Xavier University and subsequently earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. I had the privilege of working alongside my dad—initially as an apprentice, eventually as a colleague—for 10 years before he retired from financial services to focus exclusively on his law practice. I admire and have sought to imitate the integrity and passion he brings to his client relationships.
Personal information
I am a single dad to two fantastic sons who are growing up too fast! I have enjoyed teaching their Sunday School classes and coaching their soccer, basketball, and baseball teams over the years. We have traveled to Mexico twice to work with a Christian orphan care ministry, and we hope to do more of that in the future. My calendar occasionally reminds me that I am teaching a course on financial literacy at church or leading a book club. Spontaneous pleasures include exploring the ever-changing city of Cincinnati, hiking in the woods, reading a good book, and spending time with friends and family.