Careers
Life Academy
- What path led you to wealth management?
At the beginning of my career as a tax consultant at Andersen, I had the opportunity to work with many family-owned or closely-held businesses and their owners. The depth of the relationships we had with those clients and the personal meaning of the advice we gave stood in sharp contrast to some of the larger corporate engagements I worked on. As I naturally gravitated toward working more with those clients, it became apparent that the advice they sought from us was not limited to just tax planning but extended to a broader set of questions that impacted their financial lives. That’s precisely what wealth management is all about: Understanding and advising on the clients’ entire financial picture.
- Why did you join TFO Phoenix?
TFO Phoenix represented an opportunity to form an organization that was completely consistent with my philosophy of serving clients and fostering the career growth and ambitions of individuals.
- What has been your most rewarding career experience?
In the midst of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, I identified an opportunity to generate a significant tax refund for a client facing a dire financial outcome. The money generated from the tax refund was sufficient to enable the client to resolve personal guarantees of company debt and restore their personal financial position such that they were able to maintain their desired lifestyle and wealth transfer goals.
- What do you enjoy most about your role at TFO Phoenix?
The opportunity to work beside very talented and dedicated individuals. Each brings a unique and valuable perspective to serving our clients’ needs.
- What personal accomplishments are you most proud of?
Being a part of a family that is raising four fantastic kids who love and respect each other and have a genuine concern for each other’s well-being.
- Why should families connect wealth and purpose?
Wealth without purpose is like giving someone all the supplies and tools to build a house but not giving them any direction on how to do so. That person is enabled but has no idea how to create a meaningful outcome. Connecting purpose to wealth is the means by which someone can obtain a clear direction to what they can accomplish and achieve a sense of success by reaching milestones and goals along the way. Purpose is the means by which the potentially destructive side of wealth can be transformed into a constructive and vibrant means to effect positive change on the lives of others.
- Education and accreditations
Certified Private Wealth Advisor®(CPWA)
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)/Personal Financial Specialist (PFS)
Series 65 License
Masters of Taxation, University of Colorado at Boulder
Bachelors of Accountancy, University of Colorado at Boulder
- What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
Listen more than you talk. It’s almost always better to wait patiently than to do something because you think you have to. Always take time to reflect before responding; especially in adverse situations. Loving and respecting others is a choice to act, not a response to a feeling. When tempted to react otherwise, give others the benefit of the doubt. Plan for the future, learn from the past, but live in the moment. Under any circumstances and no matter what the personal cost, ALWAYS do the right thing. Never give up.