Mark’s interest in financial planning and investing began while dealing with a life-altering level of student loan debt in his 20s.

Mark learned about financial planning out of necessity and investment management out of a desire to “never be in this position again.” Mark grew to realize and love the fact that if the two activities were coordinated, they had the power to change lives.

Mark’s initial excitement about his new career (he was not a finance major in college) was soon tempered when he discovered that financial planning was not used to help clients but as a sales pitch to sell commissioned products, whether needed or not. Even investment management advice really wasn’t advice. When advice is too conflicted, it ceases to be advice and becomes a sales pitch designed around fees for the salesman, not around the client.

Loving a challenge, Mark initially worked toward the rigorous Chartered Financial Analyst, or CFA designation, finishing his last test in 2003. He loved investing, the excitement of trading, and the industry’s institutional side seemed more ethical than the retail side.

After the birth of his two sons, Mark gradually started working more and more with private clients. As he did, he saw the need for additional financial planning education to compliment his investing expertise. It requires holistic planning for a successful financial journey. Getting clients to their financial happy place meant coordinating financial planning and investing. As a result, he became a Certified Financial Planner™ professional, or CFP®, in 2013.

In 2016, Mark started his own firm to serve his clients better and have true freedom to act in their best interest. Mark loves what he does. A wise man once said, “If you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life.” Mark loves helping his clients succeed; he doesn’t work a day in his life.