Personal Background

I was born and raised in Silver Spring, MD with one younger sibling. After our parents divorced when we were young, my sister and I were raised by a single mom who has worked as a hairstylist in Rockville and Bethesda for over 40 years now. I noticed growing up that my mom created such a strong and loyal client base that stayed with her through the years by how she interacted, listened, and communicated with her clients. Observing how she maintained such a loyal base of clientele over many decades, I have incorporated those principles into my career as well. Some of her clients have even become my clients. It all starts with personal touch and trust. Really listening to your clients, engaging them in simple conversations, and making them feel important creates loyalty and trust that can’t ever be replaced.

Since money was tight as we grew up, my mother taught us from a young age about saving and the difference between wants versus needs. We learned a lot about money management and budgeting strategies by growing up on a very strict budget. Although money was tight, mom did everything she possibly could to allow us to have a normal childhood and participate in as many sports and after school activities as possible. I grew up playing baseball, soccer, ice hockey, basketball, and swimming. I am a die-hard Washington Capitals, Baltimore Ravens, and Baltimore Orioles fan.

Playing sports and becoming the captain of many of my teams helped me to understand the value and importance of hard work, determination, responsibility, and leadership skills. When the team looks to you for guidance, you rise to the occasion. That mentality carried into high school where I played baseball, ice hockey, and spent four years in the Navy JROTC program. My senior year at Springbrook High I was the commanding officer of the JROTC program and graduated in 2003.

These experiences helped me build the skills and foundations I needed to become part of many different finance and accounting organizations in college at Salisbury University, as well as the National Beta Alpha Psi Honor Society. I interned my junior and senior year with a small independent financial planning firm that only hired interns from SU. My senior year I was the senior intern, supervising and reviewing all the planning strategies before proposing them to the owner/advisor. Six months after graduating college, I passed the hardest and most rigorous financial planning exam, a two-day ten-hour exam, earning the designation of Certified Financial Planner™ in a year with one of the lowest pass rates.

After working with many other experienced advisors over the years, I decided that it was time to follow my dream in 2013 and opened my first practice in Bethesda, MD and a second location in Houston, TX in 2019. It has been A LOT of hard work, but also a breath of fresh air providing the personal touch and service I desired for my clients. It has also allowed me to work on my golf game which stinks, but is getting better!

After two and half years together, I married my best friend, Katie. Katie is a graduate from the University of Virginia with a Bachelors in Chemistry and then received her Doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Texas. She is a Field Scientist working with many hospitals, medical centers, research labs, and universities all over Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee. We currently reside just outside of Houston, in Katy, TX.

All of this being said, I definitely need to give the biggest thanks of all to my God, and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for making this happen. They blessed me with such an amazing mother, sister, and wife that helped me become the man, son, brother, husband, friend, and business owner I am today. Thank you, Mom, Brittany, and Katie! To God be the Glory!