Growing up outside of Chicago, my interest in finance began early. My grandfather gave me 10 shares of Coca-Cola and told me every time someone buys a coke I would get a penny. The math may not have been exact, but the concept stuck with me for life. Around my 11th birthday, I was at school and watched as they installed these brand new colorful computers, so I went home and asked my dad to buy me stock. I didn't know the name but I remembered the logo and said "Buy the one with the apple with a bite taken out of it." Instead he bought a stock that was all over the newspapers that "everyone" should buy. That was my first lesson in buying quality over what's popular that day.
After my first year of college at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I received a scholarship to Auburn University where I received my degree in Business Administration and Finance. Ultimately my early passion for investing paid-off after my scholarship ran out during the recession and I used my stock market earnings to pay for the rising cost of tuition. After obtaining my securities licenses, I began my career as a Financial Advisor at the Edward Jones headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri where I managed multiple branch offices across the country. I ultimately began my own advisory practice as a Financial Advisor outside of Chicago. After some time I left Edward Jones and joined a smaller firm at the ground level and helped grow the organization. I learned many valuable lessons about additional services I now offer and the technology that allows me to serve a growing client base without sacrificing the level of service I provide. In 2020, I took the opportunity to realize my dream and start my own business, providing my clients with the level of service I believe they deserve.
When I am not working, I love spending time with my beautiful wife, Vanessa, and my incredible daughter, Layla. To add to the fun, we adopted a great rescue dog, Luna, who can always be found within a few feet from the girls. We love to cook, travel and take advantage of the great food and sights this beautiful city offers.