The right moves for your financial future

I was raised by two school teachers in a small upper Midwest town. My father, the science teacher, taught me to hunt and fish. My mother, the English teacher, taught me poetry and compassion. Imagine their surprise when I won a stock picking contest in junior high, became fascinated with the capital markets and told them I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I went on to earn a finance degree from Northern Michigan University then moved to Chicago full of hope and energy seeking a career "on wall street." Over 20 years later I am still fascinated, still hopeful and constantly energized by the wonderful relationships I have with my clients. I consider my clients to be friends and most have told me they feel the same way.

I was taught early on in order to help people I needed to understand them. I was not aware what a gift this was going to be. I have had the privilege of listening to successful people share their motivations, fears, aspirations and passions. I have noticed what works, what doesn't, where I can make a difference and where I can't. Most importantly, I learned that investor behavior has more to do with success than any charts, graphs or ratios and a sound plan improves the chances of wise behavior. A few years ago I returned to school for some executive education programs at The Wharton School. They teach proper due diligence, performance measurement and portfolio construction, then mix in a little psychology and philosophy. Go figure, wealth management is an art and a science.