Meet Mark

I’ll be straight with you. If you want a financial advisor that will trade stocks to “beat the market” — I am not your guy.

Why so direct?

Simple — to me, it only makes sense to focus our time and energy on things we can control.

And I don’t want to waste your time — or mine — if we don’t agree on this fundamental philosophy of financial planning.

The stock market going up...

The stock market going down...

Interest rates going up...

Interest rates going down...

The earnings reports of companies...

While these factors can and do affect your finances, they’re not in your control.

So in my practice, while we will probably talk about them from time to time, we won’t spend time dwelling on these topics.

• Your monthly expenses


• Your spending habits


• Your income (to an extent)


• Your yearly tax bill


• Your asset allocation


• Your long-term investment strategies

As a family man myself, I know all about the struggle of needing to make sure everyone is clothed and fed while also planning for our future.

(Not to mention, the occasional—okay, annual—vacation to the beach. Gotta get some Vitamin D, right?!)

After years of learning and honing the best financial strategies for single-income households, I’ve got a plan.

And I want to help you do the same for yourself and your family.

I haven’t always been a financial planner.

In fact, the path I took to become a financial planner for single-income families was a long and winding road.

When I graduated from Texas A&M, I started my career in sales.

After a series of pivots through the wine industry, the soda industry, and the hotel renovation industry — all in finance-adjacent roles — I was making pretty good money.

So I started my financial planning journey as many young people do.

We’ll call big-firm-advisor Bill.

Bill was “my dad’s guy" and is pretty much what you picture as the standard advisor prototype: Off-white button down, mustard yellow tie, leather briefcase — you get the picture.

Well, Bill pulled some strings to “let me in” under the account minimums.

After a few months of working with Bill, I realized I had no idea how I was paying him. So I called him to ask.

And you know what? Bill couldn’t give me an answer. He was quite literally unable to answer my question.

His words, verbatim: “It’s not clear cut like that.”

I liked my robo-advisor.

There was fancy technology.

A pretty, state-of-the-art app.

Straightforward recommendations and steps.

But my wife and I — being the eager finance peeps we are — progressed through all the recommended steps in 8 months flat.

So one day, I called to talk to a rep. A guy named Daniel answered the phone.

“Hey there, Daniel. I did all that stuff you guys recommended. What’s next?”

“Uh, that’s all we help you with,” Daniel responded in a perplexed voice.

Then he hung up.

So we proceeded to another human (not Bill, who was no longer “my dad’s guy” either).

This advisor was someone I met in a Bible study group at my church (let’s call him Mike).

Halfway through our interview, Mike stopped and told me that I was in the wrong career.

He told me I needed to be a financial planner because, as a hobby, I had developed a knowledge base that rivaled most financial planners he knew.

So you know what I did?

I went out, got licensed, and earned some experience as a financial planner.

Because I got screwed over by “the big firm” and left in the rain by the robo… I don’t want anyone else to experience that same frustration.

Especially when they’re trying to do something good for themselves and their family.

I’ve got three beautiful kids and a wonderful wife that I want to spend time with, so I had to figure out how to simplify our finances without keeping that “are we on track?” feeling.

And now I want to help you do that too.

No flash.

No bang.

These are the strengths I bring to the table in our relationship.

They guide my philosophies regarding money and financial planning for single-income families.

And they are the foundation for every recommendation I make to my clients to help them pursue their goals.

I’m a husband and devoted father.

I married Cristin in 2013 and together we have three incredible kids. (They teach me to be a better man with every passing day.)

I’m an amateur homebrewer with a taste for the hoppiest IPAs.

I’m part-owner of an NFL team. (Take a guess at which one!)

I once helped the Secret Service with a matter of national security. (No, we can’t talk about it…)

My official love language is Microsoft Excel. (Can I get an “amen”?)