I founded my own fee-only firm, Upperline Financial Planning, in 2010 on the principles that my friend Eric Kies and his firm The Planning Center were pioneering. Our firms merged in September 2017, and this new alignment is a natural progression that brings so much life and energy to my goal of helping as many people as we can for as long as we can. I am fortunate to work in a vocation where I get to meet and know so many wonderful people, and help them make choices that are so impactful in their lives. I have often said that my personal mission is to help others live their lives on purpose, and that carries over wonderfully to the work that we do.
The biggest way my family and I “play” together is through travel. We love to drive the back roads of America, so much so that our four-year-old son has been in 45 states. Our daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia just before her second birthday, so that experience along with going through her two years of treatments helps us sweat the small stuff a bit less each day. It focuses us on taking advantage of opportunities to spend time together whenever they present themselves to explore our world.
I am a big fan of and believer in the City of New Orleans, and in the history of my ancestors who emigrated here from Nova Scotia hundreds of years ago. My great-great-great grandfather was the first mayor of the small town I grew up in, and our ties to the lifestyles and traditions here in south Louisiana run deep. I grew up playing tennis in the heat and humidity, and it remains one of my favorite activities, both playing and watching.
Affiliations: Fee-Only Planning
Areas of Expertise: Financial Life Planning, Physicians/Medical Professions
Education: BBA degree in Finance from Loyola University, New Orleans, Seth Godin’s altMBA program
Memberships: National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), Financial Planning Association (FPA).
Who inspires me:
My wife and my kids, and my clients inspire me most. I know it sounds cliché, but I’m always amazed and energized by my conversations with our client families.
My favorite things:
If you ask my eight-year-old daughter, it is holding her hand, and penguins.
Favorite destination:
Estes Park, Colorado. I ran a lodge for YMCA of the Rockies one summer in college and it has remained my spiritual home since then.
My greatest extravagance (under $100):
Great meals out in New Orleans, though they might occasionally go over that mark.
Most effective saving tip:
You cannot say no until you have a bigger yes. The clearer and more detailed your vision about what your goals are, the more effectively you can save for them.