Curious by nature.
Comprehensive by design.
I grew up with a teacher for a mom and, much to the chagrin of my dad and grandparents, I was the kid who was always asking “why?”
Why do we feed the cows this way? Why do I need two hands to catch a baseball? That curiosity, and my mom’s influence, still shows up in nearly every client meeting I have.
I believe financial advice should help people understand their choices, not simply tell them what to do. My job is to explain the reasoning behind each recommendation in words that make sense, invite questions and help clients make informed decisions with confidence. The plan should be built with you, not merely handed to you.
Before entering financial services, I worked for a great organization in professional golf. My career since then has taken me from knocking on doors in the snow and rain to working within the captive insurance-company model. Each experience taught me something valuable about serving people and ultimately showed me what I wanted AX Planning to become.
Planning should support the life the money is meant to serve.
I created AX Planning because the traditional advisor model often puts too much emphasis on accumulating assets and growing an advisory business one particular way. I wanted the freedom to build genuine relationships and make comprehensive planning the center of the client experience. That means looking beyond a portfolio to understand the person, the family and the life the money is meant to support.
My work has introduced me to people who did not save enough for the future and others who saved diligently but did not live long enough to enjoy it. Those experiences shaped my belief that good planning must balance preparing for tomorrow with living well today.
My wife, daughter and I try to practice that ourselves through golf, skiing and traveling whenever we can.
Our annual trip to Whistler is especially meaningful because it is where our daughter learned to ski at four years old and where we have formed lasting friendships.
My grandfather also taught me that asking thoughtful questions and listening carefully can be a superpower. When clients know I genuinely care about the answers, they often feel comfortable discussing things they have never raised with another advisor. Those conversations are where meaningful planning begins.
To me, a successful client relationship is one in which I become an extension of the family—a personal CFO who helps manage the financial details, asks the difficult questions and treats every decision with the same care I would give my own family.
