Clemson University, 2005, B.S. Business/Marketing
My first opportunity to really travel came in 2011 when Rachel and I took our honeymoon to London, Paris and Ireland. We had a remarkable time exploring new places together and seeing so much history. There’s nothing quite like the first time you walk the Champs-Élysées. French novelist, Gustave Flaubert, summarizes a large reason we like to travel:
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”
I was fortunate that my first real job in the financial services industry began at Wiseman & Associates Wealth Management in 2008. The role exposed me to many areas of the financial services industry without the pressure to “sell” or find new relationships. This gave me the opportunity to learn and question everything. The foundation of knowledge that came from these early years of learning helped shape my view of the work we want to be doing today.
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The College of William and Mary, 2002 – BBA – Finance
The College of William and Mary, 2002 – BA – Government
My wife, Cassey, and I recently had the opportunity to visit England and Scotland with some friends. While there, we participated in the world’s largest half marathon which is held annually in Newcastle, England. My favorite aspect of travel is venturing off the beaten path, meeting new people, and experiencing other cultures. As our daughters, Lucy and Avery, get older we want to take every opportunity we may have to explore the world with them.
The early portion of my career was spent working as a financial advisor with two major “wirehouse” firms. During these years I saw the good, bad, and the ugly of our business. This experience shaped my approach as I managed my own firm, Winchester Wealth Management, over the last ten years. I value the close relationships we share with our clients and I appreciate the trust they place in us and the opportunity they give us to make a positive difference in their lives and the lives of their families.
I want to positively impact my community by living a legacy of honesty, kindness to others, and hard work. I want my children to always know that they are loved, supported, and safe. And above all, I want to show them that anything is possible; there is no limit to what they can accomplish if they are willing to work diligently, live with integrity, and always remain humble and kind.
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Virginia Tech, 2012, B.S. Business Management
When traveling, my wife and I prefer to travel somewhere warm and with a beach. Our latest trip was our honeymoon after getting married in June of 2019 to Montego Bay, Jamaica. While most of our time was spent relaxing on the beach, we were able to venture off the resort a few days for two excursions including cliff diving and swimming with dolphins.
Hard work, service and honesty were key themes I learned from my family growing up. These traits gave me the foundation needed while spending the last 7 years working in the financial planning industry.
The legacy I wish to live is all about service. Service to my family, community and work. By giving my all to these things I can positively impact the world around me.
Warren County High School – Graduated 1978
Licensed Series 7, Series 63 & 65, Licensed State of Virginia for Life, Health, and Annuities
My husband worked internationally. This gave us the opportunity to travel to many different countries. Our favorite location was Oahu - Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. Our favorite moment while traveling was riding bikes down the mountain from Haleakala National Park where we experienced the sunrise, the mist of rain, rainbows, and the heavenly smells from the lavender fields as we traveled down the winding hill.
I started in the Banking and Financial Services Industry in 1978. The Dow Jones Average was around 800. Look where we are today! I have been through all the ups and downs and experienced Black Monday, 9/11, The Tech Bubble, The Housing/Mortgage Crisis, and now the Coronavirus Crisis. From experience, I can say it has definitely been a wild ride over these many years. Wise words from a dear old friend from New York taught me a valuable lesson years ago. He always reminded me, “When nobody wants them(stocks) is when you buy them. Never panic or ever go along with the crowd”. These words remain true for yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
My Ambition - I strive to be a little kinder, more caring, and a better person than I was yesterday. Loosing two spouses to cancer at very young ages has made me realize how truly precious life can be. Going through those days, by their side each step of the way, during their battle with this horrible disease helped to make me realize how life can quickly change in a single moment. During those days, I reevaluated my life, my ambitions, and found getting through the darkest days helped me to find a deeper strength, new, and different ambitions I thought I had lost forever. I then began to refocus my personal ambitions on others. So today, I strive to live, love, continue to find peace, and happiness by working with our incredible client's while helping them along the way to navigate their road to their own ambitions, and individual legacies. They provide my ambitions with the start of each new day.
Working together as a team, Buttonwood Wealth, provides our drive and ambition each, and every day, by providing top notch client services in a kind, caring, and exceptional manner. We, as a team, seek to excel our client's expectations by providing top notch client service so their goals, investment objectives, and their legacy is acknowledged and it is exactly that ... "Their Legacy".
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B.S. Accounting, University of Maryland College Park, May 1985
I had the opportunity some years ago to travel to Mumbai, India as part of a team to investigate claims of bribery against a high-profile company on behalf of a U.S. Federal Court. Seeing firsthand what real poverty looks like was eye opening, and changed the way I viewed the world. Often, as our car stopped, it was surrounded by people begging in the windows. Unforgettable. It made me even more grateful for all we have here in the United States.
I remember hobbies! My wife, Michon and I have four children at home, and their combined lives/activities are the main focus of our free time. When not working, I’m usually reading, and I can easily spend several hours a day in front of a stack of professional articles.
I’ve spent the entire 35 years of my professional career as a CPA in public practice in the area of taxation and wealth planning. My career began at Ernst and Young, and over the years, I’ve founded a DC area CPA firm which was eventually sold to American Express. I’ve been a senior tax partner in a DC area CPA firm, and the managing director of my own tax focused CPA firm in Winchester, Virginia. Many of my clients have been with me for over 20 years, and I consider them both mentors and family members.
To be worthy of the love I receive from my family and friends. I am a believer that we should use the gifts we have received as stewards of divine grace. As Albert Einstein noted, “only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” My goal is to provide lasting value to others, and to use my knowledge to further the financial, and ultimately the life goals of my clients.