Michael partners with his clients to help them clarify and pursue their financial goals with strategies tailored specifically to their needs and risk comfort level. He ascertains how best to work with each client by carefully listening and learning about who they are and what’s important to them.

“It’s not enough for me to know what they want to accomplish, but also why it is important to them,” Michael says. “It helps me relate to their goal and gain deeper insight into how I can address the underlying reason that drives them.”

The clients he serves include business owners and physicians with busy companies and practices. They value having a trusted advisor to manage their financial matters, so they can remain passionately focused on their life’s work. His engineering-minded clients appreciate the extra time Michael spends conveying the details of the wealth management strategies he implements.

His honest, straightforward approach means he tells his clients what they need to hear, not simply what they want to hear. “That does not mean I communicate it in an off-putting way, but I strive to ensure that our relationship is based on honest candor and trust so we can deal with reality,” he says.

Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Kansas, and a Master of Divinity from Saint Paul School of Theology.

He transitioned to Raymond James with his co-workers in 2021. “Raymond James has the resources and scope needed as a partner in serving our clients, while allowing us to also tailor our practice around what I believe our clients want and need,” he says.

Previously, Michael was a financial advisor with Edward Jones for 10 years. He opened his first office in 2011 in Overland Park, Kansas, moved his branch to Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2013 and then again to Fountain Hills in 2015.

While with Edward Jones, Michael served in a number of leadership capacities that involved helping new financial advisors grow in knowledge and abilities, as well as holding them accountable to key activities designed to drive their success.

Prior to his financial services career, Michael served as the congregational care pastor for the largest United Methodist church in the country – the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.

In addition to handling the normal duties of a pastor, such as counseling and leading worship, he oversaw the prayer ministry and financial coaching ministry – which eventually led him to his current role as a financial advisor.

Applying his counseling experience as a pastor, he develops very trusting relationships that even involve coaching his clients through difficult life moments that have a financial component to them.

Michael is also devoted to supporting his community. He chairs the board of directors of the Fountain Hills Sanitary District and serves as a board member of the Fountain Hills Community Foundation. He lends his financial support to several organizations, including the Fountain Hills School District through the local PTO, the Fountain Hills Soccer Club, and Fountain Hills Little League Baseball.

Michael is originally from Overland Park, Kansas, and today lives in Fountain Hills, Arizona. “We fell in love with the mountain views and the small-town feel, while still being able to take advantage of the big-town perks of Scottsdale right down the street,” he says.

Michael and his wife, Becca, have three children, Jonah, Shiloh and Sawyer. In his free time, Michael is an avid mountain biker and loves connecting with other mountain bikers on the trails. “As someone once did for me, I also love taking others out for the first time (and going at their pace) to show them the ropes of how much fun mountain biking can be.”