Early years

Ask anyone in my family and they'll tell you that I have always been an entrepreneur and a head for money. In grade school, a friend and I were co-bankers of a classroom financial education program. We helped classmates pay for extra free time, buy candy, or exchange services. Our "bank" later expanded to become a currency exchange between classrooms. 

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Corporate years

Although the days of classroom banking have long passed, I believe my early experience inspired my career choice to become a real-life banker and eventual VP of Global Consumer and Small Business Banking at Bank of America. I was successful in the corporate environment and enjoyed numerous promotions. Throughout my time with the bank I was responsible for opening new location and managing up to 40 employees. My career progress eventually relocated my family to Connecticut, which was an ideal move closer to my Maine roots.

 

As it turns out, the timing of our relocation couldn't have been worse. The financial crisis - with banking at the center of it all - had just begun to expose deep flaws. The bank had to make big decisions, which directly impacted the opportunities I would have had within the bank, and immediately threatened my upward trajectory. The position I had relocated to fill was immediately dissolved.

 

I was at a pivotal moment in my career and recognized that I wouldn't be happy grinding at the bank in a position I didn't enjoy. I reflected on what ignited me throughout life, including my interests in personal finance, desire to help others, and entrepreneurial spirit. I took a leap to open my own financial practice in 2008.

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Current

I quickly learned that not all financial advisors are equal and took it as instruction to begin studying for advanced degrees. I believe that many who call themselves "advisor" or "planner" are merely borrowing the term in order to imply legitimacy but who lack the fiduciary responsibility. I've always acted as a fiduciary but wanted to put credential to that commitment. I offer conflict-free advice as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ ("CFP®") a licensed IRS Enrolled Agent ("EA"). I believe that the education, experience, ethical standards, and fiduciary responsibility of these designations are differentiators. I am a lifelong learner and enjoy "keeping the saw sharp" to better serve clients or anyone willing to learn.

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I own 100% of SkyBlue Wealth Advisors where I offer independent advice. As a "fee-only" advisor I work for clients on an advice basis, specifically excluding commission "sold" products. I have relationships with tax, estate and insurance professionals who are able to implement components of my wealth planning recommendations.

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Clients of SkyBlue Wealth Advisors (working or retired) include doctors, small business owners, busy professionals, and business leaders who count on me as their trusted advisor. I welcome new clients who value relationships and advice throughout the long-term and instinctually believe in the benefits of having a trusted advisor at their side. 

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As a person

I'm an Eagle Scout and serve as an adult leader in Scouts since my older son, Owen, was eligible to join. I enjoy camping and adventuring with my kids and offering guidance to Scouts learning the ways of the Scout Oath and Law, which have had a positive effect on my own personal conduct and life decisions. Owen earned the Eagle Scout rank in 2021, and my younger son, Ephram, seems to be on the same path. I strongly believe that my core values are rooted in my own Scouting experience. It has always been reliable in guidance through my life and career.

On weekends, if I'm not camping you may find me at the Wethersfield Cove sailing my RC Star sailboat. Growing up, I spent my high school summers teaching and sailing with adult guests at Linekin Bay Resort in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. I also enjoyed a brief stint of racing for two seasons in the Midwinter Regatta series hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club in the San Francisco Bay Area. The thrill of sailing, depending upon harnessing wind force, reading the winds and sky led me to create my logo and business name. For my own enjoyment in my work I may use sailing or nautical metaphors - everyone knows what ballast is, right?

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My wife and I, and our boys, live in Connecticut. We enjoy as many experiences together as our busy schedules allow.

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Philosophy

Our firm holds a set of philosophies that all center around the client experience. Our first, and foremost, is to always do the right thing – Always. We see people as people and enjoy our approach of building relationships and listening because after all people are a number of stories rather than story of numbers.

 

We believe there are solutions for every problem, and they don’t need to be overly complicated. Although some situations may require deeper understanding we aim to avoid confusion and provide clarity.

 

We are our product. Advice is our value. By helping clients make informed decisions throughout the endless stream of lifetime decisions, fair compensation is never an issue. Unfortunately, we can’t work for free but do provide some pro bono work and we're always happy to provide general explanation and education to non-clients.

 

We specifically avoid commission products at our firm. Our whole client approach means that times will arise when products have a place in a plan, such as insurance, and we work closely with professionals outside our firm who offer these products. Our philosophy on investing is simple: A diversified portfolio can be achieved through a combination of low cost passive and actively managed investments. We frequently use Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”) in core portfolios for low cost indexing. While we are successful investors, we do not make promises to outperform the market.

 

We are simply good people who enjoy serving good clients.