08/12/2026
Almost 20 Years in This Business — and a Lot Has Changed
When I started in the financial industry almost 20 years ago, I wore a suit and tie every day.
Today, you’re much more likely to find me sitting across from a client in a nice shirt and a pair of jeans.
Why? Because over the years, I’ve learned that this business isn’t about the suit you wear, the office you sit in, or the corporate name behind you.
It’s about people.
My clients don’t need me to look like a banker. They need me to know them, understand what matters to them, and be there when life changes.
That realization is also a big part of why I made the decision to leave the corporate world and become an independent advisor.
I wanted the freedom to focus on one thing: my clients and their needs.
Not corporate targets.
Not quotas.
Not what is most profitable for a company.
Just doing what I believe is right for the person or family sitting across from me.
Over almost two decades, some of my client relationships have grown into something much deeper than investments and financial planning.
I’ve had clients call me after receiving a serious health diagnosis — sometimes before they’ve even told members of their own family.
They call when they realize it may be time to move into a nursing home and don’t know what comes next.
They call after losing a husband or wife, when the financial decisions in front of them are probably the last thing they want to think about.
They call when they retire, when their children grow up, when grandchildren arrive, when businesses are sold, and when life simply doesn’t go according to plan.
Those conversations have taught me what being a financial advisor really means.
People are trusting you with far more than their money. They’re trusting you with their lives, their families, their fears, and their futures.
I don’t take that trust lightly.
Almost 20 years later, I may have traded the suit and tie for a shirt and jeans, and the corporate world for independence, but one thing hasn’t changed:
The relationships have always meant the most to me.
And that’s exactly the kind of advisor I intend to continue being.
Valley Wealth Management
Rooted Here. Investing in Your Future.