09/23/2026
They say mastery takes 10,000 hours. Mine began one cold call at a time.
September 21, 2006, was my first day at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. I had a telephone, a Yellow Pages (IYKYK), no sales assistant, and a willingness to hear “no” far more often than “yes.”
Those early years taught me resilience and made me want to understand more than the investment I was calling about. I earned my CFP®️ certification and kept learning about taxes, estate planning, business ownership, risk, philanthropy, and how those decisions shape a family’s life.
I crossed the proverbial 10,000-hour threshold long ago. What I’ve learned since is that mastery means remaining a student.
My career grew from selling municipal bonds to helping families, founders, and family offices navigate the full complexity of their financial lives. I’ve worked alongside founders as they built businesses and prepared for exits, including billion-dollar transactions. Being one of a family’s first calls when a consequential decision arises is a privilege I never take for granted.
But the moments I remember most aren’t measured in dollars.
They’re first homes, marriages, divorces, and losses. The good news shared across a table and the difficult calls when someone needed us to pick up. Clients may pay for our time, but they remember who was there for the moments.
We’ve also navigated the global financial crisis, the U.S. debt downgrade, and COVID together. Through uncertainty, our responsibility has been to listen, stay steady, and help families make thoughtful decisions.
I remember remarkable trips, unforgettable meals, red-eye flights, early mornings, and nights sleeping on my office floor. And some of the finest golf courses in the world—though you’d never know it from my handicap.
Years ago, I read a book that compared building an advisory practice to Noah’s Ark: you don’t need everyone aboard, just the right 100 families who trust the journey. That idea stayed with me. Build something intentional and lasting, one relationship at a time.
I’m proud to be a co-founder of The Sharpe Group of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. I’m especially grateful for Larry Rubinstein—my mentor, partner, and best friend. His belief in me shaped my career and the person I’ve become.
To the families who have trusted our team, and to my partners, colleagues, family, and friends: thank you. To Oppenheimer: thank you for giving a young advisor the chance to grow and build. There isn’t room here to thank everyone who has helped me along the way. You know who you are, and I’m eternally grateful.
Twenty years in, I’m still learning, and still grateful every time the phone rings. There isn’t another career I’d choose.
If you’d like to learn how The Sharpe Group works with families, founders, and family offices, please reach out. I’d welcome an exploratory conversation.
Here’s to the next 20 years—and to being there for the moments, not merely the minutes.
