Douglas Scott Smith

You make good money. You have a plan somewhere. What you are not sure about is whether anyone is actually watching the whole thing. Right now, you probably have an advisor for investments, a CPA for taxes, and maybe an attorney for estate documents. None of them talk to each other. You are the one in the middle, repeating your situation to three people who each see one slice of it. I build the financial plan, and I prepare and file your tax return myself. Same person, same conversation. The tax decision and the planning decision get made together, by someone who can see how one moves the other. Most advisors hand you off to a CPA who has never seen your plan. I do not hand you off. I work with dual-income parents, director level and up, two demanding careers, kids at home, and a financial life that has gotten more complicated than you have time for. Equity comp you have not fully sorted out. College creeping up. Estate documents written before your last job change. All of it in motion at once, and no one holding it together. What I give you back is time. One relationship instead of many. One person who knows the whole story, so you stop being the project manager of your own financial life. None of these pieces is that hard on its own. The coordination is what you do not have the hours for. That is the part I take off your plate. I am raising four kids of my own, including a set of triplets, so I plan from inside this life stage, not from a brochure. I know what it costs, in money and in attention, to do this well. If you are tired of being the one who holds it all together, reach out. I will tell you honestly whether I am the right fit.

Sean R. Sparkman, AIF®, is the founder of Pathfinders Wealth and an investment adviser representative with Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC. Based in Commerce Township, Michigan, he works with families, retirees, and business owners nationwide by phone and video and throughout Southeast Michigan in person by appointment. His work focuses on retirement income planning, investment management, Social Security, Roth conversions and other tax-aware planning decisions, life insurance, annuities, survivor planning, and long-term family and legacy goals. Sean's approach is simple: every dollar should have a job. Depending on the client, that job may be growth, income, liquidity, tax efficiency, protection, or legacy. The job comes first; the product comes after. Investment advisory services are offered through Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Insurance products are offered separately through appropriately licensed insurance professionals. Estate-planning matters may be coordinated with a client's independent attorney; Sean does not provide legal services.

Louis Bader is a CFP®-credentialed financial advisor with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving at J.P. Morgan Securities. He has worked at J.P. Morgan Securities since 2013. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC provides institutional consulting services to corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors.

Eldin Foco is a financial advisor at Sterling Advisory Group LLC with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at several firms including CIG Capital Advisors and Cco Investment Services Corp. since 2012. Sterling Advisory Group provides portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, families, trusts, foundations, businesses, and employer-sponsored plans. The firm manages client accounts on a tailored basis and also serves institutional clients, offering a range of strategic investment models that emphasize asset allocation, diversification, and Shariah-compliant selection.

Daniel Shub is a financial advisor at Octo Capital, LLC with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been managing Octo Capital since 2015. In addition to his advisory role, he is the managing member of Shub & Company LLC, a life and health insurance agency, and Gold Star Insurance Group LLC, a property and casualty insurance agency. Octo Capital provides investment advisory, portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, families, retirement plans, trusts, foundations, and charitable organizations. The firm’s investment approach is long-term and based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing diversified allocations primarily through mutual funds and ETFs, with discretionary portfolio management and regular monitoring.

Peter Mc Caffrey is a financial advisor at Sound Financial Planning LLC in Bloomfield Hills, MI. He holds a Series 65 designation and has one year of industry experience. Outside of financial advising, he has been a professional cellist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 2012. Sound Financial Planning LLC provides fee-only, advice-only financial planning to individuals and high-net-worth clients, focusing on diversified, passive investment strategies and comprehensive financial planning without managing client assets or exercising investment discretion.