Marcus David 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 Sparkman is a financial advisor at Foundations Investment Advisors LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Insight Folios and American Income Life. Outside of his advisory work, he is a business partner in HighGround Gaming LLC, which organizes board game events and creates related content for YouTube. Foundations Investment Advisors is a multi-advisor firm managing approximately $10.1 billion for over 29,000 clients. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, retirement-plan support, and sub-advisory services, serving individuals, trusts, estates, and registered investment companies through a network of nearly 300 investment adviser representatives.

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.

Philip Tribble is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently operating Tribble Financial Planning in Ann Arbor, MI. He previously worked at Arbor Trust Wealth Advisors and AXA Network. Outside of financial advising, he serves as a paid high school football official in Michigan, a role he has held intermittently over the past nine years. Tribble Financial Planning is an independent, fee-only advisory firm focused on financial planning for individual clients through both ongoing and project-based engagements. The firm emphasizes comprehensive written plans covering retirement, tax, estate, and other areas, providing investment analysis and asset allocation recommendations without managing client assets or custody.

Natalie Miller is the principal advisor at Grit and Lavender Financial Planning in Brighton, MI, with 14 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at firms including Merrill Lynch, PNC Investments, and Mass Mutual. Outside of advisory work, Miller provides educational and coaching services through her consulting business and serves as a small business coach and securities licensing instructor. Grit and Lavender Financial Planning serves individual clients with investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and financial coaching. The firm primarily uses a passive investment approach and offers subscription-style services and educational programming to support client implementation and ongoing engagement.

Samuel Fineberg is the sole advisor at Fineberg Wealth Management, LLC in Ann Arbor, MI, holding a Series 66 designation with 13 years of industry experience. He has managed his independent advisory firm since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he has been involved in rental property management since 2008. Fineberg Wealth Management serves individual clients by providing discretionary investment supervisory and portfolio management services without account minimums. The firm uses a combination of charting, fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to build diversified portfolios and employs various trading strategies, conducting regular account reviews.