Wendy Taylor

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.

Natalie Miller is the principal advisor and owner of Grit and Lavender Financial Planning, an independent firm based in Brighton, Michigan. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has 14 years of industry experience, including roles at Merrill Lynch, PNC Investments, and Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company. Outside of her advisory work, she provides non-securities related consulting, coaching, and virtual instruction for securities licensing exams. Grit and Lavender Financial Planning serves individual clients with services ranging from ongoing investment management to one-time financial plans and hands-on financial coaching. The firm primarily employs a passive investment approach using index mutual funds and ETFs, supplemented by fundamental and technical analysis, and offers a subscription-style billing model with educational seminars and fee-based courses.

Craig Mckee is the sole advisor at XLM Capital Management in Dexter, MI, with 16 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with XLM Capital Management since 2003. XLM Capital Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advice to high-net-worth individuals, estates, and businesses, managing approximately $96.5 million in discretionary assets. The firm focuses on individualized portfolios that emphasize direct equity investments and options, using active strategies and avoiding mutual funds, with client reporting provided on request or upon material changes.

Robert Laura is a financial advisor with Wealth & Wellness Group, LLC in Brighton, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has been involved with Synergos Financial Group, L.L.C. dba Osborn Wealth Management since 2009 and is also active in educational content development and workshops through Retirement Project LLC. Wealth & Wellness Group provides investment advisory and planning services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a tailored portfolio management approach that emphasizes diversification, asset allocation, Modern Portfolio Theory, and fundamental analysis, managing both discretionary and directed client relationships.