As a CFP® professional and founder of Illuminate Wealth Management, I work with business owners, executives, and professionals who are navigating complex financial decisions. My goal is to help you understand your options, avoid costly mistakes, and create a strategy that supports the life you're working so hard to build. Over the years, I've developed a particular passion for helping clients make smart decisions around equity compensation. Whether you're dealing with RSUs, ISOs, stock options, ESPPs, or a major liquidity event, I help clients think through the tax implications, manage concentration risk, and create a plan that connects today's decisions with their long-term goals. I also work closely with business owners who are balancing the demands of running a company while trying to make thoughtful decisions about growing and protecting their personal wealth. When your business, taxes, retirement goals, investments, and family finances are all connected, financial planning becomes about much more than investments alone. While equity compensation and business planning are often what bring people to me, my role is much larger than solving a single financial challenge. I help clients think through retirement, taxes, investments, cash flow, and long-term wealth planning so they can make decisions with confidence and stay focused on what matters most. My approach is simple: bring clarity to complexity and help people make confident financial decisions. I believe good planning should help you spend less time worrying about money and more time focusing on what matters most to you.

As a military spouse, Lauren has pursued her interest in personal finance around the globe. Lauren joined Illuminate Wealth Management in 2021 and works primarily with clients through the firm's Retirement Readiness and Financial Foundations planning projects. She enjoys getting to know each client's unique situation and helping them think through important financial decisions. For clients approaching retirement, Lauren helps evaluate retirement income needs, Social Security claiming options, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), Roth conversion opportunities, and withdrawal strategies. Through the Financial Foundations projects, she works with individuals and families who want to build strong financial habits, organize their finances, and create a plan for future goals. In her free time, Lauren wrangles her three wild children (four if you include her husband) and is in constant pursuit of the perfect breakfast taco outside of Texas, which has yet to be found…

Charles Reader is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 10 years of experience in financial planning and investment management. He is currently the sole advisor at Illuminate Wealth Management, having previously worked at Different By Design Financial Planning and several other firms. Illuminate Wealth Management serves individuals, families, and small businesses, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and tailored services such as a virtual family office and virtual CFO engagements. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis, diversified portfolios, and coordination with external specialists to provide comprehensive wealth management solutions.