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About Us

Mission & Vision

We focus on your finances, so you can focus on your life.

Michael left a successful career in writing over twenty years ago focused on a simple mission: bring the high-touch, insightful and creative financial advice that the super wealthy received to middle-class Americans like you. He was a young father of a special child trying to make his ends meet. He understood the importance of allocating scarce dollars across a range of life’s great goals such as suitable housing, family vacations, pre-funding education and eventually financial independence, that special time when work is optional and retirement is possible. He knew people craved zones of certainty in this uncertain world. He knew the importance of protecting that which we can least afford to lose through health, life and disability insurance. And he, like you, didn’t want to spend more than he had to on these insurances.

Michael knew that success is process, not an event. And financial success requires you to focus systematically on putting your dollars to work in the right places, taking advantage of the plethora of tax breaks our tax code offers, and maximizing your employer benefits. He soon hired Alisa O’Palenick, now Alisa Olsen CFP®, and they set out to build what quickly became an award-winning practice focused on year-over-year financial planning, based on an interactive model, a written game plan, and annual written updates that keep both clients and planners on track.

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Investment Philosophy

Our investment philosophy is encapsulated by the title of Michael’s first book: We Keep it Simple so You can Make it Big.

Each account has a purpose, such as educating your children, funding your financial independence or leaving a legacy. We deploy the full array of equity (owning publicly traded companies), fixed income (loaning your money to the U.S. Government and large corporations) and high-interest cash. Your goals and personality will determine the proper mix of these asset classes. We’ll build your portfolios using a combination of low-cost actively managed and index exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds. We keep it simple, providing the best of full market exposure as well as involvement with commodities such as Gold. We achieve this with an easily understandable 10 investments. Like a championship baseball team, we place a highly skilled player in each position.

We do not believe the economy can be consistently forecast, nor the markets consistently timed. We are thus prepared to ride out the financial markets’ frequent, often significant but historically always temporary declines. You will have a Plan B for this. We believe that even during such trying episodes, our reinvested interest and dividends will be buying more lower-priced shares—and that the power of equity compounding will be continuing, to your long-term benefit.

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?

We put it in writing. Every year. For a fee.

Many financial professionals talk about financial planning. Very few do it, every year and put it in writing. We not only talk the talk, we walk the walk. Our Design, Build and Maintain System for financial success sets us apart. This requires time, attention and a fee from you. It requires a lot of work from us. The result is a plan you co-create that is customized to your unique goals. We'll update it each year with a written progress report, a custom memo that reflects on the year that was, marks your progress to your financial plan, and adapts to any changes in your life or the regulatory and tax environment. Today we are a team of eight professionals working out of three states dedicated to your vision of financial success. We've refined a Design, Build and Maintain System of financial success, about which you can learn more here.

Have Questions? Ask Michael!

We understand that every financial journey is unique. Whether you're looking to create a comprehensive financial plan, plan for retirement, or invest wisely, our team is here to guide you every step of the way. We’re committed to providing personalized solutions that align with your goals and aspirations. Have questions or need assistance? Reach out to us today! We look forward to helping you achieve financial peace of mind.

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