As I started my career in October 1998, I was a 23-year-old newlywed in Branson, Missouri. Working primarily with depression-era retirees, I had to quickly learn how to understand and embrace their perspectives and adjust my recommendations to their unique needs and goals. Through consistent hard work, attentive listening and solutions-based advice, I successfully launched my career as a financial advisor.

In March of 2000, the economy entered a recession and the stock market followed suit, dropping monthly for seemingly 30 straight months. Needless to say, my newly established clients were frustrated and concerned. I learned two very valuable lessons as I braved challenging economies as a young financial advisor. First, very rarely can we control investment outcome, but we can embrace quality investments, diversification and balanced portfolios. Second, my clients want to make reasonable returns on their investments, but they expect proactive support, especially during tough times. Learning these lessons early in my career has allowed me to build a successful practice.

In 2006, I moved my practice back to my hometown of Joplin, Missouri. Here, I have been blessed to work with an outstanding group of team members who have been regionally and nationally recognized. I am very fortunate to partner with a team that cares for the families we serve as much as I do.

I'm married to my high school sweetheart, Amanda. We have three children, Del, Jack and Anna Pearl. In my time not at the office or with my family, I've served in city governmental and community leadership roles. From 2014 to 2022, I served on the Joplin City Council, my last two years of council serving as Mayor of Joplin.