Kansas State University, Masters Certificate in Financial Therapy

Georgia State University:

- Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning (MS PFP)

- Master of Taxation (MTx)

- Master of Business Administration (MBA)

FSU (BS) in Finance

Bank of America – Trust Officer

KPMG – Tax Senior (expatriate tax)

CBIZ – Tax Senior

Grant Thornton – Private Client Services

Wells Fargo – Fiduciary Specialist

PNC – Sr Wealth Strategist

Georgia Society of CPAs (CPA)

Certified Financial Planner (CFP)

Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA)

Atlanta Estate Planning Council (AEP – Accredited Estate Planner)

Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA)

Certified Financial Therapist (CFT-I)

Shepherd Center – Advisory Committee

GSCPA – Advisory Committee/Conference Committee

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – Legacy Advisor

Leadership Sandy Springs

Sandy Springs Fire Corps

Peachtree Road United Methodist Church

Why did I you get into the business?

I was originally fascinated by the concepts of trust accounts and estate administration, but then had the unfortunate experience of losing a parent at an early age. As an only child at 24 years old, I then became responsible for the care and support of my grandparents. While truly an honor and a privilege, most people are very unfamiliar with the responsibilities and decisions that are required of such a role. Additionally, I witnessed the emotional turmoil and conflict that such an unexpected event has on a family and decided that I wanted to use this experience to help others avoid the pitfalls and confusion of such trying times.

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What is my your hardest lesson learned and how did I you learn it?

It’s not what people tell you that you need to be concerned with, it’s what they aren’t telling you. Almost all of us have some money story that drives our biases, beliefs, and emotional relationship with money. Furthermore, talking about money is generally consider to be taboo, so most of us have no true North Pole to provide general guidance. Technical knowledge is great, but if you haven’t developed the skill of active listening and further discovery, you often miss the opportunity to understand real client motivations and may end up trying to solve the wrong problems. Once you can overcome this fundamental barrier of trust, understanding, and real communication, we can achieve miraculous results with a multitude of benefits.

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What inspires me you to come to work everyday?

Curiosity. Every day I seek to learn something new, do something different, and collaborate with the best minds in the business, to achieve results that that exceed expectation. There is no answer that is right for every situation. Developing the right processes and framework to understand options, then working collaboratively with clients and outside advisors to craft customized solutions drives me to make each solution better than the last.

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What is the most exotic place that I you have ever been?

I did Outward Bound in Costa Rica living in the rainforest and on the rivers for a 23 day multi-environment course.

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Why did I you choose to come work at Balentine?

I chose to come work at Balentine for the culture. After meeting several of the leaders, it became very clear that this is a firm that is truly committed to their employees and the mutual welfare of the organization as a whole. Many places pay lip service to these issues, but the Balentine pillars and fundamentals that are put into practice everyday is what I believe truly provides a cohesive understanding the propels an organization forward to the mutual benefit of all stakeholders. The reputation speaks for itself. I believe that this is truly an environment that provides me the opportunity to leverage my skills in order to flourish and achieve some incredible successes that may not be possible elsewhere.