My career started at the end of 2009, which means my first year in this industry was the year after one of the worst financial crises in modern history. That timing was not lost on me. Watching people lose jobs they had held for decades, and seeing families absorb financial setbacks some never fully recovered from, made one thing clear: having a plan matters enormously. The absence of one can cost people far more than money.
My grandfather understood hard work. He built a grocery store that supported much of our family and was, by every measure, a success. Eventually, unexpected medical costs and a lack of long-term financial structure forced him to sell it. I have never framed that as a failure on his part. What he built was real. What was missing was someone in his corner thinking ten steps ahead. That is the job I showed up to do.
Growing up in metro Detroit shaped how I approach this work. My father worked for everything our family had, and my mother raised three boys with a kind of steady, quiet care that I try to bring into every client relationship. Detroit is a city that respects effort and looks out for its own. That is the standard I hold myself to.
Michigan State University prepared me well, but experience taught me more. Over fifteen years in this industry, including more than a decade in a management role, have given me a perspective on what good financial planning actually looks like in practice. I left that chapter in 2025 knowing exactly what I wanted to build and how I wanted to build it. Hexstone Wealth is the result of that clarity.
What keeps me in this work is the part that cannot be automated: being calm for someone who cannot yet see through the fog. Every client comes with a different puzzle, and finding the right way to put the pieces together is something I genuinely find fascinating.
When I am not working, you will likely find me in the kitchen. My homemade biscuits and baklava have made me the de facto host among our friends, and I am happy to own that title. My wife and I have been together since high school, our families still live five minutes apart, and our daughter is the best reason I have for every decision I make. I also grew up playing hockey alongside my two brothers, and the game is still a big part of my life. When the season slows down, I trade the rink for a fishing rod.