James is a Managing Partner of the Fortis Financial Group, a Wealth Management company focused on providing detailed goal based financial planning for successful individuals and high net worth families. James has over 22 years of experience in the financial services industry and utilizes his personal and institutional background in hedge fund risk management and real estate finance to deliver unique solutions to problems and build lasting relationships.Prior to starting Fortis, James worked at Glacier Peak Capital, a SEC registered investment advisor, which managed two hedge funds (the Glacier Peak US Value fund and the Glacier Peak Global Fund). James continues to own Glacier Peak Capital, which is now a subsidiary of Fortis, and remains a member of the investment and strategy committee. James is a graduate of Middlebury College and now resides on Mercer Island with his wife and 3 boys. You can often find James coaching little league or tackle football for the neighborhood kids of Mercer Island or find him tossing a football off the dock to his boys or boating on Lake Washington. James is a member of the Seattle Prep Alumni Board, a board member of the Mercer Island Center of the Arts (MICA) and a regular volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club of Mercer Island. Given James’ wide range of experience in financial services he focuses on clients experiencing large liquidity events often through the sale of a business or large real estate portfolio and who want to optimize their family wealth to last generationally with a strong desire for charitable giving. What clients love most about working with James is the consultative approach he takes with helping them make financial decisions and accomplish their longer-term goals. As a former college offensive lineman, James is no stranger to hard work and is extremely protective of his client’s confidentiality with sensitive matters, asset selection/allocation and risk management which are qualities that clients love. Some of the areas where James adds the most immediate value:- Providing peace of mind around retirement or second career decisions- Optimizing your investment portfolio risk level- Estate planning strategies to minimize estate tax- Tax strategy to reduce annual tax liability- Management of concentrated positions, often in your employer's stock- Decision analysis around big financial decisions such real estate purchases, sales of businesses, retirement