Matthew Sparks Email & Phone Number

Denver, Co, Us

Colorado & New York

In December I was very fortunate to join Ripley, Garlock & Associates - an established Wealth Management practice with a national presence. This 30 year-old firm has built up an extensive network of advisors and product/process experts - with a focus on multi-generational financial planning, wealth transfer, and retirement distribution planning. Personally, my goal is to cultivate and expand our presence in Colorado by ensuring we keep the promises made to our current and future clients to be their partner and advocate over the long term.

Denver Metropolitan Area

Private Wealth Advisor for Apogee Wealth Advisors - Part of Northwestern Mutual's Private Client GroupAs the Relationship Manager for approximately 150 households, my focus is to help affluent and emerging affluent clients build and preserve multi-general wealth through a curated discovery process, comprehensive (dynamic) financial plan, Specific recommendations, and regular review meetings. Our stated objective is to help clients create a path toward financial freedom as they define it... and pay less tax.Our practice integrates risk-based planning with goal-based planning to efficiently create wealth over time in a risk appropriate way, while protecting against unplanned challenges that could potentially challenge, if not completely derail future financial goals.Our engagement can be fee-based when appropriate but is frequently goals-based which could include product recommendation and placement. Acting as Wealth Management Fiduciaries requires that all recommendations are made in the clients' best interest. An appropriate cadence of future review meetings with a team of experts - driven by lifestyle/goal changes, rather than short-term volatility and headline sensationalism, provides a methodical forum to ensure our clients' financial plan is fluid and appropriate throughout the lifetime of the engagement.

Denver Metropolitan Area

Private Wealth Advisor for Apogee Wealth Advisors - Part of Northwestern Mutual's Private Client GroupAs a Private Wealth Service Advisor, I supported a Top Producer and 10-year, Forum-qualifying Financial Advisor, by joining him in most client meetings - from discovery to implementation. I also served as the point person for all strategic client services and our book of qualified retirement plans.With nearly two decades of industry experience, I was looked to as a subject matter expert in investment, insurance, and planning strategies. I was also responsible for completing and/or delegating client acquisition and service workflows to the rest of our team.

Denver Metropolitan Area

On a small team, each member must wear many hats. While my official title was Director of Advanced Financial Planning, I was involved with much more than building financial plans. The first thing this role required was understanding who among our hundreds of clients had a transactional relationship with our firm, and which ones had an ongoing, consultative relationship. It took several years of reorganizing our CRM system and hundreds of client meetings to identify who our firm was best built to serve. We made it a priority to use our planning software as our guiding light in order to engage all interested clients in a meaningful, impactful way. All clients were provided a free, full financial review - complete with recommended action steps. It was in the first few years of this experience when I feel our firm went from being product-focused to planning-focused. It was a transformative time in the lifecycle of our business model, and I'm proud to say that I was a chief architect in the transformation.At the time, I was the only planner on our team. I was also responsible for all advisory and retail investment business, transactions, trading, etc. from 2013 until mid-2017 when we hired a dedicated portfolio manager.

Denver Metropolitan Area

For over 4 years, I had the incredible opportunity to contribute to two of the most productive and respected financial planning practices in the Denver area. During this time, I had the honor of working with two advisors and their respective teams - each with different insights and different value propositions, in charting a course that would lead to remarkable professional achievement. It was a privilege to grow with these guys as they have developed uniquely into two of the most sought-after professionals in our community, and some of the most highly regarded advisors in our company. My primary role was business development - through research and social media engagement. I also frequently met with clients at their home or place of business to complete and collect/deliver paperwork.

Denver Metropolitan Area

Using a macro-economic planning approach, I worked within a network of financial professionals using methodologies deigned to help people identify and address the next one-most-important thing in their lives financially. Simply stated, I identified myself as an advocate for my client first and foremost as we negotiated the complex landscape of financial products and determined proper application!

Denver Metropolitan Area

My first quasi-entrepreneurial experience, I was challenged by the dynamics of maintaining a viable and profitable business while devoting most of my time to others. I worked with my clients to understand and implement basic financial practices in order to help them build financial security. Typically insurance products, mutual funds, and time-tested savings strategies were used to help my clients accumulate and preserve their wealth.

Denver Metropolitan Area

In just over 4 years with Schwab, I helped design, implement, and refine the trading, and trade correction processes within the firm's clearing enterprise. The results were proven through significant efficiency improvements, millions of dollars in recovered revenue, and a quantum leap in work-flow and economies of scale! My time was split between mentoring others on my team, working as a liaison between our team and various ranks of management, advising on policy and procedural changes, and establishing trusted relationships with our business clients.