I began my career in financial services in 1998 at the recommendation of my high school guidance counselor. While I expressed interest in becoming an auto mechanic (I still like to work on my cars), she suggested I pursue the Wisconsin Financial Youth Apprenticeship program. It was good advice. I went on to spend seven years in retail and commercial banking specializing in corporate & municipal cash management. And in 2008, I joined my father, John, at Macco Financial Group, as a financial advisor.My wife and I had our first child in 2011. At that time, my wife was working full-time outside the home. I knew her desire was to be home with our daughter, but with paying off various debts, our budget wouldn’t allow it. One night in a men’s study group, I was hit by the reality that it was our spending choices that kept my wife in the workforce and away from our home where she longed to be. I quickly hashed out a budget to cut spending and savings and attack our debt with gazelle-like intensity. That night I went home with a plan to adjust our budget so my wife could be home before our daughter turned 2 years old. She cried. Why? Because we were taking control of our money to bend it to the vision we had for our life and align it with our values. And have continued to do that through all the twists and turns that life has thrown at us. Not with perfection, but certainly with persistence.It is this journey that my wife and I have been on in our own lives that drives me in my work with our clients. It’s about helping people balance their time and money between important goals that are often in conflict with one another. It’s about helping people maintain focus on the long-term all while celebrating the victories in life like marriages, births, new businesses, and retirement and walking with people through difficulties like divorce, death, and other setbacks. It’s about being there for people in the face of strong emotions regarding markets, politics, social concerns, and everything else we see in the news. Frankly, it’s harder than I thought. But it’s also very honest and real, and an honor that I take very seriously.Beth and I have been married since 2004. Together, we now have four children, Hazel, Ethan, Jasper, and Matilda. When I am not in the office, I enjoy travel, engaging with our church community, spending time with my family, riding my Harley, and learning new things. Oh, and occasionally serving up pizza & ice cream cones at an ice cream shop and mini golf course that I co-own.