Our Founders

Phil Stoker and Creg Ostler met shortly after they graduated college. While in school, they both studied finance and estate planning.  Each went on to pursue MBAs in finance, although from different universities.  After each worked in several different positions, they found themselves once again together, working as financial planners for a large, national bank in Chicago.  In reconnecting, they realized that they shared not only similar career paths, but also similar ideas about how to better serve clients.

According to Phil, “In many of the large institutions, there is little opportunity to customize a client’s financial plan and portfolio to meet his or her unique needs and priorities. Clients can be lumped together in such a way that individual tax consequences and financial requirements are not considered.  Too often the emphasis is on quotas and profit goals for the investment advisor rather than considering what is best for the client.  We wanted to create a firm where the client’s needs are always first."

Phil was transferred with his family to Arizona by the bank but remained in close contact with Creg.  It didn’t take long for the two friends to decide that they wanted to work together and create a independent wealth advisory firm.  Creg and his family soon made the move to Arizona.  The rest is history.

"We had nearly 30 years of experience in financial planning between us when we started the firm,” said Creg.  “We knew that we had good skills but we also knew that, if we were going to be truly different, we needed to set high standards and cultivate a culture of excellence and ethical service from the start.  We spent months putting together our business plan, statement of purpose and values.  We devised an investment strategy that still guides us today.  Phil and I are very proud of the firm and the quality of people who have joined us in serving our clients.”