Talk to us Meet Mike
What do you enjoy most about wealth management?
I have always been inspired by families as they work together and consider how best to deploy their financial, intellectual, human and social capital for the betterment of their family, their community and the world.
What's the biggest challenge?
Outside of family dynamics, one of the biggest challenges is navigating the seemingly limitless choices available to families of wealth. Seeing the big picture through complexity and narrowing those choices can often feel daunting, and it takes a great deal of experience and expertise to help family members with differing levels of interest, knowledge and maturity to be involved in those choices and see their input reflected in the result.
What do you love most about being part of Aspiriant?
The opportunity to serve amazing families with talented and passionate teammates.
What quality of yours makes you best suited to what you do?
I am devoted to my clients’ and their success – however they may define that. I also believe in consistently demonstrating trustworthiness, integrity and a calm presence in all circumstances.
What do you love to do outside of work?
Outside of work, I love to cook and work with my hands. Most weekends, I can be found outdoors cooking classic BBQ or working in the yard. I am also an avid sports fan (perhaps too much on occasion!) and rarely miss my teams’ games.
What would you be doing if you weren't working for Aspiriant?
I would likely still be practicing law. I am grateful for my mentors at the law firm who served their clients zealously with the highest ethics and intelligence. True professionals are a big part of who I am today.
What personal accomplishments are you most proud of?
Alongside my wife, raising two confident and successful daughters.
Bio
Mike joins Aspiriant as a director of wealth management in our Exclusive Family Office. For more than 30 years, he has helped multi-generational families and successful entrepreneurs navigate the complexities and opportunities in their personal and business lives. Mike has witnessed first-hand the many challenges faced by families of significant wealth. He has worked alongside those families to develop strategies to grow and sustain their wealth for generations.
Mike began his career as a corporate attorney at Smith Gambrell & Russell, LLP in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in private company mergers and acquisitions. Eventually, he became a member of the firm’s tax section, primarily practicing estate and gift tax law.
Since departing the practice of law, Mike has worked with GenSpring Family Offices, Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs and Truist Wealth, serving many of the firms’ most prominent multi-generational and entrepreneurial client families. His diverse background and experience help Mike provide holistic and customized family office services to his clients, including estate and trust planning, personal and fiduciary tax planning, risk management strategies, philanthropic services and mentoring the next generation through family governance and education.
Mike earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Politics from Wake Forest University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law. He lives in Atlanta and is a State Bar of Georgia member. Mike and his wife, Melissa, have been married for 30 years and have two adult daughters.
