Michael Schwartz

Beyond the numbers, my work is about stewardship. I’ll be here for the moments that change everything. With Bernstein's experts alongside me, we’ll simplify decisions and create a plan that manages what you’ve built and evolves with your life. My time with the Seattle Seahawks organization left me with a simple standard that still guides how I show up: “Always Compete.” For me, that means treating a client’s goals like they’re my own—preparing relentlessly, getting the details right, anticipating issues early and following through until the job is done. I joined Bernstein because I wanted to serve clients from a place where excellence is the baseline and where the work is as human as it is analytical. I’m wired to ask, “Is this the optimal move?” Bernstein’s depth of thinking, team-based approach and commitment to long-term relationships aligned with how I naturally serve—consistently thoughtful, tenacious, and deeply client‑centric. I’m also drawn to roles where you’re trusted to represent something bigger than yourself, whether it’s community-facing work with the Seahawks or now as an advisor. That responsibility keeps me grounded; it’s about earning trust, protecting what clients have built and helping them make confident decisions at the moments that matter most. Some of my earliest perspective on resilience and resourcefulness came from my family’s roots in the Philippines. Growing up, I heard stories of making do with very little, even hand‑pumping water from a ground well in my parents’ village just to cook or bathe. That upbringing didn’t just teach gratitude, it also emphasized responsibility. It shaped my values early: don’t take opportunities for granted, do what you say you’ll do, and use success to take care of people. Having built a company myself, I understand the pressure experienced by entrepreneurs, who are constantly weighing risks, trade-offs and responsibilities. That background helps me empathize with business owners, executives and families who balance opportunity with complexity. And I know how freeing it is to move forward with clarity from a set of optimal decisions, especially for founders, athletes and entertainers contemplating a “second act.”

Alvin Wolcott is a CFP® with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at APEX Tax & Financial Planning in Kent, WA. He previously worked at Pacific Portfolio Consulting, LLC and Synergy Asset Management LLC. Alvin is also the owner of a CPA firm, Apex Tax & Financial Solutions, which he manages alongside his advisory work. APEX Tax & Financial Planning provides personalized financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals, business owners, and trusts. The firm employs a written Investment Policy Statement, combining active and passive strategies with a tax-aware planning process, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary management options.

Steven Koenig is a CFA® charterholder based in Seattle, WA, with five years of industry experience. He has been with Informed Investors Group since 1992. Informed Investors Group is an independent firm that provides discretionary investment management primarily for high-net-worth individuals and related family accounts. The firm employs a buy-and-hold, lower-turnover equity strategy with a co-advisory arrangement for selecting growth stocks, and it offers customized socially responsible investment screening alongside access to specialized fixed-income opportunities.

Shamus Mc Carthy is a CFA charterholder and the sole advisor at Red Haven Advisors, LLC, with six years of industry experience. He has held roles at several companies including Nordstrom, Inc., where he currently manages financial planning and analysis, as well as positions at Pathlabs Inc., Dutch Bros Coffee, Rad Power Bikes, Starbucks Coffee Company, Vulcan, Inc., and T-Mobile. Red Haven Advisors serves individual and high-net-worth clients through fee-based investment advisory and discretionary portfolio management, offering custom tactical allocation strategies that include options and active management tailored to client risk profiles. The firm manages approximately $2.68 million in discretionary assets across a small client base.

Lauren Vignec is the principal of Vignec Financial LLC in Seattle, WA, holding a Series 65 designation with over 17 years of experience in wealth management. Prior to founding her own firm in 2025, she worked at Erickson Wealth & Tax Management for 16 years. Outside of advising, she prepares tax returns for an unaffiliated CPA firm during the initial tax season and owns a mobile video-game startup. Vignec Financial LLC is a newly registered investment adviser providing discretionary investment management and portfolio oversight primarily to individual clients. The firm employs a long-term, passive investment approach using risk-based model portfolios mainly composed of broadly diversified ETFs and mutual funds, with scheduled rebalancing and no market timing or individual security selection.