Karl Cole

Sean started his financial services career in 2004 with the desire to help others achieve their financial goals. In a sales-driven culture, Sean strove to put his clients’ needs above his own, as evidenced by a decision, early in his career, to move to a fee-based model that has now become the industry model. Today, Sean remains passionate about helping guide his clients through what can often seem like a tidal wave of information - knowing that without an experienced advisor, this information can overwhelm investors of all ages, but especially those preparing for or in retirement. Sean walks alongside his clients every step of the way, to ensure that each one feels well-informed, supported, and confident in their financial decisions. Sean is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM, Qualified Kingdom Advisor TM. In addition to his certifications, he has been awarded the Five Star Wealth Manager award seven times. He also serves on the Business Advisory Council for Tarrant County College, a board member for Fellowship of Christian Athletes NE Tarrant County, and a Charter member of the Trophy Club Rotary Club. Sean is a proud graduate of Texas Christian University, where he earned a degree in Political Science. While at TCU, Sean was a member of the football team and attributes his strong work ethic and team-building mindset to his time as an athlete. Sean went on to earn his MBA with a concentration in Financial Planning from the University of Dallas. Outside of the office, Sean is an avid hunter and outdoorsmen. He can also often be found on the field, serving his community by coaching his children’s sports teams. Sean is a member of 121 Community Church and lives in Trophy Club, Texas, with his beautiful wife Kerry (TCU ’99) and their two children.

Stephen spent the first six years of his career in the Dallas office of Ernst & Young, LLP, in various roles, including Manager in Mergers & Acquisitions Due Diligence, where he assisted private equity funds in acquiring businesses. Stephen then spent the next fifteen years in various roles at Maverick Capital, Ltd., one of the world’s largest, oldest, and most prestigious hedge funds, ultimately serving as a Managing Director in Private Equity and Venture Capital, overseeing the valuation of over $5B in private investments. Stephen obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting and finance from Texas A&M University and was a proud member of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets, where he served as Company D-2’s Executive Officer in his senior year. He also completed the certificate program in Financial Planning from Southern Methodist University. Stephen has been married to his wife Amy for over 20 years, having met as young CPAs at Ernst & Young, LLP. Amy and Stephen live in Lake Highlands with their daughter, who attends Ursuline Academy, where she rows crew. An avid doubles tennis player, he can be found with his friends on courts all over North Dallas. Stephen has a passion for not-for-profit finance leadership and has served on the board of directors of various Dallas organizations, including the Maverick Capital Foundation, Church of the Incarnation, Incarnation Foundation, Incarnation Place, and Incarnation House. Additionally, he has served as Treasurer of The Family Place, Junior Warden, and Treasurer at Church of the Incarnation. Stephen is currently Vice-Chairman of the Dick Granger Neighborhood Ministry, where he co-leads a team of over 25 volunteers providing episodic financial assistance for the working poor in the Uptown area. He is also on the board of directors of the Ursuline Academy of Dallas Foundation and a finance committee member. Stephen is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, an active Certified Public Accountant in Texas, and holds the American Institute of CPA's (AICPA) Personal Financial Specialist credential, Series 65 license, and the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement from the CFA Institute. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), CFA Institute, and AICPA and is active in both the Texas Society of CPAs – Dallas Chapter, where he serves as a committee director, and FPA – DFW Chapter, where he serves on the board of directors.

I’m Travis Gatzemeier, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and the founder of Kinetix Financial Planning. I believe money is a tool that can unlock the optionality of life. My goals are to help optimize your cash flow, grow wealth, and pay less money to Uncle Sam through dynamic financial planning and investment management. Prior to my career as a financial planner, I graduated with a business degree from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. I began my professional career at a large brokerage firm where I learned the ins and outs of the financial markets. During this time I was able to gain valuable experience in financial markets, risk management, and personal finance. I then found my path working as a wealth manager for a small financial firm serving pre-retirees and retirees which included selling insurance to clients. I realized that insurance sales mixed with financial planning created a huge conflict of interest! I made the decision to become a fee-only financial planner in order to give my clients real financial advice with limited conflicts of interest. On a personal note, I live in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area but grew up a small-town kid in central Texas. When I am not helping my clients, I enjoy the outdoors, traveling, reading, or listening to the next queued up podcast. In addition, I am a supporter of the professional sports teams in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. An avid outdoorsman – hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, and everything in between. I have a husky that keeps me busy and active named Koda. My favorite getaway is Montana where I have family!

Hi, I’m Spenser Liszt, CFP®, founder of Motif Planning, an advice-only financial planning firm based in Dallas, TX. I began my career as a professional musician and earned a Master of Music from the University of North Texas before transitioning into financial planning. After completing the CFP® certification program at Southern Methodist University, I built my practice to serve high-earning executives and families who face complex financial decisions. My early work focused heavily on music industry leaders, where I saw firsthand how often high-income professionals were underserved. Many advisors did not understand executive compensation, equity awards, deferred compensation plans, or the tax implications that come with them. As a result, successful professionals were earning substantial income but lacked an integrated strategy. Today, I provide holistic financial life planning for high-earning executives and families who want clarity, structure, and long-term direction. My work centers on lifetime tax planning, equity compensation strategy, investment planning, cash flow management, risk management, and estate coordination. Every recommendation fits within a broader financial life plan. Motif Planning operates on a flat-fee, advice-only model. I do not sell products, earn commissions, or manage assets for a percentage fee. My role is to provide objective guidance so you can make informed decisions with confidence. I believe financial planning should reduce stress, increase optionality, and support the life you actually want to live. Outside of work, I enjoy woodworking and spending time with my family.

Before founding SharpEdge Financial, Joel achieved a lifelong dream of playing professional hockey. This unique career path has helped him build the confidence and resiliency needed to launch a financial planning firm. Joel is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®) and helps his clients with a variety of complex financial planning topics. His specialization in working with young professionals, and especially young attorneys, stems from being married to a former Big Law attorney, now in-house counsel. In fact, prior to his wife, Courtney, leaving Big Law, Joel built a detailed financial plan that gave him and Courtney the confidence they needed to navigate her transition to in-house counsel. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗛𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 Joel spent his youth in Quebec, Canada, where he balanced school and hockey up until he was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2008 NHL Draft. He signed his first professional contract in 2010 and moved to the United States to play for the Avalanche’s affiliate team in Cleveland, OH. This is where he would eventually meet the love of his life, Courtney. Like many professional athletes, his career had highs and lows. To prepare for life after hockey, he pursued a bachelor’s degree during his downtime away from the rink. After playing for seven different teams over nine years, Joel’s last stop was Allen, TX, where he and his family decided to plant roots. Immediately after hanging up his skates, Joel entered the financial services industry and started selling life and disability insurance. His primary focus was to help his clients protect their wealth. He eventually morphed into a more complete financial planner and started advising his clients on how to build wealth as well as how to protect it. Even though he is now a fee-only financial advisor (i.e., he does not receive a commission for selling products), he still keeps that same approach to financial planning: prioritize defensive planning to protect assets, then strategically go on the offensive to grow wealth. Fast forward to today, Joel and Courtney have two boys, Julien and Luca, and a goldendoodle named Harley. He still spends considerable time at the hockey rink either watching, playing, or coaching. And when time allows, he trades his hockey stick for a golf club or a pickleball paddle.

Robert Holman is a CHARTERED FINANCIAL ANALYST (CFA) and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®). The former is the gold standard for the investment management profession, and the latter is useful for advising on personal financial circumstances. I'm "The Defensive Advisor" because it is essential to understand when markets are conducive to building opportunistic profits and when risk-taking should be minimized. Former positions: • LPL Financial Advisor • TD Ameritrade Investment Consultant • Director, Financial Planning & Analysis Robert is a registered investment advisor and fee-only financial planner. His investing curiosity brought real understanding of investing, surpassing what can be learned in an academic setting. His investing beliefs center around knowing the signs of the times, what should be done about them, and seeking to build wealth in both up and down markets. Robert is a summa cum laude graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. He belonged to the honor societies Phi Kappa Phi (Overall Collegiate), Beta Gamma Sigma (Finance), and Beta Alpha Psi (Business). Robert was a member of Pi Sigma Epsilon (Management) and volunteered his time as an advisor to SCORE (U.S. Small Business Administration Consulting). Robert resides in Dallas, Texas, with his amazing wife Karen and three wonderful daughters, Beth, Nancy, and Emily. He is the Stewardship Leader for his local church and an active volunteer in many church ministries, including divorce recovery and marriage counseling. Read Robert’s 2-minute biweekly stock market insights report here:  https://www.defensiveadvisor.com/blog