Matthew Seppanen

As a Principal and Financial Planner at Outpost Advisors, Mark spends his time creating unique financial plans that power our clients’ family visions and dreams for life. Mark is raising three girls in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife Amelia, who practices medicine as an Obstetrician and Gynecologist. After graduating from Princeton University, Mark began his career at the International Monetary Fund teaching central bankers how to budget (whilst managing interest rates, monetary policy and political instability). In his free time he taught classes in financial literacy to DC-area families dealing with poverty. From there, he moved on to mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac, where he helped to execute the largest preferred equity capital raise in US history. Next, he spent a year at Jones Lang Lasalle managing a $750M asset portfolio for the Army, before relocating to Utah where he helped to build the outdoor retailer Backcountry.  Before leaving to found Outpost Advisors Mark spent 5 years as a leader at ExpertVoice, a technology startup funded by Bain Capital and Sorenson Capital. Mark has had the great joy of leading individuals and families in budgeting, family visioneering and financial stewardship for several years – both at work and through volunteer roles at church. Mark can also often be found blogging about all of these at the website Abraham’s Wallet. Mark holds an MBA from The George Washington University with a focus on finance. When he’s not playing with spreadsheets, Mark enjoys everything on offer in the mountains of Utah, whether it’s skiing, trail running, hunting, climbing or riding bikes with his family.

Elena Stein is a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. She specializes in creating personalized wealth management strategies tailored to clients' individual financial goals. Elena works closely with clients to develop flexible investment plans that adapt to changing market conditions, leveraging the resources of Merrill and Bank of America. Her areas of expertise include education planning, family wealth management strategies, services for endowments, foundations, and non-profits, LGBT wealth planning, personal retirement planning, portfolio management, socially responsible and ESG investing, special needs planning, women and wealth, and retirement income. Elena holds the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas System. Outside of her professional work, Elena enjoys dancing, gardening, hiking, skiing, traveling, and yoga. Her approach centers on working one-on-one with clients to develop financial strategies aimed at achieving their long-term objectives.