My childhood was not typical. I was born in New York City to a mother who immigrated from Sweden at age of 17 seeking adventure and opportunity, and to a father who fled the communist takeover in Cuba in 1959. I spent my childhood on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico and in Mexico City. I attended Boston University and graduated with honors, earning a degree in Economics. For the last 45 years, Minneapolis has been home. I reside in the Western suburbs of the Twin Cities with my wife, soulmate, and best friend, Christine. Rumor has it I gave her a first kiss in 6th grade.
Christine and I have a blended family with five terrific kids; Taylor, a Client Support Engineer at SAP Concur; Tanner, a graduate from Gustavus; Nelson, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, graduated from the University of Minnesota and joined our practice in 2016; Connor, graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago and is now a brilliant Data Analyst in Denver; and a beautiful daughter, Lily, currently in college and working part time as a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Part of who I am comes from my three college summers working the graveyard shift at a giant grocery store distribution warehouse. I drove a forklift and loaded boxes of bulk groceries onto wooden pallets for distribution to stores all over Minnesota. Through this experience, I learned about hard work, attention to detail, discipline, consistency, process, and perseverance. It wasn’t terribly enjoyable at the time, but it taught me some great life lessons.
One of my primary roles on the team is acting as the team’s visionary and strategist. To do so, I participate in a number of mastermind and peer groups, aim to be a profile student of industry best practices, working to ensure that the team brings their very best to each and every client relationship. We’re committed to one another with integrity and transparency to benefit our clients, our companies, our families, and our communities.
Recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the BEST-IN-STATE WEALTH ADVISORS in 20201, 20211, 20221 and 20231, I have had the privilege of being a trusted Financial Advisor to families and institutions for more than 34 years. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and founding member of The Parr McKnight Wealth Management Group, I enjoy harnessing the collective talents of the team and the vast resources of our firm to make the greatest possible impact on clients’ lives.
Our team is like a family and our clients an extension of that family. The work ethic, camaraderie, and values are reflected in the success we all share. I believe to be a reflection of our team’s success, I’m often honored and humbled with requests to speak at industry events designed to promote best practices.
As a team, it is our mission to enhance the quality of our clients’ lives and bring prosperity and blessings to those we serve. Simply put, I want to have a positive impact on the lives of other people and make my own small dent in the universe.
The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors and Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams rating algorithm is based on the previous year’s industry experience, interviews, compliance records, assets under management, revenue and other criteria by SHOOK Research, LLC. Investment performance is not a criterion. Self-completed survey was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. Fee Paid for the use of logo ↩