Meet Tom

With more than two decades of experience, Tom is highly skilled in many aspects of financial planning, from protection and accumulation strategies to distribution planning, estate planning, and tax mitigation. Leveraging a holistic approach, he brings each element together to help clients achieve financial security and accomplish their goals in every season of life. His mission is to create practical plans that empower clients to do the things they really want to do.

Tom is dedicated to honing his craft and continually increasing his knowledge so he can best serve his clients. He currently holds the following professional designations:

Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Tom started his financial career with New York Life in 1994 after graduating from college and working a couple of years in his family’s billiard business in Little Rock, Arkansas. Having lost his father as a young adult, he witnessed the impact a strong financial plan could have on a family, and he was passionate about a career where he could offer that same peace of mind to other families while growing his own business. He moved to Chicago, where he built his practice from the ground up in a new city. In 2001, he took some time away from the industry to be more present raising his three young children. In 2008, he returned to his role as a financial adviser with New York Life, where he has served clients ever since.

Tom lives in Oak Park, Illinois, with his wife Danielle, who also works in the practice. Together, they enjoy walking in their neighborhood, spending time with their five children and extended family, playing pickleball, and traveling. In his spare time, Tom enjoys playing basketball, reading, learning about history, watching movies, and occasional binge-watching. He’s also a talented woodworker and even crafted a set of built-in bookshelves—complete with a bench seat—for the loft in their home.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

We host an annual party at our house on Christmas day. We get all the kids together, our extended families, and a couple of neighbors—it’s a lot of fun, and I think we’ll do it for quite some time.

If you could spend the day with a fictional character, who would you choose?

Indiana Jones. An intelligent man of action who loves history...what could be better?

Who makes you laugh? 

Nate Bargatze, particularly his SNL skit as Washington where he discusses the future system of weights and measures to be used by the new country. I laugh every time I see it!

What’s something you will never throw away?

Probably my Sports Illustrated issues from Nebraska’s 1994 and 1995 college football championship years. I grew up in Omaha and am an avid Cornhusker fan. I’ve had these issues for 30 years, and they bring back great memories for me.

What person has most impacted your life?

My grandfather. He lived to be in his 90s, so I had more time with him than my dad. He was inspirational to me in the way he lived, worked, and loved his family.