Sam started tracking stocks in the newspaper at an early age. His passion led him to the financial services industry, where he now helps people, businesses and organizations make decisions.
Today, he stresses education as an important part of his practice and strives to make complex financial issues easier to understand by creating and communicating a financial plan and strategy his clients are comfortable with. Utilizing Raymond James’ dynamic and innovative financial planning software, he aligns financial decisions with his clients’ unique vision of retirement and other personal goals.
Prior to joining Morgan Keegan – now Raymond James – in 2008, Sam worked as a banker and assisted clients with liability, asset and cash flow management. In addition to bringing this understanding of both sides of a balance sheet to clients, Sam tries to be a great listener and takes the responsibility of being a steward of his clients’ assets very seriously.
In fact, soon after he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and finance at Southern Illinois University, he received his Accredited Wealth Management Advisor™ and Wealth Management Specialist™ designations, which demonstrate his commitment to helping clients make sound financial decisions. These programs focus on critical areas of financial planning and wealth management, such as insights on investments, insurance, retirement, tax and estate planning. This allows Sam to take into account his clients’ complete financial picture.
In 2018, Sam was recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors, and in 2019* he was recognized by Raymond James as a Leaders Club II** member. Most recently, in 2022, he was recognized as a President’s Club** member with Raymond James & Associates.
A native of O’Fallon, Illinois, Sam enjoys staying active in his community. He is a past board member for the O’Fallon-Shiloh Chamber of Commerce, where he also chaired the Economic Development Committee. He enjoys golf, exercise and reading. He resides in O’Fallon with his wife, Lindsay, their 6-year-old twin girls, Brynn and Paige.
SHOOK Research considered advisors born in 1980 or later with a minimum 4 years relevant experience. Advisors have built their own practices and lead their teams; joined teams and are viewed as future leadership; or a combination of both. Ranking algorithm is based on qualitative measures derived from telephone and in-person interviews and surveys: service models, investing process, client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations, etc.; and quantitative criteria, such as assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criteria because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC. Neither SHOOK nor Forbes receives compensation from the advisors or their firms in exchange for placement on a ranking. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients’ experience. Out of 6,389 advisors considered, 1,489 made the final list in 2019. For more information see www.SHOOKresearch.com.