I didn't come to financial planning through a business school classroom. I came through a patrol car, a deployment, and a moment after September 11th, when I watched colleagues lose years of retirement savings in a matter of weeks and realized that no institution, pension, or government promise was going to secure my family's future for us. That responsibility was ours.
Twenty-six years with the Columbus Police Department, retiring as a Police Sergeant, and 21 years serving in the United States Armed Forces across both active-duty and reserve capacities — that is the foundation this firm was built on. Adrienne and I built our financial foundation the hard way, learning to live on one income during deployments, eliminating debt, and studying investing the way I studied everything else in my career: with the seriousness it deserved. We learned how markets move, how to read financial statements, and how to evaluate risk. We did it because we had to. We kept doing it because we saw how many people around us needed the same foundation and had no one to help them build it.
In 2016, while still serving as a sergeant, becoming licensed in the financial services industry felt less like a career move and more like a calling. Adrienne and I founded AWard and Associates with a clear focus: help families get out of debt, protect what they had built, and start investing with intention. In 2023, retirement from law enforcement enabled the firm to expand to offer the full range of services our clients had been asking for.
A Series 65 license and a Life Insurance license are on the wall, and nearly a decade of this work is behind us. What keeps it meaningful is getting to know the people we serve: who they are, what they are working toward, and what is standing in their way. Clients would tell you that we are a faith-driven family that treats the people we work with like people, not portfolios.
Outside the office, serving as a police chaplain and staying active with the Fraternal Order of Police keeps me connected to the community that shaped this firm. Adrienne and I lead Bible studies and spend as much time as possible outdoors with our son, Adam, and daughter, Aubrey. Fishing, hunting, and worshipping together are not just hobbies. They are how we stay grounded in what matters.
This business is a legacy. We built it to last, and we run it that way.