In June 2003, Christopher founded Midland Wealth Management, Ltd., an independent and fee-only wealth management firm. The firm provides family office services to a limited number of families who have complex financial situations. Wealth management services involve advising clients and working with their other trusted advisors to coordinate and monitor the implementation of their investment, tax, insurance and estate-planning strategies. Client’s investment portfolios are based upon asset/liability matching, and focus on the consequences, as opposed to the probabilities of potential outcomes.
From April 1999 to June 2003, Christopher created and monitored investment portfolios for families whose assets ranged from $17 million to over $500 million in Ernst & Young’s High Net Worth Group in Dallas, Texas. A critical aspect of advising clients on their investments was the integration and coordination of their estate and tax issues to maximize their after-tax dollars without utilizing tax shelters. He grew the practice and expanded its capabilities to offer full family office services. He shared the responsibilities for creating the Equity Risk Management Group, which advised clients on large, concentrated stock positions. He advised several dot.com millionaires on how to protect the value of their single stock holdings before the technology bubble burst. He co-led and sat on four national E&Y committees: Investment Education, Prime Brokerage, Alternative Investment and Investment Review.
Along with his work advising clients, Christopher was chosen to lead two consulting assignments in derivative risk management and hedge funds. In the first assignment he advised an Ernst & Young corporate client on derivative modeling, testing and trading. He was able to apply this knowledge to his individual clients trying to solve problems relating to holding large single stock positions. During the second assignment Christopher provided advice to hedge funds on security and partnership tax, operations, prime brokerage and risk management issues. Through this experience he was able to assist his clients in making better risk/reward allocations to different hedge funds or fund of hedge funds.
In April 1999, Christopher made the move to E&Y’s High Net Worth Group from Legg Mason in Washington D.C. At Legg Mason he acquired experience on the operational side of Wall Street and on the fundamentals of putting together and monitoring stock and bond portfolios. He started his career at the Toronto Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada and worked in Hong Kong at Barclays Bank in their European Corporate Business unit. He also worked in the Finance Division at the May Department Stores. Christopher comes from a long line of investment professionals.
Christopher earned a degree in Behavioral Psychology, with an emphasis on Statistics, from the University of Arizona in 1991.
Christopher is a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) and is a Chartered Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA). He lives with his wife, Ann, and three boys, Griffin, William and Gavin, in the Lakewood neighborhood of East Dallas. He enjoys skiing, and mountain bike riding.
In June 2003, Christopher founded Midland Wealth Management, Ltd., an independent and fee-only wealth management firm. The firm provides family office services to a limited number of families who have complex financial situations. Wealth management services involve advising clients and working with their other trusted advisors to coordinate and monitor the implementation of their investment, tax, insurance and estate-planning strategies. Client’s investment portfolios are based upon asset/liability matching, and focus on the consequences, as opposed to the probabilities of potential outcomes.