Meet The Team
James "Louie" Humphries
Managing Partner, Founder, Advisor
Arbiter of Equities
When I was in law school, many of the other students in my cohort struggled to keep assignments under the maximum allowed number of words while I always struggled to meet the minimums, I have always strived for the simplest solutions to the toughest problems. Some might think this an extension of Occam’s Razor, but I like to think of it from the viewpoint of E.F. Schumacher:
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex . . . It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
I have spent the last 15 years in the financial industry. Prior, I worked my way through college at Disney World and Walmart, learning world-class customer service. In law school, I started at Charles Schwab as a registered broker. I learned to trade and quickly moved up to the premier active trading team, focusing on hyper active traders and option traders. I also spent time in their IPO and mutual fund specialty trading group; all while finishing law school.
Since then I have worked as an advisor with a focus on option overlay strategies but well-versed in equities and fixed income alternatives. Over my time spent in the financial industry I have seen a multitude of different processes, approaches, magic systems, algorithms, allocations, methodologies and systems. Each one is as complicated as the next. Simplicity is what really works. Like life, there are no shortcuts to investing. Focusing on simplicity and using the most deliberate means to deliver client needs is the best way to invest. This can only be done by understanding your clients and meeting their mindset.
Mark Vandygriff
Managing Partner, Founder, Advisor
Director of Dad Jokes
Initially pursuing a degree in Finance at the University of Indiana South Bend, my aspirations of delving into investing and the stock market faced a setback during the dot-com bubble. Undeterred, I ventured into the banking and lending industry, only to encounter the challenges of the mortgage meltdown when the call center I worked in closed.
During these tumultuous times came significant milestones - marriage, the birth of my first son, and the purchase of our first home. Despite the economic and career setbacks, my intrigue for the stock market persisted. Fortune struck when I stumbled upon Charles Schwab at a job fair, just as the country plunged into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression
I vividly remember Friday, March 6th, 2009, when the markets plunged to unprecedented depths, casting a shadow of fear and uncertainty. Amidst the chilling atmosphere on the trading desk, whispers of another Great Depression loomed large. Yet, the following Monday marked the surprising beginning of the longest bull market in history. This tumultuous experience taught me a valuable lesson: in times of market turmoil, rash decisions driven by panic rarely lead to positive outcomes. While we cannot control the markets, we can manage our investments wisely, focusing on prudent allocation strategies.
Navigating through the chaos, I found my niche in options and active trading, serving on the Active Trader Help Desk as a lifeline to newer brokers and supporting the most hyperactive traders on the Schwab 500 team. Yet, amidst the fast-paced broker dealer environment, I harbored reservations in the industry about the prevalence of cookie-cutter solutions.
After seven years at Schwab, I made the leap to a local Registered Investment Advisor specializing in options and individual stock portfolio management, aligning with my investment philosophy. My approach centers on deploying high-level strategies such as individual stocks, put options, fixed-income alternatives, and covered calls - a departure from the industry's increasingly generic solutions of Mutual Funds and ETFs.
For me, true wealth extends beyond financial success to the creation of a legacy. This principle drives my commitment to helping other families achieve their financial goals and leave lasting legacies for generations to come.
Seth Hickle
Managing Partner, Founder, Advisor
Chief Officer of Over-Analyzation
After playing the "stock market game" in the 4th grade I knew exactly what I wanted to do for a living. I can still remember the 2 stocks I "bought", Nike and Campbell's soup. Nike was what all the cool kids were wearing. I figured everyone had to eat and I liked soup. I quickly realized in order to make money you simply have to have money.
Post high school, I pursued a degree in Finance from Ball State University. I was elected President of the Financial Management Student Association where I organized a campus wide stock market competition. I competed in the Fed Challenge at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago all while I was managing money for the Ball State Endowment through Student Managed Investment Fund.
Fresh out of college and shortly after the low's of 2009, I ended up at the Chicago Board of Trade working as a Futures and Options Broker for a boutique futures trading firm, back when the trading pits still roared to life in the mornings. I realized Chicago was not my home and I moved to Indianapolis where I landed a job at Charles Schwab.
While at Schwab met James, Mark, and Peter while working on the options trading desk as a Derivatives Trading Manager. When Schwab bought optionsXpress I became dually employed as Schwab worked to integrate futures trading into the Schwab trading ecosystem.
James, Mark, Peter and I were reunited at our former firm when I was recruited to manage derivative based portfolios with a focus on harvesting volatility risk premium.
I hold a CMT (Chartered Market Technician) as I believe the fundamentals will tell us the intrinsic value of an asset, The technicals will map the path it takes to get there. I have been a guest author for Investopedia's "Chart Advisor" and Cboe's "Insights". I have been quoted in Reuters and have been on various market webinars and podcasts.
Peter Bjelopetrovich
Managing Partner, Founder, Advisor
Vice President of Vibes
Husband, Father, Son, Brother.
One of my favorite finance quotes is: “Personal finance is much more personal than finance.”
My career thus far has been almost entirely in finance (8 months as a waiter/bartender) and the behavioral side has always fascinated me the most. Why do people do what they do with their money? Where is it taking them? WHY?? I have found that I am at my best when working through complex issues with clients and helping them direct their dollars toward greater meaning. As much as I love diving down rabbit holes alone with my headphones on, it gives me even greater energy to share those findings with others and talk it out.
I started at the Charles Schwab service center in 2012 and at the time their motto was, “through the client’s eyes”. Say what you want about Schwab, but I could not be more appreciative that this mindset was ingrained in me from the start. 80-100 inbound phone calls every day, talking with clients with negative balances to multi-million dollar portfolios. Resetting passwords to portfolio rebalancing, maintenance of client information to margin calls. As I went deeper into the industry and landed on the RIA (registered investment advisor) side I found that we could truly dedicate ourselves to the wellbeing of clients every day, all day.
Learn more about the core principles that define our approach to wealth management.