Background

I did not go to law school to be a master of the courtroom.  I went to law school to help small business owners and individuals grow, protect, and transfer their wealth.  As a son of a small business owner, I saw first-hand how important it was for a person to have a trusted legal counselor on their side.

I started my law practice in 1992, focusing on serving people like my parents, middle class, small business owners, and entrepreneurs fighting to balance work, family, and finances.

After about ten years of practicing law, I had seen too many examples where the legal and financial services industries harmed my clients to ignore.  I decided to look for a different way.  The final straw came in connection with defending a family in a Trust Dispute.  I was defending the family against allegations that they had wrongfully interfered with their mother’s intentions regarding the distributions from her estate.  Their mother had attorneys and financial advisors, but she did not trust them enough to call upon them when she wanted to change her estate plans. She reached out to her family instead.  This choice ultimately caused the family to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars, all because she did not have a close enough relationship with her “advisors” to rely on them.

I resolved that I would do all within my power to prevent this from happening to people that entrusted me with the role as their attorney.  I decided to build upon my formal education in tax, accounting, and finance.  I became an attorney that took responsibility for financial outcomes for my clients.  I decided to learn the tools of the financial services industry, spent time with a national financial advisory firm, and pursued the additional education and testing necessary to become a Certified Financial Planner.

I left that national firm in 2009 and formed DuPont Wealth Solutions, LLC to provide cross-disciplinary solutions for my client’s financial needs free from any institutional or product bias.  While the initial vision was to support the clients of my law practice, we have expanded over the years to work with people throughout the country seeking an advocate for their financial future.

My Practice Today

Today, my clients can give me a call and ask advice without worrying about the hourly billable factor. It’s important to me to bring value and expand and deliver solutions. I’m accustomed to working with clients as a fiduciary and a financial advocate. I describe myself as “a friend in the law”, and that’s exactly what I aim to be. Really, it’s not difficult given that I’m a Columbus native, and the people here truly are my friends and family.

I remain calm and centered in part because I have a great support system. Outside of the office, you’ll hardly ever see me without my wife or my teenage daughter, and that’s perfectly okay with me. My clients and my family are all I need. 

I operate on what I call the P.I.L.O.T. process, which stands for Planning Improves Life Over Time. This proprietary, automated, step-by-step process that connects every aspect of their financial life, from growing and protecting their estate, to establishing an income stream for life.

I have seen the tremendous benefits that good guidance can create, and the disastrous impact of the lack of guidance or bad advice. Over my years of practice as an attorney I have met many people in the financial service industry, from new advisors to experienced CFPs, and others with various other accreditations. I have seen the value that having a deep lasting relationship with such an advisor can have, a relationship where someone is watching out for your financial well-being and advising you along the way.

In creating DuPont Wealth Solutions it was my goal to bring together the best available resources for our clients and the ability to address their unique situation. Our team was put together with the central principal of providing first class service in an unbiased, professional manner. We take pride in building long-lasting deep relationships with our clients.

If you are looking for independent guidance and analysis of your financial needs, we welcome the opportunity to meet with you and to be of service.

Education

Certified Financial Planner

A Certified Financial Planner (CFP)  is a professional certification mark for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. To achieve this designation, one must meet certain education, experience, and ethics requirements and pass a certification test covering the following areas:

• General Principles of Finance and Financial Planning
• Insurance Planning
• Employee Benefits Planning
• Investment and Securities Planning
• State and Federal Income Tax Planning
• Estate Tax, Gift Tax, and Transfer Tax Planning
• Asset Protection Planning
• Retirement Planning
• Estate Planning
• Financial Planning and Consulting 

Juris Doctorate – Capital University College of Law, 1992

• Estate Planning
• Estate and Fiduciary Taxation
• Business Taxation
• Alternative Dispute Resolution

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Ohio State University, 1989

• Accounting
• Finance

Professional Associations & Memberships

• Society of Financial Service Professionals
• Columbus Bar Association
• Ohio State Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Wealth Counsel
• Elder Counsel