Who We Are
Why Us?
SharpEdge Financial was founded with the belief that a relationship with a financial planner should not be contingent upon buying a financial product or investing money. Rather, the relationship should be tailored to the client’s need at that specific point in time. In other words, whatever is most important to you is most important to us. As an independent, fee-only Registered Investment Adviser, we have the capability to provide a unique approach to financial planning that matches the ever-changing needs of our clients.
Meet the Founder
Before founding SharpEdge Financial, Joel achieved a lifelong dream of playing professional hockey. This unique career path has helped him build the confidence and resiliency needed to launch a financial planning firm. Joel is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and helps his clients on a variety of complex financial planning topics.
His specialization in working with young professionals, and especially young attorneys, stems from being married to a former Big Law attorney, now in-house counsel. In fact, prior to his wife, Courtney, leaving Big Law, Joel built a detailed financial plan that gave him and Courtney the confidence they needed to navigate her transition to in-house counsel.
How He Got Here
Joel spent his youth in Quebec, Canada, where he balanced school and hockey up until he was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2008 NHL Draft. He signed his first professional contract in 2010 and moved to the United States to play for the Avalanche’s affiliate team in Cleveland, OH. This is where he would eventually meet the love of his life, Courtney. Like many professional athletes, his career had highs and lows. To prepare for life after hockey, he pursued a bachelor’s degree during his downtime away from the rink. After playing for seven different teams over nine years, Joel’s last stop was Allen, TX, where he and his family decided to plant roots.
Immediately after hanging up his skates, Joel entered the financial services industry and started selling life and disability insurance. His primary focus was to help his clients protect their wealth. He eventually morphed into a more complete financial planner and started advising his clients on how to build wealth as well as how to protect it. Even though he is now a fee-only financial advisor (i.e., he does not receive a commission for selling products), he still keeps that same approach to financial planning: prioritize defensive planning to protect assets, then strategically go on the offensive to grow wealth.
Fast forward to today, Joel and Courtney have two boys, Julien and Luca, and a goldendoodle named Harley. He still spends considerable time at the hockey rink either watching, playing, or coaching. And when time allows, he trades his hockey stick for a golf club or a pickleball paddle.
Affiliations
Financial Planning
Association (FPA)
Since its establishment in 2000 through the merger of IAFP and ICFP, FPA has become a vital partner for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals. They assist in achieving success by offering practice support, educational resources, advocacy, and networking opportunities.
XY Planning
Network
XYPN empowers fee-only financial advisors to launch, run, and scale their firms with complete autonomy. By providing a comprehensive support system that includes curated technology, tailored educational resources, a dynamic support network, and essential business, operational, and client services, XYPN enables advisors to serve their clients effectively and profitably.
National Association of Personal
Financial Advisors (NAPFA)
NAPFA is a leading community of Fee-Only, fiduciary financial planners. Established in 1983, NAPFA supports over 4,600 members nationwide with education, professional connections, business development resources, and advocacy, all aimed at ensuring their success while upholding the highest standards of ethical financial advice.
Chartered Financial
Consultant (ChFC®)
The Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) program equips designees with practical financial planning strategies, preparing them to advise a wide range of clients on diverse financial matters.