For over 30 years, Mike has focused on helping his clients preserve and grow their wealth, develop retirement income strategies, and transition their wealth to the next generation. Before starting his career as a Financial Advisor, Mike served in the United States Army National Guard as a Troop Commander and Helicopter Pilot. As a pilot, Mike was trained to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. This fundamental idea has translated into his approach throughout his financial career. He always tries to uncover what could potentially go wrong in his clients' financial situation and develop a plan to protect them. Mike has been recognized by Forbes as a Best-In-State Wealth Advisor* in 2019 and by Five Star Professional as a Five Star Wealth Manager** in 2021. SCO Wealth Management has been recognized on the 2023 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams*** list.

Mike began his career with Merrill Lynch in 1988 after graduating from Loyola University with a degree in Finance. Throughout his career, Mike has had the privilege of working with some incredible clients and their families. One of the greatest things Mike loves about what he does is building strong, trustworthy relationships with his clients to the point where they become more than just a valued client, but a family friend for years to come.

In his free time, Mike enjoys spending time with his friends and family on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Some of his favorite hobbies include boating on Chesapeake Bay, fishing, and waterfowl hunting. Mike is also a fan of the Baltimore Ravens. 

*The Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors rating algorithm is based on the previous year's industry experience, interviews, compliance records, assets under management, revenue and other criteria by SHOOK Research, LLC. Investment performance is not a criterion. Self-completed survey was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria.

**This award was issued on January 1 2022 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period January 1 2021 through December 31 2022. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a registered investment adviser or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. 2078 Baltimore-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 260 (13% of candidates) were named 2022 Five Star Wealth Managers. 2021: 2029 considered, 237 winners (12%); 2020: 1898 considered, 234 winners (12%). Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria.

***The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams rating algorithm is based on the previous year’s industry experience, interviews, compliance records, assets under management, revenue and other criteria by SHOOK Research, LLC. Investment performance is not a criterion. Self-completed survey was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria.