A career that spans decades in the securities industry requires not only patience and endurance but also courage and vision. Jim has helped lead families successfully through the market and economic booms and busts since 1984 as a Financial Advisor. He is responsible for developing Schmidt Wealth Management & Associates, an affiliate office of Freedom Street Partners, including management policies, procedures, and service.

Jim is beholden to client satisfaction at the highest level. Today at least a dozen families are the current generation of their family who began investing with Jim at EF Hutton in the 1980s. Jim said, “We want to be our client’s last financial advisor and their family’s confidante.”

Jim’s mission has remained consistent throughout his career. “We take time to make sure we are an ongoing good fit for all clients—old or new—in our wealth management process. Greater client prosperity is the outcome of long durable relationships. It’s not about the money.” He reminds clients regularly that without a comprehensive financial plan, they can, unfortunately, end up with unexpected and unpleasant consequences around their wealth. “It’s about the care and stewardship of one’s wealth, and how it is apportioned to the needs, wants, and wishes of each family’s prosperity, that matters most.”

When it comes to our client’s investment management, Jim built a fiduciary practice and instituted fee-based account management long before it was recommended or popular in the industry. He vows to be personally accountable for every decision within the investment strategies and employs some institutional-like trading rarely seen at the individual client level. This personal accountability helped him grow his practice to what it is today: a trusted practice that focuses on long-term relationships with only families and individuals.