JOSEPH GROUP - Key Persons
Alex Durbin - Chief Investment Officer
Alex always loved markets. He remembers leafing through the Columbus Dispatch Business Section in elementary school looking at stock tables. The concept of returns on capital when, to that point in his life, all his returns had been on labor, was fascinating to him. He never really looked back.
It's hard to pick a favorite Joseph Group value, but one Alex tries to exemplify and appreciate in others is humility. There are many useful applications for humility, and through the lens of the work he does it is essential. Humility as it relates to markets means knowing (and admitting!) you don't have all the answers. It means keeping an open mind. It means a willingness to change your mind when presented with good evidence.
Alex received a BA in Finance from Cedarville University and was awarded a M.A. in Financial Economics from Ohio University. He worked for Edward Jones out of college, moved to Huntington Bank for several years, and most recently spent four years at the Ohio Schools Employee Retirement System where he managed OHSERS' global equity portfolio.
He lives in Johnstown with his wife, Cynthia, sons Thomas and Dallas, and daughter Audrey. He enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors, and reading history and theology.
Job Titles:
- Client Service Representative
Alex has always been interested in personal finance and stewarding money. From a young age he was a heavy saver and first chose the wealth advising industry, realizing the opportunity to impact lives and make a living at the same time. Later on, with the help of great mentors he realized that finances are so much more than what people see at the surface. Money is a tool, a test and a testimony in our lives and he wants to help others realize this reality and meet their goals along the way.
Alex's favorite Joseph Group value is Humility. Humility is a pretty unique value at a firm in a world that pushes self-glorification and self-admiration at times. At The Joseph Group, that means putting an emphasis on teamwork and accountability while putting the client first. He feels extremely privileged to work at an organization that exemplifies this quality of care and can't wait to continue serving others well at whatever capacity that involves.
Prior to joining The Joseph Group in the summer of 2023, he was a student at Mount Vernon Nazarene University where he ran Track for four years and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Finance with a minor in Financial Planning.
Alex currently lives in Johnstown, where he grew up. He is engaged to his fiancée, Ashley, with a wedding date set for Summer 2024. Alex is one of triplets (1 brother, 1 sister) and grew up in a large family. Alex is an avid sports fan (especially football - go Browns) and enjoys staying active playing any and all games, working out, walking the dog and has recently taken up the game of golf.
Job Titles:
- Investment Operations Associate
- Member of the Investment Team
Andrew is a member of the Investment Team and oversees all the execution and implementation of the Investment Team's discussions and decisions. He is responsible for making sure all accounts are being invested properly and functioning with the best possible outcome for our clients.
The Joseph Group Value that means the most to Andrew is ‘Excellence'. Striving for excellence means avoiding complacency. We have the opportunity to serve wonderful clients and must prioritize continual improvement.
Andrew grew up in Westerville and attended Ohio Dominican University, where he graduated with a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and an MBA in Finance. He worked at Cardinal Health for five years and held several positions as a data analyst. Andrew was self-employed for two years while operating an options trading research company, where he analyzed institutional options trades and provided context for individual traders.
Andrew lives in Westerville with his dog, a pit bull mix named Odin. In his free time, he likes spending time outside - camping, fishing, hiking, and kayaking. He also enjoys traditional country music, trying new beer/whiskey, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Client Service Specialist
- Senior Client Service Specialist
Angie serves as our Senior Client Service Specialist, working closely with both the financial advisors, as well as new and existing clients to ensure all requests and needs are being met. This includes new client onboarding, opening new accounts, existing account maintenance, and any other need a client a may have. Angie is also responsible for helping to evaluate and refine internal processes for a wide range of client service issues, as we are always looking for ways to make things better!
Of all the values we strive to live each day, Angie relates to "teamwork" on a daily basis. "Teamwork is the thread that connects all of us together, and keeps us focused on why we are here. As a team, our goal is to serve each other and our clients, and we live and breathe this value each day. Being part of a team that truly embraces this value is what makes us great, and allows us to help our clients, and each other live great lives!"
Angie attended The Ohio State University, before beginning a long, and rewarding career in the Financial Services Industry. Angie has spent more than 20 years serving clients in a wide range of roles. Most recently, Angie spent 15 years working for Bank One and Chase in consumer banking management positions, and then spending a brief amount of time in a product owner position.
Angie and her husband Shane, live in Blacklick, with their son-Carson, and their new puppy, Flanagan. Angie loves to exercise, travel, try out new restaurants, and most importantly, spend time with her family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- President
- President and Client Advisor
Scott serves as President and Client Advisor of the firm. As President, Scott has broad responsibilities in all areas of practice management within the firm. In his role as Client Advisor, he uses his investment and retirement planning experience to tailor wealth plans for clients. He also serves as Chief Compliance Officer and is a senior member of the firm's Retirement Plan Services Team as well as Investment Committee.
Scott is a graduate of Denison University where he majored in economics and computer science. Prior to joining the firm, he established and operated Mizer Financial Services - an independent financial and investment advisory firm. Scott has more than 30 years of experience in the financial planning and investment management industries and, earlier in his career, was with the Huntington Trust Company and Nationwide. He is a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) and holds the Qualified 401k Administrator (QKA) designation.
Job Titles:
- Client Advisor & Team Leader
Job Titles:
- Wealth Advisory Associate
As a Wealth Advisory Associate for The Joseph Group Jacob assists a team of advisors in planning, preparing, and executing financial plans for clients. Jacob continues to develop his knowledge in the financial planning industry in order to provide the highest quality service to as many people as possible.
The Joseph Group value that means the most to Jacob is ‘integrity' because he values being honest, having strong moral principles, and doing the right thing at all times not only for clients, but for everyone that he may encounter.
Jacob received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialty in Finance from The Ohio State University. He also is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Ohio. Jacob has always helped friends and family with their financial questions and wants to continue to help as many people as possible in reaching their financial goals and best life.
Jacob lives in Galloway, Ohio with his wife Karla and Goldendoodle Bruno. In his free time, he likes to exercise, spend time with friends and family, go on adventures with his wife, and taking a walk with Bruno on a trail or park. He also loves to travel with his wife with the goal of going to as many different countries as possible.
Jake is a member of the Investment Team where he applies his passion and curiosity of investments primarily to research and analysis. He is also responsible for supporting investment operations initiatives and serves as the first point of contact with outside investment firms.
Jake appreciates every value The Joseph Group stands for, but his favorite is excellence. A person of excellence delivers high-quality work, is continuously learning and improving, and has a strong work ethic. Jake strives for excellence in everything that he does.
Jake received a BS in Finance from Cedarville University. Prior to joining The Joseph Group, he worked at Allegion in Carmel, Indiana as a Corporate FP&A Intern.
Jake lives in Columbus but grew up in South Jersey. Because of this, he is an avid Philadelphia sports fan. He enjoys being active, cooking, and reading theology.
Jake strives to solve problems and help clients feel at ease about their financial lives. He especially enjoys taking complex issues, breaking them into bite-sized pieces, and carrying them through to completion. Jake is a natural facilitator who enjoys building a team of experts around a client to ensure that the client receives the right recommendations that get implemented correctly.
Jake values humility as one of his core life tenets (and his spunky preschooler certainly helps him stay humble). He believes in celebrating the successes of others and recognizing that he doesn't have all of the answers, but that he can help others find the answers that they seek. This value goes hand-in-hand with his Clifton Strengthsfinder strength as a Learner. He enjoys pursuing new knowledge and information that will ultimately help his clients lead better lives.
As a Certified Financial Planning (CFP) professional, Jake holds the gold standard certification in financial planning. He has expertise in planning for retirement, education expenses, taxes, insurance coverage, and estate distribution. In addition to holding the CFP, he is also a member of the Financial Planning Association and the Columbus Estate Planning Council. Jake spent three years at JPMorgan Chase prior to joining The Joseph Group in 2013.
Hailing originally from Wisconsin, Jake unashamedly cheers for the Badgers. He received his bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Wisconsin and participated in the marching band while attending school. His biggest marching band claim to fame involved playing on Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin for the NFC Championship Game in January, 2007 (hint, trumpets and sub-zero weather don't mix well). Since then, Jake spent some time working for Habitat for Humanity and also lived for a year in Ecuador while teaching English at a bilingual high school before ultimately moving to Columbus with his wife. He and his wife, Chris Donovan, now live in Clintonville with their two daughters, Vivian and Julia.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Client Services
Jodi Picetti is passionate in her role as Manager of Client Services. She values working closely with clients and each member of the Team. She also enjoys focusing on evaluation and refinement of internal process for a wide range of Client Service and Compliance topics.
Of the values we emphasize at TJG, Jodi feels that ‘excellence' is most meaningful as she strives to be her most excellent self with colleagues and clients. She says, "It is important to me that the work I do reflects our excellence in service as we seek to always make it better."
She attended Ohio Wesleyan University and The Ohio State University before starting a rewarding position as a job coach supporting youth and adults with disabilities. She then began her career in the financial industry working more than 17 years in consumer banking, training, and technical writing roles for Chase Bank.
Jodi and her husband, R.J., live in Lewis Center and have three children - Claire, Lauren, and Christopher. They love being outdoors and are involved in many sports. Jodi also enjoys reading and yoga.
Job Titles:
- Retirement Plan Services Representative
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Co - Founder
- Partner
Mark is Co-Founder and Chairman of The Joseph Group ("TJG"). He continues to foster relationships with long-time clients, but spends most of his time telling the TJG "story" to persons and businesses that have a need for our services.
Mark's favorite TJG value is TEAMWORK. Mark played football in high school and college and came to appreciate the way each player on a football team has a role to fill. The success of the team depends on each player meeting the responsibilities of their role to best of their abilities. Mark attributes the success of TJG to the way his "teammates" understand TEAMWORK in the context of serving clients.
Mark received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Ohio Northern University where he was the student body president and, as noted above, a member of the football team. He received his law degree from Rutgers University and completed graduate coursework in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Prior to co-founding The Joseph Group, Mark practiced law as a partner at the Bricker & Eckler law firm in Columbus. Mark is licensed by the Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Securities as an Investment Advisor Representative.
In 2011 Mark was appointed by then Governor John Kasich to serve as an Investment and Securities Expert on the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Board of Directors. Mark was subsequently reappointed for additional terms by Governor Kasich and was most recently reappointed to the Board by Governor Mike DeWine. Mark's BWC Board responsibilities include serving as Chair of the Board's Investment Committee and Vice-Chair of the Board.
Mark has served on the Board of Trustees of Ohio Northern University for 31 years where he has served in various leadership roles and currently Chairs the Board's Investment Committee.
Finally, for the past 25 years Mark has served on the Board of Trustees of The Wesley Communities, a United Methodist Church affiliated organization that operates residential/health related campuses for seniors in Clintonville, Reynoldsburg and New Albany. He is the current Board Chair.
Mark is married to his college sweetheart, Laurie. Mark and Laurie have two sons; Grant (and wife Chelsea) live in Atlanta, and Joe lives in Cincinnati. Mark and Laurie are members of Bexley United Methodist Church. Mark enjoys cooking, exercising, and working and relaxing on his 40 acre get-away property in Hocking County.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Retirement Plan Services
Matt is a Co-Founder and partner of the firm and oversees the firm's business development activities. Matt is passionate about building the firm's culture and mentoring the Team with one goal in mind - helping our clients live great lives.
Prior to founding the company with his brother Mark, he was a principal of Professional Planning Consultants, Inc. and served as president of its investment advisory subsidiary, Portfolio Consultants, Inc. Earlier in his career, Matt was a vice president of the Huntington Trust Company where he served as a member of both its investment and management committees.
Matt is a summa cum laude graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and earned a Master's degree from Harvard University. Matt presently serves as board president of Catholic Men's Ministry and is a member of the national advisory board of That Man Is You, a ministry for Catholic men. Matt also serves on the professional advisory committee of The Columbus Foundation. He is a former board chair of The Catholic Foundation and a former trustee of the Bexley Education Foundation.
He and his wife Lisa have three daughters (two of whom are married) and five grandchildren. They reside in Bexley and are members of St. Catharine Church. Matt hopes to one day hike through Italy, Portugal and Spain and in his free time, would like to learn to play the bag pipes.
Matt loves developing meaningful, long-term relationships with his clients. He believes there are few opportunities greater than the impact an advisor can have on their clients' lives. Matt's passion is understanding the unique needs of each client, providing clarity for their life's journey, and the confidence they can achieve their goals.
Matt appreciates each core value the Joseph Group stands for, but none more than integrity. A person of integrity is respectful, honest, gracious, patient, responsible, and hardworking. They take pride in their character, their actions, and their work. Matt strives to act with integrity in all aspects of life, personal and professional alike!
Matt received his Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Finance from the University of Cincinnati. He has been working in the financial services industry since 2015 and joined the Joseph Group in 2022. Matt is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.
Matt and his wife Lily live in Clintonville with their children, Evelyn and Lucas, and beloved dog Beatrice. Outside of work and spending time with his family, he loves to travel, experience many of the great Columbus restaurants, hike, read, and play as much golf as possible!
Job Titles:
- Manager of Marketing & Communications
Michelle has a bachelor's degree in Advertising from Marietta College and a Master of Science in Marketing and Communications from Franklin University. Prior to joining The Joseph Group, Michelle worked in education, and is excited to now help support the entire TJG team's marketing and communications needs as they work to help clients live great lives.
The Joseph Group value that resonates the most with Michelle is excellence, and the importance of applying the concept of excellence to everything in life - work, community service, and personal life.
Michelle is a native of Central Ohio. She is a very active Rotarian, and in her free time, enjoys spending time with her husband and pets, traveling, attending concerts, and cheering on the Blue Jackets.
Job Titles:
- Client Advisor & Team Leader
Nick's strong belief in the dignity of each person informs his service of clients, teammates, and all those with whom he works. He sees each encounter with another person as an opportunity to honor that dignity through love, care, and thoughtful service. One classical definition of love is "to will the good of the other". Knowing of what that good consists requires relationship, not just facts on paper. As a Client Advisor, Nick finds the most joy in building relationships to get to the heart of each person's good, and walking alongside them to help achieve it.
Of the stated Joseph Group values, humility means the most to Nick. Humility entails a constant recognition that we need it. As a way to keep that recognition front and center, Nick likes to remind himself, "your life is not about you". The next turn from that principle is out from the self toward others; to ask questions, serve, and seek ways to will their good.
Nick is a graduate of Ohio Dominican University where he majored in Catholic Theology and minored in Philosophy. Nick's finance career started at Nationwide Financial, where he was fortunate to receive comprehensive training and licenses in the areas of annuity internal sales and public retirement plan services. Nick was drawn to The Joseph Group in 2016 by a desire to build long-lasting client and workplace relationships, and to have the freedom to love and serve people well through his work.
He and his wife Lindsay have six children; Joseph, Evelyn, Theodore, Ethan, Juliette, and Victor. They are blessed to be part of the St. Catharine of Siena Church and School community on the east side of Columbus. If you've got an hour or more to kill, ask Nick about his family or anything related to golf or food.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Partner
- Member of CFA Institute
Travis provides visionary leadership to enhance The Joseph Group's culture and mission through big ideas and impactful relationships. In his role as Chief Investment Officer, Travis chairs the firm's investment committee and uses his communication skills to simplify investment concepts.
Values are the foundation of The Joseph Group and Travis frequently references the value of excellence. "Avoiding complacency and making things better can apply to a process or procedure, but also applies to our team and clients. We have the opportunity to make an impact on people we love and care about, and we should always be striving to make things better."
Travis has over two decades of financial services experience. Earlier in his career he served as an Institutional Portfolio Manager with Fifth Third Investment Advisors where he worked extensively with investment policy for endowment and pension funds. He also worked in institutional sales for the Harbor Funds mutual fund family. In addition to his investment duties, Travis served as a Kaplan Licensed Faculty member for Kaplan Education's Leadership and Professional Development program where he taught training programs for investment banks across the country and helped develop study materials for financial certification programs. Travis is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Toledo and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM), and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations.
Active in professional and community organizations, Travis is a member of CFA Institute, Past President of the CFA Society of Columbus, and currently serves on the boards for Convene Columbus, Cypress Church, and the Columbus Speech and Hearing Center.
Travis and his wife Shannon live in Hilliard and are active members at Cypress Church. They have three children - Spencer, Karly, and Oliver (whose middle name begins with an S so his initials would be OSU). In his free time, Travis loves trying new foods and enjoying tranquility on Sunday afternoon hikes or kayak trips. He once had a teacher tell him "the pun is the highest form of humor" something that forever changed Travis' life and the lives of those around him.
Job Titles:
- Wealth Advisory Associate
Ryan loves people. He always has, and always will. From a young age everyone knew that he was definitely an extrovert. He quickly fell in love with math and was struggling to find a field that would allow him to do math and love people. His sophomore year he found out about a financial planning degree at his university and quickly fell in love with the idea of helping others live their great lives.
For Ryan, it was difficult to pick a favorite value, however his favorite must be Enthusiasm. Life is always going to be crazy, there will always be good days and bad days, but whatever the season there is something to be Enthusiastic about.
Ryan attended Mount Vernon Nazarene University where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Finance and a minor in Personal Financial Management. He graduated in May 2023 and started at The Joseph Group soon after.
Ryan and his wife, Bethany, live in Mount Vernon and are active members of Newark Church of the Nazarene. His favorite pastimes are spending time with his wife, golfing, catching up with friends, and eating good food.
Job Titles:
- Senior Wealth Advisory Associate
Job Titles:
- CFP
- Partner and Chief Wealth Planning Officer
Todd loves the "light bulb" moment. That aha moment when someone realizes they can afford to do something they didn't think was possible. As advisors, all of us at The Joseph Group live for that. I say it all the time: "Money is only a tool," and when that tool is put into action in someone's life so they can live out their story, it is incredibly powerful to watch. Todd feels blessed to have a front row seat, cheering on our clients.
Todd's favorite Joseph Group value is Humility. It has been said that humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. It elevates others. At The Joseph Group, that means valuing our team and our clients. He feels blessed and is grateful to have the opportunity to be where he is, doing what he's doing, with The Joseph Group team.
Prior to joining The Joseph Group in 2009, he was a financial planner with a national wealth management firm, where he served high net worth individuals implementing comprehensive financial plans and investment solutions. Todd's career also includes time at one of the Big Four accounting firms specializing in individual income taxation, and a short stint as an auditor with a regional accounting firm. He obtained his CPA in 1999 and his CFP® in 2006.
Todd is an Elder at Scarlet City Church in Clintonville. He's a BIG sports fan - he'll watch anything! He loves football, tennis, and golf especially. Someday he plans to go to all four major championships for both tennis and golf. He also enjoys going to Blue Jackets games with his family. He is a 1998 graduate of Miami University where he met his wife, Elise, who cares for their two young daughters. His new hobby: smoking meats on the weekend!