With experience in personal banking and wealth management at two of the nation’s largest banks, Oak Partners Wealth Advisor Michael J. Vera has been committed to helping people plan for the future for decades. As Mike’s career evolved, however, he found some of the limitations associated with banking left many of his clients with unmet planning needs. This realization drove Mike’s desire to pursue a career as an independent advisor and take a more broad and personalized approach toward working with clients.
This desire led him to pursue the opportunity to build an independent advisory and wealth management practice at the new St. John Branch of Oak Partners.
“As my clients and I aged, I looked into doing something more planning based and customized for them. Oak Partners brings that element of family and a friendly, charismatic environment that attracted me to this company,” Vera said. “Having that more independent relationship helped me make the decision to seek out Oak Partners. I’d seen the company throughout Northwest Indiana, I'd had clients mention it to me, and I thought it would be worth looking into the company. I met with partners of the firm, and learned about how to build and independent practice. They guided me through this process. Everything they said has actually come to fruition, and I couldn't be happier.”
The warm welcome didn’t stop with the partners; everyone he has met at Oak Partners thus far has been welcoming, helpful, and great at what they do, confirming all the positive things he had heard about Oak Partners prior to joining the team.
“I have been enjoying it immensely. Oak Partners is family-oriented; I feel like I’ve known these people my whole life. Everyone is really willing to help each other and offer assistance while I get used to the way they do things. I'm curious to pick the brains of each person that they have segmented throughout the company,” Vera said.
With a passion for banking running in the family, Vera is happy and proud to work with his daughter, who also transitioned from banking to working as his operations manager at Oak Partners.
“She was contacted by Oak Partners before me, and I thought, ‘What a great fit it would be if I could work with family and bring her in on what I expect will be a lifelong journey at a family company?’ I know that my daughter is valuable to my own success because of her background, training, education, and the relationship that I share with her as a father. We hope to continue our success, give back, and attend to people with a humble attitude,” Vera said.
Despite having only been at Oak Partners for just shy of a month, Vera can see that the business is a community leader in St. John and that it will give him the capacity to build personal relationships with his long-standing, new, and future clients.
“My favorite part of Oak Partners is that it allows me to actually be present. What I mean by that is I get to visit a client in the hospital, attend a 50th wedding anniversary, or invite clients to an event,” Vera said. “Oak Partners gives you the freedom to do your best. For many of my clients that I've known for over a decade, as we've aged, we’ve come down with ailments or unavailability or inability to drive. I find satisfaction in them knowing that I'll do it. I'll drive to you, I'll come to you, I'll visit you, and I'll celebrate you because I believe that's what a financial advisor should be. We should be at your bedside, in your front room, at the celebration, or whatever the occurrence may be.”
Vera has five children and enjoys spending time with them at the family lake house or going boating. His wife and 15-year-old daughter are involved in competitive cheerleading – his wife as a coach and his daughter as a cheerleader. He is always happy to support them both at their various competitions.For more information about Oak Partners and its growing staff, please visit oakpartners.com.
