STRENGTH IN KNOWLEDGE

Adam is a natural entrepreneur and the brains behind the Teak Tree business model and success story. He once owned and operated a coffee house in Shawnee, Oklahoma, while attending Oklahoma Baptist University on a tennis scholarship. Needless to say, his time was limited, so no doubt the caffeine got him through his lectures and lobs. Adam later moved to Fort Worth and earned his MBA from TCU.

At Teak Tree, Adam focuses his attention on domestic and international investment management, trading, and financial planning. He earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) designation in 2003. Adam’s regimented, daily routine includes a morning cappuccino and a protein bar. And he tends to get frazzled, similar to a 5-year-old, if Jif peanut butter isn’t around.

Nowadays, Adam and wife Adrianne are proud, busy parents of an aspiring professional tennis player, who plays at the University of Utah, and a just-as-athletic soccer player daughter. Adam serves daily as a mentor to many.

Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA's BrokerCheck.

When Jimmy joined Teak Tree, he was the first team member born in the 1990s. Thus, he brought topics of discussion to the office beyond the usual aching joints and nighttime hot-tea routines. In short, he significantly lowered the average employee age.

And, oh, almost forgot. Jimmy also provides a great deal of knowledge to Teak Tree’s clients. For one, he is a Microsoft Excel stud with analytical skills that produce pertinent results (and colors that make Stephen happy). He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), having worked the first two years out of college at Ernst & Young in Dallas. Since his time at Teak Tree, Jimmy has earned designations as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and Chartered Special Needs Consultant®. He works closely with Stephen and Adam on financial planning and client-related projects.

Jimmy is a proud Aggie. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in accounting at Texas A&M. While there, he met his wife Kaydee, an incredible stay-at-home mom for their two young sons and daughter. Together, they also parent a Goldendoodle with a penchant for photo-bombing, quirky habits, and an unwillingness to cooperate.

*Licensed, not actively practicing. This practice is not a CPA practice.

Chandler started at Teak Tree in 2021, two months before his beloved Baylor Bears won the men’s basketball national championship. Chandler mandated that this fact be included at the top of his bio, despite opposition from Teak Tree’s TCU contingent.

Chandler earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor in 2016 and was recognized as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional in 2023. At Teak Tree, he can be found serving clients and working closely with Adam, Stephen, and Jimmy on all aspects of financial planning and investment management.

Chandler has a background in the oil and gas industry, having previously assisted mineral rights owners in the Permian Basin. He is married to his college sweetheart, Emory, and they have two small children. Outside of work, Chandler can be found cooking greasy smash burgers for friends and family and serving as a deacon at Christ Chapel Bible Church.

Brian is a don’t-be-the-center-of-attention guy, so everyone was stunned to learn he was SuperFrog during his senior year at TCU. Being SuperFrog has its perks (free Chick-fil-A, a college student’s dream) and its heartaches (the uniform reeks). There are funny anecdotes about how surprised professors and friends were when they learned, but you’ll have to ask Brian personally about them.

Brian graduated from TCU in 2022. He studied nutrition in college and has always focused on personal well-being — exercising, eating right, and sleeping well. From there, he connected the dots to a career wanting to help others improve their financial health. Thus, serving as a financial advisor made sense. He spent the first years of his career working at a company in Houston.

Client service is Brian’s focus. That mantra started at age 17 when he went to work for Trader Joe’s. Today at Teak Tree, he helps senior advisors with all aspects of financial planning. He was recognized as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional in 2025.

We have some serious sports fans around here, and baseball seems to be at the top of the list for many. Take Tyler, for example …

Tyler taught himself to read before kindergarten so he could study Texas Rangers box scores after each game. Mom and Dad introduced him to the alphabet, and from there he taught himself important words like 'runs batted in' around the time kids his age were learning 'ball'. Tyler has attended more than 150 games in person, including two World Series games.

Prior to Teak Tree, Tyler worked for two years as a CPA at Deloitte Tax LLP in Dallas. He worked there after earning his bachelor's degree in accounting and master's degree in financial management from Texas A&M. He’ll be using his skills as a CPA to help Teak Tree’s clients with tax and overall financial planning.

Tyler was recently engaged to his best friend, Hannah. She is a fellow Aggie and a sixth-grade Social Studies teacher.

* Licensed, not actively practicing. This practice is not a CPA practice.

When Ingrid started at Teak Tree in 2011, she was entirely surrounded by men. By day, she managed Stephen, Adam, and Red. By night, it was her husband and three sons. So Ingrid was grateful and relieved when Valerie and Melody joined the treehouse, as it is called.

Ingrid is quite the stable force and cool head at home and work. She serves as Teak Tree's office manager; she works frequently alongside Fidelity Investments, Teak Tree’s custodian. Her attention to detail, ability to organize, and follow-through are critical to taking care of clients. Ingrid’s job is to help clients 'find a way' rather than accept 'no'. More often than not, she does.

Ingrid's blood runs deep maroon with a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Master of Science in genetics from Aggieland. She is obsessed with gardening and long walks with her pets along the Trinity River banks. She and husband Keith are now empty-nesters; two of their three sons are third-generation Aggies, while a third son took a wrong turn on I-35 and went north to OU. One son has since married to help even the gender playing field.

Valerie is responsible for stocking the Teak Tree kitchen with everyone’s favorites, a tougher job than you might think. She is the consummate caregiver, and in that spirit will assume that if a food item expires 5 days from now, it has already expired. Credit for that one-liner goes to the book Jewish as a Second Language.

When she’s not shopping for Teak Tree, Valerie serves as its Client Care Advocate. She is a master's-level social worker, having specialized in care related to Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and other aging issues. Valerie helps clients and their families talk through difficult times and connect with appropriate resources during a transitional time of life. She will often be the first to answer the phone or greet clients in the office — part of her 'job description' she enjoys the most!

Valerie and Stephen are now empty-nesters. Their daughter is a proud third-generation Longhorn graduate, following in mom’s footsteps at UT-Austin. She is now married and lives and works in Dallas. Their son graduated in 2022 from TCU and lived in Houston for nearly four years before joining Dad at Teak Tree.

Melody started at Teak Tree in early 2024. One day she walked into the office, referred by a client to become a client. Next day, Stephen had other ideas — he was hooked, so he hired her!

Melody works alongside Ingrid and closely with Jimmy and Chandler in client service. She relishes the satisfaction of helping clients in a complicated world. Like others at Teak Tree, Melody came with a different background than finance, and fit right in.

Melody earned her master’s degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 2001. She started her career as a counselor for elementary and college-aged students. She provided academic and emotional support to children with learning differences. Later, after her beloved husband Jason passed away from cancer, Melody took a pause from her work to be mom for her two children.

Melody loves to bake, but she’s not a box baker. She’s an artist in the kitchen, and the Teak Tree men are addicted. Melody bakes for all the kids in her life and volunteers with the organization Icing Smiles. She creates 'Dream Cakes' for families impacted by critical illnesses.