OUR TEAM

Alan graduated in 1992 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Finance. He has over 25 Years of experience in the securities industry in various capacities with highly respected global banks and brokerage firms. He began his career with Bear Stearns in 1994 on the institutional side of both fixed income and equities in Chicago and New York. In 1997 he joined Mesirow Financial in Chicago as a trader in the fixed income department specializing in government, corporate, and municipal bonds. From there, Alan traded risk arbitrage for proprietary firms, concluding with his own firm, Virgin Trading, until 2003. At that point Alan decided to focus his career in wealth management by building relationships with business owners, corporate executives, retirees, and families in need of assistance with holistic asset allocation; focusing on traditional stocks and bonds, as well as alternatives including hedge funds and private equity. From 2003 through 2018 Alan’s investment management experiences were vast, including time with Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and most recently with Wells Fargo. After spending over 15 years in a traditional brokerage environment, Alan recently decided his clients would be much better served in a fiduciary capacity and Co-Founded Trails Edge Wealth Advisers with Shelley.

Shelley graduated in 1992 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Communications. She has over 16 years of experience in the financial industry. She began her career in 1992 at Rodman & Renshaw, a boutique Chicago wealth management firm. While at Rodman, she supported four wealth advisers and handled the day to day operations while servicing clients. She then joined Goldman Sachs in 1996 as a Client Analyst. At Goldman Shelley worked for a team of Investment Professionals in a fast paced environment while also servicing high net worth clients. She coordinated the implementation and rebalancing as part of the team’s portfolio management process, as well as managed cash balances and private banking services in client accounts. Shelley left Goldman in 2008 to stay at home and raise her 3 children. She re-entered the workforce in 2016 and worked for Cutler Financial Services assisting the accounting staff in various capacities. When Alan formed Trails Wealth Advisers in 2020, they both agreed it made perfect sense for her to service the firm’s clients and help run the operational side of the business.