When Gary Preisser and Shea Swenson founded Stonebriar Financial, they did so with a clear objective: to challenge an industry that too often relies on generic models and underdelivers for clients. With a career path that began in accounting and tax planning, Preisser gained early exposure to the financial realities of business owners, how every decision came back to cash flow, taxes, and strategic planning. That grounding would later shape his view of personal financial planning, where he saw a mismatch between the industry's methods and clients' real needs.
"Traditional advisors sit clients down, run them through a risk questionnaire, and drop them into a portfolio that looks exactly like everyone else with the same age and risk profile," Preisser says. "But people aren't templates. Every household has unique income streams, obligations, and goals. The industry simply isn't structured to recognize that."
