Brownlie & Braden, LLC, provides services specifically addressing the needs of individuals and families that have accumulated significant wealth. Our approach to providing these services is sensitive to the individual and personal objectives of each client in evaluating the alternatives available. These services address our clients objectives in the areas of gift and estate tax planning, asset protection planning, life insurance due diligence and alternatives, family risk management, private equity due diligence, and various other related issues often important to the wealthy individual and their family. We also are frequently called upon to perform private equity due diligence and address corporate turnaround opportunities, as well as to assist with the selection of asset managers and fiduciaries. The backgrounds of our principals follow. Smith A. Brownlie III, CPA Mr. Brownlie, a Certified Public Accountant and Personal Financial Specialist, has spent over twenty five years working with closely held companies and high net worth individuals. In addition to being Chief Executive Officer of Brownlie & Braden Advisors, LLC (the Firm ), he is a co-founder of the Firm s predecessor, Brownlie & Braden, LLC, which was founded in 1997. The Firm became part of the Focus Financial Partners, LLC ( Focus ) partnership in July 2017. As such, the Firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Focus Operating, LLC ( Focus Operating ), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Focus. Focus also owns other registered investment advisers, broker-dealers, pension consultants, insurance firms, and other financial service firms. Mr. Brownlie s previous experience includes work with the accounting firm of Peat Marwick (now KPMG) addressing the needs of privately-held companies in the firm s Private Business Advisory Services section. He has provided his clients with planning and consulting services in which he has addressed various tax and financial issues including estate planning, business continuity planning, income tax planning, investment and insurance due diligence, and non-qualified deferred compensation design. Mr. Brownlie has been active in private equity investing over the last fifteen years. Mr. Brownlie is currently chairman of the board of directors of Waste Partners Environmental, Inc. and was past chairman of Chain Electric Company. He also serves on the board of managers of Terrace Energy, LLC, serves on the board of directors of Knight Waste Services, Ltd., and previously served on the board of Oncore Onsite Services, LLC, Coal City Cob and Royal Baths Manufacturing Company. Mr. Brownlie is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and a member of the Personal Financial Planning and Tax Sections of the AICPA. He is also a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) and has been a speaker for the TSCPA s continuing education programs. He is past chairman of the board of directors and current member of the Fort Worth Business & Estate Council, UT Southwestern Medical Center Estate Planning Council, the Dallas Estate Planning Council, and the North Texas Chapter of the National Committee on Planned Giving. He has also served on the Estate Planning and Planned Giving Advisory Boards for Baylor University. He was an Anderson Clayton Fund Scholarship recipient and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor University.
Mr. Brownlie is a supporter of several children s charities, is a member of The Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate and is a professional advisor to the Community Foundation of North Texas. Mr. Brownlie has served on the board of directors of the Arlington Independent School District s Education Foundation, the board of directors of the Community Enrichment Center, the Welcome House Youth Service Center Advisory Council in Arlington, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington, and the board of trustees of Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, chairing the school s endowment committee from 2002-2011. James E. Braden, CPA Mr. Braden, a Certified Public Accountant and Personal Financial Specialist, has spent most of his career working with privately owned companies and high net worth families. In addition to being President of Brownlie & Braden (the Firm ), he is a co-founder of the Firm s predecessor, Brownlie & Braden, LLC which was founded in 1997. The Firm became part of the Focus Financial Partners, LLC ( Focus ) partnership in July 2017. As such, the Firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Focus Operating, LLC ( Focus Operating ), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Focus. Focus also owns other registered investment advisers, broker-dealers, pension consultants, insurance firms, and other financial service firms. Mr. Braden s previous experience included working with the accounting firm of Peat Marwick (now KPMG), as well as privately-held Lincoln Property Company, a national real estate developer based in Dallas. His expertise includes the areas of gift and estate taxation, business succession planning, charitable planning and related issues confronted by the wealthy family. Mr. Braden is an active private equity investor and serves on the board of managers of Terrace Energy, LLC, is a member of the board of directors of Waste Partners Environmental, Inc., and is past chairman of the board of directors of Graco Holdings, Inc. Additionally, Mr. Braden manages the general partner of BKB Capital, Ltd., a private investment vehicle. Mr. Braden is active in various civic and charitable organizations. He presently serves as President of the board of trustees of the Clayton Dabney Legacy Fund. He also serves on the advisory board and is a past board of directors member and past chairman of the Clayton Dabney Foundation for Kids with Cancer. He is also a previous member of the board of directors and treasurer of Literacy Instruction for Texas (LIFT). He is an active member of Park Cities Baptist Church, where he has chaired and served on various committees and is a member of the Fellowship of Deacons. Mr. Braden currently serves on the Advisory Council of the Dallas Foundation. He is a member of the Dallas Estate Planning Council and the Fort Worth Business & Estate Council as well as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) and the North Texas Chapter of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning. Mr. Braden is a magna cum laude graduate of Baylor University where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting and was the recipient of the Tenneco Accounting Scholarship.
Frederick W. Wahl, Jr., CFA, CIMA Mr. Wahl, a Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Investment Management Analyst, serves as the firm s Chief Investment Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. His expertise includes the areas of asset allocation, financial and operational risk management, asset/liability management and related issues confronted by the wealthy family and firms that serve them. Mr. Wahl has over 40 years of experience, primarily in the trust and investment management business (and 2 years as an institutional broker). He served as Managing Director and Partner of Cinque Partners LLC, an independent registered investment advisor formed in 2012 as a spin-out from Wells Fargo Bank. Prior to joining Wells Fargo as a portfolio manager in 1992, he managed the fixed income portion of the American Airlines pension plan as a member of the in-house portfolio management team, and supported its plan sponsor group with equity analysis to aid in monitoring its third-party managers. Fred s early career consisted of work in traditional trust investment management, bank portfolio management and chief investment officer of a bank-owned registered investment advisor. Mr. Wahl is an active member of the CFA Institute, CFA Society of Dallas-Fort Worth and the Investment Management Consultants Association. Mr. Wahl received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and finance from Lehigh University. Courtney H. Faison Mrs. Faison is the Controller for the firm. Her duties include overseeing the accounting functions. Prior to joining the firm, she was an auditor for Deloitte & Touche with a concentration in the Energy industry. Mrs. Faison graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Culverhouse School of Accountancy at the University of Alabama. She also earned a Masters of Accountancy at the University of Alabama while being a Graduate Assistant Teacher. Brian P. Robertson, CPA Mr. Robertson serves as the firm s Manager of Financial Planning and Analysis. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of Texas. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Robertson was an Audit Manager for KPMG where he specialized in accounting and operational issues specific to the alternative investment industry. Mr. Robertson received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and his Master of Financial Management from Texas A&M University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Katherine R. Brownlie, CPA Katherine is a Senior Financial Analyst with the firm. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of Texas and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy from
The University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Prior to joining the firm, she was an auditor for KPMG, LP with concentrations in the Private Equity and Energy industries. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA). Rachel A. Keiser, CPA Ms. Keiser is a Senior Financial Analyst with the firm and is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of Texas. Prior to joining the firm, she was an auditor for KPMG LLP with concentrations in the Retail and Consumer Markets industries. She graduated from The University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Accountancy. Ms. Keiser is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA). M. Susan Wilson, CPA Mrs. Wilson is a Senior Financial Analyst with the firm. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of New Jersey and she holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. She obtained a Paralegal Certification from the University of California, Irvine where she graduated with honors. And, she received an academic award for excellence in CPA Education from Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey where she obtained her Certificate of Accountancy. Prior to joining the firm, Mrs. Wilson was the Director of Administration for ADT Security (Tyco) and had the responsibility for managing the administrative operations for 12 national offices. She received the President Circle Award for achievement and excellence in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the organization. Other areas of experience are in licensing, contracts, due diligence, credit and compliance. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA). Michael W. Davis, CPA Mr. Davis is a Financial Analyst with the firm. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of Texas and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Prior to joining the firm, he was a senior associate for Ernst & Young LLP in the Assurance practice with a focus in the Retail and Technology industries. Mr. Davis graduated from Abilene Christian University with Bachelor of Business Administration Degrees in Accounting and Finance as well as a Master of Accountancy. While attending Abilene Christian University, he was a member of the Student Trading and Research team that managed a portion of the University s endowment.
Christopher S. Sewell, CPA Mr. Sewell is a Financial Analyst with the firm and is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of Texas. Prior to joining the firm, he was an associate for KPMG LLP in the Deal Advisory practice. He provided Financial Due Diligence services for Private Equity clients primarily focused in the Consumer Products Manufacturing and Paper Distribution industries. Mr. Sewell graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Accountancy. While attending the University of Texas, he was a member of the University Investors Association. Tracy C. Lymos Ms. Lymos is a Senior Accountant for Brownlie & Braden, where she is responsible for financial reporting and analysis. Ms. Lymos is a graduate of The Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University where she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Management. She also earned her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Walden University.