Our Story

Stonebriar was founded on a simple belief: wealth management should do more than manage money. It should bring clarity, coordination, and confidence to every financial decision a family makes. From the beginning, the goal was to create a firm that helps families move from uncertainty to assurance, from complexity to simplicity, and from financial questions to lasting confidence.

Before Stonebriar began, its founders saw firsthand how the financial industry often measured success by volume rather than vision. They believed families deserved something different, a system built around purpose, understanding, and stewardship. Wealth, they knew, is not just about accumulation but about using resources wisely to sustain both portfolios and lives.

Gary’s journey began in Florida as the eldest of six children in a family defined by education, faith, and service. Though he once planned to become a doctor, he discovered another way to bring healing, one centered on order and understanding through numbers. With a background in mathematics, tax, and CFO consulting, Gary learned that every business and household depends on how cash flows. It shaped how he viewed wealth and taught him what made financial plans succeed or fail. In many advisory models, he found a gap between charts and real life. He set out to close that gap by teaching and building systems that fit each client’s life, not just their balance sheet.

Shea’s story began in the small town of Blanding, Utah. Raised by grandparents who were both educators, he grew up surrounded by lessons of discipline, faith, and service. Those values shaped a lifelong desire to teach and to help others thrive. His early career in business development strengthened his leadership and strategic skills, but it was in wealth management that he found his calling. It combined his love for people, his sense of structure, and his passion for helping families reach financial freedom. Within large firms, he saw how personal connection was often replaced by process. He envisioned something more personal, a firm that treated each client like family and offered thoughtful, coordinated, and proactive care.

When Shea and Gary met, they discovered a shared vision rooted in integrity, purpose, and care. Shea brought a talent for relationships and growth. Gary brought precision and structure. Over time, their trust in one another deepened, as did their conviction that families deserve the same level of strategy and attention that large institutions provide, without the confusion or complexity. In 2021, that shared vision became Stonebriar.

Stonebriar was created as a family’s financial guide, a firm built to simplify complexity and bring every financial decision under one roof. Shea and Gary combined insight with empathy, structure with stewardship, and design with intention. From Gary’s investment systems that help families stay steady through all market conditions to Shea’s focus on purpose-driven planning, every part of Stonebriar was designed to help clients make informed, values-aligned decisions that last for generations.

Stonebriar exists to bring peace, purpose, and precision to the financial lives of the families it serves. The firm’s mission is to help clients live freely and give generously by aligning purpose with planning and vision with structure. Every strategy is  built with clarity, education, and stewardship at its core, combining thoughtful design with genuine partnership. True wealth, as Stonebriar defines it, is  the freedom to live with intention and the confidence that every decision reflects what matters most.

That belief defines everything Shea and Gary have built. Their journey from small towns and large firms to a shared vision and independent practice reflects the very essence of Stonebriar itself. It is grounded in integrity, built with intention, and dedicated to creating meaning that endures.