ABOUT ERIK: A former director of research and international field studies at the University of Michigan Business School’s Global Leadership Program and Chicago-based consultant to senior executives of global companies, Erik’s career took a serendipitous turn into the financial industry in 1999. Knowing of Erik’s analytical background while a Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan, the president of Erik’s consulting firm asked him to harness advanced statistical techniques to design, develop, and evaluate high-frequency trading strategies for the exploding equity market. These strategies proved so effective that they ironically led to the effective disintegration of that company and the formation of a trading and research group whose clients included systematically-oriented private traders and a San Francisco-based hedge fund.

Five years later, in another twist, Erik moved from the research side to the client side, applying his analytical bent to the needs of individual clients for well-integrated, comprehensive financial planning and wealth management. Erik joined Josh Rogers’ team, and quickly rose to become one of the top financial advisors in his entering class at American Express, with his 150 Chicago-area peers naming him the 2005 Advisor of the Year. Erik went on to become a district manager, helping lead some of the most experienced advisors in the Chicago employee platform at that time.

In 2010, Erik moved to Arete, which offered the opportunity to serve high net worth clients with greater flexibility, better service, more sophisticated solutions, and free of the potential conflicts of interest inherent in a publicly traded product manufacturer. In addition to continuing to serve these clients, Erik has developed advanced proprietary multi-market portfolio designs and strategies intended to help clients protect and grow their wealth even in highly challenging market environments.

When not thinking about his clients or ways to help them with advanced investment approaches, sophisticated retirement income strategies, tax reduction strategies, or estate planning strategies, Erik loves spending time with his college sweetheart and bride since 1983, camping, ultralight backpacking, reading, following politics, debating epistemology, running the occasional statistical analysis on a question that strikes his fancy, watching his beloved Padres and Vikings, fellowshipping with men at his church, uncovering amazing private equity and debt impact investments, and visiting his delightful daughters and their families in Michigan and Seattle.

For four years he co-hosted The Retirement Lifestyle Show, a weekly podcast on all things retirement.  Some favorite episodes include these highlighting impact investing:

• E68: https://retirementlifestyleshow.com/elementor-1350/
• E74: https://retirementlifestyleshow.com/impact-investing-with-dignity-coconuts-and-erik-d-olson/
• E101: https://retirementlifestyleshow.com/from-success-to-significance-with-sunshine-nut-co-don-larson/
• E162: https://retirementlifestyleshow.com/exploring-the-role-of-venture-capital-in-impact-investing-with-wesley-lyons/
• E172: https://retirementlifestyleshow.com/transforming-lives-and-communities-through-impact-investing-with-david-simms/

To schedule a brief introductory “Learn More” conversation with Erik, click Erik’s Calendly link here

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