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Steward Wealth for your Family's Journey

Intentional family-minded Entrepreneurs and Executives rely on us for concierge wealth advisory services.

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Who We Serve


Intentional Families of Entrepreneurs and Executives


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Executives


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Family


Entrepreneurs


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Women


Newly Responsible Stewards


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Executive

Ages 55 and 54


Married for 30 years with 2 children that recently graduated college

35 years with the same company

  • One spouse works 60+ hours per week and doesn't want to give up precious family time to research and manage financial decisions.
  • Wants a trusted partner in developing and executing the family’s financial strategy.
  • Prioritizes good stewardship and doesn't want to take unnecessary risk.
  • Realizes the value of independent objective advice and doesn’t like to be “sold”.
  • Thinks about what their contributions will look like in their next season of life.

Earn: $800,000

Spend: $200,000

Net Worth: $10 million

Founder

Ages 45 and 40


Married for 20 years with 5 children ages 4 to 12

Partnered with a friend 10 years ago to start the company

  • Would like to know where all the money goes.
  • Needs help strategizing and executing on advice and managing lumpy cash flow.
  • Would like to increase effectiveness of benefits for employees and maximize after-tax income from the business.
  • Needs to update estate plans and insurance to provide for spouse and children in the event of untimely passing.
  • No debt on the business.
  • Thinks about what children’s education looks like in the future and how to prepare.
  • Doesn’t want children to grow up with a sense of entitlement.
  • Gives 10+% of their income to charity each year.

Earn: $2 million

Spend: $500,000

Net Worth: $20 million

Newly Responsible Stewards

Age 75


Widow after 50-year marriage with 2 grown children and 6 grandchildren ages 10 to 30

  • Deceased spouse was Engineer and handled family finances until terminal diagnosis.
  • Needed help to get affairs in order quickly while in Hospice.
  • Wants someone they can trust to educate, provide counsel and have genuine concern for his bride.
  • Does not want to be a burden to grown children financially or otherwise but does want to involve the children in decision-making.
  • Needed new estate planning documents, cash flow planning, aligning their asset allocation with his wife's risk tolerance instead of his and tax planning and preparation.

Earns: $0

Spends: $120,000 per year

Net Worth: $5 million



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Value


Are you looking for more than just an investment manager?

Our clients typically want a thoughtful partner who can help with the following:


Convenience

  • Simplify the complex
  • Build and execute practical action plans
  • Coordinate other professional advisors

Family Unity

  • All family members feel heard
  • Prepare your spouse, children, and grandchildren to be wise stewards
  • Create unity around values and finances

Expertise

  • Protect your wealth
  • Reduce your lifetime tax bill
  • And yes...tailored capital management 

Are these what you want for your family? If so, let's visit. 

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Our Approach

We guide families through 3 phases to make progress on their unique priorities.


1

Discovery

           

We seek to understand you first. 

Then, we learn about your complete financial picture: assets, liabilities, risks, and opportunities.

2

Design

           

Together, we design a practical action plan to help you make progress toward your goals. 

Then, we partner with you to implement your desires. 

3

Develop

           

We tailor our services to grow both your wealth and your family's ability to steward it. 

 We provide personalized education and development opportunities for each generation.


Do you have an expert partner in these areas? If not, let's visit.

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Who We Are


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Thoughtful and Intentional

We listen, provide a safe place to explore confidential topics together, provide observations and analysis, and implement client wishes. We help families ask the right questions, understand their options and feel good about the decisions they make. When we do not have expertise in an area, we coordinate with professionals that do.

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Fee-only fiduciaries

As fiduciaries, we are required to place our client’s interests above our own in all we do. We are fee-only, which means that we will never accept any form of compensation from anyone other than our clients. This alignment with our client families helps us avoid conflicts of interest.

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Comprehensive

Our primary measure of success is not the number families we serve or the revenue we generate but rather the meaningful impact we create for and through the families we serve. We expect to serve each client family for generations. We know that a family's multi-generational needs and wishes will change over time, so we tailor our services for each family to where they are today.

Rodney James, CFP®, CTFA, EA, CKA® Photo Rodney James, CFP®, CTFA, EA, CKA® Hover Photo

Rodney James, CFP®, CTFA, EA, CKA®

Founder & Advisor
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Rodney James, CFP®, CTFA, EA, CKA®

Founder and Family wealth Advisor


Prior to Vineyard Family Wealth, I spent 12 years in various wealth management roles, mostly analytical. The majority of that time was spent with a private trust company serving some of the wealthiest families in the country first as an Analyst and then as a Family Advisor. In addition to my love for serving families, I also enjoy investing in the future leaders of our profession. Vineyard Family Wealth is a place where aspiring financial planners can come to learn, mature and develop a love for client families and a heart for servant leadership.

After earning a B.A. in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University, I completed the Certified Financial Planner® program at Rice University. I also completed the Advanced Trust School at Southern Methodist University. I am a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor, which is the industry standard for Trust Administrators.

The most advanced program for institutional investment managers is the Chartered Financial Analyst program, and I have passed the Level 1 exam. Being an Enrolled Agent with the Internal Revenue Service helps me understand how a family's decisions impact their tax return and tax bill. I am also licensed to practice before the U.S. Tax Court. My education and experience serving as a Certified Kingdom Advisor® equip me to apply the truths of The Bible to practical life decisions for our family and client familes.

The thousands of hours I have invested and continue to invest in learning equip me with a wide range of technical knowledge so that client families can rest assured that our guidance really is comprehensive and in their best interest.

I grew up in the northern suburbs of Houston as a third generation Houstonian. I have been actively involved in community development projects around the city and with Houston’s First Baptist Church, where I met my beautiful bride, Jennifer. We are both avid readers, so it's no surprise that I proposed to Jennifer in one of our favorite places, our church library. When I was younger, I enjoyed marathons and triathlons, but now Jennifer and I enjoy the outdoor adventures of walking, hiking and backyard gardening.


Gunwoo Yook, MBA Photo Gunwoo Yook, MBA Hover Photo

Gunwoo Yook, MBA

Financial Planning Analyst
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Gunwoo Yook 

finanical planning analyst


Gunwoo joined Vineyard Family Wealth after spending 15 years in finance and accounting roles within the commodities trading and energy industries. Throughout his career, he developed strong analytical, financial, and critical thinking skills while serving organizations involved in global markets and energy commerce.

He joined Vineyard Family Wealth to pursue his passion for helping families steward their resources wisely. His family's entrepreneurial background and many conversations about financial stewardship sparked a growing interest in personal financial planning and the opportunity to serve families more directly. He enjoys helping families bring clarity, organization, and purpose to their financial lives while continuing to develop his technical expertise.

Gunwoo earned his undergraduate degree in Finance and Accounting from Emory University. He later completed a Master of Science in Accountancy and Taxation from the University of Houston and earned his MBA from Rice University. He is currently pursuing the CFP® certification as he continues to deepen his knowledge and commitment to serving clients well.

Outside of work, Gunwoo enjoys traveling, jogging, and walking with his wife. He is also active in his local church in Orlando, Christ United Fellowship, where he and his wife enjoy serving others and building meaningful relationships within their community.


Barbara Simmons Photo Barbara Simmons Hover Photo

Barbara Simmons

Client Service Associate
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Barbara Simmons

Client Service Associate


Barbara has nearly 30 years of experience serving on and leading Paralegal teams with both public and private companies after graduating from Sam Houston State University. Barbara’s attention to detail, organization skills, and positive empathy equip her to serve our client families well. 

Barbara has led GriefShare for many years providing compassionate support to those navigating loss. Barbara also serves in a variety of other roles at her local church.

In her free time, Barbara loves being “B Ma” to her grandchildren, line dancing, and scrapbooking.  

We are grateful to have Barbara on our team.


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