Michael Torney

St. Louis, Missouri

Tax attorney turned Partner who pairs meaning and strategy in family wealth.

Certifications: LLM in Taxation • Certified Exit Planning Advisor® (CEPA®) • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®)

Specialties: Physicians & Dentists • Corporate Executives • Business Owners • Ultra-High-Net-Worth Families

A portfolio isn’t a plan, and my background in tax law is usually where that difference shows up most. Wealth management gave me a way to use my tax background to help families on a deeper, more personal level than I ever could as their tax attorney.

Early in my career, I worked as a junior advisor on a business-owner family that was selling their company. Another advisor on the team suggested exploring a different transaction structure than the one already on the table. That change saved the family millions in taxes on the sale. It’s the moment that showed me just how much power good tax planning holds, and it’s shaped how I’ve approached every client since.

How I work with clients

I start by finding out what matters most to a client and what they want their relationship with me to look like, then I build our team’s service around exceeding that. What I enjoy most is finding the emotion behind the numbers: the real reason someone built their wealth, and the reason they want to keep it. Without that, this is just a robotic job.

One client came to me contemplating the sale of an asset. The sale would net a few million dollars, but the anticipated tax bill was roughly equal to the proceeds. I built a solution that gave the family a sum of money to use during their lifetime, deferred the remaining taxes, and let their heirs inherit the asset’s full value at death. The net effect: more than $2.5 million in increased wealth for the family. That’s the kind of outcome that only shows up when someone is quarterbacking the whole plan, not just the portfolio.

Mike outside the office

I have three young kids who keep me young and busy. I’m fortunate to be very involved in their lives, and it’s a privilege to watch them grow. When I get the chance, I enjoy fitness, squash, golf, and a good glass of wine — though these days those chances are fewer and farther between.

Fun fact: I got my first job in this industry sitting next to a stranger on a Southwest flight. You never know who’s sitting next to you.

Favorite quote

“Things that have never happened happen all the time.” — Scott Sagan