The partners

Three partners. You work with the principals.

Apex is owned equally by three partners, and that is the whole point. There is no anonymous advisory desk between you and the people whose names are on the firm. Each partner brings a different depth, and together they cover the wealth, tax, alternatives, and retirement side of a plan under one relationship.

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Arizona desert landscape near Scottsdale

Scottsdale · Arizona · Birmingham

Photo mapping to verify: headshot-1.jpg is shown here as Leonard. This mapping is unconfirmed and may be Jake. Swap the image source if needed.

Leonard Williamson

Managing Partner

Scottsdale, AZ

Alternative investmentsRetirement incomeLMU, summa cum laude

Leonard is Apex's managing partner and its specialist in alternative investments. He graduated summa cum laude from Loyola Marymount University and began his career in 2015 at an alternative investment firm, spending roughly five years as a wholesaler before moving into holistic retirement and wealth planning. That path is why alternatives are more than a line item for him. He has seen how these products are built and sold from the inside, which is exactly the perspective you want from the person deciding whether one belongs in your portfolio. His focus is helping retirees and pre-retirees build income that is designed to last, so the risk of outliving your money gets smaller rather than larger. He is based in Scottsdale and carries Southern California roots.

Photo mapping to verify: headshot-2.jpg is shown here as Jake. This mapping is unconfirmed and may be Leonard. Swap the image source if needed.

Jake Schisler

Advisor and Fiduciary

Arizona

Retirement incomeSocial Security optimizationInvestment Advisory license

Jake started on the insurance side with a focus on Social Security optimization, and for years he ran Social Security workshops that walked people through one of the most consequential and most misunderstood decisions in retirement. He wanted to help with the whole picture rather than one piece of it, so he earned his Investment Advisory license and became a fiduciary. His work now centers on turning scattered investments into a coherent retirement plan and then implementing it alongside clients rather than handing it over and walking away. He is based in Arizona with Southern California roots.

Joel Barlow, CPA, CFP, CPWA

Partner

Birmingham, AL

CPACFPCPWA30+ years

Joel brings more than thirty years in financial services and a rare combination of credentials: Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, and Certified Private Wealth Advisor. He earned a B.S. in accounting from the University of Alabama in 1992 and practiced as a CPA at Wilkins, Miller, P.C. in Mobile before serving as CFO of IPC Industries. He later worked with large investment firms, advising financial advisors across the Southeast, and earned his CFP in 2011. Joel is based in Birmingham, which is how Apex reaches clients in Alabama. His work blends financial and tax planning, which fits the Apex model exactly: the return and the plan handled by the same people.

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