The people behind Pathfinders

A partnership built over a lifetime.

An approach the whole team carries forward.

Rick and Sean founded Pathfinders around a simple belief: listen before recommending.

Their father-and-son history shaped a firm where the relationship stays personal, choices are explained plainly, and families know who is guiding their plan. The PATH carries that approach across the team as Pathfinders grows.

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Our founders

Two different perspectives shaped the way Pathfinders works.

Rick and Sean's story matters because it explains where the firm's convictions came from.

Rick Sparkman

A plan has to work in the real world.

"I watched people spend their working years raising families, buying homes, paying bills, and building 401(k)s in the background. Then retirement got close, and no one had clearly shown them how those savings were supposed to replace the paycheck.

That transition is what concerned me. It is not enough to know what an account is worth. We need to understand where income is expected to come from, how inflation can affect the lifestyle, what happens during difficult markets, and how their money supports them through a retirement that lasts decades.

I believe in looking at the actual math, questioning the default answer, and giving people enough information to make a decision without feeling pressured."

Rick's background: Before entering financial services, Rick spent years making practical business decisions involving cash flow, operating costs, taxes, large equipment purchases, employee benefits, and long-term planning. That experience shapes how he thinks about flexibility, income, risk, and the people depending on the outcome.

Sean R. Sparkman, AIF®

The plan begins with the person—not the product.

"I believe people need someone who will actually listen, not start with a product or put them into a model before understanding what they need.

My job is to help people structure their money so it supports the life they want, gives them greater confidence in retirement, and protects the people and priorities that matter to them.

Once someone trusts me with the details of their life, I feel a real responsibility to do excellent work for them and their family."

Sean’s focus: Sean helps families connect retirement income, investments, taxes, protection, and legacy around the life they want to live. His approach is direct, relationship-driven, and willing to challenge default answers when a more thoughtful plan is needed.

Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®): The designation reflects specialized education in fiduciary principles, standards of conduct, and prudent investment processes. When providing investment advisory services through Foundations Investment Advisors, Sean is held to a fiduciary duty to advisory clients.

Why this history matters

What began between a father and son still shapes how Pathfinders serves every family.

Sean's first lessons about work, responsibility, and money did not come from a classroom. They came from watching Rick make decisions, serve people, and stay accountable for outcomes. Years later, what began as a father teaching his son became part of the way Pathfinders works: listen before recommending, explain the choices in plain English, and follow through after decisions are made.

That approach now belongs to the whole team.

How the relationship works

A personal advisor. A broader team. Clear responsibility.

Your Pathfinders advisor is the person who learns your story, leads the planning relationship, and helps you understand the choices in front of you.

Foundations Investment Advisors provides the investment-advisory platform and broader investment-management, client-service, operational, and compliance resources supporting that relationship. When investment accounts are part of the relationship, assets are held with established independent custodians such as Fidelity or Charles Schwab, not directly by Pathfinders.

Your Pathfinders advisor

Knows your family and leads your plan.

Your advisor learns the people, priorities, concerns, and responsibilities behind the accounts, then explains the decisions in plain English.

Foundations Investment Advisors

Supports the advisory work behind the relationship.

Foundations provides investment-management, client-service, operational, and compliance resources behind the personal advisory relationship.

Independent custodian

Holds eligible investment assets and account records.

When investment accounts are part of the relationship, assets are held with established independent custodians such as Fidelity or Charles Schwab.

WHY SERVICE MATTERS

My faith shapes how I serve the families who trust me.

"My Christian faith shapes the way I think about leadership. I believe leadership is service: listening carefully, telling people the truth, and using what I have been given to help the person in front of me.

You do not have to share my faith to be welcomed or respected here. But it is part of why I take the responsibility so seriously."

We explain advice in a way we would be comfortable sharing with our own family.

A few things you can verify

Trust is easier when the basics are clear.

Who you talk with

Your relationship has a clear lead.

You know who is listening, who is helping think through the choices, and who to call when life changes.

Where accounts are held

Your eligible investment assets are held with independent custodians.

When investment accounts are part of the relationship, assets are held with established custodians such as Fidelity or Charles Schwab, not directly by Pathfinders.

What gets explained

We explain the why behind each recommendation.

We explain what a recommendation is meant to do, what it costs, where it could fall short, and what other choices deserve consideration.

What the relationship gives you

Clearer decisions. A steadier next step.

The goal is not to impress you with complexity. The goal is to help you understand what matters, what choices are in front of you, and what to do next.

When the relationship is working

You feel heard before anyone starts talking strategy.
You understand the purpose behind each recommendation.
You can ask questions in plain English without feeling talked down to.
Your family, concerns, and priorities stay connected to your plan.

What changes when you have a guide

You are not left trying to interpret every headline alone.
Every recommendation connects back to a clear purpose in your plan.
The tradeoffs are explained before you are asked to decide.
Your plan is built to keep adjusting as life, markets, taxes, and family needs change.

Start with a real conversation

You do not have to figure this out alone.

Whether you are still building, preparing for retirement, or already living from what you saved, the next step can happen in the way that fits the relationship and feels like a conversation, not a commitment.

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