Hal Porter, MBA
Of Counsel
Growing up in the South Bay, I was lucky to have parents who modeled and lived lives of service to others. Both my Mom and Dad served in the military and had us all involved in local charities at a young age. As a result when I graduated from the University of Oregon I took a path that seemed obvious at the time, I was commissioned and served almost 8 years in the Air Force on active duty and the reserves.
Shortly after leaving the Air Force, I was hired and entered into a training program at CIGNA Financial Group to become a financial planner. One of the first things that attracted me to this company was their “serve the client’s needs first” philosophy.
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After leaving CIGNA I spent over 15 years in the institutional asset management business, providing investment consulting and asset management services to pension plans, endowments, foundations and large 401K plans.
About 12 years ago I joined Summit Wealth & Retirement Partners, with the goal being to help individuals and families utilize the same money management techniques that large institutions were using. Pension plans, endowments, and foundations are all designed to make sure their money lasts as long as possible. This is the same goal individuals and families have, and yet very few financial planners are addressing this.
It still surprises me today when I learn that most people we meet with believe that financial planning is just investment management. One of the greatest things we do for our clients is to provide solutions to all of their family’s financial needs. We gain a thorough understanding of their situation and know how all of the various issues of their plan are related. Our work helps our clients to make better, more informed financial decisions. Our culture is focused on serving our client family needs and is something I believe in and try to live daily.
One of the things that many of our clients face is what has been termed the “sandwich generation.” My wife, Cathy, and I have faced the issues of getting kids into and through college, dealing with aging parents, their support needs and cognitive issues and planning for a successful retirement simultaneously. We know the importance of proper estate documents and long term care and the challenges these issues can place on family members and a successful financial plan.
I live in Lincoln with my wife Cathy. We enjoy traveling, riding our bikes, snow skiing and golfing. We have been blessed with two wonderful kids. Our son Matthew and his wife Stephanie live in Santa Barbara, where he is a commercial insurance broker and she is an attorney. Matt and Steph are expecting a son in early 2026. Our daughter Elizabeth and her husband Garrett live in Rocklin. She is a feeding therapist in the NICU at Sutter Hospital and Garrett works in finance. They recently welcomed a daughter and our first grandchild.
I have always been interested in the financial markets and I have both an undergraduate and a graduate degree in business. This career has allowed me to combine my passion for serving others with my interest in personal finance. Thirty-years later I am still excited to come into work each day because I know that what we do has a positive impact on people’s lives.