As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Michelle is passionate about helping clients build a life plan and recognize the choices available to them – choices that can sometimes come as a pleasant surprise. An independent thinker and natural problem solver, she sees her role as both advisor and advocate, listening carefully, simplifying the complex, and helping clients make confident decisions about their financial lives.

Her approach is rooted in the belief that good financial planning is a partnership. She strives to speak in plain English and give clients the understanding they need to make their own important decisions. One of the greatest joys of her work is helping clients see possibilities they may not have considered and being a strong voice for their interests along the way.

Michelle brings a broad range of business and financial services experience to Parkwoods Wealth Partners. After earning her B.S. in Finance with honors from the University of Colorado Boulder, she began her career with Shell Oil in Houston, advancing to a management position before moving to Brussels, Belgium. During four years abroad, she earned an M.S. in Management from Boston University, Brussels, while gaining an appreciation for different cultures and perspectives.

After returning to the United States, Michelle entered the financial planning profession, first with a boutique financial planning firm and later with MassMutual, where she developed experience in financial services and insurance planning. In 2015, she founded Gessner Wealth Strategies LLC and subsequently launched her independent financial planning practice, driven by a desire to provide clients with thoughtful, unbiased advice centered on their individual needs and goals. Gessner Wealth Strategies is now part of Parkwoods Wealth Partners, where she continues that same commitment to putting clients’ interests first.

A lifelong learner who also enjoys teaching others, Michelle has taught retirement planning classes at a local community college for many years. She believes education is an important part of financial planning and that clients are best served when they feel informed, empowered, and actively involved in the decisions that shape their financial futures.

Above all, Michelle considers it a privilege to help clients with decisions that are both deeply personal and consequential, and to help them pursue greater financial security and peace of mind.