Gessner Wealth Strategies has joined Parkwoods Wealth Partners. Gessner Wealth Strategies is a Houston-based registered investment adviser with $65 million in assets under advisement as of June 30, 2026. The combination closed on August 31, 2026, and adds a second Parkwoods advisor in Houston, alongside Wealth Advisor Cole Wheeler, CFP®.
Why Gessner – and why now
Michelle Gessner, CFP®, MSM, CFBS, LUTCF, founded Gessner Wealth Strategies in 2015 after earning her B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado Boulder and building a career that took her from a management position at Shell Oil in Houston to living abroad for 4 years in Brussels, where she also earned her M.S. in Management from Boston University, Brussels campus. She later spent time at a boutique planning firm and at MassMutual before starting her own independent practice.
Michelle’s approach centers on straightforward communication and helping clients see the choices available to them, an independent, fiduciary philosophy that matches with Parkwoods’ Purpose First Planning. She has also taught retirement planning classes at a local community college for many years. Michelle joins Parkwoods as a Senior Wealth Advisor, and Lauren Morris continues as Client Service Manager supporting her clients.
“Welcoming Michelle and the Gessner Wealth Strategies team is about shared beliefs first and foremost,” said Al Sears, Founder & CEO of Parkwoods Wealth Partners. “Michelle has spent over a decade building a practice around independent, evidence-based, client-first advice, exactly the kind of planning-first work that defines Purpose First Planning. Houston is a market where we’ve wanted to grow, and her practice gives us the right foundation to do it.”
“What drew me to Parkwoods is how closely our philosophies align,” said Michelle Gessner, CFP®. “I built my practice so clients could make confident, informed decisions about their financial lives without being sold to. Parkwoods shares that same fiduciary, planning-first commitment, and joining them gives my clients access to more resources while keeping the relationship and service they already know.”
“When a firm like Gessner Wealth Strategies joins Parkwoods, the core client experience stays consistent: same advisor, same relationships, same planning-first approach,” said Chris Gardner, CFP®, Head of Advisory at Parkwoods Wealth Partners. “What changes is the support behind it. Michelle’s clients now have the backing of a larger, evidence-based advisory platform.”
Expanding in Houston
Gessner Wealth Strategies is Parkwoods’ second advisor presence in Houston, joining Cole Wheeler, CFP®, Wealth Advisor and Co-Chair of Parkwoods’ Financial Planning Committee.
“Having another CFP® professional serving Houston-area families means more clients can access the same planning-first process,” said Cole Wheeler, CFP®. “Michelle’s approach fits naturally with how we build plans across the firm, and it’s a real benefit to have a partner in the same market who shares that same commitment to educating clients and putting their goals first.”
What this means for clients
No changes to your day-to-day relationship. Gessner clients will continue working with Michelle as their advisor, and Lauren Morris remains their day-to-day point of contact for service needs.
If you’d like to talk through your goals or see whether Parkwoods is a good fit, you’re welcome to schedule a complimentary call with Michelle directly.