Eric Lane, CFP^®, brings 27 years of wealth management experience to his work with Parkwoods clients. He started his career as a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager overseeing $30 billion in client assets – experience that shaped how he thinks about markets, risk, and the discipline required to stay the course when things get noisy. He went on to hold roles at Dimensional Fund Advisors and Hartford Mutual Funds, and most recently served as Senior Wealth Advisor and Partner at 4LIFE Wealth Advisors. Eric holds an MBA in Finance from the Bauer School of Business at the University of Houston and a B.S. from Trinity University. He lives in Austin with his wife, Allyson, and their two children, Merritt and Beau.

Below, Eric shares how he works with clients, the misconception he finds himself correcting most often, and what you’ll find him doing on the sidelines on a Friday night.

How do you help clients at Parkwoods?

If you were to ask my clients how I help them, you’d get varied answers. Some clients are fully bought into the planning process and love the structure and big-picture approach to wealth building and goal setting. Some clients benefit the most from tax planning, and some clients just appreciate the peace of mind that comes with offloading stressful financial decisions onto someone they trust.

What should clients expect when they work with you?

My clients should expect a trusted partner who takes the time to understand what’s important to them and helps them navigate the financial decisions that come with a noisy world. I am intentional about the clients I work with because I believe meaningful relationships and personal attention are essential to delivering good advice. They should expect someone who is accessible, takes ownership of their problems, and brings the expertise to solve them.

What’s a recent development at Parkwoods that you’re excited about?

Investing isn’t just about how much you make – it’s about how much you keep. One of the most important aspects of building and preserving wealth is managing the impact of taxes. I’m excited that Parkwoods has introduced in-house integrated tax planning. This gives us a more complete and timely view of our clients’ tax picture, which allows us to proactively identify tax-saving opportunities. It’s just another way that we bring more expertise and value to our clients.

What’s one misconception you often clarify for clients?

I think the most common misconception in our industry – from clients and even many advisors – is the notion that because something performed well recently, it must be a good investment going forward. Call it recency bias, chasing, or simply following the crowd. Historical performance can teach us a lot, but drawing the wrong conclusions can lead to costly mistakes. This is a hard concept to grasp.

Why does Parkwoods fit how you like to serve clients?

Financial advice is no longer simply, “Send me your money and I’ll invest it.” If that’s all you’re getting, then it’s time to raise your expectations as a client. Financial planning, truly independent and unconflicted advice, a fee-only structure and evidence-based investing by a fiduciary are the standards that everyone deserves. This is what Parkwoods delivers.

What’s a book you’d recommend?

I’m currently grinding through the Red Rising series. Although I am enjoying it, I’m not sure I would recommend it. Read East of Eden by Steinbeck again. And again. It’s worth the revisit.

What’s your favorite local spot in Austin?

I’m lucky enough to have one of the best hikes in Austin right out my back door. It’s a five-mile stretch that goes down to Lake Austin – crisscrosses a stream a few times, then winds uphill through a preserve. If you know Austin, the ability to enjoy something like that without a crowd is genuinely unique.

What’s a fun fact about you?

I work the chain gang at high school football games – the crew that manages the first-down markers on the sidelines. Next year I’m planning to step onto the field as an on-field official. There’s a lot more to it than most people realize. I’m looking forward to finding that out firsthand.

Ready to see your financial picture more clearly?

Have questions about your financial plan, your retirement, or whether your current strategy is working as hard as it should be?

Schedule a quick call with Eric to talk through where you are and what comes next.