Al Sears, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Al Sears

With nearly 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, I have the privilege of leading Parkwoods Wealth Partners as CEO and Co-Founder. Our mission is simple yet comes with a deep sense of responsibility: to help investors live their best lives with the wealth they’ve accumulated.

At Parkwoods, we are equally committed to fostering an environment where our team members can master their profession and enjoy the autonomy they’ve earned. I’m deeply passionate about our industry, as is every member of the Parkwoods team. We’ve handpicked experts who not only bring deep advisory and operational expertise but also share a genuine love for their profession. We take our work seriously, and we enjoy the journey—together!

Before founding Parkwoods, I spent six rewarding years at Dimensional Fund Advisors, initially serving as a Senior Advisor to the firm and later consulting RIA clients on safeguarding their firm’s legacies through effective succession planning. Whether it's finding capital, exploring G2/3 opportunities, or offloading operational headaches, I’ve helped RIAs find solutions for it all. At Parkwoods, we understand that the perceived complexities of succession planning and running a business can be daunting—perhaps intentionally so.

Our approach is to simplify these challenges with solutions that are both elegant and effective. I learned this principle alongside some of the brightest minds in our industry at Dimensional: sophisticated solutions shouldn’t be hard to execute. Like Dimensional, Parkwoods seeks to provide advisors with the tools to make a high impact in the lives of their clients. When advisors return to focusing on impact, work becomes a passion, not a job. Parkwoods seeks to celebrate this basic principle across our entire team.

My professional journey also includes over 14 years at Buckingham/BAM Advisor Services, where I began in 2003 as a fixed income trader and eventually became BAM’s President, COO, and a member of its governing board. During my tenure, I worked with pioneering founders of the RIA industry and cultivated partnerships with major custodians, technology providers, asset managers, and the broader advisor community to set and deliver strategic initiatives for independent wealth management firms nationwide. All of this was aimed at one specific goal: giving investors their lives back so they can focus on what matters most to them.

Beyond my corporate roles, I am committed to giving back to the community and our industry. I’ve served on advisory boards at Schwab and Fidelity, spent 12 years on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer for Employment Connection in St. Louis, and contributed to revamping Missouri’s 529 program as a member of the state’s Treasury Advisor Board, implementing cost-effective solutions through Dimensional and Vanguard.

Throughout my career, I’ve championed evidence-based investing while empowering others in the finance sector and the broader community. I hold a BA in Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors.

Please reach out to discuss how Parkwoods might help you, your family, or your clients!