We trace our roots back to 1984, when our managing partner, David J. Shill, as a newly qualified Chartered Accountant (the South African equivalent of a CPA), started a tax-focused personal financial planning practice in Johannesburg, South Africa. He believed then, as he still does today, that financial planning which fails to incorporate the critical component of tax planning simply cannot provide clients with a comprehensive and accurate financial picture. Further, optimal results cannot be achieved for clients, their businesses, and their families without leveraging tax efficiencies, which typically generate significant excess returns.

In 1998, in search of a more settled political environment, David relocated his young family to Dallas, Texas, to start a similar financial planning practice, in partnership with an established Dallas firm of CPAs. David obtained the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designations in the United States, in addition to his designations obtained in South Africa.