The best way to describe Dave Owens is family comes first. Yours and his. Not only is Dave’s role at Silver Oak Wealth Planning to decipher a multitude of high-level financial complexities and devise effective strategies for each client—his own family boasts a head count that warrants pro-level articulation and organization as well. In other words, strength in numbers is key.
Dave has nine beautiful children under his fatherhood umbrella, and demonstrates exceptional planning abilities across the board. Having passed the prestigious CFP® exam, Dave’s core belief is to empower people with knowledge so they are capable of making wise decisions. He is meticulous about his work and recognizes that if he’s done a good job of explaining options and their impacts, then the client can decide what they want to do next. Good guidance is critical to good planning.
Dave oversees the implementation side of the business and asks the questions: What things are important to you? What does success look like for you? He’s the one who digs into the chaos and comes up with a plan that suits each client’s unique situation. He also understands tax and estate law and empowers people by providing the tools they need to make progress in the areas that need it most. Ultimately, he is an expert at solving puzzles and designs the bones behind the plan.
On the home front, Dave grew up in Kansas City with very little money and worked hard to gain financial acumen. At first, he worked in trade stock options because he says it was a good way to “not be poor”. He moved to Denver in 2005 and began his career in financial planning in 2011. Although Dave’s current status is just the tip of the iceberg. When you hear his personal story, you’ll know why he’s a man on a mission to ensure that his clients are well taken care of too.
At age 29, Dave’s wife Sunny became ill and tragically passed away, leaving him with three young children. Then in 2004, he met his second wife Tiffany who brought three more kids into the union. But, sadly, Tiffany passed away unexpectedly five years later. So, in 2009, Dave was a widow for the second time with six kids in his care.
After his second wife died, Dave spent two years being a dad and recovering emotionally. As you can imagine, dealing with this kind of grief and loss has only made him stronger as a father and clearly see the need for great financial planning. In fact, it’s one of the reasons that Dave excels at what he does professionally because he understands the power of financial stability and what creating a legacy means to the family unit. As a result, Dave has gone on to prove time and time again that drive and determination are necessary to survive all that life throws at you.
Today, Dave is married to Jennifer, who is a successful project manager—together they have nine kids in total. Dave’s six, Jennifer’s two, and they decided to adopt another kiddo after getting married. Besides being a super dad, he is also a dedicated suicide prevention advocate and speaker. Dave believes the topic of suicide should be a part of societal norms and is working to educate communities. He especially advocates for teen suicide awareness and prevention and sat on the board of directors for a charity for that purpose. He believes that talking about suicide and mental health is something we all need to do more.
Dave values the importance of human connection. All he wants to do is make a difference in people’s lives based on his own experiences. His obsessive nature comes in handy in all scenarios and his analytical chops are bar none. Dave also practices what he preaches and only recommends investments that he would trust with his own money.
With that being said, Dave along with his partners Les and Mark, make every effort to work with their clients to make the magic happen. Mark and Les are exceptional at getting people to the table—and Dave’s precision planning complements the Silver Oak process from tip to tail.
Lastly, Dave loves to spend quality time with his lovely wife Jennifer and the few children who still live at home. He enjoys chess, backgammon, motorcycles, snowboarding, snowshoeing, back woods camping, smoking briskets, traveling, as well as playing the piano, clarinet and organ. He also has two dogs. So, as you can see, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. If anyone can handle complex, stressful situations with elegance and ease, it’s definitely Dave Owens. The twists and turns of what he’s gone through exemplifies exactly what perseverance and faith can do when you put your mind to it.