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Meet the Focus Team
Michael
Lee
With over 10 years of experience as an advisor, Michael brings a laser-focused approach to holistic wealth management. His first foray into retirement planning was when his mother retired from Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek. As a first generation American, Michael had the duty of translating for his family – and he felt, firsthand, the stress and anxiety that large financial decisions can cause for the majority of retirees.
Michael provides fiduciary advice to soon-to-be retirees of large corporations. And he makes it his number one priority to chop down complex financial concepts – including pensions, 401K/TSA, Social Security, and taxes – into easy-to-understand bites for his clients. Michael’s expertise enables him to add a strong layer of financial advice to a company’s HR team – with a particularly strong understanding of the retirement programs offered by PG&E, AT&T, Kaiser Permanente, Chevron, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Raytheon.
Michael's bevy of experience is underscored by his list of achievements:
- InvestmentNews’ Rising Star 2025
- Advisor Hub 250 Advisors to Watch 2025
- InvestmentNews’ Hot List 2024
- Farther Founders Club 2025
- FSC President’s Club 2017, 2018, 2021
- FSC Achievers Club 2019, 2020
He has also been featured in several media outlets:
Born and raised in Oakland, CA, Michael is an active member of the dog rescue community – having fostered many dogs through rescue organizations including Chows Plus and Love Second Chances. You can find him exploring around town with his latest rescue, Chow Chow Maple.
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Robert
Howarth
Robert Howarth is an accomplished executive with over 20 years of leadership in B2B SaaS, professional services, and custom software development, renowned for driving innovation and transformation. As Chief Revenue Officer, Robert led groundbreaking initiatives, forging high-impact enterprise partnerships and cultivating alliances within global technology ecosystems to deliver innovative, client-centric solutions. His tenures have earned him the prestigious CRO of the Year award and led to consistent Inc. 5000 recognition by implementing forward-thinking approaches that accelerated growth and market leadership.
A visionary leader, Robert excels at building high-performing teams that align cutting-edge approaches with Agile development methodologies to deliver transformative, technology-driven outcomes. Known for fostering partnerships that drive innovation, Robert consistently positions organizations at the forefront of their industries.
Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Robert enjoys backpacking, snow skiing, mountain biking, and road biking, embracing the state’s rugged landscapes with a passion for outdoor adventure.
Mike
Whitmore
Mike’s passion lies in helping clients worry less about their wealth and enjoy more of what matters most. He approaches each relationship with empathy and insight, drawing on his own personal experience with loss and resilience. After becoming a widower and single father of three at a young age, Mike experienced firsthand the value of thoughtful financial planning – an experience that continues to shape the way he serves his clients today.
Mike’s practice centers on understanding each client’s unique priorities and then designing personalized strategies to help them achieve their financial goals with confidence.
In addition to his advisory work, Mike is a seasoned entrepreneur. He co-founded the tech startup Fresh Consulting in 2009 and led the company through a successful exit in 2017. He currently serves on several advisory boards, including the International Association of Astronomical Studies, Tech9, the American Financial Education Alliance, and the Pursuit of Happiness Academy.
Mike holds a B.S. in Marketing with a minor in Dutch Literature from Brigham Young University. A former speechwriter for the Dutch Minister of Defense, Mike has worked across a range of creative and technical roles – from planetarium producer and radio DJ to sound engineer and wilderness survival instructor. He also performs as a drummer with local music groups.
Born in Boulder and raised in Louisville, Mike is a proud Colorado native who has also lived in Utah, Seattle, the Netherlands, and Belgium. He now enjoys rediscovering his home state through golf outings, hiking, skywatching, off-roading, and time with family.
Jared
Rand
Jared has over 30 years of experience helping individuals and families navigate their financial lives with clarity and confidence. He built his practice around a strong commitment to fiduciary responsibility, accountability, and client-first decision making—which is why he founded Capital Portfolio Management.
He takes a highly personal approach to wealth management, grounded in the belief that what he recommends to clients should reflect what he would do for himself and his own family. He invests alongside his clients using the same strategies and solutions, giving him firsthand insight into performance and reinforcing his commitment to shared outcomes. At the core of his philosophy is a focus on managing risk, which he views as the most important role he plays as an advisor—helping clients navigate changing markets while staying aligned with their long-term goals. Recognizing that no two clients are the same, he develops personalized strategies tailored to each individual’s needs, priorities, and circumstances.
In early 2025, he made the decision to partner with Farther to leverage its intelligent wealth platform and bring enhanced tools, deeper insights, and more customized strategies to current and future clients. In 2026, he joined the Focus Team to expand his retirement planning capabilities and work with experienced advisors, further deepening the insights he brings to those he serves.
Jared has been married for 34 years and has three grown children. He stays active in his community by officiating high school football and soccer at a small parochial school in Topeka and enjoys spending time with his family in Colorado.
Christian
Pierce, AWMA®
Christian partners with a select group of corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and attorneys to develop comprehensive wealth management strategies that address the unique challenges they face.
He provides detailed cash flow analysis, tax strategies, concentrated stock management, and customized portfolios – empowering his clients to make sound financial decisions to efficiently manage, grow, and protect their wealth.
Prior to joining Farther, Christian was a wealth advisor at Merrill Lynch, Watermark Capital Management, and Northwestern Mutual. He currently resides in Brooklyn with his family.
