PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Joseph S. McRae CFA, CFP®, MBA
www.vpwealthmgmt.com
Professional Approach
Joe grew up in Red Wing, Minnesota, on his family’s Arabian horse farm. This included daily chores and, beginning in eighth grade, helping keep the books for his parents’ horse stable business. It also meant spending summers with groups of up to 20 youth riders who bunked at the farm as they trained and participated in horse shows across the country. To this day, Joe maintains his self-described “farm kid” work ethic and, like his parents, enjoys cultivating meaningful, lasting relationships with people.
Joe then attended Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1989 with a BA in Chemistry. He explains that he never intended to become a chemist: “I chose Chemistry because it had the hardest, most interesting math classes.” After college, he began his career as a financial advisor, working for large, national firms (what is now Ameriprise and Principal), and doing fiduciary investment management for a smaller, local firm. He gained corporate perspective at Securian, where he helped lead the development of their national financial planning program. In 2012, he returned to his roots as an independent advisor and business owner to co-found Vantage Point Wealth Management.
Over his 30+ years in Financial Services, Joe has enjoyed continuous opportunities to use his math skills. Yet along the way, he’s discovered that what’s even more fulfilling for him is combining his love of problem-solving with his love of people.
He explains that to him, “Financial planning is a thread that weaves through people’s entire lives, whether they’re aware of it or not. When you pull on the thread in one area, it can (and almost always does) influence many other aspects of their finances. As a problem-solver, one of the things I like most is to say, ‘Yes you can!’ to someone who is unsure about accomplishing their financial and life goals.”
Outside of work, Joe enjoys time outside–bicycling around the area, golfing, kayaking, hiking, or working on the yard at home in Excelsior, Minnesota where he lives with his wife, Nancy, and their two rescue dogs. They all enjoy visits with their two daughters who are pursuing degrees in other cities. Joe also often visits the farm in Red Wing, where he still likes doing chores.