About LifeSteps Financial

The LifeSteps Story

Henry Ford’s interest in finance started long before LifeSteps.

As a kid, he loved going to the bank with his passbook savings account and watching every deposit get recorded. By his teenage years, he was using money from his paper route to buy silver bars and learning firsthand how investing worked, including a few early lessons about risk along the way. Finance was never simply a career path he stumbled into. It was something he had been curious about for as long as he could remember.

That curiosity eventually led Henry into the financial industry, where his career grew through opportunities that often involved stepping into a challenge, learning something new, and figuring out how he could contribute. He took on difficult branches, technology implementations, operational challenges, and assignments that helped shape the way he thought about leadership and service.

Over time, Henry realized he was most energized when he had the flexibility to think creatively, work collaboratively, and help people navigate complex situations. In 2009, he founded LifeSteps Financial with the opportunity to build a financial firm around those ideas.

A few years later, that purpose became even more personal. In 2011, Henry was considering leaving business to pursue ministry when a client gave him a book that challenged the way he thought about his work. What stayed with him was the idea that business itself could be an opportunity to serve others and live out his sense of purpose.

Building LifeSteps Differently

Another important influence came from an unexpected place: hospitality.

Through years of travel, Henry became fascinated by organizations that were exceptionally thoughtful about how they treated people. He noticed the small details, the consistency, and the way great hospitality could make someone feel known rather than simply served. He began thinking about what those same principles could look like in financial services.

For LifeSteps, hospitality is not about expensive gestures or surface-level perks. It means listening well, understanding what matters to someone personally, communicating clearly, and creating a financial relationship that feels thoughtful and attentive.

That philosophy also shapes the team Henry has built. When he thinks about the people he wants at LifeSteps, technical experience is only part of the equation. He looks for people who know how to treat others, work collaboratively, listen well, and genuinely want to serve.

Technical knowledge can continue to develop throughout a career. Qualities like empathy, curiosity, integrity, and a willingness to work as part of a team are equally important to the culture he has built at LifeSteps.

That same thinking is reflected in our team-based approach today. A financial life can involve investments, taxes, retirement, estate considerations, business decisions, and other interconnected areas. Rather than designing the relationship around one individual, we bring together team members with different roles and perspectives to support a more coordinated view of each client’s financial picture.

Where We’re Going

Today, LifeSteps Financial is an independent Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) headquartered in Claremont, California, with offices in San Diego, California, and Nashville, Tennessee. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

We serve business owners, real estate investors, multi-generational families, professionals, and privately held companies through financial planning, investment management, retirement plan solutions, and modern multi-family office services.

As financial services continue to evolve, we’re continuing to explore how planning, technology, education, and personal relationships can work together to create a more connected financial experience. That includes making useful information easier to access, creating greater coordination across different areas of a client’s financial life, and using technology to help identify areas that may warrant additional attention.

But even as the tools change, our philosophy remains much the same: listen well, think ahead, bring the right people together, and never lose sight of the person behind the financial plan.

Our goal is simple:

To help simplify your financial life, provide thoughtful and proactive guidance, and take on more of the heavy lifting so you can focus on your business, your family, and the future you’re building.

Proactive financial guidance that stays a step ahead—so challenges are addressed before you ever see them coming.

Core Values

At LifeSteps, our values shape every interaction and every decision. They reflect how we serve, how we communicate, and how we build long-term relationships rooted in trust and genuine care.

BOLDNESS

We are not a cookie-cutter financial firm. When we identify gaps that hold clients back, we develop thoughtful solutions designed to meet those needs and move them forward.

EMPATHY

We lead with compassion, listen with intention, and treat others the way we want to be treated. Trust is built through genuine care.

INTEGRITY

We follow through on our commitments and always prioritize our clients’ financial interests. People come first, always.

INSPIRED

We are deeply invested in the people we serve and the work we do, approaching every relationship with purpose and care.

EDUCATION

We believe clarity creates confidence. By educating clearly and simply, we empower clients to make informed financial decisions.

Our Team

The LifeSteps team poses for a group photo
Robert talks on the phone while waving to a familiar face through the glass of a cafe
M'Lissa and Henry walk down the sidewalk together