About us.
Our
Beginnings.
Oakmont is an Albuquerque-based financial advisory practice with a rich history spanning nearly half a century. During that time, its founder, Ralph Hicks, has navigated every kind of market condition; celebrating his client’s greatest victories while guiding them through the market’s worst downturns. His knowledge and experience is an invaluable resource for employees and clients alike, providing deep insight to Oakmont’s goal-driven financial planning strategies.
Present and Future.
Oakmont is, first and foremost, a family business. Ralph has instilled in his sons, David and Mike, the wisdom, tenacious work ethic and desire to help others that fueled Oakmont’s success over the last five decades. By educating and empowering their clients to effectively manage their finances, David, Mike, and the supporting internal team hope to preserve Ralph’s legacy and continue to be the driving force behind Oakmont’s primary mission—helping their clients achieve their financial goals before and after retirement. Since its inception nearly 50 years ago, Oakmont has helped countless investors regain control of their financial future, finding peace of mind in retirement and living the life they’ve always dreamed of. The next evolution of the firm draws on the collective knowledge of its past, leverages the cutting-edge investment strategies of today, and alongside its loyal clients, looks toward the bright future of tomorrow.
Oakmont is, first and foremost, a family business. Ralph has instilled in his sons, David and Mike, the wisdom, tenacious work ethic and desire to help others that fueled Oakmont’s success over the last five decades. By educating and empowering their clients to effectively manage their finances, David, Mike, and the supporting internal team hope to preserve Ralph’s legacy and continue to be the driving force behind Oakmont’s primary mission—helping their clients achieve their financial goals before and after retirement.
Since its inception nearly 50 years ago, Oakmont has helped countless investors regain control of their financial future, finding peace of mind in retirement and living the life they’ve always dreamed of. The next evolution of the firm draws on the collective knowledge of its past, leverages the cutting-edge investment strategies of today, and alongside its loyal clients, looks toward the bright future of tomorrow.
“Over the years, I’ve learned that most retirees have two main concerns. They want to know if they have enough to retire, and if they are at risk of great market loss. At Oakmont, we resolve these problems once and for all.”
Oakmont
Team.
Family is the driving force behind everything we do; we approach the challenges of each client’s financial future as if it were our own. Our investment advisors and support staff work in close collaboration to meet the needs of every client we service.
Get Started Now
Ralph W. Hicks
Partner + Investment Advisor
Ralph has been helping families with their retirement planning needs for more than 40 years. Ralph prides himself on his communication skills, which have helped him to become a successful financial educator. He knows there’s no magic formula to investing, but believes that through consistency, diligence and education, you can build a foundation for a successful retirement. This approach has helped Ralph become a knowledgeable advisor, friend and respected authority on retirement planning.
David B. Hicks
Partner + Investment Advisor
From a young age, David knew he would like to follow in his father’s footsteps and help his community. David seeks to help families and individuals find peace of mind through financial security. He finds that the most rewarding part of his work is the positive change he sees in people’s lives. David joined his father at Oakmont Advisory in 2009. David and his wife are proud parents of three beautiful girls and enjoy watching them grow into extraordinary young women.
Matt Danner
Esquire
Prior to starting his own firm, Matt was a shareholder with one of the state's leading Estate and Tax planning firms. Matt was born and raised in Albuquerque, attended NMSU for undergrad before receiving his law degree from the UNM School of Law. The majority of his practice is devoted to estate planning and administration. He also advises small business owners on tax and succession planning matters. Matt has a passion for mountain biking, which he shares with his wife and three children.
Meridyth Gibson
Client Services
Meridyth was born and raised in Southside Virginia and grew up spending most of her time on Lake Gaston with her family and friends. Meridyth enjoys spending time with her daughter, shopping, and going to concerts. She truly enjoys all of the wonderful clients that she’s had the privilege of meeting during her time at Oakmont.
Margaret Osborne
Client Services
Margaret was born and raised in Plainfield, Illinois. Her and her husband have recently moved to Albuquerque. They are the proud parents of two wonderful college girls. She has fallen in love with the beautiful skies and the endless outside opportunities Albuquerque has to offer. She is looking forward to the new relationships that will be made working here at Oakmont.
Tiffany Radich
Client Services
Tiffany is a California Native who has recently moved to Albuquerque. Although she misses the beach, she loves all the outdoor adventure New Mexico has to offer. She is a proud dog mom to a Boston Terrier named JellyBean who enjoys lots of treats and playing fetch. JellyBean also loves to join Tiffany and her boyfriend on all their outdoor excursions; their favorite activities being remote camping and off-roading. Her background is mainly in sales and performance arts, yet she is enjoying working with the Oakmont team because they encourage making Finances a positive experience anyone can understand.
Brandon Kinser
Account Services Assistant
Brandon has spent the last 3 years involved in entrepreneurial pursuits of helping others reach their financial goals. He loves to assist people however he can whether they be family members, friends, or people he meets in his hobbies. When Brandon is not in the office you can find him riding his mountain bike, on a motorcycle ride, studying for his psychology degree, or exercising in the gym. Brandon lives by honesty and integrity ensuring that these are at the forefront of all his interactions.
Alli Thomas
Contributor
Alli Thomas has worked in the financial services industry for nearly 20 years, with a focus on retirement-related investing. During her career at Principal Financial Group, she worked closely with employers, assisting with retirement plan set-up and design, selecting appropriate plan investment offerings, and maximizing employee participation through targeted education efforts. Alli has also worked as a qualified 401(k) administrator and registered investment advisor for several small investment firms. She now writes about all things investment- and finance-related, leveraging her extensive experience and passion for retirement planning to help investors make well-informed financial decisions.
River Shields
Legal Assistant, Danner Law
Bio coming soon
Oakmont Investment
Committee.
Our Investment Committee is composed of individuals with years of investment management experience, having managed billions of dollars of assets. These individuals specialize in creating rules-based portfolios, taking emotions out of the investment decision-making process to help you achieve your goals more efficiently.
Derek Prusa, CFA, CFP
Investment Committee
Derek has worked in many roles within the financial industry – as a paraplanner, senior analyst, portfolio manager, and financial advisor. Prior to working with Oakmont's investment committee, Derek was a key employee at one of the fastest-growing private companies in America (ranking as high as #10 on Inc. 500’s list), where he was in charge of managing over $3.8 billion in assets. Derek holds his CFA and CFP® designations and was included in the Think Advisor 30 under 30 list in 2015, being named a young professional transforming the industry.
Benjamin Webster, CFP
Investment Committee
Prior to joining the Oakmont Investment Committee, Benjamin led the financial planning team at FormulaFolios, a registered investment advisory firm that works exclusively with independent fiduciary advisory firms. Benjamin became a Certified Financial Planner™ professional in 2018.
David Hicks
Partner
Over the past twelve years, David has lead Oakmont into becoming a highly sought out, and top ranked, financial planning firm in New Mexico. David was an Advisory Board member at FormuliaFolios, a $3.8 billion asset manager. Currently David is working on obtaining the Certified Financial Planner™ designation.
Andrew VanDerSchaff, CPA
Investment Committee
Andrew has spent the last 7 years scaling one of the fastest-growing RIAs in the country, giving him a unique vantage point in the industry. With a passion for helping deliver smart, affordable financial advice, he has coached and trained hundreds of financial advisors on what it takes to build a successful practice and better serve their clients. In addition to holding his Series 65 license Andrew is also a licensed public accountant, cutting his teeth in the finance world at one of the largest CPA firms in the country.
Volunteering
& Charity
Work.
Giving back is an integral part of our company’s philosophy. We are Albuquerque natives and, as such, believe in supporting the vibrant, multi-cultural city we call home. We are proud to volunteer at local events and are always looking for opportunities to show gratitude to our amazing community.
