Michael Williamson
Co-Founder & Investment Advisor Representative
- Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠
Michael Williamson is a co-founder of Williamson Price Modern Wealth, an independent advisory firm built around a straightforward belief: financial advice should be designed around the client—not a corporation’s product shelf, sales goals, or internal priorities.
His path into financial planning was anything but conventional.
From Networks to Financial Planning
Michael’s professional life began with technology. As a teenager, he became fascinated by computers, networking, and network security. At 16, he was hired by an internet company in Texas, where his responsibilities included technical support, sales, computer repair, and assisting with server maintenance. He also performed contract work installing networks in professional office buildings and repairing individual workstations.
That early experience shaped the way Michael still approaches complex problems today: understand how the system works, identify where it may fail, and build something more reliable.
Michael initially attended college to study network systems administration. After being laid off twice before the age of 20, he reconsidered his direction and began pursuing a career in healthcare. He became a pre-med student while working in a hospital laboratory, expecting medicine to become his long-term profession.
Then a temporary summer position at Janus Funds introduced him to an entirely different world.
During two summers at Janus, Michael became fascinated by investing, financial markets, and the role thoughtful advice could play in people’s lives. At the same time, his experience inside the hospital system left him concerned about the direction of institutional healthcare. Ultimately, curiosity won. He changed course again—this time toward financial planning.
Nearly Two Decades of Financial Guidance
Michael joined TIAA, where he spent nearly 12 years helping university professors and other professionals develop financial plans, prepare for retirement, and better understand their financial lives. His clients included highly accomplished academics—even professors with PhDs in finance—who demonstrated an important truth: professional expertise and personal financial clarity are not always the same thing.
He later spent more than seven years at Merrill Lynch before founding Williamson Price Modern Wealth. Across nearly two decades in financial services, Michael has helped individuals and families navigate retirement income, investments, taxes, estate considerations, business transitions, and the financial decisions that affect families across generations.
Why He Founded the Firm
Michael founded Williamson Price Modern Wealth to create the type of advisory relationship he believes clients deserve: independent, transparent, planning-focused, and fiduciary by design. He wanted the freedom to evaluate strategies and investments based on their merits and their suitability for each client—not corporate incentives, proprietary products, or internal limitations.
His approach combines detailed analysis and modern technology with straightforward conversations and long-term relationships. Michael believes financial planning should help clients understand what their money needs to accomplish, prepare for a range of possible outcomes, and make confident decisions without allowing every market headline to trigger a new financial side quest.
Clients can expect him to ask thoughtful questions, explain the reasoning behind his recommendations, and take their concerns seriously—without making the process feel unnecessarily intimidating. His goal is not simply to provide answers, but to help clients develop the understanding and confidence to make better decisions throughout their lives.
An Unconventional Road to Reno
Michael’s arrival in Northern Nevada was nearly as unconventional as his career path. In 2018, he hiked southbound along the Pacific Crest Trail from the Canadian border. After stepping off the trail in South Lake Tahoe, getting his first haircut and shave in months, and considering what should come next, he decided to begin a new chapter of his life in the region.
What began as a stop along a long trail eventually became home—and, a few years later, the place where he would build Williamson Price Modern Wealth.
Outside the Office
Outside the office, Michael enjoys backpacking, mountaineering, volunteering with the local Humane Society, exploring new technology, and indulging the occasional nerdy reference. He believes a good financial plan should be understandable, adaptable, and engineered well enough to withstand both real-world uncertainty and the inevitable plot twist.
“Understand how the system works, identify where it may fail, and build something more reliable.”
