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Planning for Generations

At Atwood & Palmer, we work with individuals, families, and foundations who view wealth as a multigenerational responsibility. We provide the comprehensive oversight and execution typically reserved for a private family office, managing complex personal and professional assets with a long-term lens.

Our mission is the preservation and growth of generational wealth. Our approach is deeply personal, guiding you through every stage of your financial journey so your current lifestyle and long-term legacy remain in sync.

Who We Are

Independent Personal Enduring
A Boutique Partnership

Atwood & Palmer is an independent, fee-only registered investment advisor founded in 1990. We serve a select group of high-net-worth individuals, multigenerational families, and their charitable funds, delivering the personalized attention, direct access, and long-term perspective that meaningful wealth management requires.

As a fiduciary, we are legally and ethically required to prioritize your interests above all else. Our obligation is to you and to the generations that follow.

Expertise

Wealth That Endures
Beyond a Lifetime

Our clients share a common ambition: building and protecting wealth that spans generations. It is the highest compliment to our work that the children and grandchildren of our clients often become clients themselves. They value the continuity of a team that understands your family's history as deeply as its future. We provide a comprehensive framework for your financial life, integrating two primary areas:

Traditional Wealth Management

We provide the expertise and discipline required to manage your personal financial life today and to secure your future.

Custom Investment Management

We create portfolios built around your specific objectives and risk profile. Our disciplined and transparent approach is designed to meet your unique goals.

Holistic Financial Planning

We develop a comprehensive roadmap for your financial life, providing thorough analysis and scenario planning across cash flow management, retirement income planning, liability management, and other liquidity needs.

Tax Strategy & Awareness

What you keep matters as much as what you earn. We implement tax-efficient strategies and identify opportunities to maximize the growth potential of your assets.

Comprehensive Risk Management

Protecting wealth is as vital as growing it. We take a complete view of your financial profile, including insurance analysis and asset protection, to safeguard your lifestyle and estate against the unexpected.

Beyond Investing

True stewardship begins with a deep understanding of your specific goals and aspirations, ensuring your wealth serves as a purposeful bridge to the future you envision.

Estate & Multigenerational Planning

A legacy plan is only as strong as its execution. We collaborate with your estate attorneys to ensure your plan remains current, properly funded, and aligned with your wishes.

Family Governance & Wealth Education

An enduring legacy is built on both wealth and the knowledge to sustain it. We serve as a resource to prepare heirs with the financial literacy and frameworks necessary to steward family wealth with purpose, unity, and responsibility.

Strategic Advisory Services

We act as the central hub of your advisory team, consolidating reporting, coordinating advisors, and simplifying the complexities of significant wealth. When major decisions arise, we are your first call.

Philanthropic Strategy

We help structure your giving through donor-advised funds, private foundations, or charitable trusts to reflect your family's values and create a lasting impact in your community.

Our Approach

Straightforward Unconflicted

Our independence means no outside ties, no quotas to fill, and nothing to sell. Because our only goal is your success, we are able to provide objective advice built entirely around you. And when your needs extend beyond our walls, we quarterback the process, helping you identify and vet the right professionals to complete your team.

Fee-Only

We are compensated solely by our clients. This transparency eliminates the noise of commissions and product sales, ensuring our incentives are perfectly aligned with your success.

Fiduciary

As a fiduciary, we are legally and ethically required to prioritize your interests and those of your family above all else.

Independent

As an independent, employee-owned RIA, our structure allows us to operate with a single focus — your long-term success.

Personalized

Your legacy is unique, and so is the strategy we build around it. Long-term success begins with an investment plan tailored to your specific goals and values.

We believe in sophistication through simplification.

Our Team

Continuity Across Generations

Our team combines decades of investment experience with a deeply personal commitment to the families we serve. In an industry defined by turnover, the longevity of our team is a point of pride — offering the stable, multi-decade partnerships required to manage true generational wealth.

Founders
William Atwood (1920–2016)
Co-Founder
William Atwood

Bill's legacy endures in everything we do. If it's possible to distill a man of Bill's accomplishments and stature down to a single word, family is the one — and we know he'd approve. Family was at the heart of every action Bill took on behalf of his clients. He understood that our clients were planning for a future not just for themselves, but for spouses, children, and grandchildren. This keen insight laid the philosophical foundation that still guides us today. We carry his legacy forward with a smile, unwavering professionalism, and a belief that the financial freedom to enjoy life with family and friends is the greatest reward.

Steven N. Palmer
Co-FounderFounded in 1990
Steven N. Palmer

With over five decades of experience in wealth management, Steve has dedicated his career to helping families achieve their multi-generational goals. Since co-founding Atwood & Palmer in 1990, he has applied a long-term perspective to preserving and growing family legacies. Formerly the Senior Vice President and head of the Investment Department at First National Bank of Kansas City Trust Department, Steve brings institutional depth and sophistication to our boutique environment. Steve earned his B.S. from Missouri Valley College and holds an MBA with distinction from Rockhurst University's Executive Fellows Program. A pillar of the Kansas City philanthropic community, he has served on many corporate and charitable boards, including National Advisors Trust Company, Tnemec Corp., The Jack and Helyn Miller Foundation, the Melcher Family Foundation, Wayside Waifs, Diocese of West Missouri, St. Paul's Episcopal Church & Day School, Bishop Spencer Place, and others. A former USAF pilot, Steve enjoys golf, reading, and traveling, but is most at home spending time with his family.

Investment Counselors
Steven P. Franke
PartnerJoined 1996
Steven P. Franke

Steve joined Atwood & Palmer in 1996, bringing a comprehensive approach to the stewardship of family wealth. With 30 years of investment experience, he offers clients the continuity and technical expertise essential for multi-generational wealth management. Steve earned his degree in Finance and Economics from Rockhurst University and remains a dedicated leader in the Kansas City community, currently serving as the Finance Chair of the Faith Love Hope Win (FLHW) Foundation and as the past Chair of the Investment Committee for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Steve and his wife, Jennifer, have two daughters and two sons. Outside the office, he enjoys skiing, cooking, and traveling with his family.

Spencer A. Jones, CFA®
PartnerJoined 2004
Spencer A. Jones

Spencer joined Atwood & Palmer in 2004, bringing a disciplined approach to the stewardship of family wealth. As a CFA charterholder, he specializes in crafting sophisticated investment and financial strategies tailored to the unique goals of high-net-worth families. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Spencer balances professional rigor with a deep commitment to civic duty, having served as the City of Mission Hills Treasurer for 15 years. Spencer and his wife, Jenni, are the parents of twin daughters. Outside the office, he enjoys golfing, watching hockey, and playing bridge.

Peter J. Sowden, CFA®
PartnerJoined 2006
Peter J. Sowden

Peter joined Atwood & Palmer in 2006, bringing a comprehensive approach to the stewardship of family wealth. As a CFA charterholder, he focuses on designing enduring, research-driven financial strategies tailored to the long-term objectives of our families and foundations. Peter graduated from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) and remains a dedicated advocate for the Kansas City community, having served on the Board of Directors for the Rose Brooks Center from 2008 to 2025. Peter and his wife, Lindsay, have one daughter and two sons. Outside the office, he enjoys golf, pickleball, and hockey.

Evan R. Lang, CFA®
Investment CounselorJoined 2024
Evan R. Lang

Evan joined Atwood & Palmer in 2024, bringing a background in institutional research and portfolio management from his time at TortoiseEcofin and Duff & Phelps. An honors graduate of TCU's Neeley School of Business and a CFA charterholder, Evan adds a layer of analytical strength to our team. He continues our firm's tradition of philanthropic leadership by serving as the Treasurer of the Rose Brooks Center. Evan has two children and enjoys basketball, golf, and traveling.

Matthew Eilert
Investment CounselorJoined 2025
Matthew Eilert

Matthew joined the firm in 2025 after serving as an associate financial planner at Creative Planning. With a focused background in finance and business analytics, he brings a data-driven perspective to our process. A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Business Honors Program, Matthew is part of the next generation of stewardship at Atwood & Palmer. Outside the office, he enjoys basketball, tennis, cooking, and traveling.

Operations
Teresa L. Burch
COO & CCOJoined 2004
Teresa L. Burch

Teresa joined Atwood & Palmer in 2004 and serves as the cornerstone of our firm's regulatory and operational integrity. She is responsible for the oversight of portfolio administration and compliance, ensuring that the discretion and transparency defining our practice are upheld to the highest standard. She brings decades of experience and a genuine passion for keeping the firm running at its best – ensuring that everyone who works with Atwood & Palmer receives the care and attention they deserve. Teresa and her husband Mike have three children and three grandchildren. Outside the office, she enjoys family time and working with Special Olympics.

Rachel L. Galvin
Client ServiceJoined 1995
Rachel L. Galvin

Rachel joined Atwood & Palmer in 1995 and stands as one of the firm's longest-tenured team members. With over three decades of experience, she is a living embodiment of the generational partnerships we build, having cultivated relationships with our clients and their families that span multiple decades. Rachel provides the concierge level of service that defines the Atwood & Palmer experience. Rachel and her husband Keith's growing family includes their twin daughters, two sons-in-law, and one granddaughter.

Jamie M. Montgomery
Client ServiceJoined 2017
Jamie M. Montgomery

Jamie joined Atwood & Palmer in 2017, bringing a high level of precision and seamless execution to our client service and operations. Formerly at Charles Schwab, he combines institutional knowledge with a boutique, high-touch approach to ensure our reporting and special projects meet the sophisticated needs of the families we serve. Jamie graduated with a bachelor's degree in finance from UMKC and a master's degree in management from Baker University. Jamie and his wife Kelly have two children. Outside the office, he enjoys concerts, hiking, and traveling with his family.

Fees

Transparent Aligned

Our fee structure is designed to ensure our incentives are always aligned with your long-term success. Our sole form of compensation is the fees we collect from our clients based on the fee schedules listed below.

Taxable Accounts
Assets Under ManagementAnnual Fee
First $2,000,0001.00%
$2,000,001 – $5,000,0000.75%
$5,000,001 – $10,000,0000.55%
Above $10,000,000Negotiable

Note: A minimum client investment is required. Fees are calculated quarterly in arrears based on the average daily market value of assets and are prorated for any period less than a quarter. Advisory agreements may be terminated at any time.

Tax-Exempt Accounts
Assets Under ManagementAnnual Fee
First $2,000,0000.75%
$2,000,001 – $5,000,0000.60%
$5,000,001 – $10,000,0000.35%
Above $10,000,000Negotiable

This schedule applies to IRAs, qualified retirement accounts, and other tax-exempt accounts.

Donor Advised Funds
Assets Under ManagementAnnual Fee
All Assets0.45%

We are proud to support your family's philanthropic mission. Our dedicated DAF fee reflects our commitment to maximizing your charitable impact.

Large Account Engagements

For significant wealth requiring highly complex oversight, we provide a flat-rate fee structure tailored to your family's unique situation. Please contact us directly to discuss a personalized engagement proposal.

Contact Us

Let's Begin the
Conversation

We work with a limited number of clients and welcome introductions by referral or direct inquiry. Whether you are evaluating advisors for the first time or reconsidering your current relationship, we'd be honored to learn about your family's goals and to share how we might serve you and those who follow.

Atwood & Palmer, Inc.

4520 Madison Ave, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64111

P: 816.931.2266  |  F: 816.931.0864

invest@atwoodpalmer.com