Christopher Melber, CFP®, Financial Advisor

Professional 

In addition to providing financial guidance for clients, Chris Melber creates systems to optimize The Sum’s internal operations. With his organizational skills and planning experience, he ensures their team has a streamlined strategy to serve clients with efficient excellence. 

Chris’s mission is that when a client shares their most important needs, desires, and goals with one of The Sum’s advisors, that information is intentionally filed so as to be leveraged throughout the planning process. In doing so, he ensures these important conversations are never just a discussion of dreams, but rather the fuel that drives everything they do for clients. 

Chris is passionate about educating others, and he brings that passion to his work daily. He enjoys taking complex concepts and explaining them in a way that makes sense to his clients, and he excels at asking the right questions to help them stay on track for their goals. He knows financial planning can be intimidating, which is why he loves helping people address the concerns that keep them up at night. To Chris, making others feel safe, secure, and able to enjoy life is what keeps him going every day. 

History & Education 

Chris started his career in 2011 at Fidelity after earning an economics degree from Sam Houston State University. There, he worked his way up from a front-desk position to an assistant advisor (where he met Michael), and later became a full-time advisor serving numerous high-net-worth clients. While he enjoyed his work at the large financial firm, Chris’s passion for helping others gave him a desire to serve clients in way that’s unique to the financial industry and offers a fresh approach to planning. He left Fidelity in 2019 and earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation before joining The Sum in the summer of 2020.  

Personal Life

When he’s not working, Chris loves to exercise and spend time with his family. His idea of a perfect weekend is to have coffee and breakfast with his wife Tatiana, go for a jog with Sophia in her stroller, and play a round of golf with his friends. He also enjoys basketball, football, and tennis, but he’s game for just about anything active or outdoors! 

Fun Facts About Chris

What’s your favorite book or the book that has most impacted your life? 

• My favorite would be Once a Runner—it’s a novel that talks about the struggles and the realities of competitive running. I used to be in track and cross country in high school with hopes of running in college and beyond. Unfortunately, injuries got the best of me.

If you had to eat just one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

• Bacon and waffles—I love just about any breakfast food. 

If you could choose any superpower to have, what would it be?

• I'd love to be psychic. It would make my job much easier!

What’s your favorite quote or saying?

• “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

• I wanted to be a high school teacher and track coach. I've always enjoyed helping people through education.

Do you have a random talent or hobby?

• All of my downtime is pretty much spent exercising and taking care of Sophia!