Michael Rahn

CFP®

The Sum

Founder and Lead Advisor

Michael Rahn

CFP®

The Sum

Founder and Lead Advisor

The Sum is here to simplify your financial life. We provide full service financial planning and investment management for a flat fee. - Michael Rahn, CFP®

Fee-Only financial planner located in The Woodlands, TX, serving clients locally and across the country.

Michael Rahn is a fee-only financial planner located in The Woodlands, TX.  The Sum provides comprehensive financial planning and investment management to clients at a flat fee.  Our goal is to organize, grow and protect client assets through life’s transitions. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Michael Rahn is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.

Come see what makes us different.  Give us a call or send us an email and let's get your plan started.

Michael Rahn, CFP® - Founder, Lead Advisor 


Professional 

As lead advisor and founder of The Sum Planning, Michael not only provides expert financial guidance for his clients, but he leads a passionate team with excellence. On a given workweek, he spends time meeting with clients, overseeing the firm’s processes and workflow, and ensuring he and the team are creating a 5-star experience for everyone they serve. 

One of the ways he seeks to enhance the client experience is to get rid of the word “no” whenever possible. He looks at situations from his clients’ point of view and asks, “If I were in their shoes, what would I want done for me?” This mindset, coupled with a commitment to transparent wealth management, has propelled his firm into rapid growth since its launch in 2018.

What Michael loves most about his job is the opportunity to solve important problems for families. When someone has worked their whole life, saved diligently, and feels unsure about what to do next, Michael helps them understand their options and move forward with confidence. With a thoroughly honed income distribution strategy, he excels at showing others how to spend their retirement well, and his favorite part of his job is watching clients let go of anxiety because they understand their next steps. 

Education is a key component of Michael’s planning process, and over time, he’s found that by treating his firm like a classroom, he can provide greater clarity and peace of mind for his clients. He knows that by being transparent and open, families will trust his advice and recognize that The Sum’s planning process isn’t about selling or doing what’s best for the firm—it’s about helping others discover what’s best for them. 

As a business owner in a constantly changing world, it’s important to Michael to foster a continually growing practice with professionals who challenge each other. He never hesitates to ask for feedback, and he constantly looks for ways he and his staff can better serve each other and their clients. He’s intentionally built a team of self-starters who love to tackle tough problems, and he gives his team the tools and autonomy to do so. To Michael, if one of his team members can make an impact on the firm or a client’s life and grow from the experience, that’s a success.

History & Education 

Michael has been fascinated by investing since college, and he earned his finance degree from Texas State University. He became interested in advising the day he graduated when his parents’ advisor met with them and shared stories about helping families solve real-world problems—this opened Michael’s eyes to how he could use his financial acumen to impact others in a big way.  

He started his career at a large Wall Street firm before moving to Fidelity, where he became an advisor. There, the more clients he served, the more he wanted to offer advice that wasn’t tied to a sales goal. And so, in 2012, Michael became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and founded The Sum to help others find peace of mind through unbiased, fee-based wealth management.

Personal Life

In addition to his passion for finances, Michael has a special love for flying. As a child, he always wanted to fly professionally, and in middle school, he joined the Civil Air Patrol, where he participated in weekly drills, volunteer projects, and took his first flights. Today, he flies whenever he gets the chance, and one of his favorite ways to spend a free weekend is to fly him and his wife Marissa to new and exciting lunch spots. 

He and Marissa both love the outdoors, and they’ve camped in their Airstream trailer all over Texas Hill Country and traveled to the Ozarks and the Blue Ridge Mountains. They also love to travel abroad and have explored multiple countries, including Haiti, Israel, Italy, and France, where Michael fell in love with the coastal cities and their friendly people. 

He and Marissa live in The Woodlands and are incredibly excited to welcome their first child in the winter of 2021. Their faith is very important to them, and Michael strives to put God first in everything he does. To him, if he can serve Christ to the best of his ability and be a good husband, father, family member, business leader, and community member, he considers his life a success. 

Fun Facts About Michael

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

  • I get accused of reading too many business books, but lately I’m on a biography kick—so my current favorite book is the biography of J.P. Morgan. 

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

  • Steak and potatoes, though I prefer to cook it myself. I don’t just throw it on the grill, I dress it up. (This is also my favorite meal to cook.)

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

  • I’d want to teleport, and I’d probably visit the coast of Greece first. 

What’s your favorite quote or saying?

  • “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” - Abraham Lincoln

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

  • A pilot—I was totally that geeky Top Gun fan. I was “that” kid. 

Do you have a random talent or hobby?

  • I did three-event water skiing in college—slalom, trick, and jump. It was impressive back then, but nowadays everyone with a boat learns to waterski.  

Michael Rahn is a Member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors

The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors - highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.

NAPFA members live by three important values:

  • To be the beacon for independent, objective financial advice for individuals and families.
  • To be the champion of financial services delivered in the public interest.
  • To be the standard bearer for the emerging profession of financial planning.

The Sum is a Registered Investment Advisor firm located in The Woodlands, TX.  We provide fee-only financial planning and investment management. 

The Sum is our answer to years in the financial services industry that haven’t felt quite right. The industry can be complicated and isn’t always client friendly [In some cases, misaligned compensation structures drive advisor behavior]. Motives of companies and advisors don’t always align with those of their clients. Advisors, however, have a duty to serve those who put their trust and their family’s wealth in their hands. At The Sum, we have a perspective that our work is more than a duty, it is a privilege. We’ve taken on the challenge of providing a better place for advice; a better place for you. So if you’re tired of status-quo, give us a call, send us an email and let’s get your plan started

Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.

Specialties

  • Comprehensive Financial Planning
  • Retirement Income Planning
  • Investment Management
  • Tax Planning
  • Estate Planning

Ideal Clients

  • Retirees and Near Retirees
  • Business Owners and Executives
  • Oil & Gas Professionals
  • Pilots

Working Together

  • In-Office Meetings
  • Virtual Meetings
  • Clearly Defined Fees
  • Complimentary Initial Consultation

Professional Designations & Affiliations

  • Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
    Michael Rahn is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for Verification

    CFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation.

Contact Michael Rahn

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Office Locations:

  • 4526 Research Forest Dr
    Suite 240
    The Woodlands, TX 77381

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