Trusted Advisory began with a friendship, a business milestone, and a life-changing diagnosis.

About ten years ago, Mike Ivan helped entrepreneur Richard Reyes navigate the successful sale of a significant portion of his company. Like many founders, Richard had spent years building his business from the ground up, and the transaction represented a major achievement.

For a time, life felt wide open. Richard had reached a point many entrepreneurs dream about — the opportunity to step back and enjoy the rewards of years of dedication and hard work.

Then everything changed.

A few years later, Richard received devastating news: he had been diagnosed with stage-4 colorectal cancer.

The diagnosis forced difficult conversations about the future. Richard asked Mike to help organize his estate plan and ensure his family and charitable goals were protected. Together they also discussed ways Richard could use his experience to encourage others to get screened and take their health seriously.

For Mike, the moment was deeply personal. His own father had passed away from the same disease.

What happened next was extraordinary.

Richard became one of a small number of patients who responded to immunotherapy treatment, and over time he made a remarkable recovery. Today he has been cancer-free for several years.

The experience gave him a completely new perspective on life.

Richard realized that success is not just about building wealth or selling companies. It is about protecting what truly matters — family, health, employees, community, and legacy.

Those conversations between Richard and Mike became the foundation for Trusted Advisory.

Today, Trusted Advisory exists to help successful individuals and business owners prepare for life’s most important transitions — protecting family wealth, planning business succession, preparing for liquidity events, and preserving legacies that can last for generations.

Because sometimes the most important plans are the ones we make before life forces the conversation.