Scott has over 30+ years of experience in the financial services industry, the majority of which was in the equity divisions within two top-tier investment banks, Lehman Brothers and Barclays.

After a twenty-five-plus-year career on Wall Street, Scott became president of Red Oak Wealth Management, an investment advisory representative firm affiliated with Virtue Capital Management, a full-service registered investment advisory firm based out of Nashville, Tennessee. Red Oak Wealth Management has put together a multi-disciplinary group of professionals, whose goal it is to help reduce risk and protect family assets. The group offers a variety of services, including asset protection, college planning, retirement, and estate planning,

Scott began his career on Wall Street after graduating from Virginia Tech in 1986, advising clients for the mutual fund company the Dreyfus Corporation. In 1988, Scott joined Shearson Lehman Brothers in their high net worth division where he advised clients for several years before moving into the firm’s capital markets division. There he built a successful career in several equity product areas including Lehman equity syndicate, equity sales and trading, equity agency trading, and electronic sales. His track record was that of a proven team builder as a manager and producer within those product areas; and, a history of successfully delivering positive results for institutional clients, retail clients, and for the firms. 

Scott lives in Mount Kisco, New York with his wife Jennifer and their dog, Mugsy. He enjoys reading, golf, working out at the gym and hunting on the family farm in Virginia where he grew up.

After a nearly twenty-plus year career on Wall Street, Mike started his financial planning firm in New Jersey – Red Oak Capital LLC (the predecessor firm to Red Oak Wealth Management) in 2004 and Red Oak College Planning in 2011.  He has helped numerous families on a fiduciary basis successfully navigate the areas of retirement planning, college financial planning, and estate/income protection. Mike’s fundamental methodology to wealth management is rooted in a transparent approach to solving problems with unbiased advice with laser attention to reducing risk and protecting family’s assets.

Before his Wall Street career, Mike spent six years with Ernst & Young CPA firm as a manager in their financial services group.  Mike obtained his CPA certification while employed there and gained valuable experience in the financial services world. Mike graduated with a degree in Public Accountancy with honors from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University.

Mike is a frequent speaker on college financial planning at many local New Jersey libraries, church groups, and community centers.  He is a noted lecturer for many of the New Jersey County Bar associations and is considered one of the leading College Financial Aid speakers on the topic of divorce and its impact on college financial aid planning. Mike is very experienced in working with High Net Worth families and Corporate entities in the areas of investments, wealth planning, college planning, asset preservation, and sophisticated premium financing insurance strategies.

Mike is a resident of New Jersey.  He has three children: a daughter Haley age 26 a senior digital editor with the Wall Street Journal who is a graduate of Cornell University with a master’s degree from Northwestern University, and two sons Michael Jr. age 23 who is a student at the Rutgers Business school, and Mathew age 19 a sophomore at Parsons-New School of Design.

Mike’s interests are investing, reading, physical fitness, golf, fishing, and youth sports.  Mike is the founder and co-director of April A. Stumpf children’s foundation helps the families of children with rare skin diseases.  Mike and his family are also very involved with the Children’s Specialized Hospital in central New Jersey as family mentors.