People ask us this question: why do we put the word Catholic right at the front of how we describe our wealth management firm? The full answer is a story, and it starts back in 2010, when two men in the middle of very different career changes met as field agents at an insurance agency in Northern Virginia.
If you found us through your parish, or you’re simply looking for an advisor whose values you can see in how they work with your money, this article is for you.
From Seminary to Financial Planning
My own path here wasn’t a straight line. Out of high school I entered Mount Angel Seminary, finished a four-year degree there, and then spent nearly three more years at Mount Angel Abbey. Following that seven-year period of personal formation and discernment, I left to seek God’s will for my life in a family and professional career. Two years of teaching were fun and challenging but not my calling, so I kept looking and met my future wife.
When I got engaged, I needed a new career, and a job offer from a fraternal insurance company turned out to be the right fit, even though I had zero background in financial services. I learned fast and found the work I was meant to do: helping fellow Catholic families look after their financial lives, for themselves and for their kids, so they could pursue God’s will with more peace. A knack for numbers and an ease with people made it click.
You can read more about my background here.
How Mark and I Met
Mark Primeau and I met as fellow field agents at a Knights of Columbus agency, and it was a career change for both of us.
Mark had just left corporate finance roles and I had just left teaching. My first impression of Mark was that he was serious, likable, and approachable, with decades of real experience behind him. His impression of me, he’s told people since, was a grounded, older-than-his-years presence for someone in his late twenties.
Mark’s own path took its own turn a couple of years earlier. He’d spent decades across corporate America, and in 2008 he laid himself off from a small home construction business into one of the toughest job markets in memory.
He decided that was the moment to pursue owning a business of his own. With his corporate finance background, becoming a personal CFO for other families was the natural next step, and doing that for fellow Catholic families felt like the right fit.
Why We Left to Build Our Own Firm
After about nine years as agents, Mark and I decided to leave and start our own independent firm. Leaving a Catholic financial institution was a tough decision, but the right one. What we valued most was the freedom to serve clients according to their own individual needs.
Independent investment and insurance options let us build real, in-depth plans instead of following one company’s product lineup. We each went independent on our own first, then joined forces on shared casework through 2018 and incorporated as PrimeauMayer Financial in 2019.
A New Office, and Then COVID
We built this business from small seeds that God had planted in our social circle. One case at a time, we built up enough clients to commit to a larger suite of offices in Manassas.
Then COVID arrived six weeks after we moved in. Clients were sick or frightened about their jobs and the markets, and the stretch that followed was genuinely hard.
Even so, the firm kept growing, and we were able to give people independent, comprehensive advice at one of the hardest moments of their financial lives, whether those were job losses, early retirements, or hits to their portfolios.
Why We’ve Always Been Open About Being Catholic
There wasn’t a single moment when we decided to describe ourselves as a Catholic firm. We always have been—first because of who we are, and second because most of our clients, from the beginning, have shared our faith, though certainly not all of them.
Money conversations are really conversations about families, relationships, and what people hold most deeply. We try to treat every client with the dignity they have as fellow children of God.
In practice, that means:
- Treating every person we meet with with real dignity
- Building up family life alongside family finances
- Supporting causes and organizations that help others
- Running a firm that builds up the lives of both our employees and our clients
We draw a lot of this from the same passage that anchors our team’s approach to money (1 Peter 4:10), which teaches us to use what’s been given to serve others. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops writes about that same idea of using our gifts gratefully and responsibly, and reflects how we try to run this firm.
What That Looks Like When You Sit Down With Us
Mark and I follow a simple rule for every recommendation: it’s your money, we’re here to help you make smart choices, and we treat every single dollar as carefully as if it were our own.
One question we ask new clients early on: when was the last time your CPA, attorney, and advisor spoke to each other? For a lot of families, the answer is never, and that gap is costing them money.
We’ve worked with clients who felt trapped in a corporate career where the stress was damaging their health. They needed to know they could retire safely without running out of money. Careful planning, and moving their money into the right long-term vehicles, changed the direction of their family’s story.
Ready to Talk?
If any of this sounds like what you’ve been looking for, the first step is simple: a no-cost, 30-minute conversation with me.
If it looks like a good fit from there, we’ll follow up with a complimentary financial assessment.
Reach out through our firm’s contact page to schedule a time that works for you. We hope to speak with you soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Mark Primeau and Tim Mayer start a Catholic wealth management firm?
Mark Primeau and Tim Mayer founded the firm in 2019, after nine years as agents at a Catholic financial institution where they felt limited by one company’s product lineup. They wanted to serve clients according to individual needs, offering independent, in-depth planning shaped by their shared mission and Catholic values.
Do you have to be Catholic to work with a Catholic wealth management firm?
No. A Catholic wealth management firm is typically open about its values without requiring clients to hold them. At this firm, most clients have shared the founders’ Catholic faith since the beginning, though certainly not all. The firm works with families across many backgrounds, professionals, business owners, retirees, and surviving spouses.
What does it mean for a wealth management firm to be Catholic?
A Catholic wealth management firm builds its planning and services around Catholic values, including human dignity, family stability, and generosity, and it does not require clients to hold the same faith. Firms such as PrimeauMayer Financial apply this through an in-depth planning process that treats every client relationship with real care.
Where is PrimeauMayer Financial located, and do they work with clients outside Virginia?
The firm is based in Manassas, Virginia, and serves families, professionals, business owners, retirees, and surviving spouses throughout Northern Virginia. It also works with clients across the country through virtual meetings, many connected through the firm’s ties to the Catholic community.
How do I get started with PrimeauMayer Financial?
The first step is a no-cost, 30-minute conversation with founder Tim Mayer to talk through your situation and goals. If it looks like a good fit, the next step is a complimentary Financial Perspective with concrete recommendations.
About Timothy S. Mayer
Co-Founder | Principal
As a wealth advisor for people typically with $1MM or more in investable assets, my mission is to lead my clients to financial freedom in a way that is consistent with their values, upholds their dignity, and is based on noble intention.
I help my clients to navigate a world filled with financial uncertainty, by enabling them to do the following:
- Develop and implement a financial plan to keep their families on the right path
- Make smarter decisions in today’s uncertain political, economic and social environment
- Mitigate taxes
- Take care of their heirs
- Ensure assets are passed down to the next generation
- Pursue a charitable giving strategy, if desired, that is in line with their family’s values and mission
While what I do is outlined by the list above, the most important thing I do on a daily basis is understanding each family’s values, beliefs, goals, and the wishes they have for their future generations. I hold the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) and Financial Services Certified Professional® (FSCP®) designations from The American College of Financial Services.
I earned a BA in Philosophy and Literature from Mount Angel Seminary and an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Oklahoma with an Emphasis in International Relations. I am a member of the Catholic Financial Planners Network and am featured on Wealthtender as a Catholic Financial Advisor.
I am a grateful follower of Christ and a lifelong Catholic. Although many of my clients are of the Catholic faith, not all of them are; I work with anyone who shares the same basic moral foundation as I do, regardless of their faith background. My values and ethics, flowing from my religion, are central to who I am and how I treat my clients.
Together my wife and I are raising five children in Prince William County, Virginia. Our Catholic faith is central to our family’s life and we regularly volunteer in our parish community.
If you would like to connect, please kindly send me a note.
