Meet The Professionals at Cornerstone Wealth Management

If there’s one thing the team at Cornerstone Wealth Management here in Canby wants you to know, it’s that they are here for you, regardless of where you are in your financial journey or where you want to be headed. “Everyone has to start somewhere and at some point in time,” says Matt Stutes, the firm’s financial planner and son of founder Chris Stutes. “We don’t look at you differently, whether you’re the million-dollar guy or the 10,000-dollar guys. And hey, who’s to say the 10,000-dollar guy might not be the million-dollar guy 10 or 15 years from now?”

Matt’s father Chris began his financial career in 1992 after leaving his law practice in Louisiana. After starting his financial career at Edward Jones, he joined LPL Financial and then founded Cornerstone Wealth Management in 2007. “I originally wanted to be an attorney because I wanted to help people,” Chris explains. “Being in the financial business for 29 years now, I have had the chance to help so many individuals plan for their future, reach their financial goals and have a successful retirement. It’s incredibly rewarding.”
Another key member of the team is financial advisor Mitch Magenheimer, whose specialties include helping clients reach smaller goals and plan for retirement. “I enjoy being able to simplify things for clients, taking things they may feel are complex and overwhelming and putting it into terms they can understand,” Mitch says. “A lot of it comes down to financial planning. There are a lot of services we can offer, from business planning to estate planning to planning for retirement, but most of it starts with that financial plan.”
The financial services industry has changed in many ways over the past 30 years, as have the global economy, stock market and many other factors that affect it. In the course of his career, Chris has found the best way to adapt to a rapidly changing and often unpredictable marketplace: “We came to the realization that the best way to serve a customer’s needs is a team approach,” Chris says. “So at Cornerstone, we really operate as a very robust team, with lots of resources behind the scenes. We work really well together and help each other’s clients with the different areas we specialize in.”
That was one of the reasons he encouraged Matt to get his financial planning certification when he joined the team in 2013. “You do need that really solid financial plan to reach your goals,” Chris explains. “A lot of places say they do financial plans, but there’s something different about sitting down with somebody who has that training and experience.”
At Cornerstone, it ultimately comes down to building trusted relationships more than dollars and cents. “I’m not a salesman, trying to sell you a product,” says Matt. “We want to be a resource, a part of your team and a piece of the puzzle that helps you build your wealth. One thing we find is that we really start to become more than advisers to our clients — we become friends. We become confidants.”

Cornerstone Wealth Management offers a wide variety of financial services, including financial planning through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor. Contact them at 503-266-7431, visit www.thecwmgroup.com, or stop by their offices located in a stately, converted 140-year-old home at 486 NW 2nd Avenue in downtown Canby.