Paul Hammer

I've long held that making money is one thing and keeping it is another, and the difference between the two usually comes down to knowledge. That idea has shaped a whole career spent staying curious and never assuming I've learned all there is to know. I got my start in economics in 1978, came up through an MBA in finance, and went on to build Hammer Financial Group here in Western New York before joining forces to become Connor Hammer.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm old school, and I wear that as a compliment. I'm at my best with the genuinely complicated cases, the kind that stretch across a whole family and more than one generation. I grew up on Long Island but found my way back to the Buffalo area in 1991, partly because I missed the snow, which not everyone understands. These days I spend part of the year as a snowbird in Myrtle Beach with my wife, Joann, where the ocean is close and the grass still needs mowing. We have two children, Genna and Adam, and yes, that Adam is the one running our investment side now. When the Mets are on, I'm watching.

• MBA in Finance, New York Institute of Technology
• Bachelor's degree in Economics, State University of New York at Buffalo
• Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU^®)
• Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC^®)
• Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF^®)