My Story
From a young age, I’ve had an interest in finance. I was introduced to investing in stocks and mutual funds by my father, David Kraus. Since then, I’ve built an arsenal of financial knowledge that I love sharing with people. During my time serving in the Air Force, I discovered my passion around the idea of helping and educating others with their personal finance and investing challenges. Upon graduating with a B.A. in Business Administration and leaving the military, I transitioned into the financial services industry.
My career began with a 3 ½ year stint at one of the largest Wall Street investment firms. One thing I realized early on was that there was a conflict of interest with a lot of the large financial firms and their clients. My experiences seemed to reflect a commonality – that anyone but the super-wealthy were not being well-served and their best interests were being placed behind those of the financial institutions. I knew it wasn’t the right place for me. There had to be somebody doing the work I wanted to do – a company that put the client first and focused all efforts on doing what was best for them.
I put my resume together and began looking for work. With some persistence a little luck I found that place and landed a job at Sacramento’s premier independent financial advisory firm, Hanson McClain. As a Financial Advisor with Hanson McClain, I was entrusted with the day to day oversight of one of their fastest growing local offices. After three years at the local level, I jumped at the opportunity to spearhead the opening of their first out of state office in San Antonio, Texas. Chosen to represent Hanson McClain in San Antonio was an honor considering their extensive work with telecom employees and San Antonio being the location of AT&T headquarters at the time.
After six years with the firm and an ownership stake, I was presented with the opportunity to acquire the San Antonio location. I formed Kraus Capital to continue my work with a more intimate number of clients and offer more personalized attention.
Today, I’m a Certified Financial Planner® with over 20 years of experience. I help AT&T employees make coordinated decisions between pension payment options, Social Security benefits and portfolio income strategies by offering customized analyses that integrate all of these elements to help them make the best decisions for themselves and their families. With in-depth knowledge within the telecommunications industry, my experience in evaluating retirement benefit packages, stock options, stock ownership plans, 401(k) and pension plans has allowed me to guide hundreds of families through the myriad of decisions they are faced with as they transition into retirement. As a CFP®, I have extensive training in financial planning, estate planning, insurance, investments, taxes, employee benefits and retirement planning. This year, my company, Kraus Capital, will celebrate its 10th anniversary!
Passionate about education, I enjoy helping clients, as well as my community, learn more about investing and finance. I’ve presented hundreds of workshops and seminars covering a wide range of financial topics for people all over South Texas.
Outside the office, I spend all the time I can with my wife of 25 years and our kids. A man of many interests, I enjoy photography, music and movies, coffee, traveling, reading, watching tennis and soccer and am obsessed with staying active, whether I’m playing tennis or working out.
I dedicate time each week to answering questions from people all over South Texas on financial matters. If you have something you want to know more about, have a specific question that relates to our services or just need a little free guidance – feel welcome to reach out with the contact form located on our website at www.krauscapital.com. Generally, I’m able to personally respond within 24 hours. If I’m backlogged or out of the office one of my staff will reply and set a time we can catch up and get your questions answered.