OUR TEAM
Frederick P. Baerenz
Fred is the President and Chief Executive Officer of AOG Wealth Management, an SEC Registered Investment Advisory firm located in Reston, Virginia. He is also an Accredited Investment Fiduciary and has been a FINRA Registered Principal, has held Series 6, 7, 26, 63, 65, and 79 Licenses. He is a frequent speaker and panelist at professional associations and advisor practice management meetings. He is a co-author of the book Being in Business is a Funny Thing – Getting Out Is Not. When the SEC promulgated FINRA Rule 15-02, which has been arguably the most significant value improvement of the decade for investors in non-traded REITs and BDCs, Baerenz’ letter was the most cited commentary by the SEC and was later published as an article in Investment News.
Fred completed his undergraduate work at The College of William and Mary with an Interdisciplinary major in government, history, and economics. Fred served as a Vice President for both Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company and First American Title Company. At both companies, Fred prepared and reviewed title examinations, served as a Branch Manager, Risk Officer, and Underwriter of commercial title insurance policies. He served as an Escrow Officer on some of the most iconic real estate projects in Northern Virginia developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s including projects for the Metropolitan Airport Authority and the Resolution Trust Corporation.
Fred is an active member of the McLean Bible Church and has served in many local and regional capacities for Crown Financial Ministries over the past twenty years. In 2013 he was elected to the Board of Directors of ADISA (Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association) and has been a member of the Policy, Regulatory and Legal Affairs Committee for the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives since 2013.
Fred’s community involvement includes service as Chairman of the Board of Directors for David’s Hope International, a Trustee for Fork Union Military Academy and the International DeMolay Foundation. Fred and his wife, Sheila, live in the Reston Town Center, and their son, Joe, is a Securities Attorney in Washington DC.
James Ortlip
James Ortlip, CFP®
CIO, Senior Wealth Advisor
Jim is the Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”) and a Senior Wealth Advisor at AOG Wealth Management. He has been in the financial services industry since 1989 and has held FINRA Licenses 7 and 63. He holds the series 65 licenses now as an IAR. He's been a financial advisor and planner since 2004. He joined AOG in the fall of 2009 and still enjoys making the daily commute from Gaithersburg, MD to help the clients of AOG! Jim is proud to be a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and to hold up a fiduciary standard with all of his clients.
He specializes in designing detailed financial plans that encompass all life stages including college planning, wealth accumulation, estate planning, insurance analysis and retirement planning with a special emphasis on IRA planning. Jim complements each plan with individually tailored risk adjusted investment portfolios.
In addition to financial planning and investment portfolio management, Jim has a deep knowledge in tax mitigating strategies and is an advisor on §1031 and §1035 Tax Deferred Exchanges. He also utilizes a number of strategies that are suited for a variety of individual lifestyle, tax and estate planning needs.
Outside of his life at AOG, Jim enjoys spending his time exercising (ask him about his most recent triathlon), reading (mainly non-fiction), and exploring the outdoors via hikes and bikes. He and his wife Len live in Gaithersburg, MD and have two sons (Austin and Colin) who they are helping to navigate through their 20s.
Michelle Whitlock
Michelle Whitlock, CFP®
CFO
Michelle has been with AOG Wealth Management since 2012. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Virginia Tech, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and has previously held the Series 7, 65, and 66 licenses. As a partner of the firm and Chief Financial Officer for AOG Wealth Management, Michelle maintains the AOG standard of exceptional service while developing ways to best meet the needs of our clients. Previously having served as a Wealth Advisor and Client Service Manager, she uses her experience to continue to help shape the team. The primary mission of our firm is to assist our clients in shaping and reaching their life goals – Michelle truly encompasses that mission in all that she does.
Michelle lives in Herndon, Virginia with her family. When she’s not at the office, Michelle spends her time serving at their church, playing the guitar, and hiking trails with her husband and kids.
Lydia Gosselin
Lydia Gosselin
Senior Wealth Advisor
Lydia has been with AOG Wealth Management since March 2014. She brings creativity
and innovation to AOG’s office structure and systems. She has a passion for providing exceptional customer service to our clients and prospective clients. She works as a member of the advisory team for meeting preparation, financial planning, and continuity between meetings for clients. Additionally, she manages our client service team to ensure our clients have an outstanding experience. She specializes in assisting our clients with their charitable giving plans which may utilize Donor Advised Funds. She holds the Series 65 license and is an Investment Advisory Representative (IAR) of AOG Wealth Management, Inc.
Before coming to AOG, Lydia worked as the office manager at a title company in the Northern Virginia area and has expertise in real estate process and procedures. She also was on staff and volunteered with several local to the Northern Virginia area non-profit organizations. Lydia is a graduate of Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, and has a BS in Finance and MS in Finance with a focus in Financial Planning from Liberty University.
She and her husband, Joe, reside in Raleigh, NC with their rescue dog, Bella and their Goldendoodle, Luna. They enjoy cooking together, all things-coffee, traveling, spending time with family and are very involved at their church.
Erin Holt
Erin Holt, CFP®
Senior Wealth Advisor
Erin Holt joined the AOG Wealth Management team in the summer of 2017, after graduating from The George Washington University School of Business with her Bachelors of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. While an undergraduate student, Erin worked as an Intern at Morgan Stanley in 2015 and AOG Wealth Management in 2016. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and has held the Series 66 and 7 licenses. Erin loves working with her clients to align their finances with their values by prioritizing goals, analyzing their situation, and developing a plan which is reviewed periodically to make sure clients are on track.
While at GWU, Erin was a Division 1 student-athlete on the varsity lacrosse team, a member of the Athletic Academic Dean’s List, Lacrosse Community Service Chair, and worked at the school’s Health and Wellness Center. Erin is also a former two-time first team US Lacrosse All-American.
Erin grew up in Great Falls and currently resides in Hamilton with her husband, Noah, and cat, Stella. Noah, a recreational pilot, and Erin spend their free time flying, doing anything outside, or trying new foods in the area.
Erica Schaeffer
Erica Schaeffer
Operations Manager, Client Service Specialist
During the
last 1 2 years at AOG Wealth Management, Erica has worn many hats which include Client Service Associate, Business Development/Marketing Associate and now as the Operations Manager and Client Service Specialist. Her main duties include running the day to day operations of the business and supporting our Senior Analyst as well as Executive Assistant to our President and CEO. In her current role, she assists clients with their tax gathering needs by acting as a liaison to their CPAs. She also provides maintenance support to the online Orion and eMoney client portals, creates reports and other financial documents used for portfolio reviews, HR, support marketing plan, coordinate travel and administer due diligence efforts. Erica began her career with a mid-sized real estate company as an accountant and was later promoted to a sales and operations manager. From there she worked with a number of mid-sized real estate firms before finding her true passion in the financial services industry. She began working with Financial Design Group before the company was acquired with AOG Wealth Management.
Erica brings over 25 years of experience with top tier firms including Bank of America, CB Richard Ellis, Regus and now AOG Wealth Management. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Howard University.
Erica lives in Waterford, VA with her husband Corey and their two children. Besides being a working mom, she also enjoys helping out with various after school activities and relaxing at home with her family.
Amanda Pfeifle
Amanda Pfeifle, FPQP®
Client Service Manager
Amanda joined the AOG Wealth Management team in 2008. As a Client Service Specialist, she provides service for some of our more complex investment strategies and estate issues while serving as a Relationship Manager on the Client Service Team and providing support to our Private Wealth Advisors.
Prior to moving into her client service role, Amanda served as AOG’s Director of First Impressions and contributed greatly to the coordination and execution of marketing events and education dinners. She is now an integral part of AOG’s Client Service Team and has a passion for providing excellent customer service to our clients.
When she’s not at the office, Amanda enjoys discovering new music and traveling. She is also a photographer and an avid DC sports fan.
Susan White
Susan White
Client Service Specialist
Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Susan earned a BS in Business Administration from Arizona State University, where she met and married her best friend. 20 years traveling as a Navy Spouse earned her homes of record in Florida, California, Hawaii, Italy and Virginia. The titles of Academic Advisor, Financial Advisor, Spouses’ Club President, Elementary School Teacher, Fitness Trainer, Sports Coach, Band Treasurer, TeamSnap Coordinator, and Sports Photographer have all been held by Susan. These experiences coupled with a graduate degree in Education from Old Dominion University have provided her with valuable skills that she uses daily; interacting with clients, streamlining office procedures, organizing office supplies, and processing paperwork.
In her spare time, Susan follows her children’s pursuits and can be found regularly cheering for her daughter’s high school basketball or lacrosse game, overseeing an electrical construction project by her son, or traveling to remote locations to visit her F-16 flying Air Force son and new wife. Spending time out running, biking or hiking are also an important part of keeping healthy and happy. Susan continues volunteering as Communications Director and HUDL Videographer for West Springfield High School Girls’ Basketball and Lacrosse. Her greatest joy can always be found in a job well done in the service of others.
Sabreen Hammad
Sabreen Hammad
Administrative Assistant & Marketing Associate
Sabreen is the newest member of the AOG Wealth team and joins us in the role of Administrative and Marketing assistant. She will be our client’s first point of contact as she has a passion for providing exceptional customer service and has been in that type of role for the last 15 year. Sabreen will provide various administrative support to our team as well as greeting visitors, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments and responding to client emails. Sabreen has spent the last 8 years contributing to the growth of a small family-owned business in Maryland.
Sabreen is well-traveled and has lived in Palestine, Ontario, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. After meeting her husband, she moved to Virginia and currently lives in Loudoun County with her four beautiful children. In her spare time, you can find Sabreen cheering on all her kids in baseball, soccer, and of course football! She has a passion for working out and living a healthy lifestyle.
Sheila Baerenz
Sheila Baerenz
Consultant
Sheila earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia, and a Masters of Education in Counseling from the College of Idaho. She worked full-time with Fred as they established and grew AOG Wealth Management, and currently works part-time on special projects.
She finds great pleasure in serving clients and working with her AOG Wealth Management colleagues. Sheila has a special interest in Breast Cancer support groups and the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Sheila and Fred are parents to a new Golden Retriever puppy, Ezekiel, who takes a lot of their free time.
Zeke Baerenz
Zeke Baerenz
Director of First Impressions
Fred’s best friend is his dog! His name is Zeke and he’s 2 1/2 years old. They love to play ball together—mostly soccer and baseball—and play tug of rope. He enjoys running through the trees at the park! Zeke also loves hanging out on the balcony of his high-rise condo and watching the cars drive by. Sometimes, Zeke even yodels alongside fire engine sirens as they drive by! Zeke’s favorite toy is Mr. Cow, the rubber chicken. He’s a very squeaky, but beloved, companion and was a gift from his cousin Napoleon.
Fred and Zeke were made for each other! They love to wrestle…without knocking anything over, of course! They walk to Starbucks together to pick up their favorite drinks—Fred gets a green tea, and Zeke gets a puppuccino. Fred’s wife Sheila is an instant distraction for both Fred and Zeke. Sometimes, they end up fighting for her attention, and Zeke usually wins!
Zeke is a very photogenic dog and loves to have his picture taken! If you ask Fred, he’s the cutest dog in town!