Michael Hemp
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- Full Name
- J. Michael Hemp
- Title
- Managing Principal / Co-leader, Stratford Consulting (a Creative Planning company)
- Firm
- Stratford Consulting (acquired by Creative Planning, LLC in 2020)
- Firm Type
- Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) — wealth management and financial planning firm. *(Note: the supplied stub listed "Angel Investor / Seed Round," but no public source verifies startup angel-investing activity; every available source describes him as a wealth-management principal. This is flagged rather than confirmed — see Notable Investments.)*
- Investment Stage
- Not verifiable as a startup/seed investor
- Sector Focus
- Financial planning and investment management for high-net-worth individuals
- Geographic Focus
- Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (Texas)
- Location
- Frisco, Texas (residence); firm based in Addison, Texas
Background
J. Michael Hemp is a co-leader and Managing Principal of Stratford Consulting, a boutique Registered Investment Adviser founded in 2003 and based in Addison, Texas, which managed approximately $618 million in assets under management at the time it was acquired by Creative Planning, LLC in January 2020. He led the firm alongside fellow Managing Principal Susan Schildt, providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management to high-net-worth clients.
According to his firm biography, Hemp brings more than 30 years of leadership experience to the role. Before his career in wealth management, he served as a naval officer and later as CEO of a major division of a Fortune 100 company — experience the firm cited as giving him "unique insights" to guide clients through complex financial decisions.
He holds a degree from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and carries the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) professional designation. A native of the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., he resides in Frisco, Texas, with his wife, Linda. Outside of work he lists golf, reading (particularly history and biography), dogs, wildlife, and the ocean among his interests, and is described as actively involved with his grandchildren.
When Creative Planning — one of the nation's largest independent RIAs — acquired Stratford Consulting in 2020, the deal (advised by Republic Capital Group) folded Stratford's client-focused, planning-led practice into the national platform, with Schildt noting the two firms shared a client-focused philosophy and collaborative approach.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Hemp's professional focus is wealth management and comprehensive financial planning for high-net-worth individuals, not venture or startup investing.
- Stratford Consulting's stated approach centered on client-focused, planning-led investment management — the firm described itself as delivering "comprehensive financial planning and investment management," and leadership emphasized a "collaborative approach" and client-first philosophy in the Creative Planning transaction.
- No publicly documented thesis around startup seed-stage investing, target check sizes, or a defined startup company profile could be verified for Michael Hemp.
Notable Investments
- No verifiable startup, seed-round, or angel portfolio investments were found in public sources for this individual. Available records consistently describe J. Michael Hemp as a wealth-management principal at Stratford Consulting rather than a startup angel investor. The "Angel Investor / Seed Round" descriptor from the source stub could not be confirmed and may reflect a mismatched or mistaken record. No specific companies are listed here because none could be substantiated.
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