For Dave Parkes, an alumnus of the BYU Marriott School of Business, wealth management is more than just finances—it is a faith-based practice. “Money is never the outcome; money is a tool that allows us to give back and live a life that we want to live,” he says. So as Parkes manages both his family’s finances and those of his clients, he says he strives to stay grounded in his faith and relationships.
Parkes studied business management at BYU Marriott, interested in learning to connect with people in a business setting. “I think all relationships need to be built on trust,” he says. “To the extent that you can connect with people and build trust, you can go a lot further in business.”
To strengthen his ability to understand other professionals, Parkes tailored his business management coursework to focus on organizational behavior—how individuals and groups act within organizations. He also joined BYU Marriott’s Management Consulting Association to gain experience in consulting and, after graduating, landed a job with Accenture as a change management consultant.
But as Parkes married and had children, he realized he wanted a career with less travel and more flexibility for him and his family. “I need a career, I need to make a living, but at the end of the day, there are a few things in life that are more important than that,” he says.
So he took a risk: He quit his job and started Parkes Financial, a financial planning company. That transition meant some time without income and required extensive cold outreach to find clients, but he persisted—and the business eventually found its footing. “I figured it might be rough at the beginning, but it would pay off long term,” he says. “And it has.”
Although his current job is “not at all” like the consulting career his college self envisioned, Parkes explains that his BYU Marriott education provided a strong foundation for any business career: “I had a good understanding of what a financial statement looks like, how practices work, and how to structure and build a team,” he says. “The groundwork was laid that I could build on.”
Alongside the technical abilities he developed in his business management degree, Parkes explains that staying grounded in the BYU Marriott values has helped him build trust with his clients. “I have to be anchored in Jesus Christ,” Parkes says. “I have to be honest and work with integrity in all that I do. If I hold myself to that standard, even when others around me don’t, it sets me apart and may even create a competitive advantage.”
That competitive advantage, Parkes says, has helped his business expand, now with eight employees serving clients in more than 25 states. But regardless of that growth, Parkes stays committed to doing what he says matters most, such as spending time with his family and serving at church.
“My business is ultimately a tool to be able to help provide for my family,” Parkes says, “to give back in a meaningful way to my clients, and to provide a life that will eventually allow me to serve in ways that have not just temporary consequences, but also eternal consequences.”
