MARKUS BYRD, CFS®

Markus Byrd was born in Australia, moved to the U.S. at age 4 and grew up in Lufkin, Texas. He became heavily involved in his church as a teen and went on a mission to Belize, which proved to be an experience that would reveal to him the real value in helping others. He lost his younger brother when he was 15, and this event, while traumatic, also taught Markus how fleeting life could be and how important it is to be of service to others around you. In college, he noticed that his peers often asked him for advice and considered him to be level-headed in his reactions to most situations in his life. “All of these events,” says Markus, “they seemed to enact a natural progression for me to work as someone who offers advice and planning.”

Markus graduated from Stephen F. Austin University with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, and has now worked as a financial advisor for 28 years, most recently as owner of Candor Wealth Management. He received his insurance license in 1991 and became further licensed in securities the same year, earning the Series 24, 51, 7, 63, 65 licenses and passing the SIE exams. He was designated as a CFS® (Certified Fund Specialist) in 2000, and is a member of the Financial Planning Association and the Institute for Business and Finance. In three separate years, Markus received the Five Star Professional Award for Wealth Manager nomination.

Markus views his accomplishments in the financial industry primarily in terms of what they allow him to do for his clients, which is to provide them complete and comprehensive financial services.

“Just about anything my clients need from me I’m fortunate enough to be able to provide them,” he says. “I do complex insurance cases, premium finance, private placement insurance, business owner insurance, retirement planning, long-term care, anything that people need for their specific set of financial circumstances.”

His business currently consists of about 15 percent business owners, 50 percent retired families and 35 percent investment clients, with transactions running about 75 percent managed money and 25 percent insurance-based. Candor uses a team-based approach in investment decisions. Contrary to working with giant financial corporations, they manage money based on their client’s specific needs.

“We pick the stocks, we put in trailing stop-losses to protect the downside, we are hands-on,” says Markus. “Our philosophy is to maximize growth, but place protections on everything we do. Our clients can call even when I’m traveling or on vacation, I’m always available to them. The way we look at it, we want clients to have a connection with us, so they know they are taken care of. We are invested in our clients. We’re not passive, we’re active in our approach that way.”

Candor maintains seasonal client service, meeting with clients at least four times per year. Using this appointment method, they are better able to react and protect clients from the ups and downs of the market’s volatility. They take great pride in the fact that almost 100 percent of their current client roster has come through referrals.

In his free time, Markus is an avid golfer, exercises regularly, utilizes his Master Scuba Diving Certification, and enjoys traveling with his wife Chandra.

CHANDRA DECKER

Chandra received her certification as a paralegal in 2008 and worked in the law field for a short time before joining her husband Markus Byrd at Candor Wealth Management. For the last 14 years, she has served as Candor’s office manager.

Some of Chandra’s job duties include new business development, generating accounts, handling policy replacements, new business processing and compliance coordination from Candor’s home office broker dealer.

“I go above and beyond to get to know our clients because I love working with them, but also because it helps me provide better service to them,” says Chandra. “I don’t want them to ever have to worry about anything. I want them to know they can trust me.”

Away from the office, Chandra enjoys going on beach-destination vacations with Markus, and visiting new restaurants in Dallas. She also enjoys playing golf and spending time with their dog Zane.