Tom Hannon, CFP®, works with high earners and high-net-worth families whose financial lives have become increasingly complex as their wealth has grown. As a Wealth Advisor and member of Balefire’s Investment Committee and investment team, he brings particular expertise in portfolio construction, investment strategy, concentrated positions, and tax-aware implementation.
Tom began his career as an intern with UBS Wealth Management while completing his finance degree at the University of St. Thomas. After graduation, he spent eight years as a Wealth Management Advisor at a Twin Cities-based RIA before joining Balefire in 2020. He earned the Certified Financial Planner® designation in 2025, further expanding the planning expertise he brings to client relationships.
His experience gives him a dual perspective on wealth management. As an advisor, Tom oversees relationships across financial planning, portfolio decisions, and implementation. As part of the investment team, he evaluates asset allocation, vets strategies before they enter client portfolios, and serves as a resource to other advisors working through investment questions.
Tom is often brought into situations where the investment details deserve a closer look. A family may hold accounts across several custodians, own a significant concentrated stock position, or have taxable assets that have never been managed with tax consequences in mind. He enjoys conducting what he describes as a “financial audit” of a portfolio, digging into statements to identify exposures, inefficiencies, and planning opportunities that may otherwise be easy to overlook.
His philosophy is to show clients the math rather than lead with an opinion. Major financial choices often involve competing priorities, and Tom believes people tend to make better decisions when they can see the financial implications of each path. His role is to quantify those tradeoffs, explain them in plain language, and help clients determine what makes sense for their families.
Tom’s approach was also shaped by his background as an athlete. He played basketball at St. Thomas, where his team won the 2011 national championship, and later played professionally in Australia for a season. The experience reinforced the importance of preparation, accountability, and working toward a shared objective.
At Balefire, those principles come together in Tom’s work across planning and investments. He helps clients bring disconnected pieces into a coordinated strategy, aligning the portfolio, tax considerations, and financial plan around the decisions their wealth is ultimately intended to support.