About us
One desk in Oak Ridge. Fourteen years of hard-won judgement.
Invest Strategy Way exists because most families are sold products before they are given a plan. We reverse that order every single time — and we have been doing it since 2011.
Our story
It started with one rejected commission
In 2011 our founder took a part-time job reviewing loan and insurance files for a large national brand. In week two she was asked to move a retired teacher from a 5.9% variable balance transfer onto a product that paid the branch more and cost the client $4,100 extra over five years. She said no, wrote down why, and was told the maths did not matter as much as the target.
Three months later she rented a single room on East Division Road with a rule that still governs every file that crosses our desk: explain the trade-off, then let the client choose. If we cannot show you the numbers both ways, we do not present the option.
Today a team of eleven advisers, a CPA and two licensed insurance producers work from that same address — plus a secure video room for the 60% of our households who live outside Tennessee.
Our mission
To make sound money decisions the default rather than the exception — by giving every household a written plan in plain English, with real numbers attached, regardless of account size.
Our vision
A country where borrowing, investing and protecting are understood before they are agreed to — and where “the rate looked good” is never the only reason a plan was signed.
Our promise
No sales contests, no undisclosed compensation, no product recommended that our own team would not put in a family member's plan. If a deal is bad for you, we say so in writing.
Milestones
How the practice grew up
Nothing here is a marketing first. Every milestone below came from a client asking for something we did not yet offer — so we licensed, qualified and built it properly.
One room on East Division Road
Started as a two-person debt restructuring practice. First year: 41 clients, all referrals, no advertising budget at all.
Lending desk opens
Added in-house mortgage and personal loan comparison after watching clients accept the first offer they were shown.
Tax and investment capability
A CPA joined and our first written wealth plans launched — borrowing and investing finally in the same document.
Nationwide, from home
Moved every review to encrypted video and rolled out secure document sharing. Client outcomes did not move a millimetre.
The Strategy Memo
A weekly plain-English letter to clients became public. 12,400 subscribers and still zero advertisements.
1,900 households, $742M planned
Same address, same rule. Now with a two-year waitlist for our most senior adviser — which we tell you before you book.
How we work
Six house rules, printed and pinned above the printer
Plan before product
We never present a loan, policy or fund until you have seen a written picture of your cash flow, debts and goals. The plan is the deliverable; the product is a line in it.
Both numbers, always
Every recommendation comes with the cost of doing it and the cost of not doing it, over the same time horizon, in the same table.
Disclose the money
If a lender or carrier compensates us, the dollar amount appears in your proposal. You can push back and we will rework it, or you can take the plan to your own bank.
Say no out loud
Roughly one in five enquiries ends with us advising against the thing you came in for. We would rather lose the fee than be quietly right later.
Protect the file
Encryption in transit and at rest, US-hosted systems, least-privilege access, and shredding on request. Your data is never sold or syndicated.
Answer like a human
One named adviser, one direct line, replies within one business day. No ticket numbers, no chatbot pretending to be Charlotte.
Who you deal with
Small team, deliberately generalist
Lead advisers
Certified financial planning qualified, each carrying fewer than 90 households so reviews stay on schedule.
Tax desk
A licensed CPA and one tax preparer handling return review, estimates and amendment support.
Lending specialists
Two licensed loan originators covering personal, credit and mortgage files, plus a processing analyst.
Insurance producers
Life, health and disability licensed in 30+ states, with a compliance reviewer checking every recommendation.
Where we work
Head office & coverage
- 108 E Division Rd, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USAFree parking, step-free entrance, evening appointments on the first and third Thursday of each month.
- Video & phone reviews nationwideCurrently advising clients in 41 states, with California, New York, Texas and Florida our largest outside Tennessee.
- Open Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ETSaturday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET for existing clients. Emergency lender and claims support: +1 865-483-4858.
- contact@investstrategyway.comOne business day for written enquiries, and a real person reads every message.