This month’s Team Member Spotlight features Evan Marquis, CFP®, EA, an Advisor at our Stratham office. Evan has been part of the Milestone team for three years, working closely alongside our advisors and building deep technical knowledge in tax and financial planning along the way. We sat down with him to talk about his path into the profession, what drives him, and what he’s looking forward to as he grows his own client relationships.

What aspect of financial planning do you enjoy most?

For me, it’s the connection with people. I genuinely enjoy getting curious about someone’s life and figuring out how their money can support the life they want to live. The clients I connect with best are the ones who are engaged — who reach out with real questions, like “how should I think about selling my house?” That’s when it feels like we’re actually solving something together rather than just moving money around. That’s the part of this job that makes it more than just a technical exercise and a professional service. It allows us to impact others’ lives.

Can you tell us about your background and journey to joining Milestone?

My path started in college, where I took time to explore a few different interests. During COVID, I had a lot of time to think, and that’s when a few professors introduced me to financial planning as a field — including one who was deeply involved in the profession and encouraged me to pursue it seriously. Around the same time, I discovered I had a genuine interest in taxes after taking an elective tax course, and I paired that with a part-time role at a local CPA firm to get hands-on experience.

While still in school, I reached out to a handful of firms to explore the profession further, and Milestone was the one that felt like the right fit — the emphasis on fee-only, comprehensive planning matched what I’d been learning and what I wanted to do. I passed my Series 65 exam before I even graduated, and I joined Milestone as a Planning Associate shortly after graduating. Since then, I’ve earned my CFP® and Enrolled Agent (EA) designations, and this year I made the transition into the Advisor role, where I’m building out my own client relationships alongside my technical work.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

I’m a hiker at heart. I’ve done multi-day trips throughout Maine and New Hampshire, including Katahdin in Baxter State Park, which is my favorite mountain. A few years ago, I also hiked a stretch of the John Muir Trail in California with my dad — two straight weeks with no breaks, and one of the more incredible experiences of my life.

Beyond hiking, I love being outdoors generally — time on the water, beaches, and I discovered a real love for the Pacific Northwest after a trip to Olympic National Park last year. I’m also working toward running a half marathon, and I’m a self-admitted movie buff in my downtime.

What keeps you motivated or gives you purpose in your role?

Right now, it’s the process of building my own client relationships from the ground up. I especially enjoy working with younger clients and families — people who are good savers, thinking about growing their careers, buying homes, or planning around their kids. I love working with families on the full picture: college planning, estate planning, and helping them build wealth while still being able to travel and create experiences with their kids. Every new relationship is a chance to build that kind of long-term partnership.

What do you think sets Milestone apart from other financial planning firms?

It’s the depth. At Milestone, investment performance is just one piece of a much bigger picture — tax planning, retirement planning, estate considerations, all of it working together. I’ve described the firm before as being part investment advisor, part think tank, and I think that captures it well. Also, each advisor works with a limited number of clients by design, allowing us to devote meaningful time to individual client relationships.

I also value how much Milestone encourages advisors to keep growing academically — whether that’s a master’s program, or credentials such as the CFP® certification, the EA designation, or the CFA® charter. That commitment doesn’t go unnoticed — it tells clients that the people advising them take their craft seriously.

What’s a trend you’re seeing in the industry, and how are you adapting to it?

AI is changing the way people approach their finances — some of our prospective clients come to us having already built a detailed plan on their own using AI tools, and honestly, some of that work is solid. But a plan on a page can’t sit with you when life gets complicated, and it doesn’t know your full story. That’s why I make it a priority to get to know clients as people first — their goals, their worries, their families — before we ever dig into the numbers. My job isn’t to compete with a tool for the most optimized spreadsheet. It’s to bring judgment, context, and a relationship clients can lean on as their life changes.

Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

Just that I’m excited about where things are headed. I’m looking forward to continuing to build relationships based on genuine curiosity and a desire to support our clients. The Milestone Team is also continuing to deepen its knowledge over time, which can enhance the experience for all of us involved with the organization, whether as a professional or as a client. We will all grow together towards the goals of utilizing well-crafted plans to support fulfilling lives for ourselves and those we care about.

Our team is committed to helping clients work toward their financial goals while building lasting relationships. If you need help with your tax planning, retirement planning, or overall financial strategy, please reach out to our team at (603) 589-8010.