Personal Financial Planning

Distinguished Alumni Award — Brandon Ratzlaff

Brandon Ratzlaff is Partner and Director of Wealth Planning at Cypress Point Wealth Management and an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, Brandon joined Cypress Point in 2016, bringing extensive experience in financial planning and portfolio management for high-net worth clients. Prior to joining Cypress Point, Brandon was a Wealth Manager and Chair of the Investment Committee at Carter Financial Management, where he was responsible for providing client advice, financial planning services and oversight of the firm's investment initiatives. He spent the first two years of career as an advisor in the Global Private Client Group at Merrill Lynch.

Brandon is active in the financial planning community, serving as the 2017 President of the Financial Planning Association of Dallas/Fort Worth. Brandon currently serves on the Investment Committee for Partners for Sacred Places, is a member of the Professional Advisory Council for the Communities Foundation of Texas, and is President-Elect of the Texas Tech Personal Financial Planning Alumni Advisory Board. Previously, Brandon served on the boards of Educational First Steps, Social Venture Partners of Dallas, and Chiapas International. He has been quoted in numerous national publications and participated in various panels on financial planning. Brandon has also been listed in D Magazine: Best Financial Planners (2013-2019).

Brandon received his Master of Science degree in Personal Financial Planning and his bachelor's degree in Marketing from Texas Tech University. He also earned his Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Dallas. In his spare time and when he isn't spending time with his wife and two children, Brandon enjoys being outdoors, on the basketball court, and reading.