Our Story
Who We AreWe built this, because we needed it too.
Forty W Advisors wasn't born in a boardroom. It started with an honest moment of recognition, and a decision to finally build something that actually fit.
Forty W Advisors was founded in 2020 around a single insight: the Peak Generation, professionals in their 40s and 50s, had become the movers, the decision-makers, the ones holding up the generations above and below them simultaneously. They were raising kids, supporting aging parents, managing careers at full speed, and navigating financial lives that had quietly become more complex than anyone had planned for. They were at their peak. And the financial services industry was treating them like an afterthought, judging them by their current balance instead of their potential, chasing clients who'd already made it through the hard transitions, avoiding the complicated work that actually mattered.
Forty W was built for the generation its founders understood, because they are that generation. A practice designed from scratch for professionals who were finished settling for institutions built for someone else's life stage. No more reactive planning, no more gaps between meetings when the real decisions happen, no more treating equity compensation and business planning and tax strategy as separate problems. Just one coordinated partner, fully committed to the people who were finally ready to say: it's our turn now.
Meet the Team
Chris Thomas, CFP®, AIF®, CPFA
Co-Managing Director
On a run on my 40th birthday, I had a realization: My generation was entering its prime, becoming the decision makers, the money makers, the people paying the bills for generations before and after them. Yet the financial services industry treats us like an afterthought.
That insight changed everything. Like the clients I aimed to serve, I was at my own inflection point. I was ready to build something different and in 2020, started Forty W Advisors to serve the Peak Generation, professionals whose careers, families, and financial complexity have all reached their peak simultaneously.
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I understand this generation because I’m living it. From my early childhood in the Midwest to the New Jersey suburbs of New York City, then on to James Madison University and eventually the DC area, my path mirrors many of my clients. I’m focused on building a career, putting down roots, and growing into all of life's biggest responsibilities.
A decade after moving to the DC area, I married my wife Jessica. Together we're raising three daughters, Claire, Elise, and Grace, in Ellicott City, Maryland. I coach their teams, help manage the chaos of family life, and somehow found a male ally in our labradoodle, Sammy. I’m keenly aware of the stress that finances can create and passionate about helping people get organized, see the full picture, and become the best version of themselves.
When I’m not working, on the sidelines of the girl’s games, or watching a dance recital, you'll find me on the golf course or running the trails near our home, often processing my next big idea for how to better serve clients in their prime.
Mike Hoffman, CFP®, AIF®, CRPC
I began my journey in the financial services industry in 2007, with T. Rowe Price. There I discovered my true calling: assisting clients in navigating the intricate landscape of their financial lives. Over the past 15+ years, I have dedicated myself to the independent advisory sector, working closely with entrepreneurs, executives, athletes, and entertainers to develop comprehensive strategies for their business and personal finances.
In 2023, I joined Forty W Advisors. We share a client-centric mindset, fueled by our shared dedication to exceptional client service.
My early years were spent in Memphis, TN, before my family moved to Pittsburgh, PA, and later to Little Rock, AR. Following my education at James Madison University, I relocated to the Baltimore area to pursue my career in financial services. Since then, Baltimore has become my home, where I reside with my wife Amy and our two daughters, Madeline and Juliette.
Co-Managing Director
Sofia Walters
Client Experience Manager
I believe the strongest businesses are those that are relationship-based, grown through client referrals, and that strive to serve their clients first. That’s how I ran my own boutique photography business and how I have helped other businesses throughout my career.
I joined Forty W Advisors in 2021 because of the team’s enthusiasm for taking their client experience to another level.
I grew up in Huntington Beach, California before trekking east through Texas and Tennessee.
I currently live in Ellicott City with my three kids.
Micah Patashnik, CFP®, AIF®, CRPC®
Financial Planning & Investment Operations
Micah is a partner of MacroView Investment Management, LLC and provides financial planning and investment operations support to the Forty W Advisors team.
As an investment advisor, Micah works diligently with MacroView clients on analyzing their overall financial situation in order to build an investment portfolio around their unique goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. Micah believes in the importance of client communication and transparency of their investment portfolio. By helping clients understand and not deviate from their investment plan, they increase the likelihood of achieving their long-term goals.
Micah graduated magna cum laude from American University with a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics & Economics. Micah is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and also holds the designations of Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®). In addition, Micah has his Life and Health License from the state of Maryland and is licensed as an Investment Advisor Representative.
Daniel Cohen, JD*, MBA
Chief Compliance Officer
Daniel is the Owner and Managing Partner of MacroView Investment Management, LLC. In his role he also serves as the Chief Compliance Officer over all MacroView business including the Forty W Advisors team.
Daniel has been an investment advisor since 1997, with both small and large money management firms. Prior to joining MacroView, he was a Director at Chevy Chase Trust. He graduated in 1985 from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor's Degree. In 1989, he graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Juris Doctor and a Masters of Business Administration.
* Not practicing
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If this sounds familiar, that's the point. Let's talk about what's next for your life.