Author: Michael Lehman, CFP®, CPWA®, CEPA
Michael Lehman, CFP®, CPWA®, CEPA
Michael Lehman is the CEO and Founding Partner of Premier Path Wealth Partners. Before launching Premier Path, Michael ran an advisory group at Merrill Lynch for 12 years and at Wells Fargo before that. Michael brings over 25 years of comprehensive experience to the firm and has developed a unique perspective in working with families, business owners, and executives. Michael has established and continues to grow a robust financial services firm built on the principle of understanding his clients’ unique needs and concerns to simplify their financial lives. Michael is acknowledged as a seasoned professional who seeks the latest, most advanced knowledge and techniques to address the sophisticated needs of high-net-worth clients and companies’ retirement plans. Michael’s industry accreditations include the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® certification, Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®), Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™, CRPC™ designations. Forbes has also recognized Michael on the Best-In-State Advisors list in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018 and Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams, 2023. Michael earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Rider College, where he majored in Decision Sciences and was a scholarship wrestler. Committed to sharing his time and knowledge, Mike is a Stand Up for Financial Literacy founding member. He lives with his wife, Nina, an art teacher, and their two daughters in Basking Ridge. They enjoy exploring, traveling with the family, and volunteering for various charitable causes.
Working with business owners begins with recognizing that their wealth is created differently than most investors. For many, it reflects decades of risk-taking, reinvestment, and leadership. Guiding them through protecting, growing, and transitioning that wealth requires deep understanding of their mindset as well as planning, judgment, and an appreciation for what that wealth represents. What Makes Business Owners Different? The clients we work with typically run closely-held companies with $25 to $300 million in revenue. Some are first-generation founders. Others are second or third generation, continuing a family legacy. What unites them is the “owner’s mindset” fueled by grit, innovation,…