Always Serving Your Best Interest
We invite you to get to know the seasoned and knowledgeable SchlegelDunn team. We’re not sales-oriented because we’re relationship-oriented, and trust is our product. We are stewards of your wealth, so our relationships are built on collaboration, trust, and a mutual understanding of your financial and life goals.
Meet Our Team
Steven T. Schlegel
CPA, CFP®
Scott J. Schlegel
CPA, CFP®
Brent J. Dunn
MMFT, LMFT, LPC, CFP®
Steven T. Schlegel, CPA, CFP®
Founder, Owner, Financial Planner
I’m Steven Schlegel and I founded our firm in 2005, but there’s a lot more to my story. I was born in Amarillo, Texas, and am proud to have lived in Texas ever since. While I own a shotgun I would much rather be taking aim with a 9-iron on a golf course. Glad we have Brent around here to hunt and fish for us if we get hungry.
I am married to my wonderful wife, Jamie. We have two amazing boys, Luke and Landon. When you have a last name as fun as Schlegel, you sigh with relief when you realize you can pass that spelling challenge on to the world for another generation.
Even in high school, I wanted to be a financial advisor (fun guy, huh?). Pursuing that goal, I graduated from Abilene Christian University with degrees in accounting and finance. After working for other firms and gaining valuable experience, I left a larger group to find the independence to do what is best for each client, without other pressure. I have now been in this profession for more than 20 years. Along the way, I became a Certified Public Accountant and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.
I do love numbers and investments, but if that is where my interest stopped, I would have stayed in the accounting profession. Or even better, I would have become an actuary! What I like about the numbers is how they represent someone’s life. There is so much at stake in all the critical money decisions we must make. There is an amazing difference in the quality of life for the person who has a well-executed financial plan, avoids common investing mistakes, and is well-prepared for possible surprises. I have been able to help clients through decisions that literally changed their lives. For example, remaining calm during a scary market, or realizing there is a pathway to financial independence that is achievable for them. This is where the passion for numbers becomes my passion for people. I love seeing the “light bulb” turn on as we help educate and coach our clients, who often become good friends.
While I enjoy working, I also enjoy playing golf. With a young family, I don’t find myself on the course that often. Instead, I am involved with my kids’ sports, listening to them play piano, or building amazing architectural achievements…with Legos.
I also love to run. I’ve completed one marathon and I loved every minute of it. Really. There are so many lessons to learn from training for and accomplishing a goal. Even the painful steps are beautiful. I think the marathon teaches a lot about life. Lots of parallels to the ups and downs we all experience, as well as the benefit gained if we stick with it. I still run but have a few more nagging injuries and a long run for me is 6 miles now, instead of 26.
Over the last few years, I have tried to commit to more reading. I’ve rotated through classic novels (the books I was supposed to have read in high school), business-related books, history books, and spiritual books. I’ve now made the habit of regular reading a more serious part of my life and I am becoming a better person because of it.
No introduction to myself is complete without a word about my faith. In my Christian faith, I find my ultimate foundation for truth and stability in life. I am reminded every day of the miracle of God’s love for us, shown through His amazing grace.
There’s a bit about me. I love what I do, I love my family, and I get to work with my twin brother and another of my best friends. I’d love the chance to get to know you, too. Please contact us if you think an introduction would be worthwhile.
Scott J. Schlegel, CPA, CFP®
Owner, Financial Planner
Hey there, I’m Scott, a recovering CPA who found a path out of accounting and into a career I’m immensely passionate about. I’ve been a financial planner since 2006 and joined the SchlegelDunn team in 2009. My brother started our firm in 2005 and he’s not just my brother. We are also identical twins. That means I’m tied for the best-looking guy in the office.
I’m a native Texan (though I somehow dodged the normal Texan prerequisites of hunting and driving an incredibly large truck). After finishing college at Abilene Christian University, I moved back to Dallas and spent the first five years of my career in the accounting world. And while I did enjoy my job and the good people I worked with, I just knew I wasn’t really an accountant. I wanted my career to have more of an impact on people’s lives (at least in a way that I could directly see). That desire led me to leave accounting and begin my career as a financial planner. I spent four years with a great firm in Dallas where I also earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, and then, in 2009, I left to join my brother’s firm. We added our third partner, Brent Dunn, and were off and running. Brent is a great advisor and friend, and one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met.
My favorite part of my job is the time I spend with my clients, and the satisfaction I feel in helping them build a plan to achieve their family’s dreams and goals. There’s nothing quite like it, and I love having a job that I feel God made me to do. Financial planning is so unique in that there are so many hats a good planner must wear. We are analysts and creators, but also counselors and coaches. It takes intelligence and empathy to do this job well, and there’s nothing I’d rather be doing.
When I’m not building financial plans, I love to run. I always say it is my healthy escape. And oddly (though conveniently in Texas), my favorite time to run is in the hot Texas summer. I’m still not sure where that came from, but I’ve embraced it. I’ve been able to run two marathons and three half-marathons. As a side note, if you too are a runner, I highly recommend the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, which is in April each spring. It is an amazing run and memorializes the tragic bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in 1995. You just need to be okay running a few miles with teary eyes.
I also love the opportunity to be able to serve and give back. I’m thankful to be able to serve with the Prison Entrepreneurship Program at a prison southwest of Dallas. This in-prison program allows volunteers from the business community to walk alongside men who are nearing release to help them successfully transition back to life on the outside, and truly claim a new life. And like most areas of service, I think I get much more out of it than I give. If you want to see a glimpse of the power and possibility of a second chance, their website is www.pep.org.
Thank you for checking out our website and reading my bio. I hope you now feel like you’ve gotten to know me better. I’d love to get to know you as well. As you explore our website and learn more about our firm and process, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you think that we might be a good partner for you.
Brent J. Dunn, MMFT, LMFT, LPC, CFP®
Owner, Financial Planner
Hello, I’m Brent, and represent the Dunn in SchlegelDunn. I’ve learned my path to financial planning is unique. I’ve never met an advisor who entered the industry the same way. Let’s just say that as a kid I didn’t fight over a calculator like Scott and Steven probably did. And although my story is unconventional, once you know some twists and turns, you’ll have no difficulty seeing how it shaped me for helping others. It set me up for my perfect career at SchlegelDunn.
My entire work history has been driven by a single passion. I love helping people achieve freedom. It may sound cliché or generic, but that’s my most accurate and brief elevator speech.
Occupationally, for my entire career, I have been helping people reach a better place. When I meet advisors, they are typically surprised to discover that I am also a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have facilitated more than 20,000 counseling sessions. Talk about an experience that shaped me to be a better listener and communicator. In that career, I was privileged to walk with others, to guide and support — helping them find freedom — from feeling stuck in depression, anxiety, poor communication, a bad marriage, overwhelming grief, feeling lost, etc.
While working in a private practice my wife and I started in 2002 (she’s also a professional counselor), I realized how frequently the topic of money came up. People did not have freedom, financially or emotionally. And it was taboo to talk about. So, they told me. I learned they had debt, fought over money, divorced over money, had anxiety or guilt about money, and worried about their kids. Most were lacking in financial goals and direction. I didn’t know how to help. So, I decided to learn. I went back to school, taking classes at SMU. I earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification.
Financial planning and investing were fascinating. I had the soft skills down. I knew people. I could sit with them. Over time, I gained the technical knowledge. In January 2010, I joined Steven and Scott and SchlegelDunn was born.
Faith is something we all share. It’s significant to who we are as individuals. We are business partners and even more, great friends. I like to think our clients can sense the people they trust really like each other and like what we do.
I think I should end with my “Why?”. Why do I work so hard for my clients? Why am I driven to make clients' lives better? Let me introduce you to my amazing wife, Renee’ and my talented teenagers, Avery and Jackson. I have a wonderful family, and I’m driven to give them the best life possible. This means I love quality time and supporting them in chasing their dreams. In 2013, we made Frisco, Texas our home. We love our city and feel immensely blessed to live in such a wonderful community.
If you see me away from work, I’ll most likely be wearing a cap. I’m a coach for my son’s club soccer team, where I have nearly a decade of experience. Or you may see me supporting my daughter’s Broadway pursuit, and volunteering for North Texas Performing Arts where I’ve served as a board member. And I’m also honored to be on ACU’s Alumni Board, able to give back to my university.
One day I’ll get back to golfing, fishing, and hunting. I’ll continue going to sporting events and hosting friends with pre-game tailgates. I’ll cook and travel and continue putting money into experiences over possessions. But for now, I’m happy to give my time mostly to family and clients. I feel blessed by my unusual path to this place of financial planning and investment management. I’d love an opportunity to meet you to see how we could work together and help you find even more freedom.
Our Extended Team
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