David Copeland
Principal & Co-Founder
David has been helping clients with their financial affairs since 1981. He founded Strategic Wealth Partners in 2008 after serving as Senior Managing Director with Mesirow Financial for 21 years. He has also held investment positions with Merrill Lynch and commercial banking positions with Harris Bank.
David has applied his many years of investment experience to the development of the firm’s investment philosophy. He is committed to imparting and managing a consistent philosophy among the SWP team and ensuring that all client recommendations reflect this philosophy. David realizes that, by nature, calling short-term market moves can be treacherous. It is more important to focus on what types of risks can be expected.
David will go the extra mile to build custom solutions for clients that are best suited to their individual situations. His approach includes a focus on alternative investment strategies, and for more than 25 years, he has helped clients utilize alternative strategies, when appropriate, to support their investment objectives. Rather than focusing on the pure return portion of a manager’s track record, he believes clients will benefit most from strategies based on consistency. Those strategies are only discovered through due diligence and investment experience.
David is passionate about helping others succeed by continually deepening his knowledge base. He actively exchanges opinions and insights with other industry professionals. Currently, he serves on the Advisory Board for CAIS, a leading alternative investment platform for independent RIAs. He is an active participant, and has been a presenter, at the annual Focus Financial CIO meetings. He has also served on the PIMCO Advisory Board and J.P. Morgan Advisory Council. In addition to advising clients, he is President and Chairman of the Rebecca A. Copeland Fund for Social Justice.
David enjoys spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. In his free time, he likes to work on his golf game and travel.
MBA, Northwestern University’s JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management
BBA in Finance, University of Michigan
President and Chairman, Rebecca A. Copeland Fund for Social Justice
Founding Member, CAIS Advisory Board
Office Location
Deerfield, IL
