In a single calendar year, back in 2021, Mark Huber spent over $3,200 eating at Skippy’s Gyros in South Elgin.

“I’m a financial advisor, so of course I ran the numbers,” says Mark, who enjoyed most of those visits with his stepdaughter, Sydney. “I told Sydney we had to cut back, but honestly, if I were on death row, a gyro with fries would be my meal of choice.” 

Mark, owner of Thornwood Financial, doesn’t judge anyone for how they spend their money, be it on absurd amounts of Gyros or on dog poop removal services—both line items in his budget.  “I don’t care how you spend your money, so long as you know where it’s going,” says Mark, who clearly practices what he preaches.  

A longtime resident of Thornwood, Mark lives in the neighborhood with his wife, Kathleen, and their daughters, Faith and Sydney. Both daughters are seniors—Sydney in high school at St. Charles North, and Faith at The Ohio State University, where she’s studying to be an architect. “I’m always looking forward to the summer, when Faith comes home and we’re all together for a few months,” says Mark.  
 
Mark and Kathleen—or Kathy, as he calls her—have been together since 2013, but their story started back in middle school.  “Kathy was so far out of my league back then,” says Mark. “I was the geek with my shirt tail hanging out; she was the cheerleader.”  Still, the two were friends throughout high school, and reconnected years later. “My good friend told me I didn’t have a shot” says Mark. “‘She’s still out of your league,’ he warned me. But I disagreed and went for it anyway.

As it turned out, he did have a shot, and she said yes to his Central Park proposal in 2019.  “When we were first dating, I told Kathy to go on as many Match dates as she wanted,” said Mark. “She’s beautiful, and I knew she had a lot of options. But I was confident, and I didn’t want her to have any doubts about us.” 

When it comes to finding a financial advisor, Mark feels the same way. He believes choosing an advisor is one of the most important decisions in life, and too many people treat it casually. "You wouldn’t pick your doctor just because he lived next door,” he says. “If someone chooses to work with me, to have Thornwood Financial manage their financial future, I want it to be because they’re confident that I’m the best person for the job, not just because I’m local.” 

To back that belief, Thornwood Financial created a robust guide to follow when choosing and evaluating a financial advisor—free to anyone on their website.   

“Everyone needs financial advice,” says Mark. “When my mom died, I found out that she was broke, and I hate how scary that must have been for her. She was 72, trying to make her money last.” Mark, who wasn’t a financial advisor at the time, wishes his mom had had someone to advise her. “If she’d had a financial advisor, she would have had a higher quality of life,” says Mark. “She was insistent on paying for me to attend college. I’m so grateful for that, but if I had been her advisor, I would have told her not to pay for my college!” 

Learning about his mom’s finances is what changed everything for Mark. “It’s my ‘why,’” says Mark. “Why I’m so passionate about advising everyone—and why we don’t have set minimums at Thornwood Financial.” 

Mark’s passion for financial literacy is also why Thornwood hosts free community classes and webinars, both online and in person. They give back to the community in other ways, too, including donating to local foundations and charitable events.  

“I’m a sucker for any kind of dog charity,” says Mark, whose best buddy is their seven-year-old Beagle, Walter.  

On most nights, you can find Mark on his patio, smoking a cigar and catching a baseball game, if he’s lucky. “A comfortable chair, a book, a cigar, and a dog—that’s my happy place.”   

Mark Huber is President of Thornwood Financial and a Thornwood resident since 2015. Get in touch by phone or email: 630-467-6700 or mark@thornwoodfinancial.com.