The Johnson Family

When we heard about Hollye and Christopher Johnson, we were deeply inspired by their story of service and strength. Both are proud U.S. Air Force veterans who dedicated years of their lives to protecting and serving our country — completing multiple overseas tours before settling in Arizona to raise their two young daughters, Amari and Kyra.

After more than a decade of military service combined, the Johnsons were ready to build a stable civilian life together. But transitioning out of the military brought unexpected challenges. Promising job opportunities fell through, costly home repairs drained their savings, and they found themselves stretched thin trying to keep up with expenses. Chris now commutes two hours each way for his aviation job, while he and Hollye balance parenting and their careers as Hollye pursues her master’s degree in social work — following dual bachelor’s degrees in divinity and behavioral science.

Despite every obstacle, their resilience and positive outlook never wavered. When we learned about their story through the Gradient Gives Back Foundation, we knew we wanted to step in and give this remarkable family the breathing room they needed.

On November 1, 2025, we surprised Hollye and Chris at what they believed was a simple brunch — revealing instead that we would be covering 12 months of their mortgage payments. Seeing their reaction was a powerful reminder of why we do what we do.

As a family-owned business, we’re incredibly grateful for the clients and community who have supported us over the years — their trust allows us to give back in meaningful ways like this. We’re honored to have helped the Johnsons and proud to support a family that has given so much through their service to others.

Brad Cooper

President | Founder

I’ll never forget the day I learned about money. I was a Police Officer, and a friend introduced me to what I now call: “Commonsense Money Principles.” You’d think I’d have been excited learning about how to manage money, but I wasn’t – I was angry.

I had all these questions flying around in my mind like:

“Why didn’t I learn this in school?”

“Shouldn’t our education system care about teaching financial principles?”

I came from a modest background, where people worked hard, and you married your high school sweetheart. I couldn’t stop thinking, “Someone needs to teach the average American how simple financial planning can be.” Turns out, God was calling ME to be that “someone.” So, I shifted careers and vowed to educate people on how simple financial planning can change their life.

For the first part of my career, the company I worked for was more focused on managing money than on education, so I kept feeling like I was not living up to part of my vow. That changed in 2006, when my brother Bruce died suddenly of a heart attack at age… 49. He was newly married and had diligently saved all his life so he could retire at 60 to “enjoy his life.” In my grief I thought, “Bruce sacrificed to reach his retirement goals; he planned and planned and planned— but he never actually lived his life.” I wondered, “What was the use of all that planning if he never enjoyed the fruits of his labor?” This realization weighed heavy on me. I immediately thought, “I want to teach people how to plan for the future while also living for today.” But to do that, I need to become a different kind of advisor. So, I started a full-service financial planning firm, centered on education. Soon after, I saw that no matter how much money people have, they are torn the way my brother was, between planning and living. But with the right guide and a bit of education it doesn’t have to be that way.That’s why for the past 16 years… I’ve created financial plans that not only provide my clients with guaranteed income for life…

But also, ample education… So, my clients will never again be so terrified of spending money that they never actually live their life. Nothing fulfills me more than seeing the relief and excitement on my clients’ face when they realize, “Wow, we really can have both.”

This is why I do what I do. And if we decide to work together, I’d love to show you how you can have both too.

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