Mark Josephs

Mark Josephs believes that financial planning is very similar to strategic planning for large corporations, except focused on individuals, families and small business owners. As a partner at True Vision Financial Advisors, Mark uses his background in corporate strategy to build personalized retirement roadmaps for his clients. He is dedicated to providing independent, customized advice that empowers his clients to work towards their financial goals.

“I view financial planning as building a strategy for the most important ‘business’ there is: your family.”

Mark’s work ethic was built on the West Side of St. Paul at Joseph’s Market, the “mom and pop” grocery store his parents owned for 38 years. Watching his parents work seven days a week taught him the value of hard work and the importance of community. Today, Mark carries that same dedication into his practice, viewing his clients not just as accounts, but as neighbors and friends.

Mark’s path to financial advice was “circuitous”, but technically rigorous. After earning a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota, he served in the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps. He later transitioned to Wall Street as a financial controller for Goldman Sachs before returning home to earn his MBA in Finance, again, from the U of M. Before becoming an advisor, he spent multiple years in corporate strategy for Honeywell, where he gained experience in long-term planning and data analysis that he still uses with clients today.

In 2009, driven by a desire to travel less for work and be around more for his two sons, Mark pivoted his strategic skills towards personal finance. He spent years building his practice from the ground up at Edward Jones and Ameriprise, often “pounding the pavement” to meet neighbors that lived near his business. In 2021, Mark and his business partner, Patrick Murphy, chose the path of full independence, with the goal of ensuring they had complete control over their recommendations to always act in the best interest of their clients.

Mark is a firm believer that true financial confidence comes through understanding how personal finances work. Because of this, he and Patrick regularly teach community education courses on retirement planning, helping people navigate the complexities of Social Security, taxes, and investments.

Mark is grateful for the opportunity to work in the community where he was raised. When he isn’t analyzing portfolios or teaching classes, he enjoys spending time with his family and trying to pass on the lessons learned from his parents of faith, gratitude, grit, and the joy of a job well done for people you care about.