ADAM CMEJLA

Adam Cmejla can thank his wife and his 92-year-old grandfather for his career path. From the latter, a dairy farmer in Wisconsin, where Cmejla (pronounced SHMAY-LA) was raised, he learned that having a financial adviser who offers “tough love and accountability,” as well as advice about developing good saving habits and allowing those habits to dictate spending, can lead to wealth. His wife, an optometrist, influenced his business niche and calling: “Helping optometrists plan life. On purpose.”

That mission statement not only greets visitors to his landing page, it’s what he and the registered investment advisory firm he founded in suburban Indianapolis in 2017 strive to do for optometrists by serving as their business and personal CFO. “Most optometrists are hard-working, and I love their predictable and consistent business model,” he says. “I’ve come to understand the metrics and ratios of that model and help optometrists improve them in order to increase cash flow, which can pay for many benefits.”

In addition to hosting a podcast and writing educational material for optometrists, Cmejla has mentored students in the finance program at Ball State University and serves as the incoming president of the Financial Planning Association of Indiana.

— Evan Cooper