Forty Under 40: Clay Kendall

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Clay Kendall sought adventure in his 20s by living for a year as a “ski bum” in Colorado, which he revisits about once yearly on spring vacation with his family.

Following the ever-changing stock market evokes a similar sense of excitement for him.

Having earned his accounting degree from the University of Arkansas in 1998, Kendall started his career as a financial reporting accountant at Arvest Bank, but a stint in risk management at Arvest Mortgage Co. in Tulsa, Oklahoma, exposed him to stock watching, and he never turned back.

He started a new career and joined the world of financial advising in 2003 at Edward Jones Investments, back in his hometown of Rogers.

In 2006, Kendall and several partners started their own firm, AdvisorAlliance LLC. Five years later, Kendall and two of the partners left to form WealthPath Investment Advisors.

The firm now has offices in Rogers, Fayetteville, Little Rock and Oklahoma City.

In 2013, he earned the respected designation of Chartered Financial Analyst.

Because the financial industry can be tough to navigate, Kendall recommends that those just starting out find a mentor — “someone with some gray hair and some experience,” he said.

For Kendall, that mentor has been partner Jim Mote, for whom he is “grateful for the wealth of wisdom he has provided throughout the years.”

Since 2012, Kendall has also served as a member of the Rogers City Council.