How a client-advisor partnership teed up success

When Schwab financial consultant David Vera invited his longtime client David Sofy to join him in the Rocket Mortgage Pro-Am, it wasn’t just about golf—it was about celebrating a milestone and deepening a relationship. But it resulted in creating a moment neither of them would forget.

Vera has worked at Schwab for more than 11 years. Sofy has been a client for over 28 years and has worked with several Schwab financial consultants. Five years ago, Sofy became Vera’s client following a referral from his sister Nancy, whom Sofy initially referred to Schwab.

Nancy is also a client of Vera’s, but their connection goes beyond business. They both serve on the board of the Boys and Girls Club in Troy, Michigan, and have built a strong bond through their shared commitment to volunteering and community work. That trust led Nancy to introduce her brother to Vera, and Sofy’s been working with him ever since.

Sofy had recently sold his plastics manufacturing business, and Vera saw the Pro-Am as a perfect way to mark the occasion. “We’d golfed together before and I thought it would be a great way to celebrate his retirement and the next chapter,” explains Vera.

Sofy was honored and excited by the invitation. He brought his young daughter Hanna along as his caddie—her first time in the role—turning it into a family affair. But he was also a bit nervous. “I knew the course from playing it over the years, but didn’t want to embarrass the team or myself,” he admits. 

The tournament was a high-energy, competitive event filled with local celebrities, business leaders, and professional athletes. The format was a shamble: each team uses the best drive, then plays their own ball from that position, with the best score on each hole counting toward the team total.

Vera and Sofy played nine holes with each of their selected pros, starting with Webb Simpson, a former U.S. Open champion. 

“Webb was great—very down to earth,” recalls Vera. Simpson’s daughter also walked the course, adding to the family atmosphere.

After the front nine, Simpson checked the leaderboard and realized their team was in the top five. He handed them off to their second pro, Camilo Villegas with encouragement: “These guys are doing pretty well—take it from here,” Vera recalls him saying.

Playing alongside Villegas was meaningful for both men. 

“I’ve followed Camilo since he first came onto the scene,” says Vera. “We were both living in Miami at the time, and he was this charismatic, fearless player. He was fun to watch.”

Villegas had stepped away from golf after losing his 22-month-old daughter to cancerous tumors on her brain and spine. His return to the sport—and his openness about the journey—resonated with both Vera and Sofy. 

“He shared some tough stories with us during the tournament,” says Vera. “It was raw and real.”

Sofy was deeply moved. “He had a logo on his bag that said Mia’s Miracles and I asked him about it. He mentioned Mia was his daughter that had died from cancer. As we talked, I told him that my wife and I had lost a baby son, and I know how that pain never goes away—you just learn to live with it.”

Inspired by Villegas’ courage and compassion, Sofy made a donation to Mia’s Miracles, hoping to lend another family in crisis a helping hand as they reconcile the death of a child.

He thought he might receive a foundation thank-you note but he received much more: a call from the foundation leader and a personal text from Villegas expressing sincere gratitude. 

“The Villegas’s may be celebrities, but they are still people and the pain they suffered was real and deep. The consideration they show to others in need is just too sincere to be left unnoticed.”

Vera stayed after their early tee time to watch the leaderboard. Sofy had left, thinking their score wouldn’t hold. But as afternoon storms rolled in, conditions worsened for the remaining teams, and their score stayed at the top.

“There was one team that had a chance to tie us on the 18th hole,” says Vera. “The guy missed the putt. That’s when I realized—we might actually win this thing.”

And they did. Sofy was stunned when Vera called him with the good news.

As Vera, a first-time tournament participant, was being handed the trophy, a tournament organizer said to him, “Look around this room—there are people who’ve been coming here for years hoping for what you just did.”

The next day, Vera showed up at Sofy’s office with the trophy—unannounced and unknowingly during his retirement and farewell party. 

“I walked in right as he was giving his farewell speech to his employees,” recalls Vera. “His back was to me, but everyone else saw me. His sister Nancy stood up and said, ‘Not only is he retiring, but he’s retiring as the Rocket Mortgage Pro-Am champ!’”

It was a moment that brought everything full circle—from a referral built on trust, to a shared experience on the course, to a celebration of a career and a friendship. 

Vera’s approach to financial consulting centers on authentic connections. His relationship with Sofy began through a referral, but it took time to build. 

“He was reserved at first, but over the years, through shared experiences and the connection I had with his sister, he started to open up. Now I’ve met his wife and kids. It’s a real relationship.”

Sofy agrees, calling Vera helpful and sincere. “I’ve been lucky in life financially and would have been fine with or without a financial advisor,” he says. “But things go better with other voices expressing their knowledge and helping me to understand many things I don’t see or understand. We meet on a regular basis to discuss trends and try to anticipate what is new on the financial horizon. He always has good ideas that I use and makes sure things get done in an orderly fashion.”

“That’s how I’ve built my practice,” explains Vera. “It’s about being genuine. When clients see that you care about them as people, not just portfolios, they open up.”

And in the end, that’s what the trophy really represents—it’s an enduring reminder of a connection built over years and cemented as teammates on the golf course. It was a victory earned through years of thoughtful relationship-building and a commitment to putting people first.