About Me
January Smith IV
January was born and raised in San Antonio, TX, graduating from Alamo Heights High School in 2010. After receiving his BS in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 2014, he began his eight year career in engineering alongside his wife, Ellen. This experience would take them to Virginia, Tennessee, and finally back home to San Antonio. January's engineering projects ranged from ballistic missile re-entry to nuclear power generation.
In 2022, January made a career change into personal financial planning after completing the Certified Financial Planning education. He briefly worked as a Financial Analyst with Rudd & Wisdom, where, after passing the Certified Financial Planning Exam, he launched Janus Financial Planning, LLC as an independent Registered Investment Advisor.
While January and Ellen's careers diverged in 2022, they had already started their joint life-long project of raising their son, January Smith V ("J"), in 2019. J proudly marks the fifth generation January Haden Smith.
The Name "Janus"
Our family name, January, is the first month of the Gregorian calendar. This month was named after Janus, the Roman God of transitions. Our financial lives are full of transitions: from getting married, to having kids, to retirement and beyond. This makes Janus an appropriate figure for a financial planning firm. Janus is often depicted with two heads: one looking backward to the past with the second looking forward into the future. Janus is often associated with the celebration of the New Year. So the next time you ring in the New Year, think of Janus, and think of us!
About the Company
Janus Financial Planning was founded to bring comprehensive, personalized, and fee-only advice to individuals and families in a transparent way. As my family grew and financial security became increasingly more important, I began researching the financial services industry. I was astounded by the ambiguity around fee structures and the tendency to focus solely on investments, often times with prohibitive asset minimums. I have set out to fix this and want to earn your trust along the way. When you partner with Janus Financial Planning, you are partnering with me. Your goals are my goals. I love personal finance and I hope that shows. I want to get you and your family back to doing the things you love by aligning your money with your goals and bringing clarity to your finances. We aim to work with a select few households on a very personal level.