William T. Mawby, AIF®, CEPA®, PPC®, CRPS®, CRPC®, CPFA®

William “Bill” Mawby is a Founding Partner at Pillar Financial Group and an Investment Adviser Representative with Financial Management Strategies, Inc. With decades of experience and multiple respected designations—including AIF®, CEPA®, PPC®, CRPS®, CRPC®, and CPFA®—Bill specializes in designing, implementing, and ensuring compliance for qualified retirement plans tailored to the needs of both businesses and individuals. He began his career in asset development with Jacobs Investments Management Company, playing a key role in transformative real estate projects across the Cleveland area. From there, he transitioned into financial services with American Express Financial Advisors, where he held multiple leadership roles and built his own advisory practice before co-founding Pillar Financial Group.

Bill holds a bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College and maintains several securities registrations, including Series 6, 7, and 24, and is licensed to offer life and health insurance products across several states.

Based in Hudson, Ohio, Bill lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their four children two sets of twins. He’s deeply committed to family life, client relationships, and helping others achieve long-term goals with wisdom and care.

Want to get to know the man behind the credentials? Keep reading.

Between the Lines: A Conversation with Bill

What is your favorite non-work-related hobby? When my kids were younger, I was their coach in just about everything, baseball, basketball, cross country. I loved it! Coaching wasn’t just about sports; it was about shaping character, building teamwork, and being there for the wins and the lessons.
These days, I’ve traded the whistle for a garden spade. I’ve really come to enjoy gardening. There’s something incredibly rewarding about growing vegetables, fruit, and flowers and sharing them with neighbors and friends.

What are you currently reading, and what’s your all-time favorite book? Right now I’m into Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. It’s all about innovation and building something that’s truly new. It reminds me that success is often about seeing what others don’t. As for favorites, I’d say anything that stretches my thinking, but the quote that sticks with me is from Roger Bannister: “Just because they say it’s impossible doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”

What’s your favorite TV show, and if you could play a character, who would it be? I’m not a big TV guy, but I got hooked on Peaky Blinders. It’s gritty, historical, and surprisingly thought-provoking. My ancestors came from England around that time, so it felt a little like peeking into their world. I’m not sure which character I’d be, but definitely one of the good guys trying to make sense of a complicated world.

Are you an early bird or a night owl? Naturally an early bird for me. I enjoy the quiet, clarity, stillness of morning. It’s when I do my best uninterrupted thinking and planning. The solitude provides much inspiration!

What’s the most irrational superstition you have? I always try to exit through the same door I entered. I think it’s something my grandmother told me as a kid. No clue why, but it stuck. I don’t agree with Sartre about ‘No Exit’, my grandmother most likely agreed. There’s always a way out!

What’s a skill you have outside the office that you’re proud of? Parenting. It’s not a skill you ever fully master, but I’m proud of how I’ve shown up for my family. Raising two sets of twins has been both chaotic and beautiful. I’ve enjoyed every season of their lives, and I’m grateful the journey keeps going.

If you weren’t in this profession, what would you be doing? I’d be a teacher or a coach or both. Helping people set goals and get where they want to go, especially when they didn’t think it was possible, is very rewarding.

What’s your favorite vacation destination? For 25 years, my family and I have vacationed at Emerald Isle, North Carolina. It’s simple, quiet, and peaceful, exactly what we’ve always needed. Going forward, I think our “vacations” will be wherever our kids end up. Spending time with them will always be the goal.

What’s the biggest goal you have personally and for your practice over the next 5–10 years? Personally, it’s about staying connected to my family and growing alongside them, through every life stage. Professionally, it’s about helping more families feel confident about their future. I treat every client like family, and I take that responsibility seriously. Their goals become my goals, and that’s what keeps me going.