Levi Pettit founded Dornick Wealth Management with a singular goal: to provide clients with the kind of focused, high-level financial guidance typically reserved for executive teams—serving as an outsourced CFO for families, individuals, and business owners. He leads the firm’s investment strategy and financial planning initiatives, helping clients navigate life’s complexities with clarity and confidence.
Levi’s career spans credit analysis, investment management, and mergers and acquisitions advisory. That experience shaped his conviction that wealth management should be holistic, transparent, and deeply personalized. At Dornick, success isn’t measured by assets under management, but by whether clients achieve the goals that matter most to them.
A former collegiate golfer, Levi earned Magna Cum Laude honors from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he was a two-time Cleveland/Srixon Academic All-America Scholar and graduated with a double major in Finance and Economics. He later earned his MBA from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. A CFA Charterholder and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Levi combines technical rigor with practical insight to support each client’s long-term vision.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I like to start my day with some type of physical activity. Mostly a workout or, at the very minimum, a walk with my dog. This helps me clear my head so that I can be focused and energetic as I start my work day. Once I am in the office, my mornings are totally reserved for clients. This is when we take care of any client needs, talk with clients, or execute action items from their financial plans. For lunch, I like to take a break to eat with clients, prospects, friends, or family. I see lunch as a great way to take a break and refocus as I head into the second half of my day. Afternoons are primarily focused on prospects, working on team projects, and investment due diligence. This bifurcated approach ensures that my clients are my top priority and creates space for us to constantly improve the business and how we can better serve our clients.
How do you bring ideas to life?
My wife and I do a lot of what we call “table talk”. Any time either of us have a spark of an idea or just want to throw a thought out there, we just table talk it. It doesn’t mean that we have to follow through with the idea, but it’s a great way to get the conversation going or evolve the idea into something better. I try to create space for this at work with my team so that if there is ever an issue or someone has a recommendation, we encourage table talking or whiteboarding just to get the ball rolling so that we can always be improving.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Robotics. I think that robotics and its incorporation of artificial intelligence will be the 4th economic revolution. The Agriculture, Industrial, and Information revolutions had massive societal and economic impacts. I think that robotics will have significant economic impacts sooner rather than later.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Keep a to do list. I update my to do list daily and am constantly working through it. Without it, it is easy to let things fall through the cracks. There is also a sense of accomplishment when I mark something off my to do list that helps me feel like I am making progress daily.
What advice would you give your younger self?
No idea is too big. There have been times in my life when I have dismissed a big idea too quickly rather than trying to take the necessary steps to explore the possibilities. People who act on big ideas are usually the ones who achieve something great.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
Every job is a sales job. Even the simple act of applying to a job is a form of sales. You are selling your expertise, skills, or work ethic to an employer so that you can get paid in return for that knowledge, skill, or work ethic.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Travel. I love getting out of town even if it is just for a weekend trip. Go visit a friend or family. Fly to a new city you have never been to before. Life is short so get out there and explore. You don’t have to wait for retirement to travel.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I like to go to the driving range to clear my head. Growing up playing competitive golf, I spent a ton of time as a kid on the driving range, usually trying to improve my game. Now the driving range serves a different purpose for me. When I spend time on the driving range it can be therapeutic. I really believe it helps me reset mentally.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
My first boss told me that I should never stop learning. I probably took that too literally because I completed both the CFA and CFP programs. These were critical to picking up extra knowledge and skills for my roles. I think firsthand work experience trumps all, but both of those programs taught me practical technical skills that are so valuable to what I do.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
There was a time in my career where I was afraid to voice my thoughts or opinions. I realized this was only holding me back and not moving me forward. I convinced myself that I am in the position I am in because of expertise and a level of trust. Once I began sharing my thoughts more freely, I was able to be more effective.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A subscription coffee shop. As someone who enjoys going to a coffee shop to buy a cup of coffee, I would be an immediate customer. I think if you do it right, you could use the basic coffee subscription to increase foot traffic and then offer additional products like food and specialty coffees to drive additional revenue. It could also be a way to increase customer loyalty in a very competitive space, but determining how much coffee you get at what price in the subscription is where it could get tricky.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Our CRM for our company is a critical component to what we do. I try to make our CRM the centerpiece of our business. It allows us to collaborate, assign tasks, set reminders, and stay on top of what we need to accomplish for our clients.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
My dog is a puppy, so keeping her occupied is a necessity. I have been spoiling her with new toys to constantly keep her busy. New dog toys have been a great investment to keep her from chewing something in the house that could be much more expensive to replace or fix.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
I am reading The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom. It’s all about the balance of time, social, mental, physical, and financial wealth. This has been a great read, especially in the early stages of launching my own firm. I’d suggest reading it when you can take notes and complete some of the action items in the book. There are a lot of exercises that really challenge you to reflect on your own life and not just breeze through the chapters.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I am a notoriously bad TV watcher. If you name a movie or show, it’s highly likely I have not seen it. Admittedly, I have little to contribute to conversations when people are talking about the new shows they’re watching. I recently watched The Penguin after some friends kept recommending it. As someone who loved Batman movies growing up, I found myself binge watching every episode.
Key learnings
- Use a to do list. It will help you stay on task and provide a sense of achievement when you cross something off the list.
- Don’t be afraid of big ideas. Take time to brainstorm on them and see what is possible. Inaction is the enemy of innovation.
- Never stop learning. In an ever changing technological landscape, the desire to learn and expand your skill set will keep you on top of your game.