For Muirfield resident Sam McCoy, the path to entrepreneurship was never about taking shortcuts. It was about putting in the work — steadily, intentionally, and with, as he says, “tenacity.”

In 2024, McCoy officially launched Tenacity Private Wealth, a comprehensive wealth management and tax advice firm focused on helping high-net-worth individuals and business owners make informed financial decisions with confidence and clarity. But the dream began years earlier, long before the company’s doors officially opened. 

A graduate of The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, McCoy built a strong professional foundation through three years at Ernst & Young in Chicago, followed by a decade in wealth planning roles at UBS and Morgan Stanley. Along the way, he prepared thousands of financial plans for clients ranging from emerging professionals to ultra-high-net-worth families.

The experience shaped not only his technical expertise, but also his vision for the kind of firm he wanted to build. He envisioned a business model centered on offering clients clear and straight-forward financial advice, freeing up their capacity to focus on what matters most to each respective client. With his plans in place, McCoy credits his wife, Sarah, as playing a key role in launching the business. “I was able to take this risk because of the support and stability Sarah continued to provide for our family,” McCoy shared. 

Naming the business was an equally intentional process. McCoy traced the inspiration back to a favorite calculus teacher who often reminded students: “Be tenacious. Duck your head. Do the work.”  The phrase became a personal mantra for McCoy. 

“When I applied for the UBS Wealth Planning Analyst program, there were 10,000 applicants for 20 spots,” McCoy said. “Today, I’m the only person from my cohort still in the business.” 

 

McCoy recognized this type of perseverance as a common trait of his future clients. He wanted to demonstrate to future clients that his firm knows what it takes to build a legacy, and that Tenacity will be the steady hand clients need to achieve success. 

Tenacity differentiates itself by providing more than investment advice. The firm offers integrated wealth management services that serve both the family and their business; including comprehensive financial planning, tax compliance, and retirement plan support all under one roof — an approach McCoy says creates a more seamless, educated decision-making process for clients.

A key part of that offering came through long-time collaborator Mike Rhinehart – a CPA who now serves as Tenacity’s Director of Operations and leads the firm’s tax offerings. “Mike understands service in a way that can’t really be taught,” McCoy said. 

McCoy believes building long-term value requires much more than investment selection alone. “It’s understanding the why, where, and how — setting things up properly from the beginning to avoid costly mistakes later.”  

Tenacity thrives on opportunities to equip clients with the well-rounded support needed to make educated decisions and reach their desired outcomes.  

For McCoy, success is ultimately about relationships. “The real value I’m building is a community network,” he said. “I want clients to feel like we’re growing and creating together.”