June 23, 2022

Mountain Shadows Foundation Welcomes New Board Member, Fabian Waldner

by Sheryl Wilde

Eiger Mountain, which stands at 13,025 feet, forms part of the Bernese Alps Mountain range in Switzerland. Eiger’s north face is inarguably one of the most notorious mountain faces in the world. A vertical mile of brittle limestone and ice, the north face is perpetually in shadow, and due to its unique shape, virtually contains its own unique, unpredictable weather system.

Eiger presents a challenging, highly technical and difficult climb for even seasoned mountaineers. Despite this, it continues to spark the imagination of climbers across the world. Climbers must have a high level of skill and commitment to forge its icy face. A good amount of luck is also required, due to the extreme unpredictability and rapidly changing weather patterns.

Mountain Shadows Foundation’s new Board Member, Fabian Waldner, was born and raised in Switzerland. And now, the spirit of his home country’s storied mountain is embodied in his company’s name and mission: Eiger Wealth Management, LLC – helping clients ascend to financial freedom.

“We help our clients with all of their financial affairs, such as investing their assets, tax planning, and estate planning,” says Fabian. “We manage roughly $270 million in client assets. We’re a small firm and we know each client intimately. They’re not just a number.”

As the summit of the Eiger can be reached only by the most experienced climbers, so too can wealth and financial freedom be achieved best with expertise gained from the most experienced and dedicated advisors.

“We are quite different than a typical advisory firm. We specialize in private investments that are not available to the general public and are not directly correlated to the stock market. For example, in April, the stock market went down, and bonds also went down in value. The markets were unpredictable and changing constantly, but our clients tended not to feel the pain to the same degree, because we offer other investments, especially in the real estate arena. We don’t advertise our services. All of our clients come from referrals.”

Fabian has strong ties to our Mountain Shadows mission of enriching the lives of disabled individuals.

“I have twins, Tristan and Tyler, with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder,” says Fabian.

“Those with Williams Syndrome have a distinctive pattern of intellectual peaks and valleys,” says Ursula Bellugi, a researcher at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, “including low IQs, developmental delays, and learning disabilities, all coupled with a rich, imaginative capacity for language – and exuberantly social personalities.”

Adds Fabian, “Tristan and Tyler are very outgoing. They want to talk to everybody. If they had their way, they would be friends with everybody. To them, there’s no such thing as a stranger. I’ve heard other parents of children who have Williams Syndrome say their kids are so trusting that you can’t teach them there are people out there who may want to harm them.

“So, when you tell them not to talk to strangers, a typical reaction would be for them to walk up to the stranger, and say, ‘Are you a stranger?’ It just doesn’t register with them.

“Having Tristan and Tyler, I know, firsthand, how individuals with special needs can feel left out. How they can feel lonely.

“I’ve also seen how others sometimes don’t understand special needs individuals. I have a friend who was talking to someone several years ago, and this individual was so upset that Disneyland was giving special treatment to those with special needs. He was saying, ‘I have to stand in line. Why are they allowed to skip the line?’ He was just furious.

“It’s hard for me to comprehend how anyone could feel that way. Maybe it’s unfair that you have to wait a little bit longer in line, but is it fair they can’t do all the things you can do? Is it fair you can run and do all these things, and they can’t?

“I think, fortunately, most people don’t feel that way, but I am concerned when I hear that mentality is out there.

“I hope that by being on the Board, I’ll have opportunities to help change things and improve the lives of special needs individuals.”

As a young man, Fabian was instilled with a deep sense of service during a two-year mission for his church. “I was sent to Northern Germany to help people in need. I think my faith was strengthened by serving. I learned that even when things seem bleak, if you have faith, you can overcome anything. I think this helped my wife and I, especially when Tristan and Tyler were first born. We didn’t have any answers. We didn’t know what was going on with them.  I think faith during that time was a huge, huge help.”

Prior to his mission work, Fabian qualified for the elite special forces of the Swiss military known as the Grenadiers.

Fabian holds a JD and BA in International Law and Diplomacy from Brigham Young University. He is licensed to practice law in North Carolina and holds a license as a uniform investment advisor representative (NASD Series 65). He is fluent in German, French, and Latin.

He is an active member of his church and resides in San Diego with his wife, Kimber, and five children, Tristan, Tyler, Shaylee, Jayden and Kate.

We welcome Fabian Waldner to our Board of Directors. From Eiger Mountain, to the Mountain Shadows Foundation, we look forward to facing all challenges together, and to helping our residents ascend to new heights of personal freedom.