At 13 and Campbell in Royal Oak, there’s a hula girl silhouette on the side of a building, complete with palm tree and sunset. It’s the kind of image you don’t expect to see alongside the practicality of Little Caesars and 7-Eleven.
Michael Cayen put it up. His goal is simple: make something bright enough to maybe change a stranger’s mood at a red light.
“That’s the whole point,” he says. “If it brings a smile to somebody’s face… good.”
Michael’s philosophy was shaped during the three years he spent in Hawaii after graduating from Michigan State. There, he learned the ohana (extended family) way of treating people, which impacted him so much that he named his boutique Royal Oak firm Ohana Wealth Advisory.
What’s an example of ohana at Ohana? Before Michael gives investment advice, he asks himself one question: Would I have my mother invest in this?
Beyond Hawaii’s laid-back spirit, which matches his own (“I’m a laid-back person,” he says), Michael loved the way people there look out for each other.
"It's the way they take care of their own," he says. "That stayed with me. I mean, I help people retire. I know what’s at stake.”
Michael's path started with a nudge from his father, a high school principal, when he returned from Hawaii. He spent 25 years at his previous Royal Oak firm before launching Ohana in 2022. His clientele includes many educators, planning for retirement on modest salaries.
Michael doesn't take every client. Some people can't be helped. They don’t want guidance; they want reassurance that their fear is fact.
"It's like going to a doctor who tells you to lose 20 pounds and quit smoking,” Michael explains. “If you don't listen, the relationship doesn't gel, and what’s the doctor going to do? You can’t save everyone.”
It’s a gutsy stance for a small firm, but it's core to Michael’s philosophy: his job is relationship management, not just money management. "I'm not emotional with your money," he says. "With my clients' money, we've got to stick to the knitting,” meaning stay focused on the plan, not the noise.
And there's a lot of noise. According to Michael, the biggest threat to most people's financial future is their own emotions—amplified by cable news and social media.
“I’m trying to get clients not to watch so much TV,” he says. “Because it’s not pretty. That’s why the average investor sells at the wrong time, buys at the wrong time. Having an advisor is there to help protect you against yourself."
When markets dropped twenty percent during last year's tariff talk, Michael's phone stayed quiet. His clients trust him to watch the dashboard while they live their lives. "My phone doesn't ring unless they need money," he says.
The younger generation, used to Robin Hood apps and three years of strong returns, “feels very confident that it’s easy," he says. "Until they get beat up. Then they don't know what to do."
When it comes to practical advice, Michael favors unsexy consistency over trendy tactics. His favorite habit? Increase your retirement contributions by twenty-five dollars every year.
"Every year. I don't care if you get a raise or not. Bump it up. You won't miss it.” Over decades, he's watched this simple rule build dramatically different account values. And start early, he says— before your paycheck gets absorbed into your lifestyle.
”We get stuck in, ‘Oh, I can't put any more money in because my grocery bills are too high,’” Michael says. “Well, if you really want me to see what you're spending, I could cut a lot of stuff. The reality is, if you have a hundred dollars, everybody you talk to wants a piece of it. Your job is to limit the people that can touch it."
As for long-term investing, Michael draws a hard line: if you need money within five years, don't put it in the market. Better to park it in a CD than risk needing it during a downturn.
His grounded truth about money? "Money gives you options. It's not evil—you can do good things with money." But when I press him on what money can't replace, he doesn't hesitate: "Time and health."
Or, as he puts it: "Everybody's wealth barometer is different. It's how much freedom you have and how much happiness you have. Money is just a tool for your happiness.”
Michael, fifty-four, is Royal Oak born and raised. He caddied for years at Red Run, had paper routes as a kid, and attended Bishop Foley. Now, three decades into his career—all spent in Royal Oak—he’s adding his own mark to the city.
Michael pulls up a recent Google review from a client he's worked with since 2009. "Michael is a valued member of our financial family," it reads. He emphasizes the last word: family.
"I can't control the markets," Michael says. "I can control providing good service, honesty, trust, transparency.”
So when you drive past that hula girl mural at 13 and Campbell, you’re seeing more than color against brick. You're seeing a philosophy as street art, from a guy for whom taking care of your own is a way of life.
Michael Cayen and Ohana Wealth Advisory are at ohanawealthadvisory.com or (248) 246-8080. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Ohana Wealth Advisory and Cambridge are not affiliated.