We help make life more enjoyable through smarter financial planning.
Plan smarter. Live more.
Retirement can be scary. With all the noise out there, it s difficult to know where to look for good advice. Your investments have become sales opportunities and many are looking to take advantage of your hard-earned money. This flawed system has created a lack of trust among investors and as a result many people are unprepared for retirement. We re here to help fix that.
Retirement is not a destination, it s a journey that begins early in your life. This is why we believe a strong financial plan is the single most important tool for building a happy future.
You deserve more. Our goal is to help you build a plan, not to sell a product or collect a fee. We truly believe it s the right thing to do for you.
We ve created thousands of financial plans, so we ve seen what works and what doesn t. Financial planning has been sorely abused by many professionals. Here s what we ve discovered our clients really want out of their plan. What it should be Administered by an unbiased, fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor who has a legal obligation to look out for your best interest A thorough and objective test of your current situation, which aims to make as few transactions as possible An educational process that shows you how to manage your own money What it should not be A sales pitch in disguise An attempt to replace what already exists with higher cost products and fees Too complex to understand
We set out to fix financial planning and to make great planning available to more people.
To provide our clients with what they really want (and need), we created a comprehensive process we call Results in Advance Planning. Although powerful, Results in Advance Planning is an incredibly simple system that gives you a holistic view of your situation and how you may be able to improve upon it. Some things may already be working well for you. Our process carefully studies what s in place and may only suggest one or two tweaks, or none at all. The goal is to give you a genuinely objective and thorough outlook on your financial situation.
Great financial planning requires great financial advisors. This is why we re very deliberate about who we work with. Our advisors are highly vetted professionals who are passionate about helping their clients, care deeply about their communities, and are interested in continually advancing their own education. We support our advisors by hosting regular educational seminars at our flagship training facility to educate on best practices, global trends, and how to best help their clients.
Great planning paired with smart investing makes for a better retirement. Each advisor is supported by our sister company one of the fastest growing private companies in America FormulaFolio Investments. FormulaFolios is a multi-billion-dollar money manager that offers our advisors with in-house asset management. FormulaFolios utilizes a rules-based, process-driven approach based on academic research to remove emotion from investing and make smarter investment decisions. While in-house asset management is available, each of our advisors still operates independently and provides unbiased advice on strategies that are best for each client. Learn more at formulafolios.com.
Preparing for retirement is not something that s done once and then forgotten about. It requires close attention and careful adjustment when needed. We believe in timely, relevant, and regular communication with our clients. The best way to keep your plan on track is to always be in the know about where your investments stand. This is why we provide each client with WealthGuard. WealthGuard is a portfolio monitoring tool that provides weekly updates on your accounts and, should the market take a downturn, protects your assets with an early warning system that notifies you and your financial advisor. Learn more at wealthguard.me.
Retirement planning can be daunting. Sometimes we all need a little help. Retirement Wealth is dedicated to making it a simple and enjoyable experience that helps alleviate the tension around money. We believe in doing good work for our clients and our employees because we aim for a mutually successful and enjoyable relationship that lasts for the entire lifespan of your journey.
Your personal retirement team. Your financial advisor is backed by a robust network, which includes our financial planners a team made up of full-time employees dedicated entirely to making great financial plans. Your advisor also has access to our corporate team of over 70 employees including CFPs,CPAs, CFAs, and attorneys. This support system provides you with a world-class experience focused on building you the best retirement possible.
Our leadership. Jason Wenk Danielle Tyler Diane Ferris Derek Prusa Joel VanWoerkom Jason Crump CEO, Chief Investment Officer Chief Compliance Officer MBA Chief Financial Officer CPA, CGMA, MST Senior Market Analyst CFA, CFP Director of Financial Planning MBA Institutional Projects Manager Jason grew up in a town of 500 people. In 1993, his family purchased their first PC, sparking Jason s lifelong interest in computers. This would lead him to experiment with algorithmbased investment strategies years later, which eventually formed FormulaFolios. Danielle oversees the compliance efforts of our firm to ensure conformity with regulatory requirements and internal policies. As a financial and taxation professional with over 35 years of experience, Diane s focus is on ethical customer-centered services yielding extraordinary results. She helps Retirement Wealth operate as efficiently as possible to help pass savings on to investors. Derek works closely with Jason Wenk to research and monitor financial market conditions and select the best investment strategies for each of our proprietary models. Derek also provides weekly, monthly, and quarterly market commentaries to our advisors and clients. Joel obtained his MBA with a specialization in Finance. He also holds a degree in Education and began his career as an elementary school teacher before joining the industry as a financial advisor. As our Institutional Projects Manager, Jason Crump works with our vendors to develop new offerings like mutual funds, ETFs, and 401(k) platforms. He also helps develop strategies to enhance our financial advisors businesses to better serve their clients. In 1998, Jason was recruited by Morgan Stanley to become one of the firm s youngest employees. While at Morgan Stanley, Jason realized how individual investors were treated differently and received lower returns than institutional clients. This motivated him to leave and launch Retirement Wealth to offer better portfolio management for investors. She most recently served as the Chief Operations Officer at her previous employer, which came after a lengthy tenure as the organization s Chief Compliance Officer, where she developed efficient, streamlined procedures focused on risk reduction and achieving compliance with State, FINRA and SEC regulations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Michigan State University and a Masters of Business Adminitration in Finance from Davenport University along with the 7 insurance and securities licenses. Prior to Retirement Wealth, Diane served as the Principal Tax Technical Specialist for Rehmann Financial. There she used her expertise to increase the profitability of her department from one of the least profitable in the firm to the most profitable in recent years. As a West Michigan native, Diane received her bachelor s degree from Michigan State University and a Masters of Science in Taxation from Grand Valley State University. Derek graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ferris State University with a bachelor s degree in Investment Finance. He was ranked #1 in the School of Business, and received the Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key for his academic accomplishments. Since joining Retirement Wealth in 2014, Derek received his CFP designation and became a CFA charterholder. In 2015, he was named in LifeHealthPro s 30 under 30. With his background in teaching, Joel approached financial advising the same way he approached his classes as an educational process. He believes in a disciplined approach to financial planning focused on protecting investments through smart asset management. As our Director of Financial Planning, Joel sets the tone for our largest team. He also oversees our Trading and Client Services teams where he focuses on ways to improve processes and operations to help clients have the best investment experience possible. Jason is a graduate of Calvin College in Michigan where he lives with his wife and four children. Before joining Retirement Wealth, he worked at Fifth Third Bank helping clients develop and implement investment strategies. As a practicing financial advisor with nearly 20 years of experience, Jason offers invaluable insight on how to better serve clients.
We look forward to being your partner in tackling whatever life challenges come your way. Learn more at retirementwealth.com
Investment Advisory Services offered through Retirement Wealth Advisors, (RWA) a Registered Investment Advisor. Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision. 2018 Retirement Wealth Advisors