Christopher Alexander Buckner

Villaire Financial is a fee-only fiduciary financial planning firm in downtown Grand Rapids for young professionals and families who are still building wealth. Chris Villaire, CFP®, works with people in their 20s and 30s who make good money and have big decisions in front of them: student loans, 401(k)s, RSUs, buying a home in West Michigan, getting married, building a family, and planning ahead for taxes. Most clients get their full financial plan within 30 days of onboarding. From there, we meet with you twice a year, manage your investments, and you can always schedule a meeting whenever life changes. Meet in person at 2 Fulton St W, Suite 122, or by video. No asset minimums and no commissions. Start with a free intro call.

My job is to make personal finances boring. I'm not in the game of the newest and greatest ideas. I target results and proven time tested ways of doing it. My job is to be your personal trainer for finances. Not only giving guidance but behavioral help on how to truly make lasting impacts.

Thaddeus Phelps is a CFP® professional with 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC since 2019 and previously spent 14 years with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. In addition to his advisory work, Phelps owns a tax preparation business and an accounting support service, and he serves in fiduciary roles such as trustee and executor. Advance Wealth Management Service, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary investment management through a wrap asset management program and emphasizes an individualized approach with asset allocation supported by fundamental, sector, and technical analysis, including risk management strategies such as put options and conservative cash instruments.

Jason Goosen is a financial advisor at Rapids Financial LLC with seven years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at Mutual Advisors, LLC, Eagle Strategies, and New York Life Insurance Company. Outside of his advisory role, he is a staff accountant at Brohl Tax & Accounting, PLLC, and a licensed insurance agent. Rapids Financial is a state-registered investment adviser offering discretionary wealth management and financial planning to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a fundamental analysis approach to construct diversified portfolios primarily with low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, and it sponsors a wrap-fee program that consolidates transaction costs into a single asset-based fee.

How much can we safely spend? When should we take Social Security? How do we minimize taxes on everything we've saved? If questions like these keep you up at night, you're not alone. You've spent decades building wealth—now you need a plan to turn it into income that lasts. I specialize in tax-smart retirement income planning for families in-or-near retirement: Roth conversions, Social Security timing, pension decisions, and investing built for distribution—because retirement requires a different playbook than accumulation. How would we work together? It starts with a free Retirement Clarity Call where we dig into your situation and confirm we're a good fit. From there, we'll schedule a Blueprint Meeting where I'll walk you through your key challenges, opportunities, and a recommended strategy tailored to your retirement goals. You'll walk away with real clarity on how to lower your taxes, optimize your income, and retire with confidence—whether we end up working together or not. Tell me about your flat-fee membership model? Most advisors charge 1% of your assets—on a $2M portfolio, that's $20,000/year. I charge a flat $400/month for comprehensive planning, plus an optional 0.49% if you'd like us to manage investments. We start with planning first, and there is no requirement to move your assets to begin working together. No pressure. No hard sell. We're looking for long-term relationships, not transactions. If we're not the right fit, I'll gladly point you toward someone who is.

Robert Boylen is the sole advisor at Robert Charles Capital Management in Grand Rapids, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 13 years of industry experience. He has managed at Robert Charles Capital Management since 2016. Robert Charles Capital Management provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm employs a targeted asset allocation approach using individual securities, ETFs, and index funds, integrating fundamental, technical, and qualitative analysis to manage accounts on a discretionary basis.