Whalen Michael Rother

Brian Berkenhoff is the principal advisor at Birch Investment Management, LLC in Brookings, South Dakota. He holds the CFA charter and a Series 65 license, with 21 years of industry experience. Berkenhoff has led Birch Investment Management since 2011. Birch Investment Management is an independent, fee-only registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a modern portfolio theory-based investment process that combines passive and active strategies to tailor asset allocations according to client goals, risk tolerance, and tax considerations.

Tadd Haggerty is a financial advisor with Mutual of Omaha Investor Services, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 15 years of industry experience. Haggerty has been with Mutual of Omaha since 2004. He also owns and serves as president of Haggerty Financial Services LLC and works as an insurance agent offering a range of insurance products including fixed annuities and life insurance. Mutual of Omaha Investor Services provides advisory services to individuals, corporations, and qualified retirement plans, offering financial planning, managed account programs, and retirement plan consulting. The firm primarily delivers managed solutions through a platform relationship with Envestnet and supports a range of account management options.

Abby Gilk is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and recently beginning her career in the industry. Prior to joining the firm in 2026, she held various roles including positions at South Dakota State University and Minnwest Bank. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting for individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in assets, utilizing a diversified investment approach that combines passive and active strategies overseen by an internal Investment Committee.

Tanner Odegaard is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with nine years of industry experience. He is currently with LPL Financial and previously worked at Securities America Advisors, Securities America, Inc., and Summit Brokerage Services, Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he owns 8 Second Media, LLC, a business based in Brookings, SD. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that offers financial planning and investment services to individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm provides a range of advisory solutions including model portfolios, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms, supported by advanced research tools and a broad network of over 22,800 advisors.

Chad Shields is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with 10 years of industry experience and holds the Series 66 designation. He has been with Edward Jones since 2015. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers a range of advisory strategies, including discretionary and non-discretionary wrap fee options, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds.

Bradley Ness is a CFP® with 37 years of experience in the financial services industry, currently serving as a financial advisor at Ameriprise since 2020. He previously worked with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for 32 years. Outside of his advisory role, he works as an associate financial advisor with LFP Consulting, LLC and also monitors the closing of a community swimming pool in the evenings. Ameriprise provides retirement-income planning services primarily for individuals with substantial investable assets, combining research, modeling, and tax-efficient strategies to deliver tailored, annual recommendation reports. As a large institutional firm, it offers a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions through affiliated entities.