Top college savings (529s, UTMA, etc.) financial advisors in Hays, KS

Timothy Schumacher is a financial advisor at Launch Wealth with 33 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and Series 63 license. His prior experience includes roles at Penn Mutual and Hornor, Townsend & Kent. Launch Wealth serves individual investors and employer plan sponsors by providing integrated wealth management that combines portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a fee-only model and focuses on asset allocation using both passive and active strategies, with specialized retirement plan consulting and discretionary account management tailored to client goals.

Andrea Dinkel is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. She has worked with Primerica Financial Services since 2003 and has been associated with PFS Investments Inc. since 2005. Outside of advisory services, she is an owner-member of Dinkle Oil, LLC, a non-investment business. Primerica Advisors provides discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, offering model-based strategies and separately managed accounts to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses third-party asset managers and a tiered wrap-fee structure, focusing on retail clients rather than institutional pension or profit-sharing plans.

Dan Meckenstock is a financial advisor with NWF Advisory Services Inc, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 26 years of industry experience. His prior firms include Main Street Advisors and Independent Financial Group, each for over a decade. Outside of advising, he is an author and publisher through Meckenstock Publishing and operates a small hospitality business, Kozy Kottage, in Hays, Kansas. NWF Advisory Services is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $6.4 billion in client assets through a network of more than 100 advisory representatives. The firm primarily serves individual and high-net-worth clients using an open-architecture, technology-driven platform to construct and manage diversified portfolios across various managed account formats.

Joseph Hillebrand is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group based in Hays, KS, holding Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 designations. He has 19 years of industry experience, including roles at GWFS Equities, Old Mutual Capital, Securities America Advisors, and Main Street Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a pitching coach for the USD 489 School District. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as certain retail account holders. The firm integrates its services with Empower’s recordkeeping and administration platforms, emphasizing long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Derek Gerstner is a CFP® professional with 21 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with LPL Financial. His career includes previous roles at Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. and Avantax Investment Services, Inc., as well as long-term involvement with Simons Tax & Financial. He also provides tax preparation and accounting services through Simons Tax & Wealth Management. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser offering advisory and brokerage services to individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm supports a wide range of investment strategies and utilizes advisor-facing technology tools, while also operating various financial and credit services alongside its advisory platform.

Hassan Al Kadhimi is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is also involved with NIHFCU Wealth Advisors, a related business entity. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, including financial planning, model portfolio programs, and institutional platforms, supported by a large network of investment adviser representatives.

Richard Brandi is a financial advisor with Charles Schwab based in Austin, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Charles Schwab and Charles Schwab Bank ssb since 2003 and 2005, respectively. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves primarily high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals through its Schwab Wealth Advisory wrap fee program and affiliated managed-account and financial planning services. The firm offers a mix of non-discretionary and discretionary investment guidance, leveraging multi-asset model portfolios and research from its Schwab Center for Financial Research.

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.

Paul Kinneberg is a CFP® and Series 65-registered advisor with 24 years of industry experience. He has been the principal and sole advisor at Longview Financial, Inc. since 2000 and also holds a long-term corporate role at CenturyLink. Longview Financial, Inc. provides personalized, fee-only financial planning and investment management primarily for individual clients. The firm uses a strategic asset allocation approach with a core-and-satellite framework, combining passive index and ETF core holdings with active funds when appropriate, and manages client assets on a non-discretionary basis with an emphasis on individualized advice.

Justin Scicluna is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Prairie Village, KS, holding the CFP®, ChFC®, and Series 66 designations with 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward Jones since 2013. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, including a range of household types, pension plans, corporate clients, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers various advisory programs, discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, and affiliated investment products through a nationwide network of over 23,700 financial advisors.