Top general retirement planning 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.

Sarah Currier Barrella is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial advisory services. She currently works at Santander Securities LLC and Santander Bank, NA, having previously held positions at TD Bank and Citizens Securities, Inc. Barrella is based in Boston, MA. Santander Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base with approximately $3.14 billion in regulatory assets under management across 10,800 client relationships. The firm offers investment advisory services, portfolio management through wrap-fee programs, and financial planning, operating both as a registered investment adviser and a FINRA-registered broker-dealer.

Amanda Scheele is a financial advisor with Raymond James & Associates in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, holding a Series 66 designation and 16 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Raymond James in 2024, she worked at Wells Fargo Clearing from 2016 to 2024 and is involved with Lucky Duck since 2025. Raymond James & Associates is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, institutions, and municipal entities. The firm offers financial planning and non-discretionary consulting services, drawing on various portfolio management styles and affiliated research.

Lori Fell is a Series 66 credentialed financial advisor with Edward Jones in East Lansing, MI, where she has worked since 2009, accumulating 17 years of industry experience. Outside of her advisory role, she is the owner of LAF Properties LLC, a business she maintains in East Lansing. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment solutions, including managed account strategies and affiliated mutual funds, and operates under a fiduciary standard.

Kenneth Blaschke is a financial advisor at HeadInvest in Portland, ME, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with HeadInvest since 2009. HeadInvest serves a diverse range of clients, including individuals, trusts, endowments, and government entities, providing discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a holistic, asset-allocation driven approach, combining fixed-income selection with low-cost ETFs and emphasizing tax efficiency.

Michael Ipp is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 42 years of industry experience. He has been with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors since 2010 and serves as an independent contractor for 1792 Wealth Advisors. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors provides financial planning, investment consulting, and advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning and uses analytical tools to support client decision-making, while also maintaining specialized programs such as municipal advisory services and SIMPLE IRA Employer Advisory & Consulting Services.