Experienced Advisors. Honest Feedback. Your Partner in Planning for the Future.

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Brent Ford

Partner, Investment Advisor Representative

Meet Brent

Brent Ford, partner at Benefit Wealth Partners, guides the company with a direct and honest approach. Using his calming nature and industry experience, Brent forms long-term and low-stress relationships with clients so he can ensure mutual respect and familiarity before making recommendations. Brent emphasizes using a high level of customer service to address clients’ financial and informational needs and is not satisfied until he knows they leave his office well-informed and confident in their decisions. Living his life by the motto “Never stop improving,” Brent uses the same philosophy with his business. In fact, he feels the most pride in his work when he is able to outline how the strategies he recommends align with clients’ needs and wants and provide them with the income they desire.

Brent practices pre-retirement planning for Federal employees and enjoys when he can mitigate their concerns through easy-to-understand explanations and detailed information. As such, he’s played an integral part in expanding Benefit Wealth Partners from a two-person firm to a nationwide organization serving unions, associations, and agencies within the Federal government. Brent received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, is a certified Investment Advisor Representative, and earned his Series 65 certification. He is a proud Wisconsinite and, outside of work, enjoys spending time with family, hunting, and boating.

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Zachary Cockroft

Investment Advisor Representative

Meet Zachary

Zac Cockroft has a natural gift for understanding people’s needs, which influences what he does every day as a licensed agent. He develops relationships with clients in every stage of life, so understanding their needs and how they change is paramount to helping them succeed. Zac’s does what’s best for his clients, putting their interests above his own. This philosophy differentiates Zac, who is driven to help as many people as possible. He knows there are thousands of federal employees who need assistance and it’s imperative he continues giving them the highest level of service.

Zac is proud when a client calls to thank him for helping them through the retirement process with their federal benefits, stating that without his help, they might still be working. Seeing the excitement on their faces when clients discover they can retire, without the financial stress they anticipated, makes it all worth it to Zac. With his positive attitude, Zac has learned no matter how tough a situation may seem, there is always a way to solve the problem. He strives to bring that positivity to his everyday responsibilities at Benefit Resource Partners.

Zac is a graduate from University of Wisconsin Whitewater with a bachelor’s in business marketing, and currently holds his life, health, and property and casualty insurance licenses. Outside of the office, you can find Zac enjoying the great outdoors, camping, biking, hunting, kayaking—you name it. He and his wife, Erica, also spend a lot of time with their two beloved dogs.

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Jack Kilibarda

Meet Jack

Over the years, Jack has learned to be patient, consistent, open-minded, and motivated because it best helps him build personal relationships with his clients. He’s a quick learner and is proud to be an essential component of the Benefit Resource Partners team, where he can make a difference assisting clients in the federal space.

Jack’s drive comes from the desire to keep learning and developing new skills that he can apply to his work, ultimately benefiting the client. His positive and tenacious mindset is what helps him maximize each client’s options to fit their specific needs.

Jack attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he graduated with a bachelor’s in finance from their Opus College of Business.

Outside of work, Jack enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, and being active outdoors. He specifically enjoys snowmobiling, fishing, and hunting.

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Evie Schaller

Finance Coordinator

Meet Evie

Utilizing a comprehensive system for both wealth accumulation and retirement income planning, Evie focuses on constructing retirement income plans that hone in on the specific goals of each client.

She is honest and dependable, always putting clients’ needs first and always keeping an open mind. Evie thrives when she’s discovering the right strategies for clients that help protect and preserve their wealth. Evie is committed to her work and passionate about getting to know clients and helping address their financial concerns.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a Bachelor of Science and a
Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from Grand Canyon University, Evie has an affinity to never stop learning. Characterizing herself as hardworking and curious, Evie is currently a candidate to earn her life insurance license, Series 65 securities license and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification come next year.

Outside of work, you’ll find Evie spending time with family and friends.

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Melissa Olson

Client Services Representative

Meet Melissa

Melissa has found that communication is key when it comes to maintaining a successful client relationship.

As a client services representative, Melissa is committed to being as helpful as possible and ensures she has the time necessary to speak with clients, no matter the issue. With a drive to constantly improve and learn, Melissa is dependable and honest and passionate about building a foundation with clients they can rely on.

Melissa has a keen sense for marketing and holds her associate degree in business management from Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Outside of work, Melissa likes to spend quality time with family.

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Joseph Ivan Fishman Jr

Senior Financial Planner

Meet Joseph

Joseph (Joe) Fishman is a financial planner that specializes in retirement planning with an additional focus on federal employee retirement benefits.

Understanding that the retirement process can be stressful and often overwhelming, Joe believes it is his fiduciary responsibility to take the extra time to help clients understand their options in simple, easily graspable terms.

Joe also believes that each client’s situation is unique and that there should be no “cookie-cutter” approaches. As such, he researches often overlooked and underutilized financial strategies to create custom, well-balanced, and holistic strategies for clients. One of the most valuable tools for doing this is Joe’s comprehensive understanding of technical market analysis. This skill better guides him in understanding the rhythm and flow of financial markets. He then shares these insights with his clients, and together, they craft an investing game plan. It is this cooperative environment combined with technical expertise, that gives his clients a competitive edge while navigating the financial landscape.

Nothing brings more satisfaction to Joe professionally, than when a client, who is nervous about retiring, realizes they will be OK. This drive comes from his feelings of personal responsibility for his clients and a passion for helping people stabilize their financial futures. His dedication is shown as he often takes client calls after hours and on weekends.

Joe is nationally licensed as an Investment Advisor through the SEC and holds his Series 65 securities license. He also holds multiple state-specific licenses through the Department of Banking & Insurance in those individual states. Additionally, Joe spends time volunteering as a business mentor through the Small Business Association’s SCORE program. Moreover, Joe privately teaches day trading virtually to an international group of entrepreneurs.

Investment advisory services offered by duly registered individuals through CreativeOne Wealth, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser. CreativeOne Wealth, LLC, and Benefit Wealth Partners are unaffiliated entities.

Provided content is for overview and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be relied upon as individualized tax, legal, fiduciary, or investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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Adam Galler

Client Service Representative

Meet Adam

Adam is driven and motivated when it comes to assessing specific federal benefits options, and helping guide clients to maximize those benefits.

As a graduate in management from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Adam’s background is evaluating and solving problems. He is detail-oriented and uses that skill to give recommendations and innovative ideas that could have impact on his clients’ overall benefits packages.

Adam embraces taking on complex planning problems and enjoys finding precise strategies that fit a client’s unique situation. He ensures clients get the most from their benefits by examining every piece of the benefits puzzle and designing a strategy that works—and improves client confidence.

Adam’s work ethic complements his responsibilities. In his spare time, Adam enjoys fishing, hunting, hockey and football.

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Mary Grefe

Client Services Representative

Meet Mary

Hardworking and approachable, Mary is committed to focusing on achieving clients’ goals while ensuring they’re comfortable throughout the entire process of working with the team. She is efficient and effective, which makes her role a perfect fit for her. Mary provides client-centered service, creating an inclusive environment where clients don’t feel intimidated talking about their unique situations.

Mary is patient and enjoys conversing with the clients she serves, who reside all across the U.S. She was attracted to working at the firm because of her passion for helping people. She understands retirement is an important time for everyone, and that federal benefits can be overwhelming, so she’s happy to be a resource to make them easier to understand.

Through her work, she’s been able to build on her life experiences and education to remain employed in careers that complement her values. She prefers to move forward in work, and keep it meaningful and interesting, which is why she enjoys working at Benefit Resource Partners immensely.

When she’s not in the office, Mary loves being outdoors near the water, but most of all, she loves being with family—especially the grandkids, her husband Phil, and Maggie, their French Brittney.