Top Financial Advisors in Appleton, WI

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Gateway Wealth Partners is a fee-based firm that offers investment advisory services to individuals, high net worth individuals, businesses and retirement plans. There is no set required minimum account size, though the firm typically requires one based on the investor's needs. The advisor may, however waive or reduce the minimum at its sole discretion. 

As a fee-based firm, it's advisors may earn a commission for the sale of certain securities. This has the potential to create a conflict of interest but the firm is bound by a fiduciary duty. This means that it must put the needs of its clients first. 

Gateway Wealth Partners Background

Gateway Wealth Partners was founded in 2021 by David Wood, who serves as the Chief Visionary Officer today. The firm's leadership also includes Jill Batley as President and Chief Compliance Officer as well as Eric Hall as Chief Executive Officer. 

The firm serves more than 4000 clients today with 38 total advisors. These advisors represent 19 total U.S. states. 

Gateway Wealth Partners Investment Strategy

Gateway Wealth Partners believes that your future goals are directly tied to your ability to manage a savings and investment strategy. They aim to build a diversified investment plan that adjusts with you throughout your life. The firm does not sell its own funds. Instead, each client's needs are individually addressed in an initial plan. Once investments start the firm stays on top of accounts and adjusts them as needed. The investment strategies are typically long-term focused. 

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Sumnicht & Associates is a boutique family wealth manager with one certified financial planner (CFP) on staff. 

The fee-based firm has a relatively small client base that includes a mix of high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth individuals. The minimum amount to open an account is $500,000, though Sumnicht & Associates may accept smaller accounts on a case-by-case basis.

Sumnicht & Associates also has institutional clients. Accounts are discretionary and non-discretionary. In addition to client-paid fees, advisors at Sumnicht & Associates receive commissions from third parties when recommending certain products to clients. This creates a conflict of interest because advisors have a financial incentive to recommend one product over another. However, the firm abides by fiduciary duty to always act in its clients' best interests. 

Sumnicht & Associates Background

CEO Vernon Sumnicht founded the firm in 1988. Its principal owner is Sumnicht Holdings (which, in turn, is owned by Vernon and Debra Sumnicht).

Through its chief owners, Sumnicht & Associates is affiliated with iSectors, a registered investment advisor. The two entities share personnel and back-office, administrative and capital resources.

The boutique firm offers a full range of family wealth investment services including financial counseling, investment management, insurance counseling, tax planning, trust and estate planning, retirement planning, intergenerational wealth planning, family governance issues, control and succession issues, family foundations, charitable giving strategies and education of future generations.

Sumnicht & Associates Investment Strategy

Sumnicht & Associates primarily uses ETF-based allocation models managed by its affiliated iSectors registered investment advisor. These models are a collection of proprietary investment strategies. The firm may also recommend mutual funds and institutional money managers.

In general, clients approve the initial allocation recommendation and subsequent changes. Rebalancing happens after an annual meeting with advisors. It may also happen within the investment vehicle when deemed appropriate.

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McGlone Suttner Wealth Management is a fee-based financial advisory firm primarily serving individual clients, both above and below the high-net-worth threshold. The practice does not have a set account minimum. 

The McGlone Suttner team features four advisors who hold the certified financial planner (CFP) designation. The firm also has a chartered financial consultant (ChFC) and chartered life underwriter (CLU) on staff. However, some advisor may sell insurance for commissions, making McGlone Suttner a fee-based firm. This form of compensation may create a conflict of interest, since advisors have a financial incententive to recommend certain products over others. But as a fiduciary advisory firm, McGlone Suttner and its advisors must always act in your best interests. 

Beyond these commissions, the firm charges asset-based fees, hourly charges and fixed fees. 

McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Background

Founded in 2009, the firm was formerly known as Verus Investment Advisory Group before changing its name to McGlone Suttner Wealth Management.  The principal owners of McGlone Suttner are president and chief compliance officer Thomas J. Suttner and Jason A. McGlone.

Its primarily services are investment management, financial planning and consulting. 

McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Investment Strategy

McGlone Suttner tailors its services to the individual needs of clients, including its asset management. Before investing a client's money, the firm will identify their financial goals, risk tolerance and objectives. From there, the firm may utilize a combination of individual investments and model portfolios.

As for securities, advisors typically limit their advice to mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as well as individual stocks and bonds. In some instances, McGlone Suttner may utilize the services of a subadviser to manage some or all of a client’s portfolio. 

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Winch Advisory Services, a fee-based firm, is the next financial advisory practice in Appleton. The firm has a staff that includes various professional certifications, including the certified financial planner (CFP), chartered market technician (CMT) and enrolled agent (EA) designations. 

The fee-based firm serves mostly non-high-net-worth clients, though it also has some high-net-worth clients. It states that it “prefers” accounts to start with at least $500,000, but may accept smaller accounts. All accounts are managed on a discretionary basis, meaning advisors have full control over transactions and trades.

Winch Advisory Services Background

CEO Christina Winch launched Winch Financial Services in 1981 and founded Winch Advisory Services in 1998. She remains principal shareholder, CEO and chief compliance officer.

The firm offers investment advice for what it calls “all seasons” of clients’ lives. It provides financial planning, tax and budgetary planning, business planning, estate planning, portfolio management and consulting services including retirement savings plan portfolio review. It launched a mutual fund in 2011.

Winch Advisory Services Investment Strategy

Winch Advisory Services identifies client goals - maximum capital appreciation, growth, income or growth and income - and allocates investment assets accordingly. It also takes other factors like life situation and tax consequences into account. Clients may impose restrictions on investment choices (type or industry sector) that the firm deems reasonable.

The firm does not limit its recommendations to any specific product, service or provider. It generally provides advice on:

• Exchange-listed securities
• Securities traded over the counter
• Foreign issuers
• Warrants
• Commercial paper
• Corporate debt securities (other than commercial paper)
• Certificates of deposit
• Municipal securities
• Variable life insurance
• Variable annuities
• Open- and closed-end mutual fund shares
• U.S. government securities
• Options contracts on securities
• Interests in partnerships investing in real estate, oil and gas interests and equipment leasing

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Copper Harbor Investment Advisors is a fee-only firm that primarily works with high-net-worth individuals. It requires $500,000 to open an account, though it gives you five years to reach that amount. The advisory also serves less wealthy individuals, pension and defined contribution plans, trusts, estates, charitable and non-profit entities, corporations and other business entities.

As a fee-only firm, Copper Harbor's revenue comes solely from client-paid fees. It's advisors do not collect commissions for selling third-party products and services. The firm has two certified financial planners (CFPs) on staff. 

Copper Harbor Investment Advisors

Founded in 2014, Copper Harbor Investment Advisors is entirely employee owned. President Steve Hooyman is the majority shareholder, while advisors Amy Sitter, Jesse Nelson and Ramon Mateos all have minority stakes.

The firm provides investment management primarily on a discretionary basis, as well as financial planning. It separates its services into three main divisions: Investment advisory services, retirement plan services and self-directed accounts.

Copper Harbor Investment Advisors Investing Strategy

The firm customizes portfolios for clients generally using stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other investment vehicles. Clients should not expect the firm to make a lot changes when the markets are volatile. Instead, the practice says that it will change positions when allocations stray from clients' investment policy statements or depending on macro trends, revised investment expectations and alterations in expense structure or other fundamental investment vehicle structures. 

When buying or selling investments, Copper Harbor Investment Advisors takes current market conditions into account, but does not attempt to perform market timing. If warranted, it will recommend sub-advisors for their niche expertise.

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Endowment Wealth Management has offices in Appleton, Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Chicago and Hilton Head, South Carolina. Its team includes various professional designations, including certified financial planner (CFP), MBA, chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified public accountant (CPA), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) and accredited wealth management advisor (AWMA). (Advisors may have more than one certification and degree.)  

This small, privately held firm serves a mix of high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth individuals. It also has pension and profit-sharing plan clients. Most of its accounts are managed on a discretionary basis. There is no minimum required to open an account.

Endowment Wealth Management may benefit from recommending that clients invest in its own in-house funds. As a result, the firm is considered fee-based. 

Endowment Wealth Management Background

Endowment Wealth Management was founded in 1996. Currently, two officers have ownership stakes: CEO Robert Riedl and chief investment officer Prateek Mehrotra. Shares are also held by trusts and other entities.

The firm provides financial planning and investment guidance to individuals, business leaders, real estate investors, philanthropic families, trusts and endowment and retirement plans. What is different about this advisor group is that it manages eight private funds.

Endowment Wealth Management Investment Strategy

As its private funds might suggest, the firm thinks beyond stocks and bonds to hedge strategies, private equity and real assets. It seeks to maintain a mix of growth, income and risk-managed investments, depending on the client’s situation and objectives. It does this through liquid investments (primarily stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, etc.), private placements (private equity, hedge funds, private debt, etc.) or a combo of both.

Endowment Wealth Management may advise clients to implement the following:

• Active management-dynamic or tactical asset allocation – a manager or team actively oversees investments, using research, experience, judgment and/or an algorithm
• Long-term purchases – securities bought to be held for at least a year
• Margin transactions – securities bought with borrowed money
• Options – contracts that give the buyer the right to buy or sell a specific asset at a particular price by an expiration date
• Option writing – the selling of an option
• Passive investing/indexing – buying stocks that track a particular index
• Short selling – borrowing stocks and selling them with the expectation that the price will go down when you have to buy the stocks to return them
• Short-term purchases – securities bought to be sold within 30 days, generally
• Strategic asset allocation – long-term investing strategy that does not involve active trading

The firm points out that tax efficiency is not its primary concern, so clients should consult their tax professional on an ongoing basis.

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Kerntke Otto McGlone Wealth Management Group (KOM), another fee-based practice, is the next firm in Appleton. This means that some advisors may be insurance agents who receive commissions for sales, creating a potential conflict of interest. However, KOM is a fiduciary and must always act in a client's best interest. 

The firm primarily serves individuals and high-net-worth individuals. The vast majority of accounts are managed on a discretionary basis. KOM also offers its services to pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and business entities. There is no minimum balance to open an individual account.

Some advisors at the firm hold the certified financial planner (CFP) designation. 

The firm does not impose an account balance minimum.

Kerntke Otto McGlone Wealth Management Group Background

KOM was founded in 2007. Its advisory team is made up of managing partner James McGlone, senior partner Jason McGlone, senior partner Claus Kerntke and senior partner Richard Otto.

The firm’s services include financial planning, investment advice, tax management, retirement income strategies and estate planning.

Kerntke Otto McGlone Wealth Management Group Investing Strategy

KOM takes a goal-based investment approach, targeting clients’ objectives rather than market benchmarks. It tailors its services to each client and will allow them to impose parameters such as specific investment choices and sectors. Generally speaking, though, it provides advice on:

• No-load (i.e., no trading fee) and load-waived (i.e., trading fee waived) mutual funds
• Exchange-listed securities (i.e., stocks)
• Securities traded over-the-counter (i.e., stocks)
• Fixed income securities (i.e., bonds)
• Closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
• Foreign issues
• Warrants
• Corporate debt securities (other than commercial paper)
• Commercial paper
• Certificates of deposit
• Municipal securities
• Variable life insurance
• Variable annuities
• U.S. government securities
• Options contracts on securities and commodities
• Interests in partnerships investing in real estate and oil and gas interests
• The firm does not offer advice on futures contracts on tangibles and intangibles

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The name of the firm Avaii is Latin for "life plan." Though the firm launched only in 2018, it has hundreds of million dollars in assets under management. Its team of advisors includes professional designations such as chartered financial consultant (ChFC), chartered life underwriter (CLU), certificationf for long-term care (CLTC), certified financial planner (CFP), chartered advisor for senior living (CASL) and retirement income certified professional (RICP). Advisors may have more than one credential.

The fee-based firm serves both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients. Investment accounts are only on a discretionary basis. There is no account minimum requirement.

Avaii Wealth Management Background

As stated earlier, Avaii was founded in 2018. Its three founders are president Christian Doule, vice president Jeff Rainer and director of investments and planning Joel Blattner. A fourth partner, Mark Truettner, joined the firm in early 2020. 

It offers customized financial planning, asset management, tax-reduction strategies, retirement cash flow management and insurance products.

Avaii Wealth Management Investment Strategy

Like most advisors, Avaii seeks to construct portfolios based on client objectives, circumstances, risk tolerance and time horizon. It primarily invests in mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and stocks.

In developing portfolios for its clients, the firm may use these standard strategies:

• Fundamental analysis - evaluating securities using company data including revenues, earnings and profit margins
• Cyclical analysis - evaluating the impact of cycles of the market including inflation risk and market risk.
• Behavioral finance - using psychology-based understanding of investor behavior to explain their decisions and market outcomes.
• Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) – implementing the understanding that rather than just picking individual stocks, investors can create diversified portfolios that will deliver optimal returns given their particular tolerance for risk.
• Asset allocation - balancing risk and return according to client objectives, time horizon and more.
• Diversification - spreading risk across different market sectors, asset classes and companies to maximize return.

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The Appleton Group is a relatively small, privately owned practice with advisors whose designations include accredited investment fiduciaries (AIFs).

Most of the clients of The Appleton Group are non-high-net-worth individuals. The minimum balance to open an account is $200,000. All accounts are discretionary. The firm also offers advisory services to, families and trusts, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, other advisors, foundations and charities.

Since advisors at The Appleton Group do not sell insurance or financial products for commissions, the firm is considered fee-only. 

The Appleton Group Background

The Appleton Group was founded in 2002 by CEO Mark Scheffler. He owns the largest stake in the business, although there three other minority owners, including chief operations/chief compliance officer Karen Anderson. 

For private clients, it can offer guidance on financial planning, Social Security and pension elections, tax planning and reporting, retirement income needs analysis, intergenerational wealth transfer planning, estate planning, Roth conversions and more.

The Appleton Group Investment Strategy

Like a growing number of advisors, The Appleton Group bases its investment strategy on exchange-traded funds (ETFs). It does this because they are low in cost and highly liquid, while offering broad diversification. The firm has what it calls core strategies and focus strategies. The first break down further as:

• Risk-accepting strategies – traditional portfolios offering exposure across multiple market styles, including growth and value, large and small cap, domestic and international, etc. They are periodically rebalanced.
• Risk-managed strategies– portfolios that protect against volatility and prolonged market downturns, using its proprietary clearTREND engine.
• Hybrid strategies – portfolios based on age and adopt more risk-managed strategies as the client gets older. They are rebalanced regularly.
• The Appleton Group also offers what it calls focus strategies, which are portfolios that prioritize things like social impact or dividends.

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Conceptual Financial Advisors is a fee-based financial advisory firm that offers services to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans and charitable organizations. There is no minimum account size in order to enlist the services of the firm. 

As a fee-based advisory firm, its advisor may earn commissions for the sale of certain securities. However, the firm is bound to a fiduciary duty, meaning it must put the needs of each client above its own. 

Conceptual Financial Advisors Background

The firm was founded in 2011 in its current form but was originally founded in 1984 with Charles (Chuck) Kranzusch merging his practice with that of his father's, H. William (Bill) Kranzusch. The firm provided comprehensive financial planning services under Conceptual Investemtn Advisors, Inc. The firm expanded to include the offering of fee-only portfolio management through Wrap fee programs. The current MyFirstFinancialPlanner.com site was launched in 2011. Chad Nehring became the sole owner of the firm's assets in 2016 and he continues to operate the firm as its President today. 

Conceptual Financial Advisors Investment Strategy

Conceptual Financial Advisors starts the investment process by reviewing any existing investment portfolio, analyzing a test of your goals and risk tolerance and then making specific recommendations that are unique to the needs of each client. The firm will explore potential retirement income scenarios as well as specific tax strategies to maximize the effectiveness of the investment strategy to meet the needs of that client.