Independent Foundations Result in Strong Growth at Oak Partners OAK When Mark VandeVelde and Nick Schuemann decided to partner with each other to provide clients with finan- cial planning and investment management services they had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve "We wanted to create practice whero wo could fo- cus on each client and family individually and inde- pendently. We wanted to form a practice where plans were developed tof cients around the table wigh their advisot not where products and strategies were dictat WEALTH & RETIREMENT PLANNING ed from afar or above," says Mark VandeVelde. We aliso wanted to focus on providing maximum value to clients for a fair cost structure." adds Schuemann. Too many investments involve hidden extra fees, or conflicts of interest between firms and clients, we wanted to try to avoid that So they set out to find a partner who would help them build their business, their way. They found this partner in Oak Partners of Crown Point. Osk Partners which is a registered branch and supervisory office of LPL Financial helps provide financial advisors with the infrastructure and support to build independent planning and advice practices fotused on their Osk Partners wh Financial helipes p What attracted us to Oak Partners is they provide their associated financial advisors with a turnkey business management model that works This allowed us to spend ime focusing on our clients and relationships, At the same time, however they (0ak Partnersi firmly believe that the best approaches for clients are developed directly between clients and advi Wth the right partner VandeVelde and Scheumann were able to grow their practice, where they now serve 275 d- ents Wgh a positive culture, a foous on serving thele clients and on giving backto the community their firm was being no ticed by the Auburn community, including by their peers in the investment services field. Mark and Nick were still surprised how ever, wheh the phone rang a few months ago, On the other side of the line was Andy Smith. Although Mark and Nick both knew Andy and considered him a friend from the community, Andy was with an- other wealth management firm across Andy said he'd like to sop in and talk says Nick "I had no idea w hat was on his mind, but Mark and I have always enjoyed Andy, soI said sure, come en over. What was on Andy's mind was a change. Andy had been building his own investment services career for ten years, and he found himself attracted to Mark and Nick's independence and the open minded approach they employ with their clients The financial services and advice business has undergone some major changes over the past few years, and I just want ed to build a practice in a place where I could adjust to changes in waysI felt was in the best inberest of clients,"says Smith, "Iliked the idea of working with Mark and Nick, they have a great team culture. liked the way Oak Partners can provide me with the support I need to build my business, but at the same time the independence and trust in me as a professional to serve my cents in the way I feel best suits their needs. And I especially liked that working with Oak Partners meant I would be working with LPL Financial, which is the largest independent investment irm in the country. They have a ton of resources available to help me help clients. .when Andr asked if he could join our team, was quite honestly both shocked and oxcited," says Nick "l felt like having someone like Andy want to be a part of our Oak Partners office was a validation of all the things we've been working so hard to do over the past few years. Starting fresh isn't easy," adds VandeVelde, "but with Andy's super strong Aubum roots and reputation in the communi- ty we just felt like this was a great opportunity for all of us Andy's involved all over the place, says Nick. "The guy is a past president of Lions Club, heavily involved with Auburn Little League, and on the board of out local YMCA 's like everyone in town knows Andy So they called their partners in Crown Point and pitched the idea. Their office suite already had a nice extra office that Andy could use, and their Executive Assistant Tina was ready for the challenge All the stars seemed to align for Mark, Nick and Andy, says Marc Ruiz of Oak Partners. "The conversation quickly turned from "if into "how when it came to Andy. When you meet him, you just know you want him on your team. On July 16th, Andy Smith joined the Oak Partners Auburn team, "I really admire Andy's desire to build his practice in an independent and flexible way, says Rulr He's an Auburn guy throuph and through. He's out there every day giving back, helping make the community beter. With that type of energy and attitude, I'm sure he will be successful and do a great job for his clenes. As reported by Financial Planning magazine, June 1996-2018, based on total revenue. Securities and advisory services offered throgh LPL Financial a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA SIPc