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Major: Accounting

Business:
Location: De Pere, Wis.

“My first entrepreneurial endeavor was at the age of five, when I began my own business selling night crawlers to my neighbors. Growing this business taught me about the importance of saving money and left me interested in exploring the financial world.

 
“That experience likely influenced my pursuit of an accounting degree at ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ and piqued my interest in an on-campus work study in the office of business and finance. Jeff Ritter, my accounting professor and student advisor, and Rhoda Lehrke, my mentor and supervisor, are the two people who influenced me most. I do what I do today because of the education and training I received from them. For years, Rhoda and Jeff gave me firsthand experience with accounting and finance and truly shaped my work ethic.

“Upon graduation, I was offered a position at a local bank. I then was offered a role at another bank and helped develop their investment program. After working for three years, I determined that if I could do it for them, I could do it for myself. So, I made the decision to step away and began my own financial planning firm.

“Strategic Financial Group is a holistic financial planning firm, meaning that we work in all aspects of planning including wealth, estate, insurance, investment and retirement. While investment planning is a strength of our firm, it is truly a small portion of everything else that we do. We look at the whole picture, whether it is starting with budgeting and saving or walking people through the retirement process. It is rewarding to meet our clients where they are and support them through the entire process.

“One of my greatest professional accomplishments was being named to the Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors, 2022. This recognition affirms our growth as well as our efforts to fully support our clients. We invest so much time educating our client base, and we want to continue teaching people. We take pride in our strong practice as we support our clients in their journey toward financial health.

“Entrepreneurship is phenomenal. You have control. With the entrepreneurial mindset, you learn what you don’t know quickly. The advice I would give to any student interested in entrepreneurship is to find a mentor or a group of trusted colleagues where you can help one another, share ideas and grow together. I would also encourage them to embrace the experience and have an open mind. If I didn’t have an open mind on what life could provide, I’d probably never be where I am today.”

Learn more about . Read about Derek's recognition from Forbes as a 2022 Best-In-State Wealth Advisor.

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