Credent presented me with multiple options for either merger or acquisition, depending on what I wanted for the next stage of my business cycle and career. While acquisition would have given me the freedom to focus solely on servicing my existing clients, I wanted to keep building the business that I started. Merging with Credent gives me the additional resources and control I need to make that happen.
Daniel Steichen, JD, CPA (Inactive), MS TaxationPartner
Credent Wealth Management is pleased to announce Dan Steichen (Personal Wealth Partners), Brad Michels (Financial Architects), and Steve Swicegood (Conscious Money Solutions) as the latest partners to join Credent Wealth. Through these partnerships, Credent expands its locations to River Falls, WI, Minneapolis, MN, Louisville, KY, and Amarillo, TX. Under their integrator model, Credent’s flexible options allow advisors to remain involved and advance their personal and professional success through equity rollovers and Credent’s structured growth initiatives.
For a limited time, Credent is offering similar Founder’s share partnerships, giving advisors a secure succession plan for their clients as well as providing critical back-office support. Flexible deal structures allow each advisor to capitalize on their life’s work while transitioning on the timeline that fits them best. The newest partners, Steichen, Michels, and Swicegood, will experience the ultimate benefits of a Credent partnership—exponential growth, less hassle, and more living life. In turn, they bring their wisdom, leadership, and expertise.
Steichen, of Personal Wealth Partners, holds a Master of Science in Taxation and offers decades of knowledge in financial planning and money management. Personal Wealth Partners began in 2014 and merged with Credent in June 2022. As a partner, Steichen is committed to the future of his clients and the company and appreciates the equity rollover.
“What I find attractive about that [equity rollover],” Steichen says, “is that I still wanted to have skin in the game, it’s a nice way to defer taxes to do a tax-free exchange of securities from one firm to another firm, and it gives you that opportunity for growth.”
Financial Architects, Inc. merged with Credent two months later, in August 2022. Michels, owner of Financial Architects since 2016, is eager to shift away from the administrative side of the business and towards a client focus. A Certified Financial Planner™, he brings nearly 30 years of broad financial industry experience, including proficiency in financial life planning.
“I really enjoy all of my client relationships,” Michels says, “and I am looking forward to my focus being 100% on those existing clients and new clients coming on board, without the need to also ‘run my practice’ given the shared services now available to me through my partnership with Credent.”
Swicegood, of Conscious Money Solutions, joined in September of 2022. He holds a CFP® certification and committed to full-time financial planning in 2000 to address the lack of good advisors in Amarillo. Now a partner of Credent, Swicegood no longer feels the limits of a one-man shop. With Credent’s support, he sees the growth potential and future protection.
“I’m gratified to know that...if something were to happen to me and I wasn’t able to do this work anymore, my clients are still well cared for,” Swicegood says.
According to Swicegood, Conscious Money Solutions, now Credent Wealth Management, is the sole fee-only operation in Amarillo.
Credent is committed to supporting like-minded advisors like these as they transition their practices and participate in the Wealth Creation Story. Those looking to maximize their personal wealth, own their schedule, and choose their exit plan have an important place in the limited Founders Class of equity. To learn more, visit joincredentwealth.com.
About Credent Wealth Management
Credent Wealth Management offers a broad range of financial management planning and advisory services built on a client-focused model. Credent believes that all Americans should have access to independent and affordable advice, and the company’s fiduciary obligation is always to the client. Credent believes in the power of partnership, supporting clients and advisors with a team of experienced professionals. The company continues to grow, focusing on an integrator model which offers economic and professional benefits to partners.