Knowledge - Integrity - Impact
Innovative Planning Team
Mike Laatsch
Our Team
Mike Laatsch
President & Financial Advisor
About Mike:
Mike is responsible for managing client relationships and company strategy at Innovative Planning Group. Mike received his degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and maintains his Series 6, 7, 63, through LPL Financial and the Series 65 held through Great Valley Advisor Group.
Mike and his family enjoy being active in local charities, spending time on the lake, and getting in the occasional round of golf.
Aaron Brandt
OUR TEAM
Aaron Brandt
Vice President & Financial Advisor
About Aaron:
Aaron is responsible for managing client relationships, and company strategy. Aaron received two Bachelor of Science Degrees in Accounting and Finance from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He also maintains his Series 6,7, and 63, through LPL Financial and the Series 65 held through Great Valley Advisor Group.
Aaron and his wife, Adrianna, live in Maple Grove, MN. They have a son, Lincoln. They enjoy traveling, breweries, and spending time with family back on each other’s family farms in Southwest Minnesota.
Justin Larson, CFA®
Our Team
Justin Larson, CFA
Vice President of Investments
About Justin:
Justin is responsible for maintaining, implementing, and monitoring Innovative Planning Group’s investment strategy. Justin is a CFA® charter holder, an active member of the CFA Society of Minnesota where he serves on the Membership Committee and holds degrees in Finance & Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Prior to joining IPG, Justin worked as an investment analyst, financial analyst, and accounting analyst at various companies and LPL Financial. Justin maintains his Series 6, 7, 63, and 66 licenses held through LPL Financial.
Justin and his wife, Kylie, live in Corcoran, MN. They have a son, Rowan, and a golden retriever named Piper. In his spare time, Justin enjoys relaxing with family, going out to eat, golfing, and watching sports. He regularly listens to finance and economic podcasts and enjoys reading nonfiction.
Matt Quinn
OUR TEAM
Matt Quinn
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
ABOUT Matt:
Matt brings two decades of experience to IPG as a financial advisor, along with 15 years of experience preparing income tax returns and income tax planning. Matt has a deep passion for helping his clients in all aspects of their financial lives, his values & work ethic are deeply rooted in growing up on a dairy farm in Ellsworth, WI.
Matt, along with his wife Lindsey live in Hudson, WI. He loves to golf, watch his daughter Ella dance & cheer on his son Kingston competing in various team athletics. The family also has two dogs, Ozzie & Otis that they adore.
Jodi Gibson, CRPC®
OUR TEAM
Jodi Gibson
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
ABOUT Jodi:
Jodi was born and raised in Hudson, WI. Prior to joining the team, Jodi spent some time living on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands while her husband was teaching there. Jodi has a true passion for educating others on the importance of making informed financial decisions, and looks forward to helping current and future clients gain clarity around their finances. Jodi has earned the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) designation and holds Series 7 and Series 66 securities registrations. She also holds Life, Health and Disability insurance licenses as required by the State of Wisconsin.
She lives in New Richmond, WI along with her husband, Travis, their two daughters, and two boxers. Jodi spends any of her free time shuttling her girls to their activities, golfing, playing volleyball, dancing, travelling and cheering on the Badgers and Green Bay Packers with friends and family!
Duane Swanson CFP®
OUR TEAM
Duane Swanson
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
About Duane:
Duane entered the financial services industry after 10 years of managing supermarkets for a local family-owned chain.
Duane has been active in a number of community organizations in Hudson, WI including the Chamber of Commerce, Hudson Community Foundation, Rotary and Hudson Hockey Association, as well as his family's church. Duane (known as Dewey) and his wife Beth have three grown children and seven granddaughters.
Jordan Wold
OUR TEAM
Jordan Wold
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
ABOUT Jordan:
Jordan Wold was born and raised in Amery, WI. After graduating from high school, Jordan ventured off to the University of Wisconsin La Crosse where he graduated in 2009 with a B.S. in Marketing and a minor in Economics. Jordan holds Series 7 and Series 66 securities registrations along with, Life, Health and Disability insurance licenses as required by the State of Wisconsin.
He resides in Amery, WI along with his wife, Amanda, and their 2 daughters, Aurora and Saylor. In his free time Jordan enjoys playing sports, cheering on his favorite Wisconsin teams, hunting and spending time with his family and friends.
Ellie Welsh
OUR TEAM
Ellie Welsh
Financial Advisor
ABOUT Ellie:
Ellie is responsible for managing client relationships and facilitating new ones. Ellie received two Bachelor of Science Degrees in Mathematics and Finance from Michigan Technological University where she played DII basketball. She maintains her Series 6 and 63 through LPL Financial and her Series 65 through Great Valley Advisor Group.
Ellie and her partner, Nick, live in St. Paul, MN. They have a rescue dog, Stanley, who they love to take on adventures with them. They enjoy traveling, hiking, and trying out new restaurants in the Twin Cities.
Blake Gleason
OUR TEAM
Blake Gleason
Financial Advisor
ABOUT Blake:
Blake brings several years of experience working diligently with clients and specializes in assisting young families, farmers, and business owners with every aspect of their financial lives. He maintains his Series 7, 66 along with Life and Health Insurance Licenses. Blake’s commitment and work ethic are evident not only by his recent work with clients, but also via his time at UW-River Falls where he played football while obtaining majors in both Finance and Economics.
During his free time, you can catch him out on the water boating or hosting friends and family at his cabin in Cross Lake, MN.
Katie Kroll
Our Team
Katie Kroll
Director of Growth and Development
About katie:
Katie joined IPG in June 2022. Katie is dedicated to helping others grow and is a natural connector. In her role as Director of Growth and Development, Katie is responsible for partnering with advisors who are needing support and direction with succession planning. She also helps create best practices and supports building out our organization to better serve our clients and affiliated IPG partners. Katie holds a degree in Business Management and comes to IPG with over 10 years of industry experience.
Katie and her husband live in River Falls, WI with their four children. In her spare time, you can find her at one of her kid's sporting events, volunteering in the community, riding a motorcycle with her husband, visiting her lake home or tavern up in northern WI, or a long walk with a friend.
Nolan Schoonveld
Our Team
Nolan Schoonveld
Director of Operations
About Nolan:
Nolan is responsible for helping manage client communications, marketing, technology initiatives, and onboarding new clients. He is a graduate of Hamline University with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Finance.
Nolan enjoys spending time with two different organizations, Special Olympics Minnesota and Hamline University where he serves on the Young Professionals Board of Directors as well as Hamline's Piper Athletic Association. Nolan is in charge of the Blue Ocean Invitational, a golf tournament Benefiting Special Olympics Minnesota Athletes. If he isn’t helping with something related to baseball or golf, you can find him at his lake house and spending time with family and friends.
Dawn Bembenek
OUR TEAM
Dawn Bembenek
Client Relationship Manager
ABOUT Dawn:
Dawn Bembenek resided in Franklin, WI for a number of years with her family before moving to Clear Lake, WI in 2015. Dawn has been in the financial industry for over 25 years and holds her Series 7 and 63 licenses. Throughout her career, Dawn has always felt that the most rewarding part of her day is talking and helping clients with their everyday needs.
Dawn and her husband live in Clear Lake with their two children who are currently attending UW-River Falls and UW-Stout. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, scrapbooking and participating in local events.
Trevor Wasbotten
OUR TEAM
Trevor Wasbotten
Associate, Investment Operations
ABOUT Trevor:
Trevor is responsible for assisting in the preparation of various client meeting topics, as well as implementing trading activities in accordance with the overall investment strategy. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration, while majoring in Finance and Management. Trevor also maintains his Series 7, 66, and SIE through LPL Financial.
Trevor lives in Hudson, WI. He enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his friends and family. Some of his favorite activities include kayaking, exploring the state park, and boating trips on the St. Croix River.
Josie Johnson
OUR TEAM
Josie Johnson
CLIENT SERVICe Associate
ABOUT JOSIE:
Josie is responsible for assisting with client communications, operations and marketing. Her face will be the first you see when you come into the office and she will be ready to help with whatever is needed. She is a UW-River Falls graduate where she received a Bachelor's of Marketing Communications and Communication Studies.
Josie loves to travel and during her semester abroad, she visited 11 countries in Europe. She was also a Captain for the UW-River Falls Women's Lacrosse team, but now is the Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach at the University of Northwestern St. Paul. In her free time, Josie enjoys photography, watching movies, and spending time at the lake with friends and family.
Peter Bouillon
OUR TEAM
Peter Bouillon
Client Service Associate
ABOUT Peter:
Peter is responsible for maintaining and acquiring new client relationships. Peter is currently a senior at the University of Minnesota – Duluth and is on track to graduate in May of 2024 with a Financial Planning degree.
During his free time, Peter loves to make trips up the North Shore to go hiking, adventuring, and fishing with family and friends. Peter is also a football fan and makes time to attend games whenever he can.
Steven McKenna
OUR TEAM
Steven McKenna
CPA
ABOUT STEVEN:
Steven is a Certified Public Accountant and Principal of IPG Tax & Consulting Services. Steven received his bachelor's degree in Economics with a minor in Finance, and his Master of Accountancy from Carlson School of Management. Steven is excited to be part of the Innovative Planning Group team and to help our clients with tax preparation and consulting services.
Steven and his family have lived in Woodbury for over 20 years. He enjoys traveling, golfing, fishing, and spending time with family and friends.
Nick Swanson
OUR TEAM
Nick Swanson
Medicare & Employee Benefits Expert
ABOUT Nick:
Nick has a passion for connecting with people, and started Ezra Insurance Group with a mission to simplify the process of finding health insurance coverage for his clients.
Nick has a unique background, allowing him to serve as a resource for clients for all of their Health Care needs. Nick first received his health insurance license in 2007 and has served in several Leadership roles across health care including: a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, Clinical Operations Leadership at Allina Health and Summit Orthopedics, Broker & Client Relationship Manager at one of the top 3 brokerages in the world and leading a pharmacy start-up in New York.
Nick currently lives in Prescott, WI with his wife Rachel and their two kids Liv & Leo on their family farm. Nick loves spending time with his family, including their chocolate lab Lucy, and everything outdoors - hunting, fishing and camping. Nick also enjoys travel, and recently spent two weeks in Alaska on a 100-mile float trip through the Arctic Circle.
