Knowledge - Integrity - Impact

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.

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. 

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. 

OUR TEAM

Matt Quinn

FINANCIAL ADVISOR

ABOUT Matt: 

Matt brings nearly 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.

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!

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

OUR TEAM

Josie Johnson

CLIENT SERVICe Associate

ABOUT JOSIE: 

Josie is responsible for assisting with client communications 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 enjoys coaching for high school club lacrosse to grow the future of the sport. In her free time, Josie enjoys photography, watching movies, and spending time at the lake with friends and family.

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.