Evan Richard, MBA

I had a unique college experience prior to entering the workforce. I graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a finance degree in 2015, spending five years playing division 1 basketball. It was a great experience being a student athlete, balancing both my studies and sport responsibilities. My time management and organization skills that I needed in college have stayed with me, making new job transitions an easier process. I spent four years working in payroll services (2015-2019) as an implementation specialist. I worked with clients to meet their payroll needs, interacting with clients and training them on a new payroll system. In addition, developed solutions when problems were identified from HR, compliance, DOL perspectives and ensure client's stay on track with payroll. I gained tremendous experience in business planning areas relevant to a wide range of business owners. My communication skills improved as I was put in situations where effective project management was critical. In 2016, I started my journey toward obtaining a masters degree in finance while working 40 plus hours a week. I finished my masters degree in 2018 with 3.9 GPA honors. The past year, I transitioned to a financial planning role within the CPA firm I work for. I assisted in retirement planning services for clients and prospective clients referred by partners and managers. I worked with clients on individual retirement plans, guiding clients to proper investing plans aligned to their individual goals. I reviewed client needs for estate, succession and sale of closely held businesses. I initiated proactive calls in order to maintain and generate business development, and assist with clients with questions. I am in the process of obtaining my Certified Financial Planner certification. I anticipate sitting for the exam in November, 2020.