Your Team of dedicated financial advisors

Mark Carter, ChFC^®

mark@fsgmichigan.com
517-347-4337

Mark E. Carter is the founder and president of Financial Strategies Group. He began his career with New York Life and earned his Chartered Financial Consultant designation from the American College. Mark has been working as a financial professional for 27 years and continues to service clients with the utmost integrity.

Mark was raised outside of Akron, OH. Shortly after graduating high school, Mark moved to Flint, MI where he met his wife, Tina. They married in 1984 and currently reside in Swartz Creek, MI where they have raised their three children; Brandon, Brittany, and Brice. Mark's passion in life is working in this business and being surrounded by his family. When he isn't working he is always enjoying the outdoors and spending time with his grandbabies; Paisley, Owen, Sawyer, Chloe, Bree, Quinn, and Piper.

Brandon Carter, CFP^®, CIMA^®, ChFC^®, AEP^®, MSFS

brandon@fsgmichigan.com
517-347-4337

Brandon has been a hard working and loyal member of the Financial Strategies Group team since 2007. He attended Central Michigan University and was a part of their top 10 wrestling team as a four year starter. He earned NWCA Academic All-American Honors and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Arts and majored in Entrepreneurship with a minor in Finance. Brandon has also earned a Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) from The American College of Financial Services. In addition, he has completed the rigorous requirements to earn CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Chartered Financial Consultant®, Certified Investment Management Analyst®, and AEP® designations.

Brandon married his high school sweetheart, Becky, in 2008. They reside in Durand, MI with their three children, Paisley, Owen, and Sawyer. Brandon is an active board member of Newlife Community Lutheran Church, loves spending time with his family, and enjoys just about any outdoor activity.

Brice Carter, CFP^®, CIMA^®, ChFC ^®, CAP^®, CDAA, MSFS

brice@fsgmichigan.com
517-347-4337

Brice has been a Financial Advisor with Financial Strategies Group since 2011. He is a proud graduate of Central Michigan University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Personal Financial Planning. After finishing his internship at FSG, he graduated from CMU and completed the requirements to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) making him one of the youngest individuals to receive the designation. Additionally, Brice has also completed the requirements to become a Chartered Financial Consultant®,  a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®),  a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP^®), a Certified Digital Asset Advisor, and earned a  Masters of Science in Financial Services (MSFS).

Brice resides with his wife, Cori, daughters, Chloe, Bree, and Quinn, and their dog, Thor, in Fenton, MI. Brice enjoys many outdoor activities such as mountain biking, fishing, and golfing. His motto is: “One does not plan to fail, they fail to plan” and he hopes to help his clients meet their financial goals with plans catered to their needs.

Kyle Cooper, CFP^®, ChFC^®, CDAA

kyle@fsgmichigan.com
517-347-4337

Kyle has been with Financial Strategies Group since 2013. Before joining FSG, Kyle attended Central Michigan University. There he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Personal Financial Planning. Kyle began his professional career as a Financial Adviser at Edward Jones Investments. His passion for pursuing education above the standard can be attributed to Zig Ziglar’s quote, “Success is when hard work meets opportunity.” Kyle specializes in asset accumulation with an emphasis on taxation with regard to retirement income planning. Today, he is part of an elite group of financial professionals who have the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Chartered Financial Consultant®, and Certified Digital Asset Advisor designations.

Kyle resides with his wife, Mackenzie, son, Kamden, and their two dogs, Paisley and Wrigley, in Dewitt, MI. He enjoys golf, watching sporting events, and outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. As an advisor, Kyle works to maintain genuine, long-lasting relationships as he believes trust and familiarity is a crucial elements for his clients to avoid financial pitfalls and reach their financial goals.

Justin T. Meyer, ChFC^®, RICP^®

justin@fsgmichigan.com 
800-804-0420

Justin Meyer joined the Financial Strategies Group team as a service member in September 2012 and quickly developed into a Financial Advisor by 2014.  He also earned his Chartered Financial Consultant and Retirement Income Certified Professional designation from the American College. Best summed up in a quote from Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Justin has a passion for educating people about finances and regularly speaks to middle-school students about the fundamentals of financial planning and investments. As an advisor, Justin strives to educate his clients on the complexities of financial planning in a way that is easy to understand.

Justin was raised in Swartz Creek, MI, where he met his wife, Nicole. They married in September of 2013 and now reside in Durand, MI, with their sons Emmett and Gideon. Outside of work, Justin is actively involved in his church and enjoys spending time with his family and golfing.

Joel Hoffman

517-347-4337
joel@fsgmichigan.com

Joel joined the Financial Strategies Group team in February of 2024. Before joining FSG, he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University. He previously was a PGA Golf Pro for 10 years and spent the last six years as a licensed agent at a Property and Casualty Insurance Agency. 

Joel’s unique ability to tackle the administrative responsibilities of a great financial advisor along with the care and dedication necessary to form long lasting client relationships make Joel a top notch asset to the FSG team. As he prepares to work directly with clients, we know that they will be well cared for and treated like family.

Joel has been married to his wife, Katie, for over 14 years, and they have two daughters, Ellie and Emily. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, playing guitar, and spending time with his family and friends. 

Brittany Culver

517-347-4337
brittany@fsgmichigan.com

Brittany joined the Financial Strategies Team full time in 2011. She graduated from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids with her Bachelor's degree.  While attending college, Brittany worked part time at FSG, and for five years, she worked in ministry as a youth and children’s pastor. Her favorite part of working at FSG is finding new ways to build our team and business.

Brittany is extremely passionate about ensuring that all FSG team members have all that they need in order to thrive, and that is exactly why we love having her around.  Her ability to take a big idea and break it down into detailed action items is what takes our dreams and makes them a reality.  Brittany’s success as our CEO lies in her ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of individuals, as well as FSG as a whole. In doing so, she is able to ensure a healthy, stable, and thriving culture driven by a clear vision and the right people to make it happen.

Brittany and her husband, James, and daughter, Piper, reside in Flushing. They met in high school and reconnected after he came back from the military, marrying in 2013. In her spare time,  she enjoys being with family, volunteering at church, and going to the farmer's market.

Becca Clover

517-347-4337
becca@fsgmichigan.com

Becca joined our Financial Strategies Group team in 2021. She previously obtained her cosmetology license and earned a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Baker College. With her education along with experience running her own business, we knew immediately that Becca would be a great asset.  Becca is our Chief Executive Assistant.  In this capacity, she is an extension of our CEO in a multitude of areas, including company culture, HR, and accounting.  Having someone like Becca on our team that we can rely on is a blessing and makes each one of us better.

Becca and her husband, Mitch, reside in St. Johns. They have a son, Daniel, and two fur babies, Baxter and Nova. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, gardening, and doing home projects. 

Doug Thalhammer

517-347-4337
doug@fsgmichigan.com

Doug joined the Financial Strategies Group team in 2023. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint. Doug brings with him around  20 years of overseeing the distribution of medical devices through several states. When asked what his favorite part of FSG is, he said, “I’m excited to work in a culture that is energetic and operates according to their values.”

Doug brings many strong skillsets to his role as Compliance Director, including a lofty work ethic, outstanding character, and high level of intellectual capacity.  In addition to his role as Compliance Director, we are extremely excited to have Doug as part of FSG’s leadership team.  We believe deeply in his ability to make our entire team better.

Doug has been married to his high school sweetheart, Suzanne, for almost 28 years, and they have one daughter, Adeline. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, traveling, reading, and writing. 

Jordan Seath

517-347-4337
jordan@fsgmichigan.com

Jordan joined the FSG Team in February of 2024. He graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University. Jordan brings over 8 years of experience as an educator and principal. 

With this experience, Jordan brings the ability to work with a wide range of personalities and the ability to learn, analyze, and speak into systems and processes.  We could not feel more honored to have Jordan on the FSG, executing trades with the highest attention to detail and ensuring that our clients and our firm are taken care of through the execution of many compliance requirements.

Jordan is the youngest of three boys and likes being active. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, fantasy football, and traveling to northern Michigan.

Hunter Biggs

517-347-4337
hunter@fsgmichigan.com

Hunter joined Financial Strategies Group in 2021. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a concentration on Investments. He previously served as an intern on the financial planning and analysis team for LafargeHolcim while at UofM.

Hunter's passion for finance and high intellectual capacity make him a perfect fit as our portfolio manager, lead researcher, and trader.  Spending his days submerged in numbers and analyzing to his heart's content makes him a great asset to FSG, and we are made better by his dedication.

Hunter enjoys continuously learning new things, reading, nature, playing piano and chess, and assisting others with personal and professional development in his spare time.

Melissa Wright

517-347-4337
melissa@fsgmichigan.com

Melissa has been with Financial Strategies Group since 2019. Before joining us, she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Finance from Oakland University and has over nine years of experience in the Financial Services industry. What she would say that she loves most about working for FSG is the atmosphere. “You feel like you are part of the family right from the beginning.”

FSG has been honored to have Melissa as our first Assistant Financial Advisor (AFA).  Melissa takes an extraordinary amount of pride in the quality of her work.  She has taken the role of AFA above and beyond all expectations.  Melissa saves our advisors a sizable amount of time, and her ability to maximize their efficiency is unmatched.  In her AFA role, you will notice Melissa sitting in on meetings taking notes, crafting personalized financial plans, and assisting in research to affirm that we are offering the best options for our clients.

Melissa and her husband, Mitchell, have been married since 2012 and have two boys, Brayden and Caleb. Melissa loves spending time with her family and friends. During the summer, you can find her kayaking, camping, tubing down the Manistee River, and playing outside with her two golden retrievers, Tiberius and Caesar.

           

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Haley Winans

517-347-4337
haley@fsgmichigan.com

Haley has been with the Financial Strategies Team since 2015. Before joining us, she graduated from Northwood University with a Degree in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing. Haley previously worked at the State of Michigan as a student assistant and at Farm Bureau Insurance as an intern and recruiting coordinator. She loves being a part of the FSG family and the team mentality that everyone shares.

Haley is a champion in the ranks of FSG’s marketing strategy. From the time that Haley joined our team, she has been the backbone of bringing our marketing efforts to a whole new level.  Being FSG’s only marketing director for three years, Haley has an amazing ability to balance the creative energy of our large team to ensure that we are all moving forward with a united vision.  Haley does all of our design work, leads the charge for our brand consistency, and ensures that all of our marketing efforts are strategically executed and up to standard.

Haley married her high school sweetheart, Brad, in 2016, and they have three boys, Samuel, Logan, and Ethan. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, organizing, and spending time with family and friends.

Cash Thompson

517-347-4337
cash@fsgmichigan.com

Cash joined the FSG Team in August of 2022. He attended Ohio Northern University and studied Business Administration, majoring in Marketing. Cash previously worked as a Marketing Consultant at Townsquare Media and interned at State Farm and Wieland Construction.  As a collegiate wrestler, Cash brings with him a deeply ingrained work ethic and a steadiness that is much desired in a leader.  We know that as he takes over the leadership of our marketing team and as he refines our digital marketing strategies, Cash will be instrumental in spreading awareness of all that FSG has to offer.

Cash recently married his high school sweetheart, Maranda, in June. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with this family, gaming and building gaming PCs, and coaching wrestling at Portland High School.

Jessica Bauman

517-347-4337
jessica@fsgmichigan.com

Jessica joined the Financial Strategies Group team in August of 2022. Before joining FSG, she graduated from Baker College with a degree in Graphic Communications and has gained nine years of advertising experience as an Account Manager at Fiat Chrysler Automotive.  Jessica has proven to be a great asset to FSG with her depth of knowledge and experience and her kind and positive demeanor.  We are extremely excited about the way she rounds out our marketing team and continues to elevate our game in the area of digital media.

Jessica enjoys using her creative skills with her twin sister, Melissa, on their Etsy shop, being active with her dog, Brody, and traveling domestically and internationally. 

Alaina Muth

517-347-4337
alaina@fsgmichigan.com

Alaina has been with Financial Strategies Group since 2010. Before joining the team, she spent years in sales and found that it was not what she enjoyed and eventually stumbled upon FSG. Since then, she has realized that administrative and customer service is her passion, saying, “I love everything about FSG, my job, the advisors, and the staff. It is challenging and busy, but never a boring day.”

Starting out as our lone administrative assistant in a growing office, Alaina has become the cornerstone of our FSG team. When we were able to hire around Alaina’s strengths and weaknesses effectively, that’s when FSG’s team found a rhythm that has brought us where we are today and will bring us into our next several decades of success.  As our Operations Manager, Alaina is a servant leader in making sure that she is always there to assist those that she leads. 

Alaina comes from a large family and is the oldest of 5 siblings. She has been married to her husband, Chris, since 2008, and they have two daughters, Riley and Skylar. In her free time, she enjoys traveling in the warm weather, scrapbooking, and spending time with her family.

Connie Shanks

517-347-4337
connie@fsgmichigan.com

Connie has been with the FSG team since 2015, bringing to us many years of experience in office administration. When asked what her favorite part of working at FSG she said, “It's never dull!  Great Bosses with awesome co-workers who are always willing to help”.

When Connie came to FSG, the team knew we were getting a hardworking and detailed addition.  She has proven us to be correct, and she continues to exceed our expectations. This makes her a perfect match for the skills needed to lead the charge in processing our new managed money accounts, servicing all types of client accounts, and doing all that she can to support her fellow teammates.  Being such a reliable source for our company and clients makes Connie an irreplaceable part of FSG.

Connie has been married to her High School Sweetheart, Ken, for 39 yrs, and they have two children, Cori and Kyle. In her free time, she enjoys updating her home, soap making, crafts, mountain biking, and spending time with her granddaughters, Chloe, Bree, and Quinn.

Nicole Cohoon

517-347-4337
nicole@fsgmichigan.com

Nicole joined the Financial Strategies Group team in 2023. Before joining us she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the University of Central Florida, with minors in psychology, sociology, and political science. Nicole also brings with her years of experience in veterinary medicine, accounting, and dentistry.  With her base knowledge of accounting, FSG is excited to see how Nicole is able to continue learning and growing, walking along our clients as a CSR.  

Nicole grew up in Florida and moved to Michigan in 2017. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her son, Craig, going to the park, boating, and traveling. 

Becca Essenberg

517-347-4337
beccae@fsgmichigan.com

Becca joined the FSG Team in August of 2023. She has received her certification for Sterile Processing and brings years of experience in the medical field and customer service.  We could not be more excited that Becca made the decision to give the world of finance a shot.  We are confident that her sweet demeanor and heart to help others will make FSG a better place for our clients and our team.

Becca and her husband, Joseph, have been married since 2022 and have two fur babies. She enjoys reading, soccer, golfing with her husband in her spare time, and hanging with their dogs.  

Madison Wesley

517-347-4337
madison@fsgmichigan.com

Madison joined the FSG team in 2024. She brings with her experience as an administrative assistant and a children’s pastor’s assistant. She most enjoys FSG’s team dynamic and constantly learning and improving her skills. 

Madison brings to FSG a great background of working with others, facilitating teams, and problem-solving.  All of those skills make her a great CSR team member, and she works with clients from start to finish during the new account process and continues to serve clients and their accounts for years to come.

Madison comes from a large family of seven children. They love to travel and spend time together. In addition to her family, Madison enjoys reading, yoga, and being outside in her free time.

Amy Vincent

517-347-4337
amyv@fsgmichigan.com

Amy has been with Financial Strategies Group since 2017, bringing with her previous experience as a buyer and payroll manager. When asked what her favorite part of FSG was, she said, “Working as a team, our service team works so well together, it makes for an enjoyable work environment.”

Joining FSG, Amy had 20 years of experience with her previous company; we instantly knew that her loyalty was a sign of depth in her character that would make her a great fit for our FSG team.  In 2022 Amy was promoted to FSG's Administrative Manager.  Amy is the type of leader that others are excited to follow, and she makes working as part of her team easy and enjoyable.  

In addition to her reputation for being a standout leader, you will hear our team often joke that Amy is the “Queen of Life” because she is the lead on processing all life insurance that is implemented throughout FSG.  Additionally, she provides amazing service to our clients and is our lead in processing fixed accounts.  Amy has quickly become a crucial part of the FSG team.

Amy and her husband, Casey, have been married for over 16 years and have two children, Caleb and Laney, as well as two pets, Bella and Parker. In her free time, she loves playing outside with their kids, going to the beach during the Summer, scrapbooking, and tailgating MSU football in the fall.

Maggie Lawrence, FPQP®

800-804-0420
maggie@fsgmichigan.com

Maggie joined Financial Strategies Group in 2020. She graduated from Saginaw Valley State University with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, minoring in Sociology, and earned the Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional (FPQP) designation from the College of Financial Planning at Kaplan University. Maggie also brings over ten years of managerial experience at Red Robin. When asked about her favorite part of working for FSG, she said, "Connecting with clients, learning something new every day and everyone we work with - such a positive work environment!"

Maggie's role at FSG is "Flint Office Coordinator."  This means that she ensures our Flint office runs efficiently, our candy/snack bar is always stocked, and that our amazing clients feel just as at home in our Flint location as they do in Okemos and Northville.  Maggie is also in charge of scheduling appointments for our team of advisors, and she is the friendly voice that you will hear, reminding you that it is time for your review.  And as if that isn't enough, she is our lead when it comes to making sure our advisors are prepared with the proper information for each and every one of their appointments.  We are certain that without Maggie filling this role, we would experience chaos.

Maggie was born in Germany while her parents were in the Military and grew up near Lapeer when they returned to the US. She is married to her husband, Jake, and they have a fur baby, Ester. In her free time, she enjoys camping, traveling, cooking, and hanging with her dog. 

Karissa Schweikert

517-347-4337
karissa@fsgmichigan.com

Karissa joined the Financial Strategies Group team early in 2022. She brings years of experience in customer service and project management. She most enjoys FSG’s family environment and the team dynamic that works together to help our clients. Karissa’s steady demeanor and work ethic instantly made her an invaluable asset and treasured team member.  Her behind-the-scenes dedication lends to the excellent client experience that we pride ourselves on.

Karissa and her husband, Ty, reside in Durand with their Goldendoodle, Benlee. When she isn't working in the office, she enjoys going on hikes with her family, baking, and learning new recipes.