ABOUT US
MISSION
Our mission is to consistently deliver impeccable service while fostering a collaborative personable culture of fiduciary-minded advisors, employees, business partners and associates.
Our continued growth is achieved by attracting and retaining the “Ideal Advisor” through dynamic open-architecture platforms and technologies built to increase efficiency while offering business and practice management solutions that result in valued and trusted relationships between the home office, our advisors and their clients.
VISION
Our vision is to be the premier employee and advisor owned partnership of elite financial professionals mutually committed to exceeding client expectations.
IDEAL ADVISOR
United Planners focuses on selecting the “Ideal Advisors” for this Firm. We choose to build lasting relationships with the successful, client-centric advisors that embrace our culture.
The “Ideal Advisor” is:
A highly ethical, passionate and fiduciary-focused professional that places a client’s needs first. They are client-centric, kind and compassionate entrepreneurs that maintain a culture of compliance and are committed to the financial services industry. They value our vision, mission and culture. They are trusted partners who work collaboratively with their fellow partners.
FOUNDED IN 1987
500 FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS
$21.7 B AUM SERVICED
100500 CLIENTS
100% Employee & Advisor Owned
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Michael A. Baker
President, CEO and General Partner
Mike is the President/CEO of United Planners. He currently holds his Series 7, 24, 27, 63 licenses and his CPA. Mike has a BS Business Administration and an MBA from the Arizona State University. Mike started working for United Planners in 1999. When not working, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife, and two children Emily and Mike.
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Sheila J. Cuffari-Agasi
Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer and General Partner
Sheila is an Executive Vice President and is a member of the Executive Management Team. Her primary responsibilities include oversight of the sales, transition and advertising teams. She is also engaged in many special projects and critical initiatives for the organization. She currently holds her Series 7, 24, 63, 66, and life and health licenses and AIF designation. Sheila started working for United Planners in 2006, but began her career in financial services in 1993. When not working, Sheila enjoys spending time with her family, hiking and playing outdoor sports such as volleyball and softball.
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Billy Oliverio
Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and General Partner
Billy is an Executive Vice President and the Chief Marketing Officer. He has been in the industry for 20 years. Billy has worked in small, medium and large sized firms in various executive capacities to tackle complex projects and initiatives. He has also served time in the regulatory environment as the Chief Investigator of Enforcement for the AZ Securities Division and has orchestrated all aspects of white collar crime investigations. Billy is an honors graduate of Arizona State University. His wife Conni keeps him in check and his two boys (Diego and Dante) provide endless entertainment, comic relief and adventures.
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Chad Shindel
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and General Partner
Chad is the VP of Compensation and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining United Planners in 2017, Chad worked as an auditor with Moss Adams, LLP and as a Corporate Accounting Manager with STORE Capital. He graduated from Arizona State University with a B.F.A. Degree in Photography and a B.S. Degree in Accountancy and currently holds his CPA and CGMA designations. When he’s not working, Chad enjoys all things outdoors; hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping.
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Dave Hauer
Chief Compliance Officer
Dave is the VP of Compliance and Chief Compliance Officer. He brings over 14 years of industry experience to United Planners and currently holds his Series 4, 7, 24, 53, 63 and 66 licenses as well as the Arizona Life and Health Insurance License. Dave’s previous experience includes trading, variable annuity preapproval and supervision roles. In his free time he enjoys traveling with his wife and watching sports.
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Aaron Spradlin
Chief Information Officer
Aaron is the Chief Information Officer. He received a BS degree with a concentration in Business Management from Golden Gate University. He joined United Planners in 2007, coming with 15 years of broad based financial services industry experience including compliance and IT. Prior to joining United Planners, Aaron has been a sought after industry consultant as well as being a Director at Charles Schwab and Business Analyst for AIG. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife, Renee and their 3 children.
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Ashley Seeger
Assistant VP, Investment Advisory Services
Ashley started with United Planners in January 2022 and has worked in the financial industry for over 10 years. She is originally from Fort Wayne, IN where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Economics from Indiana University. Ashley currently holds her Series 6, 7, 63, and is insurance licensed. She is also a CFA Level III Candidate. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her dog Dash.
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Babette Molina
Assistant VP, Accounting
Babette began her career with United Planners in June of 2014 as a Compensation Assistant and has worked in various departments and roles within United Planners over the years. She began her current role as Assistant Vice President of Accounting in May of 2022 and currently holds her series 7, 24, 63, and 65 licenses. When not working at United Planners, Babette works in a volunteer capacity with the Arizona Humane Society, caring for animals awaiting adoption.
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Boyd Taylor
Assistant VP, Annuities/Insurance/Mutual Fund Services
Boyd joined United Planners in 2000 as an Assistant Vice President for Insurance Marketing. He was born and raised in Salt Lake City, UT where he graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Business Communications. Boyd has over 25 years of industry experience and holds several professional designations including CLU, ChFC, FLMI, CFS and AIF. He also holds a Series 6 and life, health and variable licenses in all states. In his free time Boyd enjoys spending time with his wife, Janet, and their children.
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Eric Craig
Assistant VP, Alternative Investments
Eric joined United Planners in May of 2019. He has been specializing in the alternative investments field since 2011. Eric came to us from Ascendant Capital, where he was VP of Due Diligence and spent most of his time at Cole Capital in their due diligence area. He has an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BS in Finance from ASU. He holds an S7 and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) certification. Prior to the securities industry, he held various financial analyst roles at AAA, Pepsi, Medtronic and Fastidious Financial.
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Jimi Smith
Vice President, Supervision
Jimi is the VP of Supervision. He holds his Series 7, 24, 53 and 63 licenses. Jimi started working with United Planners in 2009. Jimi has been in the industry for 21 years. Prior to United Planners, he spent 18 years with SagePoint Financial (formerly SunAmerica Securities) in various roles including Projects Manager and AVP of the Regional Management Associates. Jimi is an Arizona native and a big sports fan. During his time away from work, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends and going to local sporting events.
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Rose Tipton
Vice President, Operations and Trading
Rose has been with United Planners since 1988 and is one of the original employees of the firm. Prior to United Planners she spent almost 10 years with Anchor National Financial Services. Rose has had a clearing relationship with Pershing since 1984. She holds her Series 7, 63, 24, 4, & 53 licenses. Rose enjoys spending time with her children and going to Phoenix Coyotes hockey games.
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Scott O’Keeffe
Assistant VP, Partner Development
Scott is a Assistant VP of Partner Development and Succession Coach with United Planners. He currently holds his Series 7, 24, 53, 63, and 65. Scott started working for United Planners in 2011, but began his career in financial services in 1996. When not working, Scott enjoys spending time with his three children, Fiona, Kevin, and Declan, and wife, Stacy.
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Taylour Miller
Assistant VP, Corporate Events & Communications
Taylour is a passionate enthusiast for events! Earning her BA from NAU in the Hospitality and Restaurant Industry, she spent over a decade climbing the ranks from being the kid’s birthday party planner (no she was not the clown!), to managing 3-day music festivals. True to her curiosity to learn, she came to UP and the financial realm in February of 2017 and has not looked back. She currently holds the position of AVP, Corporate Events and Communications. Taylour is a daughter, sister, and a mother to her dog Cash. Her little sister, Alexis, has Apraxia, which has led Taylour to being actively involved in the AZ Special Needs Community, and currently is the Vice President of the Young Professional Board at Treasure House, a Kurt & Brenda Warner charity. This AZ native finds joy and creativity through experiences, traveling, and exploration. When she is not at work, volunteering, or playing Wonder Woman, you can find her back in her roots and in a corner booth of her local restaurant fav.
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Thane Walton
Assistant VP, Retirement Plan Services
Thane is a graduate of Brigham Young University where he obtained his B.S. in Business Management. He has been in the financial industry for 20 years and worked for companies such as Principal, Mass Mutual and Lincoln. He received numerous sales awards and earned leader conference qualifications. He holds Series 6, 63 and 66 licenses as well as AIF designation. He is married with 3 lovely children, he is an avid cyclist, is fluent in the German language and he is an Eagle Scout recipient.
CloseHISTORY
In 1987, United Planners was formed as a Limited Partnership. The original founders of United Planners strategically designed the firm using a Limited Partnership structure to prevent hostile takeovers, mergers and acquisitions, which we often see in our industry and is extremely disruptive to all parties (employees, business partners, advisors and clients). The original General Partner was Pacific Life Insurance Company, who owned 45% of the firm and the remaining 55% of the firm was and still is owned by the firm’s affiliated advisors who qualify as Limited Partners. This corporate structure creates a unique atmosphere that supports a true partnership with its affiliated advisors since they collectively own a majority share of the firm, share in the profits and can take advantage of the tax benefits.
In 2007, twenty years after inception, Pacific Life sold the General Partnership interest to the executive management team at the time, which consisted of Tom Oliver, Dave Shindel and Mike Baker.
In 2019, Tom Oliver retired and sold his shares to Dave Shindel, CEO and Mike Baker, President, who jointly owned the 45% General Partnership share of the firm. The General Partners are located with the rest of the Home Office Team in the Scottsdale, AZ headquarters and collectively are responsible for the daily operations of the firm. This unique Limited Partnership structure has withstood the test of time while fostering a dynamic corporate environment built on a solid foundation that has not changed since the firm’s inception.
In 2020, Mike Baker purchased the shares of Dave Shindel, who unexpectedly passed away in October 2019. Mike brought three current employees into the General Partner ownership structure: Sheila Cuffari-Agasi, firm’s Executive Vice President; Billy Oliverio, the firm’s other Executive Vice President; and Chad Shindel, the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Having four executives making up the third generation of General Partners in the firm’s history ensures the stability and longevity of the Partnership for years to come.
ReachUP
ReachUP was developed so each United Planners employee has an opportunity to be involved with outreach activities planned to enrich our community. We are excited to ReachUP within our community while strengthening relationships, morale and building team support here at the Home Office! In the Quick Links you can find some of our past events.
