WHO WE ARE
Bull Moose Retirement Planning Co. is a financial planning firm located in the heart of Sylvania, Ohio. We consider ourselves a boutique firm, which means our clients get the personal advisory attention they deserve. No getting lost in a huge corporate building, no getting shuffled from advisor to advisor. We tend to work with those who are in, or approaching the retirement transition, and need to deal with issues like timing claims of Social Security benefits, understanding Medicare options and creating a reliable income stream that they won't outlive.
We've found that in today's age of automation and institutional financial planning, our clients want a different financial planning experience. It shouldn’t feel so stuffy. It should be personal. It’s a collaboration. It’s sharing dreams and working together to find ways to see them come to pass. We’ve really championed the “live life to the fullest” philosophy here. Isn’t that what retirement is all about? We want our clients to be able to go out there and enjoy life.
Becky Croke - client relations manager
Becky is a retired teacher with over 30 years of experience teaching elementary students in Northwest Ohio. As an early technology adopter, she started one of the first computer labs in the Sylvania School District and enjoys learning about new technologies.
When she's not volunteering, she loves to travel, spending time with her children and grandchildren around the United States.
If she had a life motto it would be, “I'm happy to help.”
RYAN CLAIR - CSSCS, Investment Adviser Representative
Ryan is a Series 65 registered investment adviser and holds the designation of CSSCS (Certified Social Security Claiming Strategist).
Ryan helps our clients in the crucial process of coordinating Social Security and Medicare benefits with the rest of their retirement income plan, to ensure financial stability throughout their retirement years.
Ryan married his college sweetheart, Cassandra, and they are proud parents of their son, August (Auggie). They are also (sometimes) proud dog parents to Brody and Dolly.
MARK CLAIR - Attorney, Investment aDviser Representative
Mark has over 30 years of experience in financial services, is a Series 65 registered investment adviser representative and a licensed attorney focusing in the area of estate planning. He also holds the designation of LUTCF, conferred only upon those individuals who meet or exceed the exacting qualification standards determined by The American College and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA).
Mark is a big Detroit sports fan and enjoys playing competitive softball in several leagues in the Toledo area.
Holly Barnes - Client service specialist
Holly has over 10 years in customer service and sales experience. She enjoys helping clients and making sure their needs are met. Holly also volunteers at her children’s Sylvania schools, helping students in Math and Reading.
Holly enjoys spending time with her husband, Brad, and their two young kids, Ava and Hudson. She enjoys watching her daughter play volleyball and her son play baseball. She also enjoys live music, traveling to the beach, summertime, swimming and hanging out with friends.
BRODY - CHIEF MORALE OFFICER
Brody is what you'd call a "go-getter" - he loves playing fetch. He spends his days at home chasing squirrels in-between naps and snacks, but once in a blue moon, Brody fulfills his duties at the office as Chief Morale Officer.
Brody is a hypoallergenic, non-shedding Miniature Goldendoodle (say that five times fast). He does take requests for office visits if you happen to be stopping by.
He's a strong believer that "every dog has its day" but he is also insistent that his day is everyday.
OUR NAME
Over a hundred years ago, Theodore Roosevelt stood in front of an audience, unbuttoned his jacket to reveal a blood-soaked shirt, and uttered one of the most famous lines of any presidential campaign: “It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.” The “that” was a bullet, fired by a would-be fanatical assassin just hours prior. “The bullet is in me now,” he told the crowd, “so that I cannot make a very long speech. But I will do my best.” Teddy went on for more than an hour.
While we stay politically objective, we admire Teddy for the traits he embodied - vigor, tenacity, hard work and his endless supply of infectious optimism. To us, the name "Bull Moose" signifies a few different things. Mostly, it lends itself to the characteristics we look to achieve in our retirement strategies - strength and resilience when faced with adversity. We want each client's retirement strategy to be "strong as Bull Moose," as Teddy would say. It also represents the marriage of old and new - the wisdom and lessons from the past with the technology of today. Just like Teddy's Bull Moose political party had the goal of ushering in a "new era," our goal is to help our clients usher in their new era of retirement.