Dean Schmitz

Director of Planning

Dean has dedicated over three decades to helping people retire. As Director of Planning, he is focused on guiding families and individuals through the complexities of retirement to help them feel confident about the next phase of life. Dean leads the team responsible for helping clients make decisions that will help them build a RetireSecure Roadmap, a customized, written plan that covers everything from investments and retirement income to Medicare and legacy.

He is driven by a vision to broaden Merkle Retirement Planning’s impact and helping an increasing number of families and individuals navigate their path to retirement.

His professional credentials are comprehensive, including the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™️ and Chartered Financial Consultant Designation®️. He has passed the Series 6, 7, 24, 51, and 63 securities exams and has secured his life, health, and accident insurance licenses in Iowa. His extensive career and knowledge include 30 years at Principal Financial Group where he lead teams focused on rollover IRA’s, assisting participants that have experienced a job change, and helping participants sign up for their employer sponsored 401(k) plans.

Travel holds a special place in his heart, especially journeys shared with his wife, Courtnay, and his three children. One of their favorite places is Colorado, where Dean completed ten ascents of Pikes Peak in ten years. Dean is also a talented musician, lending his drum talents to two local bands and the Lutheran Church of Hope worship team.

Dean Schmitz's Designations and Licensure

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®)

The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® and federally registered CFP (with flame design) marks (collectively, the “CFP® marks”) are professional certification marks granted in the United States by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (“CFP Board”).

The CFP® certification is a voluntary certification; no federal or state law or regulation requires financial planners to hold CFP® certification. It is recognized in the United States and a number of other countries for its (1) high standard of professional education; (2) stringent code of conduct and standards of practice; and (3) ethical requirements that govern professional engagements with clients. Currently, more than 62,000 individuals have obtained CFP® certification in the United States.

To attain the right to use the CFP® marks, an individual must satisfactorily fulfill the following requirements:

Education – Complete an advanced college-level course of study addressing the financial planning subject areas that CFP Board’s studies have determined as necessary for the competent and professional delivery of financial planning services, and attain a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited United States college or university (or its equivalent from a foreign university). CFP Board’s financial planning subject areas include insurance planning and risk management, employee benefits planning, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning;
Examination – Pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Examination. The examination, administered in 10 hours over a two-day period, includes case studies and client scenarios designed to test one’s ability to correctly diagnose financial planning issues and apply one’s knowledge of financial planning to real world circumstances;
Experience – Complete at least three years of full-time financial planning-related experience (or the equivalent, measured as 2,000 hours per year); and
Ethics – Agree to be bound by CFP Board’s Standards of Professional Conduct, a set of documents outlining the ethical and practice standards for CFP®

Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®)

The Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation is for the advanced financial professional. This course provides an overview of the financial planning process, including communication techniques, behavioral finance, financial planning approaches and applications, financial statement preparation and analysis, time value of money concepts and applications, education planning and funding, economics and understanding of the role and responsibilities of a financial planner, along with some analytical skills to aid in the financial decision-making process. This is a voluntary certification comprises of 8 modules and an extensive final examination must be passed to obtain the designation.

Series 6

The Series 6 license is the limited-investment securities license. It allows its holders to sell "packaged" investment products such as mutual funds, variable annuities, and unit investment trusts (UITs). The Series 6 exam is 90 minutes long and covers information regarding packaged investments, securities regulations, and ethics. This license is also required for insurance agents that sell variable investment products.

Series 7

The Series 7 license is the general securities representative license. Those who carry this license are officially listed as "registered representatives" by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and referred to as stockbrokers. Series 7 authorizes licensees to sell any individual security, including common and preferred stocks, call and put options, bonds, and other fixed-income investments.

Series 24

The Series 24 is an exam and license entitling the holder to supervise and manage branch activities at a broker-dealer. It is also known as the General Securities Principal Qualification Examination and was designed to test the knowledge and competency of candidates aiming to become entry-level securities principals. Supervisory activities allowed after passing the exam include regulatory compliance over trading and market-making activities, underwriting, and advertising.

Series 51

Series 63

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