loren

Loren Merkle

Founder & CEO

Loren Merkle is the founder of Merkle Retirement Planning and an award-winning Retirement Planner dedicated to helping families and individuals pursue their retirement goals with confidence. He holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation, is a Certified Financial Fiduciary®, and holds life and health insurance licenses.   

Loren is the author of Retire Your Way, a book designed to help individuals navigate the complexities of retirement planning and create a strategy aligned with their goals and lifestyle. He is also the host of Retiring Today with Loren Merkle, a television program that has been recognized by the Iowa Motion Picture Association with four awards for Achievement or Excellence.  

A sought-after speaker and educator, Loren’s expertise has been featured on local media outlets including ABC, CBS, and NBC. He regularly speaks on topics such as retirement planning, financial planning, leadership, and business growth.  

With more than 27 years of experience in the financial industry, Loren has helped hundreds of families prepare for retirement. Reflecting the trust and confidence of the community, Loren was voted Best Financial Planner in the CityView Best of Des Moines Awards for five consecutive years from 2022 through 2026. Merkle Retirement Planning was also recognized by CityView readers for exceptional service, earning Best Customer Service honors in 2022 and 2025 and runner-up recognition in 2023, 2024, and 2026. In addition, Loren was selected as one of CityView’s 21 from 2021: Business People Who Made a Difference.  

Giving back is an important part of Loren’s mission. Merkle Retirement Planning proudly supports organizations that strengthen communities and serve those in need, including Habitat for Humanity, Food Bank of Iowa, Meals from the Heartland, and numerous local charitable initiatives throughout Central Iowa.  

Outside the office, Loren enjoys spending time with his daughter, Jayce, and cheering her on as she competes in gymnastics, volleyball, and track. He also looks forward to an annual family camping trip with his parents, siblings, and their families, where they enjoy hiking, campfires, and making memories together.  

Loren’s passion is helping families and individuals build personalized retirement strategies designed to support the lifestyle they envision for their future. 

Loren Merkle's Designations & Licenses

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.

To earn the CFP® marks, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

Education: Complete CFP Board-approved coursework in key financial planning topics and obtain a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.

Examination: Pass the CFP® Certification Examination, a 6-hour, computer-based test designed to assess the candidate's ability to apply financial planning knowledge in practical, client-focused scenarios.

Experience: Accumulate either 6,000 hours of professional experience related to financial planning or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship experience that meets additional requirements.

Ethics: Agree to abide by the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct and successfully pass a background check.

Certified Financial Fiduciary®

This designation is reserved for those professionals who have successfully completed a rigorous certification and training process established by NACertified Financial Fiduciary and The American Financial Education Alliance (AFEA) which include:

  • Exemplified the highest standards of morals, ethics, and fiduciary standards of service
  • Passed a certification exam with a score of 75% or better
  • Passed full background check and in good standing with regulatory license requirements
  • Business office was reviewed for best practices and compliance
  • Completed and submitted the signed Certified Financial Fiduciary Application for
  • Agreed to the National Association Certified Financial Fiduciary terms of awarding and maintaining certification
  • Agreed to abide by and uphold the Certified Financial Fiduciary Code of Conduct
Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®)

The RICP® certification is a voluntary certification: no federal or state law or regulation requires Investment Adviser Representatives to hold RICP® certification.

An RICP® designee is trained to understand how to structure effective retirement income plans, how to mitigate risks to the plan and how to create a sustainable stream of income to last through a client’s retirement. They are educated in areas including: Social Security claiming, evaluating and addressing risks faced in retirement, choosing distributions from employer-sponsored plans, Medicare and other health insurance choices, planning for long-term care needs, choosing appropriate housing and income tax and legacy planning.

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

  • Experience – Three plus years of relevant work experience
  • Examination – Completion of three courses: retirement income process, strategies, and solutions; sources of retirement income; and managing a retirement income plan and pass a 100-question exam following the completion of each course.
  • Ethics – RICPs® must adhere to a code of ethics and meet continuing education and reporting requirements.
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