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Grateful to be Serving You

Your Gentian Financial Team

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Barron's Advisor Top 1200

Chris Doughty

President & Founder, Gentian Financial
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ CFP®

Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor CRPC®

Chris has specialized in retirement planning ever since he began his career in the financial services industry in 1996. As a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, Chris has in-depth knowledge of the needs individuals face both before, during and after retirement.

Ken Flannery

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ CFP®

Establishing meaningful, trusting client relationships is the cornerstone to Ken's retirement planning practice. His genuine and approachable style as a Financial Advisor allows him to work in tandem with his clients, understanding their core beliefs and investment experiences to foster long-lasting relationships.

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Zach DeBoer

Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor CRPC®

Financial Advisor

Zach's commitment to honesty, trust, and establishing meaningful relationships is at the forefront of his retirement planning business. Working off the values his family instilled in him, combined with his genuine nature; allows him to create distinct relationships with each one of his clients.

Peter Nordenberg

COO, Gentian Financial
Branch Supervisor, RJFS

Peter’s role with Gentian Financial is multifaceted. As COO, he handles the day-to-day business operations of Gentian, everything from human resources needs and building operations to business planning. As Director of our Private Client Group, Peter manages a designated team that assists high-net-worth families and individuals to navigate complex financial matters. His goal is to provide premium service and a truly exceptional client experience.

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Mike Mann

Private Wealth Advisor

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ CFP® Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor CRPC®

Mike has a passion in helping others discover their own success and achieve future goals. He leads our investment research initiatives and provides both financial planning and administrative support. As a committed student of the market and ever-changing planning landscape, Mike serves as another layer of resourcefulness to our team and clients. 

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MICHAEL BIRSCHBACH
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ CFP®

Michael focuses on getting to know clients on a deep personal and financial level. As a CFP® professional, Michael is passionate about financial planning and treats every client like they're a member of his own family. He believes the most satisfying part of his career is the relationships he builds with his clients, deeply investing to understand their concerns and looking for every way to help them pursue their goals.

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LISA SHERIDAN
Director of Client Operations, Gentian Financial
Associate, RJFS

Lisa helps ensure that all office procedures and systems are running smoothly and efficiently; she is responsible for daily client interaction, appointment scheduling and account maintenance. Lisa is a great resource for any inquires you may have regarding statements, account transfers, money movement and general account questions and requests.​

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JULIE DECENT
Relationship Manager

Julie has over thirty years of experience working in the financial industry. She enjoys working with people and is dedicated to helping clients reach their financial goals. Her areas of expertise include overseeing the client onboarding experience and coordinating the client meeting preparation process. She strives to be a reliable resource that clients can trust to have their best interests in mind. She works to make all clients feel like they are a part of our Gentian family.​

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ANGIE ZYLKA
Relationship Manager

Angie is dedicated to providing a client experience that exceeds expectations. Focused on facilitating all interactions between our clients and Gentian team members, Angie is one of the first faces and voices that you will see and hear upon entering Gentian Financial. She is a wonderful resource for any inquires you may have regarding scheduling an appointment, general account questions and other requests.

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LAUREN FRECKA
Relationship Manager

Lauren brings a background of investments and a broad history of life insurance to the team. She is committed to providing excellent service and enjoys connecting with clients and hearing their unique stories and experiences. Lauren's mission is to help simplify the lives of our team and clients by assisting with account and insurance related requests.

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RYAN CAROW
Certified Investment Management Analyst CIMA®
Financial Planning Associate, RJFS

Having completed his Series 7 License and Series 66, Ryan performs fund and stock analysis, supports advisors through meeting preparation, assists with trading, and provides administrative support to relationship managers.

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ASHLEY NEUWORTH
Director of Client Experience, Gentian Financial 
Associate, RJFS

Ashley is dedicated to seeing that everyone enjoys the best possible 'Gentian' experience. Welcoming and caring, Ashley is one of the first faces you can plan to see when visiting our Gentian office. Playing a key role in the firms marketing and communication, she handles special events, educational forums and helps oversee office operations.

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JENNY PODOLAK
Client Insights Manager, Gentian Financial
Associate, RJFS

Utilizing a progressive mindset, Jenny serves Gentian and our clients, by supporting  marketing efforts with specific focus on client insights, branding, messaging, high touch client event planning, social media and community engagement.

Your feedback and ideas help our business evolve so please, feel free to reach out to Jenny at anytime!​

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KRISTIN ELLSWORTH
Director of Gentian Capture, Gentian Financial
Associate, RJFS

As the Director of Gentian Legacy Capture, Kristin drives the creative process to deliver a most meaningful gift to our clients. Kristin's work helps clients recount tales and document their stories, values and histories to preserve them for generations to come.

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Ben Rennicke
Associate, RJFS

Ben is a dedicated team player who helps with meeting preparation and collaboration. With a strong foundation in Property and Casualty Insurance, he brings valuable knowledge to the team. His commitment to teamwork ensures that every experience is positive for the team and our clients.

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Barron's is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved.  The rankings are based on data provided by 7,669 individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria, and 1,200 won. Time period upon which the rating is based is from 09/30/2023 to 09/30/2024 and was released on 03/10/2025.  Factors included in the rankings: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients' risk tolerance than by an advisor's investment picking abilities. The ranking may not be representative of any one client's experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of advisor's future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating.  Barron's is not affiliated with Raymond James.
 

The 2026 Forbes ranking of America's Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. This ranking is based upon the period from 3/31/2024 to 3/31/2025 and was released on 01/07/2026. Advisor teams that are considered must have one advisor with a minimum of seven years of experience, have been in existence as a team for at least one year, have at least 5 team members, and have been nominated by their firm. The algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 12,787 team nominations, 6,149 advisor teams received the award based on thresholds. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please see https://www.forbes.com/lists/wealth-management-teams-best-in-state for more info.
 

The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2025 ranking, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. This ranking is based upon the period from 6/30/2023 to 6/30/2024 and was released on 4/8/2025. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weighs factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 48,944 nominations, roughly 9,722 advisors received the award. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/best-in-state-wealth-advisors/ for more info.  
 

Certified Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

Private Wealth Advisor is a designation awarded by Raymond James to financial advisors who have demonstrated mastery in anticipating and managing the expansive financial needs of high-net-worth individuals, families and organizations.

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