Our team of advisors is made up of native mid-westerners who are passionate about helping you—our families, our friends, our neighbors—plan for the future.
We work with clients throughout Northeast Kansas including: Manhattan, Clay Center, Marysville, Wamego, Topeka, Council Grove, Emporia, Junction City, Abilene, Salina and surrounding cities
Chad Chase, JD, CTFA, is in charge of client relationship management for CGN Advisors. Previously, he served as Vice President & Trust Officer at The Trust Company, Manhattan, Kansas providing his clients with financial advice, investment management, and trust administration services.
Prior to entering the wealth management industry, Chad worked in commercial banking for four years in Kansas City and Derby, Kansas and practiced law in Manhattan.
Chad holds degrees from Butler Community College, Kansas State University (finance & music), and the University of Nebraska College of Law. He is also a graduate of the American Bankers Association Graduate Trust School and has obtained the Certified Trust & Financial Advisor certification from the Institute of Certified Bankers.
He has held various leadership positions with the Flint Hills Community Clinic, KBA Trust Division, Riley County Bar Association, Leadership Manhattan, Friends of McCain Board, Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni Board, and Flint Hills Children’s Choir. Chad is also a 2015 graduate of Leadership Kansas.
Chad grew up on a 100-year old ranch in Butler County, KS that he still helps manage and operate. Growing up, Chad was actively involved in 4-H and also studying piano.
Chad’s wife, Segen, is a Manhattan native and also a KSU graduate. She is a local physician practicing in Internal Medicine. Chad and Segen have two children, Solveig & Gantt. Both Chad and Segen are accomplished musicians and very active in the local music and art scene. In addition to music, Chad enjoys golf, basketball, KSU Athletics, and traveling.
Mike Greim serves as the firm’s Managing Principal in charge of Investments. He is responsible for overseeing investment research and portfolio management functions.
Prior to co-founding CGN Advisors, Mike was the Chief Investment Officer for The Trust Company in Manhattan Kansas from 2010 to 2016, and served the same role for Landmark Bank in Columbia Missouri from 2001 to 2010. Mike began his career in Kansas City with American Century in 1996 before becoming Portfolio Manager for Country Club Trust Company.
Mike, a Certified Investment Management Analyst® professional, is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Minor in Finance. He is a member of the Investments & Wealth Institute™, the CFA Institute, the CFA Society of Kansas City, and serves on the Economics and Finance Advisory Board for the University of Central Missouri.
A native of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, Mike has a passion for community involvement that he attributes to his father and grandfather and has served on the Manhattan Arts Center and KSU Research Foundation boards. Mike and his wife Tina have three children, Zack, Logan and Bentley, and he enjoys playing solo acoustic guitar shows around the Manhattan area.
Justin Nichols serves as the firm’s Managing Principal in charge of Operations. He is responsible for advisor development and onboarding, as well as ongoing operations.
Since 2003, Justin has worked at the Garrett Planning Network, currently serving as Director of Operations. In 2007, Justin started his own Fee-Only financial planning firm, Nichols Financial Advice, in the Kansas City area. In 2016, Justin partnered with Chad Chase and Mike Greim to start CGN Advisors, in Manhattan, KS.
Prior to becoming a financial advisor, Justin worked as Quality Assurance Team Lead in Sprint’s Real Estate Technology group. He also formerly worked as a Consultant in Accenture’s Communications & High-Tech market group.
Justin is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, having completed the requirements for certification in 2007. In order to maintain his certification, Justin is required to complete 30 hours of continuing education every 2 years. As a CFP® certificant, Justin also adheres to the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Financial Planning Practice Standards. Justin is also a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor. A NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor is a financial planner who has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, is a NAPFA recognized practitioner, Fee-Only, and who meets NAPFA’s rigorous standards. Justin currently serves as President of NAPFA's Midwest Region Board.
Justin also has a passion for financial education. In the past Justin served as Board Member for the Flint Hills Financial Literacy Council (Manhattan, KS). He has served as Treasurer for the Garrett Financial Education Alliance, a non-profit financial education foundation (Shawnee Mission, KS). He has served as Financial Coach through the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection’s Stewardship Ministry (Leawood, KS). For more than six years he taught as an adjunct instructor in Kansas State University’s Personal Financial Planning program. He served on the advisory board for Kansas State University’s Personal Financial Planning program.
Justin lives with his wife, Edee, and sons, Nate and Luke, in Manhattan, KS. He enjoys jogging, golfing and snow skiing and helping with his sons’ church, 4-H and sports activities.
Justin's own personal financial mantra is: Work hard to earn a good living. Give generously. Protect you and your loved ones. Save early and often. Spend the rest to enjoy life!
Roxanne Martens is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professional and serves as a Lead Financial Advisor on the team at CGN Advisors. In addition to achieving the requirements for certification as a CFP® practitioner, Roxanne is a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor. A NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor is a financial planner who has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification, is a NAPFA recognized practitioner, operates on an objective Fee-Only basis, and who meets NAPFA’s rigorous standards.
Roxanne enjoys taking a holistic approach to her client’s finances, weaving all of the pieces together to create a financial plan to achieve life goals. Often, clients are looking for advice and understanding in their journey to financial success. While this looks different for everyone, Roxanne thrives in walking alongside her clients by helping them make educated decisions with confidence. She specializes in comprehensive financial planning for young professionals, as well as focus areas in retirement planning, education planning, risk management, investment planning, cash flow planning, and retirement plan services.
Prior to joining CGN Advisors, Roxanne was the Director of Undergraduate Programs and an Instructor in the Personal Financial Planning program at Kansas State University. While at K-State, Roxanne taught many of the courses within the CFP® Board Registered Program. She also spent time serving as an academic advisor, as the faculty advisor for the Financial Planning Challenge student teams, and gave invited presentations as a Presidential Lecture Series lecturer. Roxanne has also served on the Board of Directors for the Financial Planning Association of Greater Kansas City. Roxanne holds both her bachelor's and master's degrees from Kansas State University.
Roxanne and her husband, John, were married in July of 2010 and have two sons, Johnny and Judd. Roxanne and her family enjoy living life outdoors – family walks and bike rides, the boys enjoy their dirtbikes, and spending time at the lake. The Martens are also actively involved in their church community at Rock Hills Church in Manhattan.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
Nicola graduated from Kansas State University in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Personal Financial Planning and a minor in English.
Throughout college Nicola worked at State Farm Insurance as a saleswoman licensed in both Property & Casualty and Life & Health insurance for four years. Just prior to joining CGN she also worked part-time at Navy Federal Credit Union. On top of part-time work and school, Nicola also worked as a research assistant for Stu Heckman, PhD, CFP®, assisting him with research papers and helping to develop undergraduate class content.
Nicola attained the Enrolled Agent designation in the fall of 2018 and is permitted to practice before the IRS. Nicola is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, having completed the requirements for certification in 2020.
Nicola has been married to her husband, Ryan, since May of 2016. Their growing family now includes two sons, Ezra and Elias, daughter, Evangeline, and their faithful hound, Phoebe. In their free-time, Ryan and Nicola enjoy staying involved with their church community at Manhattan Presbyterian Church.
Scott comes to CGN Advisors as a Senior Advisor after more than 30 years in the wealth management and financial planning industry. He served as President of Professional Planning Services Inc. from 1997 until 2022. Prior to entering the financial services industry, Scott was a corporate pilot for ADM Milling Company in Salina and Koch Industries in Wichita. He holds a degree from Kansas State-Salina and has held the CFP certification since 2001.
Having grown up in Manhattan, Scott has remained active in giving back to the community he loves. Over the years he has actively served on several boards and committees at his church and for several local non-profit agencies. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, the Board of Directors at Good Shepherd Homecare and Hospice as well as the Board of Directors at Shepherd’s Crossing. He has served as President of the Manhattan Rotary Club and was recognized as Rotarian of the Year in 2016. In 2018, Scott was recognized as the Professional Advisor of the Year by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation.
Scott and his wife DeeAnn, enjoy spending time with their 3 children and 6 grandchildren. They split time between homes in Manhattan and The Woodlands, Texas. In his spare time, Scott loves to golf and travel.
Lindsay Adams is a May 2017 graduate of the Personal Financial Planning program at Kansas State University with a minor in Business. In 2016, Lindsay was a member of the team representing KSU that placed 3rd in the FPA® Financial Planning Challenge. This challenge consisted of preparing a written financial plan and presentation based on a case study in addition to a quiz bowl.
Prior to joining CGN, Lindsay worked in different aspects of the financial services industry. She worked in banking during high school and college with United Bank & Trust, helped K-State students with budgeting, understanding credit and student loan repayment options through individual counseling and group presentations with Powercat Financial, completed a financial planning internship with Legacy Financial Strategies in Topeka, and most recently assisted financial advisors with account servicing, scheduling, and fulfilling client requests at Keating & Associates in Manhattan.
Lindsay is an avid runner and enjoys participating in races in the Manhattan area. She loves heading back to the farm where she grew up to spend time with her parents there or making the drive to Maize to see her brother, sister-in-law, and nephews. She is actively involved with her church, Faith Evangelical Free, in both children’s ministry and life groups. Lindsay is always anxiously awaiting the next traveling adventure and loves exploring creation by hiking and camping with friend.
She has lived and worked in the Manhattan area for many years, first as a travel agent coordinating team travel for K-State athletic teams and escorting groups, and then as office manager for Kansas State Women’s Basketball under Coach Patterson prior to joining Scott at Professional Planning Services.
For the last 18 years, Kathy has assisted Scott with all aspects of client service and office management at PPS prior to joining CGN Advisors as a Senior Client Service Associate, where she will continue to assist Scott and local Manhattan office advisors with client relationship management.
She and her husband John have lived and raised their two children in the Wamego area. Their son, Blaine, is a K-State graduate living with his wife in Chandler, AZ, and their daughter, Bailey, is a Baylor graduate living with her husband in Waco, TX.
Kathy is an active member serving and volunteering in many roles at their church, St. Bernard’s Catholic Church. Together Kathy and John have 10 siblings and 50 + nieces and nephews so they enjoy visiting and watching their many activities, along with biking, hiking, long walks, and traveling to many spots on their bucket list.
As Senior Operations Associate on our Operations team, Kathy is responsible for client invoicing and billing and QuickBooks administration for CGN Advisors. Prior to joining CGN Advisors, she was an Account Administrator at The Trust Company in Manhattan, KS for 15+ years. Kathy also worked as an Elementary School Teacher for 15 years (1 year in Riley and 14 years in Dwight, KS).
Kathy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education, a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Personal Financial Planning from Kansas State University. She also completed the Trust & Financial Services School and Advanced Trust Administration School offered by the Schools of Banking.
Kathy grew up in Council Grove, KS in a close family of six children. She has been married to her husband, Kelly, since 1984. They raised their two daughters, Abby and Ally, in Dwight, KS. They currently reside in Salina, KS near their two grandsons, Hayden and Easton. In her free time, Kathy loves spending time with family!
Brigham Glaves graduated from Kansas State University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Personal Financial Planning and a minor in Business Administration. He also graduated with the Kansas Insurance Certificate.
During high school and college, he worked outside in several landscaping positions before finding a passion for financial planning. While in school he served as a peer mentor for other financial planning students. He also worked part-time at CGN starting in August of 2021 as a paraplanner. As a recent graduate, he is driven to become successful and accomplished in the industry.
When not working or studying for future credential exams, you can usually find Brigham on the golf course or on the lake. Golf not only serves as a favorite pastime for him, but also a never ending challenge. When the weather is not favorable, Brigham enjoys spending time with family and relaxing at home. Brigham is originally from Clay Center, Kansas. He enjoys the convenience of being just a short trip from home. Growing up close to Manhattan has led Brigham to become a lifelong K-State fan. One of his favorite activities is taking a road trip each year to watch a bowl game.
Kailen moved to Manhattan in 1993 when she was only seven years old. She attended Manhattan High School and graduated in 2006 having completed the distinguished service graduate program. After High School, she attended Highland Community College, in Wamego, and finished all of the general courses for the dental hygiene program.
She then took a break to work four part time jobs and raise her young son. Due to life circumstances, she was unable to go back to school and continued on in her full-time working life. For several years she was in the medical field working at the Neurology Clinic. Following that she became the office manager of the local stem cell clinic, Kansas Regenerative Medicine Center. After five years there, she was offered a job in the financial industry assisting Kathy and Scott at Professional Planning Services.
With the merge from PPS to CGN, she accepted the position as a Client Service & Marketing Associate. She is usually the first face you'll see when you walk through the door local office and enjoys greeting all clients.
She has always had a passion for helping others and it has carried throughout her life. She has been on five mission trips, including two to Anapra, Mexico where she assisted in building a school for elementary children. Today she sits on the Board of Directors with the Flint Hills Breadbasket, is the Vice President of the KSU Center for Child Development PTA board, and a volunteer for Embrace Grace Ministry, offered through her Church at UCC.
When she is not volunteering she is busy with her husband and three boys; Jackson, Sheppard and Porter. As a family they enjoy traveling, being outside, their weekly pizza and movie night, and watching sporting events. When she is not with her boys, she enjoys spending time with her friends, sipping coffee, (uninterruptedly), at a coffee shop, reading books and going to the gym.
Cal graduated from Kansas State University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Personal Financial Planning and minors in Business Administration and Leadership studies. He also graduated with the Investment Management certificate and Kansas Insurance certificate.
Throughout college, Cal worked for Powercat Financial where he assisted students at Kansas State with financial questions and issues. He spent significant 1-on-1 time with students helping resolve their financial questions related to student loan repayment, college spending plans, understanding credit, creating monthly budgets, and many other financial concerns. He also gave presentations to large groups of K-State students on financial topics. Cal’s passion for K-State led him to working for K-State Athletics in the Fan Experience and Sales department during his time in college. Cal has been working at CGN since he started as an intern in May 2021, and continued working part-time through graduation, after which he joined the firm full time.
A native of Oxford, Kansas, Cal values family and often returns home or travels to Raleigh, NC to visit his family. He is always planning the next travel destination or watching K-State football and basketball. In the evenings he enjoys lifting weights and playing sports with friends.
Paige Gordon graduated from Kansas State University in May of 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Personal Financial Planning. She also obtained the Kansas Insurance Certificate. Paige has been working at CGN since she started as an intern in the fall of 2021 after switching her major from Pre-Vet to Personal Financial Planning. She continued working part-time as a paraplanner through graduation, after which she joined the firm full time as a client service associate.
Paige is originally from Grand Junction, CO and chose to attend Kansas State University to follow in her grandparents’ footsteps. She is always planning her next adventure whether that be across the United States or to a new country. When not working or studying for upcoming credential exams, Paige reads excessively and enjoys attending the movies at least once a week. Paige is even co-founder and participant of the CGN Book Club!
Kendall Smith graduated from Kansas State University in May of 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Personal Financial Planning and minors in both Business Administration and Communication Studies. She also obtained the Kansas Insurance Certificate. Throughout college, she worked at a local bank as a teller and found her passion for connecting with and helping people. Kendall has been working at CGN as a paraplanner since January of 2022 and completed her internship with the firm the following summer. She continued working part-time as a paraplanner through graduation, then joined the firm full-time as a client service associate.
Kendall was born and raised here in Manhattan, KS and decided to stay close to home to begin her career in Financial Planning. She aims to take the Certified Financial Planner exam later this year. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outside, cozying up at the different coffee shops in town and enjoying the company of her friends and family. Kendall thoroughly loves reading and is a co-founder and active participant of the CGN Book Club!