512 Poyntz Ave., Ste. 120
Manhattan, KS 66502
Phone: (910) FEE-ONLY
Email: Justin@CGNAdvisors.com
Our Home Office team supports our Partner Advisor offices located across the United States.
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Chad Chase leads our Client Services team and is responsible for tutoring advisors on client business development and client relationship management. As a practicing attorney, he is a legal resource in estate planning, business and corporate law areas.
Previously, Chad served as Vice President & Trust Officer at The Trust Company, Manhattan, KS, 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, KS, and practiced law in Manhattan.
Chad holds degrees from Butler Community College, Kansas State University (Finance and 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.
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 studied piano. In addition to music, he enjoys golf, basketball, KSU Athletics and traveling.
Mike Greim leads our Investments team and is responsible for overseeing investment research and portfolio management functions, as well as maintaining firm-wide practices in line with regulatory and industry compliance standards.
Previously, Mike was the Chief Investment Officer for The Trust Company in Manhattan, KS, from 2010 to 2016, and served the same role for Landmark Bank in Columbia, MO, 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, MO, 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. Mike also 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 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, have a four-year-old son, Johnny, and a golden retriever, Ralph. Occasionally there are kitties and chickens that join the family, too! Roxanne and her family enjoy living life outdoors, especially in the warm months – aka boating season. 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.
As Director of the operations and compliance branches, Nicola is responsible for running internal operations functions for both the local MHK office and partner advisors nationwide.
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 & 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.
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!
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.
Jillian graduated from Kansas State University in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Personal Financial Planning and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She also graduated with the Kansas Insurance Certificate.
During Jillian’s first year at Kansas State University, she worked as an intern for the athletics program running stats for football and basketball. She then moved on to work for a local bank here in Manhattan where she discovered her passion for helping people and working in the financial industry. Jillian started working at CGN in January of 2022 and found her niche assisting the tax team with tax preparation services. In July 2022 Jillian gained her first AFSP certification and will continue to help in our tax department while also working on the Operations team with partner advisors across the country.
Jillian is originally from Lawrence, Kansas and was the first in her family to attend Kansas State University. When not working Jillian enjoys spending as much time as possible outside. Jillian is always looking for the next travel adventure whether that be visiting family that lives all across the country, heading to Colorado to explore and hike the mountains, or planning her first overseas adventure.
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!