Our Team

In addition to defining the strategic direction of the firm, I am responsible for our personal financial consulting processes and services. 

I grew up in Kutztown, PA, where the atmosphere is very much small-town America; everyone knows your name, you lift each other up, help each other out, you care about your community and you value things like faith, family and your finances (and probably in that order). Growing up living those values is main reason I’m still here, now raising my family in Lenhartsville, PA, and those same values shape the mission and vision of the Haas Financial Group.  

I live my life with the belief that each one of us has unique gifts that call us into certain occupations, relationships and daily activities. My calling is financial planning, not just because I’m a “numbers guy,” but because I go about life with a strong desire for building relationships and community. We all have different expectations and beliefs that are shaped by our unique life experiences; good and bad, happy and sad. My gift and my mission in life is to help people through the good and bad by understanding what truly matters most to them and why. I aim to use that information to align their wealth to match those beliefs and wishes. If money is a tool we need to live the life we want to lead, then my purpose is to use my experience and education in finance, combined with my care and compassion for others to lead you to a better place through financial planning. I want every person I meet to feel their life is little better for having me in it.

That’s why I started the Haas Financial Group, LLC in April 2013 after spending 8 years with Gerhart, Haas & Associates, a Financial Advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial. The Haas Financial Group gives me the ability to truly express myself and my beliefs for what financial advice SHOULD look like; conversations not pie charts, goal planning not big math equations, and people not sales quotas. We place an emphasis on this human side of financial planning where we build deep relationships centered on what matters most to you. Now, almost 10 years later, there’s a whole team dedicated to these same principals. 

I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNING PROFESSIONAL, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor and Accredited Behavioral Finance Professional with Great Valley Advisor Group. I have my PA Life Accident & Health Insurance licenses as well.  CRPC® and ABFPTM conferred by the College for Financial Planning.

Outside of the office

My wife, Desiree, and I have three sons, Cayden, Gabriel and Lucas and they are our whole life outside of work. Practices, lessons, games, activities galore! When not at work or being a taxi service, we’ve made commitment to our community an integral part of our family life, so we are active participants with our school district Education Foundation, the Kutztown Community Partnership, our church and the Optimist Club where I help coach youth basketball. We enjoy our little slice of heaven on 2.4 acres in Lenhartsville and look forward to opportunities to be together outside. I love music, running, rooting for my Philadelphia sports team and spending as much time as I can with my family and friends.

Business Experience, Qualifications, Designations and Degree

• 2006 to 2013, Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Center Valley, PA
• 2006, Bachelor of Science, Political Science, Franklin & Marshall College
• Financial Planning Association, Member

Community Participation 

• Kutztown Area School District Education Foundation, President
• Kutztown Community Partnership, Chair of Economic Development Committee
• Zion’s Union Church of Maxatawny, Finance Committee & Strategic Planning Task Force
• Optimist Club of Kutztown, Past President
• Franklin & Marshall College, Alumni

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  Skills that most people don’t know about

• I have a passion for the charcuterie process and work hard each winter to refine my meat curing skills. And while I wouldn’t say it’s a “craftsman's” level skill, I do also really enjoy wood-working and building, evidenced by making our dining room table out of reclaimed barn wood and recently building a pergola out back.

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  One Thing Most People Wouldn’t Know About Me

• Two things actually come to mind. One, that I was actually a music minor in college. I enjoyed theory more than performing (that’s probably my math brain coming into play). And the second, is that I can sleep anywhere. Hard floor, car ride, plane ride, etc. When I’m tired, anything is comfortable. I have an active mind, but I like to think it’s my clear conscience that allows me to sleep when ready.

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  A great quote to live by

• “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. I’m a big believer that life is about attitude and effort. If you can remain focused on what is within you, then even when the journey of life challenges you, it’s truly just unlocking whatever is needed from inside of you; grit, resilience, hope, peace, love.

My role is to lead you through our financial planning and investment process. I want to help you navigate important financial decisions throughout your life, exploring what’s possible and making adjustments over time to keep you on track to achieve the financial freedom to live the life you desire.

I joined Ben in January 2015 after spending the previous 6 years (the majority of that time working closely with Ben) at Ameriprise Financial learning and executing the financial planning process. Though after working as a planner in the corporate "funnel”, I started to see the incredible value of guiding someone through a process and the positive impacts that could be achieved through deep conversations and building long-term relationships.

Our trusted relationships are at the center of EVERYTHING we do. We want to take the time to get to know you and your financial life as well as you do, if not better. We want to understand what motivates you, what are your priorities in life, because only then do we feel equipped to give you the personalized advice that fits your unique situation. It’s immensely important for us to make sure your financial path aligns with your personal values.

While you may be faced with difficult decisions around specific life events (deciding to retire or dealing with the loss of a loved one, for example), we’ve helped our clients navigate these situations a countless number of times already. I want everyone we work with to feel confident knowing we have their best interests at heart. Our goal is to help keep you focused on the things you can control, filter out the noise from the things you can’t and then be a partner on your journey, helping keep you on the right path no matter how many twists and turns it may take.

There is a huge amount of personal satisfaction helping those we care about facing tough decisions at critical points in their lives. We also recognize that even the best advice is ultimately worthless without accountability and follow through. That’s why we strive to do as much of the heavy lifting of implementing our next steps as possible and communicating in a way that is easy to understand.

Out of the office

I’ve spent my entire life in Berks County, growing up in Sinking Spring and now raising a family in Exeter for the last 20 years. My wife, Amy, and I have three wonderful daughters, Ava, Ainsley and Axy. I enjoy spending as much time as I can with my family, cooking dinner and sometimes just relaxing in front of the TV trying to catch up on our DVR (there’s too much content to keep up with!). During the Summer, I am a competitive drag racer at Maple Grove Raceway, racing alongside Ava, who started racing in 2018, and my dad, Paul, who passed along the hobby to me 😊. I’m a Philadelphia sports fan, particular the 76ers (#TrustTheProcess), and I love trying to keep up with all things pop culture and comedy.

Business Experience, Designations, Degrees

• 2009 to 2014, Financial Advisor, Registered Sales Assistant Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Center Valley, PA
• 2007 to 2009, Financial Advisor, Adams & Associates, Blandon, PA
• 2007, B.S. Business (Penn State University)

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  What are you surprisingly good at?

• Jeopardy, but only at home in front of the TV. If I ever made it on the show, I’d be praying for categories that have nothing to do with Shakespeare!

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  How do you define balance in your life?

• Having a sense of humor and not taking life too seriously. It’s too easy to get wound up and stressed by many aspects of life (especially with 3 daughters!), so I think it’s important to be grateful for the simple things in life.

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  Great quote to live by?

• “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi

In my role, I am responsible for overseeing your experience as a client. That means managing our client relationship system, helping with service requests and advice implementation, and I am first in line to answer your phone calls and electronic inquiries. I also manage most of our broad communications and client experience efforts. Behind the scenes, I also organize our compliance tasks and update the website.  

Throughout my career, I’ve dedicated myself to working in music non-profits, where I’ve had the pleasure of contributing to various impactful projects and initiatives. My journey has been deeply fulfilling, allowing me to harness my skills and passion for music in meaningful ways. I never thought I would transition out of the non-profit world into something “corporate” but when I met Ben and Adam and talked about this role, I knew that I would still be helping people and making a positive impact albeit in a different way than I had ever done before. I am excited to bring these experiences to Haas Financial Group where I hope to apply my expertise in new and different ways.  

Outside of the Office

Growing up in Berks County, I developed a deep appreciation for nature and the importance of family. Today, I live in Hamburg with my husband Joshua, our two cats, Maggie and Molly, and our lovely garden. When I’m not tending to my garden, I enjoy reading, exploring new restaurants with Joshua, and immersing ourselves in music. We first met at Mansfield University in the Music Department, and we still cherish our musical connection by singing together in the Vox Philia Chamber Choir in Reading. 

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  Do you have a skill most people don't know about?

• My dad taught me from a very young age how to use power tools and I have loved to fiddle around with them ever since. I love fixing things around the house and teaching myself new skills in that area.    
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  What was your favorite gift that you ever gave and why?

• For her 10th birthday, I gave my niece a photo album. I spent a few hours going through old photos of the two of us that I love and printed them out to put in the album. I wanted her to remember our fun moments together and be able to look back at them whenever she wanted. It ended up being her favorite gift that birthday. 
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  A quote to live by:

• "If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough." - Oprah Winfrey

About Me and My Role

As Ben’s wife, I support the Haas Financial Group in more ways than one; I’m an ear after a long day, a supporter of his crazy ideas, and while I rarely deal with the day-to-day happenings of the office, I do help with many of the behind the scenes operations of the business. I assist with client account openings and profile updates, with compliance requirements and filings, and with other business management tasks that Ben and Adam need help with from time to time (think ordering gifts, getting fresh flowers, etc).

Out of the office

Helping with the family business is one of three jobs for me. I'm thrilled to be teaching dance classes again with Emerge Dance Studio as teaching and choreography remain passions of mine. But of course, being Mom is my most important and rewarding job. I’m lead transporter and family calendar coordinator for Cayden, Gabriel and Lucas and I try not to miss a single activity for the three of them. I’m Vice President for the High School Boys Soccer Booster Club and help Ben organize Optimist Club Youth Basketball too. When I do get personal time, I enjoy gardening, dining out, live music and the performing arts. And cats.

What’s One Thing Most People Wouldn’t Know About Me?

While I’ve lived in PA for the last 25+ years, I was actually born in Miami, FL and grew up in Sugarland, TX prior to moving to Gerrardstown, WV for high school. I majored in dance education at Philadelphia University of the Arts which is what brought me to PA. My family still lives in the Virginia area.

If You Could Go Anywhere In the World, Where Would It Be?

One day, I hope Ben and I can travel to various parts of Europe. We love good food, good wine, history and architecture which is why we keep going back to Savannah, GA as often as we do. Europe would be a great new experience.

In One Word, What Makes You Happiest (outside of family)?

Cats.