Our Team

 

Gary Schmidt

Gary Schmidt

In his more than 40 years of practice, Gary’s experience includes financial and executive leadership positions in various industries; including financial services, specialty retailing, art publishing, and industrial manufacturing. His overall focus is comprehensive financial planning with extensive experience in the areas of investment management, tax efficiency, and business planning. In addition, Gary and his team coordinate with your other professionals, improving cohesion and communication to address your financial goals.

Prior to forming Summit Financial Advisors, he spent seven years at Thrivent Financial where he was a Financial Consultant and Senior Partner of Eden West professional office practice. Along with his Summit partners, Gary practiced as a team serving clients with financial planning and asset management.

Before joining Thrivent, Gary was President and CEO of the Hadley Companies, a retail services company, for 20 years. Earlier, he was Chief Financial Officer of Ag Chem Equipment Co. Gary was also a Division Controller for Gould Inc., a Chicago based Fortune 500 industrial company.

Gary received his B.S. in business administration from the University of Minnesota, now Carlson School of Management. He holds his FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations with Level Four Financial, as well as, state life and health insurance licenses. Gary and his wife, Kathryn, have three adult children and reside in Minnetonka, Minnesota.


Jeff Schlicht

Jeff Schlicht, CFP®, CLTC

For the past decade, Jeff has held positions in client-facing and leadership roles within the financial services industry. He focuses primarily in the areas of retirement planning, risk and asset management, and estate planning. At Summit Financial Advisors, he is an asset to clients by connecting and discovering alternative opportunities to pursue their goals.

Prior to forming Summit, Jeff was a Partner and Financial Consultant with Thrivent Financial, a Fortune 500 financial services firm.

Jeff graduated with a B.S. from the University of Minnesota. He holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Certified in Long-Term Care designation, along with his FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations with Level Four Financial, and state life and health insurance licenses. He resides, with his wife, Kirsten, and two sons, in Jordan, Minnesota.


Matt Scherer

Matt Scherer, CFP®

At Summit Financial Advisors, Matt is an asset to clients in the area of comprehensive financial planning, specializing in education planning, asset and risk management, and retirement planning. In order to launch their own independent financial services firm, Matt and his colleagues partnered with Level Four Financial and Level Four Advisory Services to form Summit Financial Advisors.

During his career with Thrivent Financial, Matt was a Senior Financial Advisor and Financial Consultant. Since 2004, he has been assisting clients in the areas of comprehensive financial planning and investment management.

Matt earned his B.S. in finance from St. Cloud State University. He currently holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. Matt also holds his FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations with Level Four Financial, and state life and health insurance licenses. Matt was named a Five Star Wealth Manager for the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 and most recently for the 2022 award*. He currently resides in Corcoran, Minnesota, with his wife, Vanessa, and their three children.

*Award based on 10 objective criteria associated with providing quality services to clients such as credentials, experience, and assets under management among other factors. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of 2022 Five Star Wealth Managers.