Building Your Financial Freedom
Who We Are
Structured Wealth Management was founded to serve couples and families in their pursuit of financial independence. Our team works with each client to help them create personalized and sound financial plans based on their unique needs.
At Structured Wealth Management, we strive to help retirees and pre-retirees achieve the lifestyle they deserve and have worked so hard for. Together, we’ll explore how we can help optimize your income, assets, tax strategies, and more so that you can live the life you’ve always dreamed of.
Our Mission
Our core values guide everything we do. We give you the confidence to spend YOUR money and retire when YOU want.
Scroll Below To Learn More About The Structured Wealth Management Team!
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Our Core Values
Clients First
The clients’ interest comes first – Always
Build Trust
Doing the right thing for you every time
Strive for Excellence
Our Team is never satisfied with the status quo
Create Financial Freedom
We create a plan for you to live your best life
Family Focused
Protect what is most important to you
Structured Wealth Management
Helping You Protect What Matters Most!
Your Structured Plan Needs A Structured Team
Meet The Team
Brian Schmitz
Partner, Financial Advisor
Brian Schmitz, ChFEBC, NSSA
Partner, Financial Advisor
My name is Brian Schmitz, and I have been helping clients plan for their golden years since I graduated from Taylor University in 1995. While I was at Merrill Lynch, I was part of a team that managed over $480 million of client’s hard-earned nest eggs. I remember the incredible excitement clients had as they watched their accounts grow during the “internet bubble” of the late 90s, only to see the same clients shock and fear as the market entered a 3-year correction while the great technology bubble deflated.
I knew there had to be a better way to help clients than simply giving them a “pie chart” of their investments and the encouragement to “hang on – everything will be fine.” Having a true retirement plan is not about simply having a “pie chart” and the “hope” that the market does not have another bear market right when retirees need their nest egg the most.
Saving for retirement is completely different than living in retirement – when you may not have the time or ability to go back into the workforce and re-build your nest egg again – that is why we stress test a new client’s portfolio to see if they will run out of money in the event the market does not perform as expected. I have found that most clients enjoy our focus on developing a plan they know will work even if the stock market does not cooperate.
I have learned that retirement planning is very personal and requires me to fully understand what is most important to my retirees and how they want to live in retirement. Our goal is to give you the tools to feel confident in your retirement. Making sure a surviving spouse can continue to live the way he/she is accustomed, along with passing assets onto the next generation in a tax-efficient manner, are topics we discuss with clients regularly.
Having the correct social security claiming strategy can add $100,000 to $300,000 in additional benefits for an average retired couple. The fact that getting the social security question right is so important drove me to become a National Social Security Advisor (NSSA). As an NSSA, I teach classes at local universities on the different claiming strategies and how retiree’s decisions impact their pension, required distributions from retirement accounts, and how to potentially save significant money on their taxes while in retirement.
I invite you to come to experience our fiduciary process. A process that will allow you to enjoy retirement, worry less about your investments, protect your family, and lessen your tax burden.
Thomas Rogers
Partner, Financial Advisor
Thomas Rogers, ChFEBC, NSSA
Partner, Financial Advisor
Today we are living in a different world than we did 20 years ago. For most of your working life, you have been saving this wealth and watching it grow. It used to be enough to focus on the interest rate and the return earned by your money. It used to be that if you spent a lifetime working and then retired, the biggest worry on your mind was, how much time do I have left? Today, more people are worried about outliving their funds, and questions about retirement planning have changed. How will future taxes impact your nest egg? How will you feel when you start spending this money?
My name is Thomas Rogers -after joining Edward Jones in 1999, the stock market had the worst three-year return we have seen in our lifetime. I gained valuable experience from listening to clients, building plans that work even if the stock market doesn’t go up every year, and gained a better understanding of how to protect your life savings. After leaving Edward Jones, I headed up a team that grew to manage over 1 billion dollars in assets. When we sold that company in 2008, these experiences gave me the confidence to start Structured Wealth Management.
If you’re worried about where the income will come from, wondering where to move the money and how to keep it safe, then you owe it to yourself to get answers specific to your situation. I am here to help you design a plan you can have confidence in so you’re free to focus on the things most important to you.
Because we live in a sales-oriented world, we often find that many of the portfolios we review are set up with a one-size-fits-all mentality. When a strategy is structured and well-thought-out, with clearly defined goals written into the plan, then you have a direct line of sight to your future. Using the best of modern technology, proprietary software, and customized reports, we can show you exactly where you are now, how far away you are from reaching your goals, and how to get where you want to go—and stay. Destination: Retirement.
Future healthcare implications, tax hikes, when to take Social Security, and the impact of sudden loss all make it critical that you position your savings correctly to meet your goals. At Structured Wealth, we take pride in being called “Tax and Income Specialists.” This is what I wake up and love to do every day. Our team has completed over 20,000 tax returns, which gives us a better understanding of how to customize your tax-efficient income plan.
At our firm, we answer our phones, and we meet with you face-to-face. We offer access to virtually every kind of strategy, investment, and insurance solution you could possibly need. I invite you to experience our customized process, one designed to give you a greater sense of certainty with your retirement plan so that, finally, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
Family is one of the three pillars of my life, and helping new clients feels like an extension of that family. It would be my privilege to serve as your advisor and help you make the right decisions for your family.
Chris Wilson
Investment Advisor Representative
Chris Wilson
Investment Advisor Representative
With the rush of technology that is upon us today and the incredible amount of resources out there, how do you navigate the river of information? More than anything, you need someone you can trust to give you not only accurate information but put your needs before their own.
Hello, I’m Chris Wilson, and I’ve been in the financial services industry for 23 years. I attended Adrian College. Starting out as a bank teller at Fifth Third Bank in Sylvania, Ohio and progressing my way through the banking world, I have been able to learn the value of that trust, building lifelong relationships, and providing top-notch service. My most recent position was as a Senior Financial Advisor at Huntington Bank overseeing $30 million of clients’ valuable assets.
Working through the market complexities of 2008 and 2009 taught me the value of maintaining a diversified portfolio by using all of the resources available to me as an advisor and fiduciary over my client’s assets. Working together to create an investment strategy and adhering to it while being conscious of a changing market helped to navigate so much uncertainty and volatility.
When approaching retirement, there are many important decisions that can affect your life 10-20 years from now that have to be made, and they can be $100,000+ decisions. You don’t want to stay up at night concerned about your retirement. Let’s design a plan that puts those worries at ease.
My primary goal is to help you understand the complexities of the financial world without stress and confusion. I’m here to equip you with the best information out there that will help you and your family work toward your financial goals.
Paul Manol
Investment Advisor Representative
Paul Manol
Investment Advisor Representative
Paul is a self-taught investment advisor representative with nearly 30 years of experience providing financial advice to family and friends, aiming to provide solutions to clients that are simple, transparent, and accountable.
Paul “retired” in 2011 after a 34-year career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 20 of which were spent in Washington, DC, working in various capacities with the domestic and international agricultural industry. During that time, prudent, low-cost investing, which started as a personal necessity, became Paul’s hobby and lifelong passion. As a self-taught investor, he has managed money and provided financial advice to family and friends for nearly 30 years. Post retirement, Paul returned to the University of Toledo to complete his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies majoring in finance and communications. He graduated magna cum laude in 2012.
Since graduating in 2012, he has served as a licensed Investment Advisor Representative. His goal in helping others is rooted in the belief that if he can help improve a family’s financial situation, every other area of their lives will be influenced in a positive way. Thus, he aims to provide solutions that are simple, transparent, and accountable.
The financial world of the 21st century calls for sound, proven strategies & solutions. As the baby boom generation ages, private pensions vanish, & social security nears insolvency, personal investing becomes more important all the time.
Utilizing professional money management strategies and concepts, Paul strives to help his clients get the most “bang” for their investment buck while reducing downside and/or market-timing risk.
Paul, a Toledo native, grew up in the west side/Franklin Park area, graduating from Whitmer High School in 1976. He now lives in Holland, Ohio.
In his spare time (a relative term), Paul enjoys bicycling, traveling, spending time with his dog, Max, and simply relaxing in his easy chair working a crossword puzzle.
Janet White
Client Services Coordinator
Janet White
Client Services Coordinator
Hello, I’m Janet White, and I bring over a decade of experience in the financial industry. As a Client Services Coordinator, my strengths lie in communication, organization, and attention to detail. I excel at creating seamless and efficient processes that enhance the client experience. I have dedicated my career to creating positive and lasting relationships. If I could pass anything onto family and friends, it is the power of financial planning and the impact that it can have on your future. I am a proud University of Toledo graduate and have two sons currently enrolled at UT in the College of Engineering. When I am not at work you can find me volunteering at the Toledo Humane Society, traveling, or baking cookies.
Brooke Schmitz
Marketing and Event Coordinator
Brooke Schmitz
Marketing and Event Coordinator
I am a seasoned professional with a dynamic blend of expertise and creative finesse, highlighted by my successful journey as a former business owner. I strive to combine my marketing background with extensive event planning acumen. My strategic focus on nonprofit organizations has yielded compelling campaigns and meticulously executed events, driving impactful change. Photography further enriches my expertise, capturing both moments and narratives with precision. Beyond my professional endeavors, my passion for tennis, equestrian, and my two sons, underscores a well-rounded individual committed to excellence. I feel that my unique and invaluable perspective as a former business owner, marketing professional, and devoted mother adds depth to my contributions to strategic marketing and event coordination.
Nathan Reiter
Enrolled IRS Agent, Director of Taxation
Nathan Reiter
Enrolled IRS Agent, Director of Taxation
Nate Reiter has been working in accounting and tax preparation for over 15 years. He graduated in 2006 with honors from Miami of Ohio with a Bachelor of Science in Business degree majoring in both Finance and Economics. Nate started out working in finance with OBS Financial Services right after he finished college. There, he worked on client presentations and portfolio creation based on modern portfolio theory.
In 2008, OBSFS was sold to a credit union in Texas. At this point, Nate left OBS along with Tom Rogers and Brian Schmitz to start up both Structured Wealth Management and SWM Tax. Nate focused most of his work on the accounting and tax side, working primarily through SWM Tax. Here, he prepared tax returns for a variety of businesses and individual clients. Over the next several years, SWM Tax grew to the point that the firm was preparing over 2,000 tax returns per year.
In 2014, Nate sat for and passed all three exams to become an IRS Enrolled Agent. This allows Nate to represent clientele in front of the IRS on a variety of tax matters, including penalty abatement. In 2019, Nate received his Executive MBA from the University of Toledo. Nate lives with his wife, Carli, in Sylvania with their two dogs and cat.
