* Jason R. Zimmerman, MBA, CLU, CAP, ChFC
Senior Managing Director
As one of the Senior Managing Directors and owners of Schechter, Jason Zimmerman is responsible for helping to define the strategic direction of the firm. Schechter is primarily focused in the areas of Life Insurance based planning solutions, Investment alternatives and Employee Benefits. He also manages relationships with referring and strategic partners such as insurance professionals, banks, CPA's and money managers to help further grow our advanced life insurance planning area. In addition, Jason works directly with the firm's clients and their advisors in the execution of sophisticated solutions in wealth accumulation and preservation, wealth transfer and charitable giving.
Jason has earned designations that help clients with financial planning, income taxation, retirement planning, investments and estate planning. The designations are: The Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation for professionals involved in the areas of estate planning and business succession planning; the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation.
Mr. Zimmerman is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison and received a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Fordham University in New York.
Jason and his wife Rachel have 3 children and a dog and reside in Huntington Woods Michigan. They are active in numerous community and charitable organizations.
*Jason Zimmerman is a Registered Representative of NFP Securities', Inc.
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Marc R. Schechter, CLU
Senior Managing Director
Marc Schechter came to our firm with fifteen years of leadership, management, marketing and general business skills. These skills were developed throughout his role as founder and CEO of Star Trax Meetings and Events, recently named pulse220, one of the premiere corporate meeting and event management firms in the country. Mr. Schechter's vision, passion, and determination catapulted pulse220 into becoming one of the country's 500 fastest growing firms as recognized by INC. Magazine. He remains chairman of the board and an active partner of pulse220.
As senior managing director, Mr. Schechter guides the strategic direction of our firm. He also works directly with our individual and corporate clients, helping them identify, understand and implement insurance based solutions. He has earned a Chartered Life Underwriter designation, for professionals involved in the areas of estate planning and business succession planning. Mr. Schechter is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
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Bradley K. Feldman, JD
Vice President
Brad Feldman joined Schechter as Vice President in 2007. He comes to the firm after working as corporate and real estate litigator, most recently at Jackier Gould, PC in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and as Vice President of TRG Capital Group, LLC in Farmington Hills, Michigan, where he began his career as a financial advisor.
Brad's expertise is working with high net worth families in the areas of wealth accumulation and preservation, intra-family wealth transfer and charitable giving programs, and estate and tax planning. He also works with closely held companies on business succession planning, as well as group benefits programs. He has been a frequent author and lecturer on a variety of industry related topics.
Brad holds a JD from the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law, and a BA from the University of Michigan. He plays an active role in the community serving as a board member for the Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit, Kids Kicking Cancer, and the Birmingham Community House. He is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan and Oakland County Bar Association.
Brad resides in Farmington Hills, Michigan with his wife, Julie, and their children, Emily, Allison, and Robert. He enjoys playing golf and basketball, and is an avid exerciser.
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Ilana K. Liss
Director of Strategy and Implementation
Ilana Liss is the director of strategy, design and implementation. She is instrumental in the development, presentation and execution of our custom solutions. She provides counseling and concierge service for our clients throughout the Solution Design process. She communicates regularly with clients and their advisors throughout the strategy development and execution process. Ms. Liss also directs the underwriting and customer service staff which makes her responsible for our complete client experience.
Prior to joining our firm, Ms. Liss worked as a client service advisor at a hedge fund located in Chicago, Illinois. Ms. Liss is a graduate of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
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Stephen W. Blocki, PE, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
As the Chief Operating Officer, Steve Blocki is responsible for leading the operations of the Schechter organization and executing the firm's vision. Steve uses his previous experience as a business leader to develop processes that enhance client solutions and service.
Before joining Schechter, Steve worked for a division of Durr Systems for 20 years in various roles, most significantly as the Environmental Division Business Unit Head initiating growth beyond North America to Mexico, China and Korea.
He graduated from University of Michigan and received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration in finance from Wayne State.
Steve is also a very serious Wolverine and Tiger fan. He is married with three children, age 25, 17 and 13.
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Robert Langer
Managing Director - New York Region
Rob Langer is the Managing Director of the New York Regional Office. He is responsible for introducing Schechter's sophisticated solutions and strategies in wealth preservation, accumulation, estate and businesses planning to his contacts in the area, leading Schechter's growth in the New York Region.
Rob brings to Schechter an impressive knowledge of the financial industry having spent his entire career on Wall Street. He has spent the last 10 years managing and running a hedge fund and most recently heading the Fixed Income Sales and Trading businesses at a boutique Broker-Dealer in New York City.
Rob is a graduate of Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Manhattan with his two children. Rob enjoys skiing, fishing and golfing.
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Jimmy King
Vice President - Business Development
Jimmy King joined the firm in September of 2012, as part of the Business Development team. Jimmy works with high net worth individuals and business owners in the design and execution of sophisticated life insurance strategies, estate and business succession plans, wealth accumulation and preservation, and group benefits programs. He comes to the firm after a successful career as a professional basketball player, financial advisor, business owner and mentor.
After 12 years of professional basketball, Jimmy went to work as a financial adviser for Merrill Lynch. It was there that he gained the skills needed to organize, design, and execute strategic financial plans. Over the last few years, he has spent much of his time working with non-profit organizations that mentor youths in the Detroit area.
Jimmy is an alum of the University of Michigan, majored in Communications, and lettered in men's basketball, where he appeared in the NCAA Championship in 1992 and 1993.
He remains active in the community by serving on the Board of the Letter Winners M-Club and on the Finance and Facilities Committee. He also supports the Abayomi Community Development Corporation as a coach, and is the celebrity ambassador for the charity, Wish Upon A Teen in Bloomfield Hills.
Jimmy resides in Birmingham, Michigan with his three children Jalen, Madison, and Malcolm. He enjoys spending time with his family, exercising, and moonlighting as an analyst for collegiate and professional basketball.
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* Christopher J. Hale
Director of Retirement Services
Chris Hale amanages the 401(k) programs for our clients as well as for Schechter's firm members. He focuses on understanding our clients' post-retirement needs and expectations and creates a custom solution to best address their individual goals. In addition, Mr. Hale develops tailor-made benefit plans for small business owners. He blends more than 10 years of experience in the securities and customer service arenas to make financial planning tangible and easy to understand.
Prior to joining our firm, Mr. Hale worked for Munder Capital Management where he led a team tasked with creating investment and marking materials geared towards advisors. He received his undergraduate degree from American University in Washington D.C. He holds the following State of Michigan insurance licenses: Series 7 General Securities Representative, Series 63 Uniform State Law, and Series 65 Registered Investment Advisor. Chris is a Registered Representative and Investment Advisor Representative with NFP Securities, Inc.
*Christopher Hale is a Registered Investment Advisor of NFP Securities', Inc.
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* Robert V. Schechter, M.B.A., C.L.U, ChFC
Chariman
Robert Schechter joined the family life insurance business in 1971, 32 years after his uncle Rudy Leitman founded the family business back in 1939. As chairman of the firm, Mr. Schechter specializes in counseling high net worth individuals in the areas of estate planning, business continuation and charitable giving strategies. Mr. Schechter sits on the boards of numerous corporate and charitable organizations and has advised clients through private and public equity transactions.
For consecutive years since 1981, he has been acknowledged by the Million Dollar Round Table as Top of the Table. In 1997, although only 1/3 of his business was placed with New York Life, Mr. Schechter was New York Life's top producer out of 12,000 agents nationally.
Mr. Schechter graduated with a bachelor of science in industrial engineering from the University of Michigan as well as an MBA from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the insurance industry, he spent 12 years in manufacturing management.
In 2004, Mr. Schechter began transitioning the leadership of Schecter to the next generation. His son-in-law Jason Zimmerman and son Marc Schechter have taken over all management and leadership roles within the firm. This transition has allowed Mr. Schechter to focus on high level client relationships and technical training of teammates.
*Robert Schechter is a Registered Representative of NFP Securities', Inc.
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* Lee D. Churchill
Vice President
Lee Churchill brings to our firm thirty five years of experience working with business and individuals in the strategic business and wealth transfer planning arenas. Mr. Churchill works with business owners, families, legal and accounting advisors in the design and execution of sophisticated life insurance based strategies.
Prior to merging with Schechter, Churchill built and managed two companies in Flint, Mi; Compensation Systems, Inc. of America and CSI Consulting. Mr. Churchill has received recognition as qualifying life member of the Million Dollar Round Table for the past thirty four years and is a member of the National Association of Life Underwriters. He is a graduate of Murray State University in Kentucky with a BS in finance and marketing.
*Lee Churchill is a Registered Representative of NFP Securities', Inc.
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Paul M. Snider
Managing Director
Paul Snider has served as Managing Director of Schechter Benefits Advisors for the past thirteen years. His vast knowledge of the employee benefits marketplace and health care legislation has enabled him to manage the health care costs for well over 200 organizations. In addition, Mr. Snider has built a broad knowledge base in the life insurance, disability insurance and 401K arena.
Mr. Snider has been a member of the largest Blue Cross Managing Agency's Agent Council group since 1996 and belongs to numerous other insurance council groups. Prior to joining our firm, he worked with the CPA firm of Kirschner, Hutton, and Shevin. He received his B.A. with a specialization in accounting and finance from Michigan State University in 1987.
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Cheryl Bastian
Client Service Manager
Cheryl Bastian oversees Schechter's dedicated Client Services Team, providing day to day management and operational support to ensure our clients receive the highest level of service. She uses her industry expertise and keen attention to detail in her role as liaison between our clients, their advisors, and our producers to ensure that each strategy is effectively implemented. Under Cheryl’s guidance, her team maintains accurate records, provides exceptional service, and builds strong relationships with all of our clients.
Christine Belcher
Executive Assistant
Chris Belcher is responsible for supporting Schechter's senior executives and management to ensure all administrative details are handled efficiently and effectively. She plays a vital role in preparing client presentation materials, combining and formatting the information used to illustrate strategies and concepts. Ms. Belcher also assists our firm’s marketing team with sponsorship advertisements. Her responsibilities include in-house systems maintenance to help ensure that Schechter's operational fundamentals are successfully achieved.
Matt Berg
Courier
Matt Berg provides reliable and expeditious transport of confidential materials between Schechter and our clients and vendors. In addition, he handles internal operational support functions including inventory control, material reproduction and computer support and network recovery.
Lindsey Charette-Merrell
Client Svc. Advisor
Lindsey Charette-Merrell provides the day to day operational support to ensure that Schechter maintains the highest level of client service. She provides service for all existing policies including premium payments & premium changes, policy change requests, in-force illustrations, policy schedules & summaries, policy loans, policy values, lapse notices & reinstatements and death claims. She complies and enters this information into the firm’s corporate database as a summary of the clients’ accounts.
Jodi Galperin
Dir. of Adm. Operations, PHR
Jodi Galperin manages the human resources and administrative teams at Schechter. Problem-seeker and solver, she strives to maintain the highest standards for our firm's internal systems and procedures. By ensuring that our office functions at peak efficiency, Ms. Galperin and her administrative team maintain an environment where our staff can focus their efforts on our clients' needs.
Rita Goldman
Solution Analyst
Rita Goldman assists with the development and implementation of Schechter's custom solutions. She identifies and analyzes new products and carrier software and prepares life insurance illustrations. In addition, Ms. Goldman is responsible for the creation and production of client presentation materials.
Cyndy Hernandez
Senior Case Manager
Cyndy Hernandez helps Schechter maintain its reputation with clients and insurance carriers alike by ensuring that the underwriting process proceeds smoothly. She reviews our clients' medical records and exam results, determines an appropriate selection of carriers to meet the clients' needs and negotiates with the selected carriers to obtain favorable results. Ms. Hernandez maintains strong and understanding relationships with the clients.
Nancy Hoag
Vice President of Marketing
Nancy Hoag manages and oversees the marketing and public relations for Schechter and Schechter Benefits Advisors. This includes the development of communications to the media, the public, our clients and their advisors as well as our strategic partners. Ms. Hoag also supervises all marketing team members including outside agencies and PR professionals.
Tammy Leichtnam
Accounting Asst.
Tammy Leichtnam assists the accounting team in all aspects, including accounts payable and cash receipts. She also assists the HR department manager with a myriad of tasks.
Corissa McClatchey
Underwriting Assistant
Corissa McClatchey is responsible for the day to day administrative support of the Case Managers. She assists her team by entering client information into the corporate databases, obtaining medical records, pre-completing forms, and preparing policies for delivery to clients.
Nancy McDermott
Sr. Client Service Advisor
Nancy McDermott provides the day to day operational support to ensure that Schechter maintains the highest level of client service. She provides service for all existing policies including premium payments & premium changes, policy change requests, in-force illustrations, policy schedules & summaries, policy loans, policy values, lapse notices & reinstatements and death claims. She complies and enters this information into the firm's corporate database as a summary of the clients' accounts.
Lisa McGee
Junior Underwriter
Lisa McGee helps Schechter maintain its reputation with clients and insurance carriers alike by ensuring that the underwriting process proceeds smoothly. Under the direction of the Senior Underwriting Case Managers, she reviews our clients' medical records and exam results, determines an appropriate selection of carriers to meet the clients' needs and negotiates with the selected carriers to obtain favorable results.
Robalee Monroe
Executive Assistant
Robalee Monroe is responsible for the efficient and effective handling of all directorial details for Schechter's senior executives and management. She plays a key role in developing the processes and materials required to achieve quarterly departmental goals. Ms. Monroe works with the marketing team in the composition of website and various other communications. As a member of the Operations team, she also assists in achieving our company's objectives for organization and process improvement.
Joe Opiela
Solutions Analyst
Joe Opiela assists with the development and implementation of Schechter's custom solutions. He identifies and analyzes new products, prepares life insurance illustrations, and aides in the creation and production of client presentation materials.Joe is a graduate of the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, earning a degree in Finance in 2010. Prior to joining Schechter, Joe was a Fund Analyst at The Vanguard Group in Philadelphia. He is currently a Level 2 CFA Candidate.
Therese Rasmussen
Senior Case Manager
Therese Rasmussen helps Schechter maintain its reputation with clients and insurance carriers alike by ensuring that the underwriting process proceeds smoothly. She reviews our clients' medical records and exam results, determines an appropriate selection of carriers to meet the clients' needs and negotiates with the selected carriers to obtain favorable results. Ms. Rasmussen maintains strong and understanding relationships with the clients.
Chrissy Samaniego
Receptionist
Chrissy serves as the first point of contact for Schechter. Her helpful attitude and welcoming demeanor promote a positive image for our firm. Ms. Samaniego is responsible for monitoring the availability of team members and efficiently directing callers and visitors to the appropriate person. Great at multi-tasking, she is also responsible for our insurance carrier and state licensing throughout the US.
Sherri Schwarz
Client Service Advisor
Sherri Schwarz provides day-to-day operational support to ensure that Schechter maintains the highest level of client service. She assists our clients by processing all transactions and requests related to their 401(k), securities and annuity accounts. She compiles and enters this information into the firm's corporate database as an accurate summary of the clients' accounts.
Kelli VanSickle
Director of Accounting
Kelli VanSickle oversees all of the accounting functions within the organization. She ensures that all generally accepted accounting procedures are practiced and met. Ms. VanSickle efficiently and effectively adapts her department’s processes to the ever-changing and increasingly complex software and hardware issues that arise from time to time. As a result of her efforts, our clients and vendors experience the highest level of client service.
Jeff Vieder
Vice President
Jeff Vieder works with high net worth individuals and business owners in the design and execution of sophisticated life insurance strategies, estate and business succession plans, wealth accumulation and preservation, and group benefit programs. Jeff Vieder also assists the Solution Design team in identifying and analyzing new products and is responsible for the creation and production of client presentation materials.
Jean Winterburn
Accounting Asst
Coming Soon.