Wise Planning Inc

People

Debbie Wise

Debbie Wise founded Wise Planning in 1997. She has been in the financial services industry since 1986, including nearly five years as an analyst at Robert W. Baird (Milwaukee, WI). There she provided research and analytical support to the firm's traders and investment officers. Prior to that, she was a member of the institutional fixed income sales department at Merrill Lynch (Chicago, IL). Debbie earned a Master’s Degree in Finance from Northwestern University's J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Mike Burke

Mike Burke joined Wise Planning in 2011.  He began his career in the financial industry in 1981 as a Market Maker at the Chicago Board of Options Exchange where he traded stocks, futures and index options for sixteen years.  He subsequently became an investor and co-owner in a turn-around initiative of a pharmaceutical trade publication.  He went on to hold senior sales executive positions at The Wall Street Journal and Forbes.  Mike leads Wise Planning's Retirement Plan Consulting Service, focusing on helping small and medium-sized businesses provide better retirement plan solutions for their employees.  Mike graduated from DePauw University with a B.A. in Economics.

Bob Fairbrook

Bob Fairbrook joined Wise Planning in 2007. He has been a financial counselor since 1979, including eleven years as a partner in Retirement Benefit Specialists, Inc (RBS) in Bellevue, WA where he specialized in qualified retirement plans. Prior to that Bob owned Northwest Retirement Planning in Seattle for ten years. He has served as an adjunct professor in the CFP® certificate training program for City University in Bellevue and as a workshop presenter for Ernst & Young's personal financial services division.  Bob leads Wise Planning's Financial Education Services, offering educational workshops on topics including Debt Management, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning and Employee Benefits. Bob graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA and has been a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) since 1995.

Kathryn Smith

Kathy Smith joined Wise Planning in 2004. She has been in the financial industry since 1981. Her experience includes managing financial derivatives, risk analysis and technology development for First Chicago's multinational corporate client base (Chicago, IL) and cash flow and foreign exchange analysis at 3M Corporation (ST. Paul, MN). She has served as an adjunct professor in the graduate program for Financial Markets and Trading at Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL). Kathy holds a Master of International Management from American Graduate School of International Management, a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of San Diego and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).