Brian Allen, President
Brian D. Allen, CFP®, QPA is the Founder and President of Pension Consultants, Inc. As the chief executive, Brian is responsible for overseeing all activities of the firm, which include ERISA Services, Investment Services, Vendor Services, and Operations.
Brian is also the Chairman of the Investment Committee for the firm. The Investment Committee makes co-fiduciary recommendations to the firm’s clients regarding their investments. As of June 30, 2007, total assets under advisement were $1.1 billion. He is also Chairman of the Board for Pension Focus, a non-profit corporation dedicated to educating retirement plan sponsors.
Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Missouri State University. He is a Certified Financial PlannerTM and a Qualified Pension Administrator. Under FINRA regulations, he is also the firm’s Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction manager.
Brian has provided consultation to individuals, institutions and retirement plan sponsors since 1990. He founded Pension Consultants, Inc. on August 1, 1994.
Chris Thixton, Vendor Services Director
Chris Thixton, QPA is a shareholder and Director of Vendor Services for Pension Consultants, Inc. As the Director of the Vendor Services team, Mr. Thixton’s primary duties are to collect and organize record keeping and custodial vendor data to advise our clients in their vendor searches and vendor monitoring. He is also responsible for business development for the firm.
Under Chris’ leadership, the Vendor Services team has provided vendor research to clients that, combined, total over $1 billion in plan assets and 50,000 employees. He was also the primary architect in the development of the firm’s proprietary vendor portal database and is responsible for its ongoing maintenance.
Chris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Missouri State University. He is a Qualified Pension Administrator and member of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Pension Focus, a non-profit public benefit corporation dedicated to educating retirement plan sponsors.
Chris has been working with retirement plans sponsors and fiduciaries at Pension Consultants, Inc. since 1995. His “The Games Vendors Play” presentation is a popular choice among industry and plan sponsor groups.
Marina Wiley, ERISA Services Director
Marina Wiley is Director of ERISA Services for Pension Consultants, Inc. As the leader of ERISA Services, Marina is responsible for developing and maintaining all of the services that relate to technical ERISA matters. These include the firm’s proprietary ERISA compliance service, the QP ReviewSM, fiduciary educational materials, participant educational materials, committee meeting agendas, and ERISA research. As ERISA Services team members serve as the relationship managers to the firm’s CORE COMPLETE clients, Marina is also responsible for overseeing each relationship and insuring client satisfaction.
Prior to joining Pension Consultants in 2005, Marina was the Director of Retirement Plans for Fidelity National Financial, Inc., a Fortune 200 company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. During her tenure with FNF, Marina successfully managed the company’s nearly $1 billion 401(k) plan which was available to its 34,000 employees. She also oversaw 45 corporate acquisitions during her tenure there.
Marina obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University – Stanislaus. She is also licensed with FINRA (formerly NASD) as a General Securities Representative (Series 7).
David Richards, Investment Services Manager
David A. Richards, CFP® is Manager of the Investment Services team for Pension Consultants, Inc. As manager of the Investment Services team, Mr. Richards is responsible for overseeing daily operations. Chief among the team’s duties are the research of money management firms and individual managers to assist clients in investment searches and monitoring.
David is also a member of the Investment Committee of Pension Consultants, Inc. The Investment Committee makes co-fiduciary recommendations to the firm’s clients regarding their investments. As of June 30, 2007, total assets under advisement were $1.1 billion.
David holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Missouri State University and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Newman University. He is also a Certified Financial Planner™.
David has provided investment consultation to individuals and institutions since 1997. During that time he has held various positions with Charles Schwab & Co., Bank of America Securities, and Great-West Retirement Services.
John Thomas, Operations Director
John Thomas is Director of Operations for Pension Consultants, Inc. As Director of the Operations team, Mr. Thomas is responsible for finance, regulatory compliance, information technology, and administrative operations. John also serves as the firm’s Chief Compliance Officer.
John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Southwest Baptist University. He is also licensed with FINRA as a General Securities Representative (Series 7) and General Securities Principal (Series 24). John has been with Pension Consultants, Inc. since 2001.