Please click on each image below to learn more about a member of our team.
Mike Ovshak, CFP®
President, Owner, Senior Financial Advisor
With more than 30 years of wealth management experience, Mike is able to create personalized solutions that positively and significantly affect each of his clients' financial situations. He and his team build long-term relationships based on trust, knowledge, industry experience, and the drive to do what's best for each client given his or her unique financial condition. He works step by step with clients to determine wealth management goals; then he develops a tailor-made plan that is flexible to change with his clients' unique financial situations.
Mike is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional; holds the FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities registrations through Commonwealth Financial Network®; and earned a BS from the University of Minnesota. He is a member of various professional associations, as well as a recipient of various awards and recognitions, including being recognized every year as a Chairman's level advisor with Commonwealth since 2002, earning a Five Star Wealth Manager award from Mpls. St. Paul Magazine from 2015 to 2021*, as well as being named to Forbes' Best-in-State Wealth Advisors List (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021)** and is a national and local member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) since 1990.
Mike's personal interests include spending time with his wife and sons, playing tennis, skiing, fitness training, biking, golfing, hiking, and reading financial publications. He also has enjoyed coaching his kids throughout the years in each of their organized sports, including hockey, baseball, and football.
Contact Mike regarding your wealth management strategies.
*2015-2024 Five Star Wealth Manager Award, created by Five Star Professional. The 2024 award was presented in Dec 2023 based on data gathered within 12 months preceding the issue date. 4,280 advisors were considered, 637 advisors were recognized. Advisors pay a fee to hold out marketing materials. Not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Your experience may vary. For more information, please visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.
**2021 Forbes Best In State Wealth Advisors, created by SHOOK Research. Presented in April 2021 based on data gathered from June 2019 to June 2020. 32,725 Advisors were considered, approximately 5000 Advisors were recognized. Advisors pay a fee to hold out marketing materials. Not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Your experience may vary. Click here for more award information.
Nancy Ovshak
Vice President, Owner
Nancy is passionate about making complex things simple. This interest led her to the role of managing the operations side of the firm. She enjoys working with our entire team to ensure our processes are designed effectively to help us provide the best level of service to our clients. She is also involved with the accounting, marketing and compliance areas of the firm.
When not at the office, she enjoys hiking, reading, and traveling. Her goal is to visit 20 National Parks in the next 20 years. She especially enjoys sharing these activities with her husband, Mike, and their three sons.
Nancy earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management. She also holds her FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities registrations through Commonwealth Financial Network.
Nick Ovshak, CFP®, CRPC®
Lead Financial Advisor, Manager
Nick is passionate about helping clients gain financial knowledge and achieve their wealth management goals. He approaches each client’s needs from where they are at in their personal financial situation and provides the assistance needed to help them pursue their goals. This may include developing personalized plans to identify financial goals, managing portfolios to work towards reaching those goals, designing a tax efficient income stream during retirement, or building a budget to help clients stay on track.
Nick has gained a wealth of knowledge through his past experiences and education. He graduated from Texas Christian University with a BA in Economics. Prior to joining FPS, he worked for Fidelity Investments. While at Fidelity, Nick was responsible for finding solutions for the most challenging, escalated situations. His professional education and credentials include holding his FINRA Series 7, 66, 9 and 10 licenses and the Chartered Retirement Planner Consultant (CRPC) designation.
In his spare time, Nick enjoys working out, discovering new places to eat (which leads to more working out), following the financial markets, and traveling both domestically and internationally. Some of his more unique travels
have brought him to Machu Pichu in Peru, the tiny Azores Islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, urban and rural areas of SE Asia, studying abroad in London, and a family favorite, Steamboat Springs, CO. Nick’s personal goals for the future include getting a dog.
Feel free to contact Nick with any questions you have pertaining to your wealth management goals and strategies.
Kade Brannon
Associate Financial Advisor
Kade takes pride in working in his client’s best interest, helping them strive towards both their short-term and long-term goals. His clients can expect a thorough fact check to see where they are currently, where they want to be, and a plan for how to get there. There isn't a "one size fits all" plan for anybody, every client has their own story and deserves to be treated as such.
Prior to FPS, Kade was an advisor for Equitable Advisors. He graduated from Bethel University where he played hockey all four years, was involved in multiple organizations, and double majored in Business Finance and Missional Ministries. Through a mix of those two majors, Kade felt called to first, help people and be a positive influence on their lives; and second, use finance through his career. With both of these passions, he entered the world of Financial Advising and now wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. His current licenses are FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65, SIE, and Life, Accidental, and Health.
He resides in Oakdale, MN with his wife, Erika, their daughter, Ashlyn Mae, and their English Cream Golden, Oliver “Ollie” Boone. Away from work, he loves to coach and play hockey, golf, and spend time with friends and family. Kade and Erika are also involved at their church, Renovation Church, out of Blaine, MN. As a native Dallas, Texan, he is a diehard Dallas sports fan and loves to attend as many away games as possible when any of his teams visit Minnesota. He also regularly seeks out good BBQ places to remind himself of home.
Beth Thibodeau
Senior Registered Service Representative
Beth has more than 25 years of experience in the financial industry and joined the FPS team in 2004.
Beth holds the FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities registrations through Commonwealth Financial Network® and received her bachelor's degree from the University of St. Thomas. With her knowledge and experience, she is an excellent point of contact for clients with inquiries about their financial transactions. She plays a key role in ensuring our clients' transactions are processed efficiently and accurately.
Beth’s spare time is usually spent with her husband, four children, and her six grandchildren. Beth is a former paid on-call firefighter but retired from the fire service in 2023 after almost seventeen years so she can spend even more time with her grandchildren.
Contact Beth if you have any transaction-related questions. Beth works Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Brandon Ulmer, CFP®
Financial Paraplanner
Brandon finds gratification in helping people experience fulfillment and joy in their lives. Even when priorities and circumstances are not the same, he relishes the opportunity to help achieve significant goals. With a decade of experience in the financial service industry, he has developed skills that can help others in a variety of situations. He believes in “going the extra mile” to make a positive difference in the lives of people around him.
Brandon graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in finance. He has assisted financial representatives and advisors for several years and has experience developing strategies for cash flow, investments, education, estate, and legacy planning. He currently maintains FINRA Series 7 and 66 licenses and is pursuing the Certified Financial Planner™ designation to broaden and hone his planning capabilities.
In his spare time, Brandon enjoys hockey (go Wild!), billiards, and mixed martial arts. He also enjoys photography as a hobby and seeks to capture the most memorable moments and beautiful scenery. He spends a great deal of time with his dog, Scrub, who also cheers for the Minnesota Wild and shows his team spirit with a matching collar.
Maria Holmes
Client Service Administrator
Maria joined FPS in January of 2024 as a Client Service Administrator. Maria is passionate about helping others and keeping the business organized. Maria has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and Human Development and Family Science. She is new to the financial services industry and is excited to help others by supporting the advisors with their financial planning!
In her spare time, Maria enjoys staying active with her husband, 3 kids, and white Lab. Her family enjoys long walks around the park reserves in the area and finding fun playgrounds for the kids to explore.
Bryan Palmer
Office Administrator
Bryan joined FPS in 2022 in the role of Office Administrator. He is instrumental in managing our technology platforms, operating procedures, office equipment and supplies, document management, database management, and much more. Bryan has held similar roles, most recently for the U.S. Senate in Washington D.C. FPS feels fortunate to have Bryan on the team.
When not managing the office, Bryan enjoys spending time with his rescue dog Yoshi, traveling, and trying new and different things. He has been to 48 of the 50 states and several countries around the world including 4 continents. He enjoys trying new foods every place he visits including the Minnesota delicacy of lutefisk.
Contact Bryan if you have questions about access to your online portal or Investor360 accounts.