Is Your Financial Plan Aligned With What Matters Most?
Illinois Residents: Get a Financial Strategy
Designed to Evolve With You,
Not Just With the Market
Your Custom Wealth Blueprint helps bring every part of your financial life into focus,
so you can feel more confident, informed, and in control as life changes.
Complete Picture
Investments, taxes, and estate planning aligned around your goals.
Forward-Looking Advice
Proactive planning to anticipate changes and help safeguard your progress.
True Partnership
Consistent communication and personal support from advisors who care.
You’ve planned well. Now it’s about what comes next.
You’re not here to be told how to grow your wealth. You’ve already done that.
Now it’s time to make the most of what you’ve built.
To use it with intention. To protect it, preserve it, and plan wisely for the future. To bring clarity to complexity without giving up control.
At The Tranel Financial Group, our goal-oriented strategies consider your taxes, values, lifestyle, and legacy to help you make informed decisions for the future.
We help you clarify priorities and make informed decisions that move you toward your ideal financial life.
Get A Strategic Wealth Plan Review
Relationships That Go Beyond the Plan
We’re proud of the lasting relationships we’ve built. On average, our clients remain with us almost 2.5x longer than the industry average.
*Industry retention data referenced from Kitces Research on How Financial Planners Actually Do Financial Planning (Michael Kitces, 2019). Retention rates are estimates based on advisor survey responses and may not reflect all firms or models.
The Custom Wealth Blueprint Process
Step One
Discovery
We start with a conversation focused entirely on you; your life, your goals, and the questions that keep you thinking about what’s next.
Together, we’ll get a clear picture of where you stand today and what you want your future to look like.
Step Two
Map & Guide
Your advisor will design your custom blueprint outlines, built around your goals and guided by our Five Disciplines of Financial Planning.
This roadmap outlines the next steps to help align your decisions with the life you want, and we’ll be there to help you follow it, every step of the way.
Step Three
Ongoing Partnership
As your life evolves, so does your plan.
Through our Faithful Watch™ process, your advisor stays actively engaged, helping you implement your strategy, monitor progress, and adjust as needed in response to changing market conditions and personal goals.
From market shifts to new goals, we’re here to coordinate the moving parts and keep your plan working for you.
Our average fee for financial planning and investment management is approximately 1%, aligning our success with your long-term growth.
Putting People Before Portfolios Since 1988
Since 1988, The Tranel Financial Group has been rooted in genuine care, Midwest values & a people-first approach. Based in Libertyville, our team of financial advisors also serves clients across the Chicago area , whether you’re looking for a financial advisor in Buffalo Grove or a financial consultant in Chicago, we provide goal-driven strategies by building lifelong partnerships that help understand your goals, dreams & priorities.
Our collaborative model gives you access to a full team including CFP® professionals, investment advisors, client service & client delight specialists. What sets us apart is our commitment to looking beyond the numbers. We take the time to understand your vision so we can help you build wealth, protect your legacy & live the life you’ve earned.
Roch Tranel
Founder CEO & CFP®
Financial Advisor since 1988
Tyler Braun
Director of Financial Planning
Financial Advisor since 2010
Jordan Bradford
Senior Financial Advisor & CFP®
Financial Advisor since 2015
Joey Bunton
Senior Financial Advisor
Financial Advisor since 2018
The Tranel Financial Group Historic Timeline
Get The Strategic Wealth Plan Review: A Personalized Financial Strategy, Built Around You
Get The Strategic Wealth Plan Review: A Personalized Financial Strategy, Built Around You
Meet with a CFP®-led team recognized nationwide for service, transparency, and award-winning leadership.
Led by our CEO, a 25-time Financial Planner of the Year at our broker dealer
Continued oversight through our signature Faithful Watch™ review process
Backed by a client delight team committed to exceptional service
Serving clients nationwide
World Leader Award recipient 11 years in a row from our broker dealer
A More Intentional Financial Life Starts with a More Intentional Firm
To maintain the level of transparency & responsiveness we’re known for, we only take on a limited number of new clients each quarter. This helps ensure regular reviews and clear communication as your goals evolve.
If that’s the kind of legacy planning experience you’re looking for, let’s connect.
Take the First Step Toward a More Purposeful Financial Future
Request a consultation now and discover 3 powerful strategies to optimise your financial plan today.
You’ll walk away with:
- A clarity call with a dedicated advisor
- A personalized snapshot of your financial position
- Clear, thoughtful next steps, with zero pressure
We serve clients in Libertyville, Buffalo Grove, and throughout the greater Chicago area, providing personalized financial planning and investment guidance tailored to their goals.
This conversation is designed to help you make informed decisions about your financial future, so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.
Fill in the form below to get 3 strategies you can use today.
Who we serve:
- Individuals who no longer have the time to manage their own financial plan.
- People experiencing major life changes like retirement, divorce, job transitions, inheritance, or the loss of a loved one.
- Families and individuals focused on generational wealth transfer and estate planning.
- Those with $100,000 or more in investable assets looking for professional guidance to help grow and protect their wealth.
Answers to the Questions We Hear Most
Where and how should I be investing my money?
Just as financial goals vary from person to person, exactly where and how to invest is not a one size fits all approach. That being said, there are a few best practices that apply to most, if not all, investors. First, it’s important to understand that investing is not a get-rich-quick scheme but a way to consistently grow wealth over time. Mutual funds are a great way to invest because they keep your holdings diversified, which limits risk while providing the opportunity for long-term growth. Past performance does not assure future performance. The second is to determine an amount or income percentage you can commit to investing regularly and remain consistent with your contributions.
What kind and amount of life insurance coverage should I have?
How much life insurance you should have varies based on a variety of factors. A good rule of thumb is that your policy provides ten-fifteen times your annual income. However, we typically recommend that people between ages 30 and 50 have more coverage than people who are older or younger. This is because they’ve generally started to take on larger amounts of debt (such as a mortgage, car payment, and student loans), but haven’t had enough time to build much equity in their assets yet. The goal is for your life insurance to give your loved ones enough of a cushion to account for any debts and liabilities you may have, as well as the loss of your income.
What is socially responsible investing? What are my options?
The goal of socially responsible investing is to invest money in companies that have positive social impacts and may lead to broad-scale social change while providing positive financial returns. From mutual funds, ETFs, and separately managed accounts, there are a variety of investment vehicles for socially responsible investing.
It sounds like a win-win situation. However, socially responsible investing isn’t necessarily black and white. Different investors have different values and standards, so what one person considers socially responsible may not fit the bill for another. Not to mention, companies may “greenwash,” or misrepresent, their portfolios as a strategy to gather more assets.
For investors who feel strongly about only allocating investments to companies that align with their values and beliefs, investing in a portfolio of individual stocks through a separate managed account will allow for a more precise allocation than pooled investments, like mutual funds.
At the Tranel Financial Group, all of our portfolios are evaluated with an ESG overlay to account for societal-specific risks, like environment, social, and governance risk factors, as well as additional benefits. We encourage investors looking to create a customized socially responsible portfolio that aligns with your values and beliefs to reach out.
What is the difference between fee and commission based?
Simply put, a commission-based advisor gets paid a specific percentage of the assets they manage for a client. If the portfolio performs positively, the advisor will earn a higher fee. Consequently, if the portfolio performs negatively, the advisor will earn a lower fee.
Alternatively, a fee-based advisor gets paid a flat rate for buying and selling different securities, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and more. This rate is not dependent on the performance of the holdings or how much time is spent with the client.
The Tranel Financial Group is a fee-based, independent firm, which grants us greater flexibility, as we are not tied to proprietary products and do not have any conflicts of interest when giving financial advice.
How can I help make sure my family is taken care of in the event of my disability or death?
While this is a topic that is often worried over, it’s rarely discussed in many families, and it’s understandable why. Nobody wants to think about losing their spouse or the possibility of their own death, but it’s important to be prepared in case the unexpected does happen. Many families chose to invest in benefits, such as life insurance policies or short and long-term disability, either through their workplace benefit plans or on the private market. Either way, the key to making the most of these investments is to purchase them before you have any reason to suspect you may need them. The premiums on these plans will only increase with age and health concerns, so early investment will lead to lower price tags.
It’s also important to consider formal estate planning items, such as creating a will and a trust. These documents will ensure that your wishes are well known and will be carried out in the event of your death and can provide very specific instructions, even in complex situations, for the management and distribution of your assets. This is especially important if assets are being passed to a young adult who doesn’t yet have much experience managing money or to somebody whose judgment hasn’t instilled confidence in the past.
How can my current financial strategy impact my long-term goals?
Your financial strategy plays a key role in shaping your future. Short term impacts, such as market volatility, administration changes (every 4 years) or policy updates (potentially in foreign markets) can influence your investments and your financial strategy. Your plan should parallel your risk profile to help you navigate when these impacts inevitably happen.
The way you save, invest, and manage risks today can influence your future retirement lifestyle and legacy.
At The Tranel Financial Group, we take a holistic approach—aligning investment strategies, tax considerations, and personal goals to support long-term financial independence.
How do you measure the success of a financial plan?
Success is about staying on track—not just achieving returns. We regularly review and update financial plans to reflect market shifts, tax changes, and life events. Our Faithful Watch™ process helps clients stay informed and confident in their long-term strategy.
What are the most common financial challenges faced by retirees?
Retirees often encounter challenges such as:
- Outliving savings due to increased longevity
- Market fluctuations affecting investment portfolios
- Rising healthcare costs and medical expenses
- Tax implications related to retirement income
- Estate planning for smooth wealth transfer
We work with clients to build retirement strategies that help account for these challenges by focusing on adaptability, risk awareness, and long-term planning.
How do you protect my retirement plan from inflation and changes in financial regulations?
Inflation and regulatory shifts can impact the long-term performance of a retirement strategy. We help develop approaches designed to support purchasing power, which may include diversified investments, income-generating assets, and reviews to account for cost-of-living trends.
We also regularly monitor market trends, tax law developments, and regulatory updates to help keep your strategy aligned with current conditions. Our team stays informed through ongoing education and compliance oversight—so your plan can evolve with the financial landscape.