CURTIS & ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Corporate Benefits
As Partner and President at Curtis and Associates, Jeff oversees all lines of business for the firm, while frequently meeting with clients and professional advisors. He enjoys helping to identify key financial goals and objectives for the individuals, families and business owners that the firm serves. Jeff thrives in working closely with clients as a guide to develop, implement and monitor a dynamic plan around the multiple branches that relate to their financial well-being
Growing up in a family-owned business, Jeff admired the fact that his father could run a business, yet still be available to coach his football team. He spent time working in his father's office, where he was taught how to establish a strong work ethic in business while also prioritizing family and remaining available to those who are most important in life. Jeff took this concept and built it into his personal life and professional career, allowing him to coach and educate clients with a boutique approach, while still remaining active with his family.
After graduating from Kansas University, Jeff joined the financial services industry in 1989, starting his professional career with Mutual of New York where he was trained in the life insurance industry. Jeff quickly learned that when working with clients and professional advisors, every situation is unique. He wanted the flexibility and opportunity to find the right products for the right circumstances at the right time and decided to pursue his career as an independent agent.
In 1991, Jeff joined Cohen & Curtis, a pension-focused firm where his father was a partner. In 1995, the firm sold off the pension side of the business and evolved into Curtis & Associates, where Jeff was a partner. Throughout the years, the firm has shifted and expanded their lines of service to include life insurance, employee benefits, investment advisory, and they most recently added property and casualty in 2014. Jeff currently holds multiple licenses including Series 6, 63, 65 and life and health, in addition to Certified Financial Fiduciary (CFF). He views his partnerships with clients as a method to guide and educate them around what is available and find an opportunity to provide a solution for the problems business owners and successful families face.
Outside of the office, you will find Jeff watching Kansas University basketball and KC Royals baseball. Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife, three kids and two dogs and plays golf in his spare time. He also enjoys scuba diving in exotic locations, and you may find him creating beautiful outdoor environments through landscaping and gardening around his home.
Job Titles:
- Financial Advisor
- Investment Advisor
- Partner, Financial Services
As a Partner at Curtis and Associates, Mike oversees all investment related decisions for the firm and for the clients they serve. He regularly works with individuals, families and business owners to identify key financial goals and objectives for their wealth. Mike enjoys working with clients to gain clarity around what they are aiming to achieve, then work closely with them to develop a dynamic plan to meet milestones and accomplish those financial goals.
As a youth, Mike was introduced to the stock market by his father who was an independent property and casualty agent and was fascinated by the ever-evolving dynamics of investing in the stock market. Mike was hooked - he enjoyed the process of researching and identifying sustainable methods to find solid companies to invest in and monitor growth. Fortunately, he has been able to build a career around this skillset and help clients expand what's possible around their investment portfolio.
Mike is an alum of Kansas University, graduating with a business degree and later pursued an MBA so he could understand the financial elements behind how businesses operated. In the same year as he graduated from KU with an undergrad, he also obtained his Life, Accident & Health license. He spent time selling college plans and retirement plans for a firm in Denver before moving to Southern California to pursue building an automotive electronics company with a friend for a couple of years. Mike moved back to Kansas and obtained his MBA, spent a few years building a marketing company, and then moved on his next career milestone as a Registered Rep for Investacorp, a Miami based broker-dealer.
In 1996, Mike joined Curtis & Associates as an Investment Advisor and in 2009 became a Partner with the firm. He is an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) and holds multiple licenses including Series 7 General Securities Representative, Series 24 General Securities Principal, and Life, Accident and Health. Although Mike focuses on the investment side of a client's portfolio, he is aware of how permanent life insurance and other benefits coverage can play a vital role in a client's asset allocation and total net worth. This contributes to the success of creating a holistic financial plan for clients of Curtis and Associates and also works well when collaborating with the professional advisors, both inside and outside of the firm.
Job Titles:
- Business Consultant
- Business Consultant, Corporate Benefits
As a Business Consultant specializing in Corporate Benefits with Curtis & Associates, Tim strives to provide excellent service to business clients. He works in partnership with key decision makers and their teams to shape their benefits packages and to evaluate policies in order to guide clients through important changes and decisions. Tim's expertise spans across executive and employee benefits, health insurance and life insurance. As an individual who values building and maintaining close relationships, he has a particular fondness for small to mid-size privately held businesses who also value those relationships.
Growing up, Tim was introduced to the industry early on as his father owned a financial planning firm. He recalls his father's partner who managed employee benefits had the luxury of a flexible schedule, while focusing on building quality relationships with clients. This early exposure to the industry and to his father's business stuck with him and taught him a strong work ethic that expands outside of the traditional 9-5 workday, which he has carried through in his entire professional career.
Tim started college at Texas Christian University and finished up his degree at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, with a focus on criminal justice. Upon graduation, Tim pivoted his career and obtained a job with a well-known healthcare company, where he spent two years before moving on to his next career milestone working more closely with key decision makers in the corporate benefits and business consulting world.
Tim remembered observations from his youth of the corporate benefits industry and found himself drawn to the profession by the opportunity to work closely with clients, flexible schedule, and the idea of a career potential with no ceiling. But his move to Curtis and Associates was connected to Tim's past in more ways than one: his father was also an acquaintance of founder, Tom Curtis and through that connection, he began working at the firm in 2000.
Outside of work, Tim jokes that he spends his time as a personal chauffeur for his daughter. The two of them spend a lot of time together, enjoying outdoor activities such as riding bikes and weekend RV camping trips by the lake, to playing wiffleball, to a friendly and competitive game on Nintendo Switch. Tim enjoys playing traditional golf and is also an avid disc golfer and makes good use of the 42 disc golf courses in the Kansas City area. Additionally, Tim is a member of a LINK networking group where he meets with others in the business to stay in touch and share best practices.