First wisdom, then wealth

Discover unwavering confidence through your retirement years.

Our qualified team is committed to supporting and guiding you every step of the way by creating a strong financial future that meets your specific needs. Honesty, integrity, and the Golden Rule are at the core of how we operate.

Why Choose Us

We are independent & full service.

We are not owned by any insurance or investment companies. This means we can give truly objective advice. As a registered investment advisory firm, we are fiduciaries and are required to act in our client’s best interest. That comes naturally for our team as it’s part of our core company values.

We show people how to make work optional.

If you get to the point in your life where you are only working because you want to and not because you have to…this is true financial freedom! Making work optional is a very worthy goal. This means you have options, and options make you feel wealthy.

We are education-based.

As a former teacher, our founder has built Wise Wealth on the foundation of wisdom. Our slogan is “First Wisdom, Then Wealth” which means we provide education and wisdom before building successful financial plans. Our clients receive continued education on specific retirement topics through our Wise Wealth University and Summer Education Series classes.

Meet the team
As Seen On

Stephen Stricklin, CFP®, CKA®

President & CEO

Stephen is the president and founder of Wise Wealth, LLC, an independent, full-service wealth management firm. After starting his career as a teacher and a coach, Stephen took his passion for educating others and adapted it to the financial services industry. He worked as a representative of an insurance company and an advisor of a national investment brokerage firm, before launching Wise Wealth. The slogan he developed as he began remains the cornerstone of his firm and its advisors: First Wisdom, Then Wealth

Stephen is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, a Certified Kingdom Advisor™, and he holds insurance and securities licenses. He is the author of the book, “Simplify Your Retirement” and the founder of the Simplify Your Retirement® educational workshop. Stephen has served as financial advisor counsel for the Insured Retirement Institute for several years. In 2022, he earned a national award “Advisor to Watch” for being one of the fastest-growing firms, among other criteria.

Stephen believes financial peace comes from having a plan which is the basis for all other decisions. He believes in listening to his clients and creating customized financial plans based on their unique needs and goals. He enjoys working with business owners, professionals, families, and individuals who believe that wealth is a tool that needs to be managed wisely to produce the best results. 

More than being a fiduciary, Stephen and his team believe in the timeless principle known as the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would want to be treated. He has built and trained a qualified and competent group of financial professionals who share his values and philosophy.

Stephen is married and has four children and resides in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. He enjoys traveling, spending time with his family, and is an avid sports fan. He is active in his local church, sits on several non-profit boards, is involved in international missions, and is a significant contributor to many philanthropic endeavors.

Ben Malick, CFA®, CKA®

Vice President & CIO

Paul C. Brock

Vice President & COO

Becca Ollar, CPA

Director of Tax Services

Melissa Daigle, CFP®

Sr. Financial Advisor

Nick Phillips

Financial Advisor

Brandon Smith, CRPS®

Financial Advisor

Hannah Noel

Director of Operations

Brooke Arnold

Director of Client Services

Ashley Selk

Marketing Director
INDEPENDENT BRANCHES
Samantha M. Compton
Senior Financial Advisor
Jonathan Dold, MBA
Senior Financial Advisor
David Sandhu, CRPC®
Senior Financial Advisor
Brian K. Wronko
President & CEO
Our Affiliations

Building investment models that follow biblical principles.

Simplify Your Retirement® is a proprietary retirement workshop, podcast, and book.

What does your ideal retirement look like?

The ideal retirement is being able to focus on what matters most to you, whether that’s spending time with grandkids, traveling, or pursuing new hobbies. At Wise Wealth, we believe that protecting your lifelong savings and building a comprehensive financial plan is key to achieving this goal. Our mission is to provide you with the confidence you need to fully embrace retirement so that you can #GSEL® (give, serve, and enjoy life) like never before!

Ben Malick, CFA®, CKA®

Vice President & CIO

As Chief Investment Officer at Wise Wealth, Ben manages the investment offerings available to Wise Wealth clients. He enjoys helping people make the most of the resources entrusted to their care. He has been managing investments and providing advice since 2008.

Ben earned his bachelor’s degree in financial management at Northwest Missouri State University and his MBA at the University of Kansas. In addition, Ben is a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA®) and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation, the most respected and recognized investment management designation in the world.

In addition, Ben is a thought leader in a values-based investing movement known as Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) or Faith Driven Investing (FDI). His expertise has been featured in Forbes, MarketWatch, Yahoo! Finance, Credit Karma, and Investor’s Business Daily. He enjoys educating others on this important yet overlooked area of biblical stewardship.

Ben resides in Grain Valley, MO with his wife Shelby, and they have three children together. He loves spending time with family and friends, serving in the local church, reading, and anything competitive.

Paul C. Brock

Vice President & COO

After graduating from Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri, Paul worked in ministry for several years. In 2004, while living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an opportunity arose for Paul to take his career in a new direction—and industry—and he begin working for Allianz Life.

There, he moved up the corporate ranks and worked in everything from new business to helping policyholders understand how their policy works to helping advisors grow their businesses. It was there he felt something was missing. It didn’t feel right to him to only be talking about one company’s products. That’s when he decided to start a new chapter in Topeka, Kansas working for Personalized Brokerage Services (PBS), as an insurance product and marketing specialist.

In 2008, Paul started working with Stephen, where he discovered their background and beliefs were similar, not to mention they worked great together as a team. Their friendship and complementing styles continued to grow, and Stephen offered Paul a position at Wise Wealth in 2010.

As Vice President of Wise Wealth, Paul has varied responsibilities because of his unique background and experience. He focuses on case design, builds customized client plans, handles insurance and Medicare-related questions, as well as big-picture marketing strategies for the company’s advisors. 

Along with the responsibility of overseeing the firm’s day-to-day operations, he provides continued education to our team ensuring our clients that they will receive the same level of expertise no matter who they work with at Wise Wealth. His drive comes from his desire to help people, a belief that’s what God put him here to do.

Outside of the office, Paul enjoys spending time with his wife Crystal, and their three children, Tyeisha, Angel, and Christian. He is actively involved with his church and considers himself a connoisseur of great coffee, leading local caffeine crawls and brewing quality coffee at home.

Becca Ollar, CPA

Director of Tax Services

Becca Ollar works directly with our clients on tax planning and preparation. She specializes in building tax-efficient investment strategies by ensuring our clients utilize all tax savings, while also making sure they have a better understanding of their tax liabilities.  

Becca graduated from Missouri State University with her undergraduate degree in accounting, and her master’s in business administration. She received her Certified Public Accountant License in 2018 and continues to meet the requirements of receiving 40 hours of continuing education each year to stay up to date on all new tax law changes. 

Becca is married to her husband, Brad, and has a son who was born in December 2021. They enjoy taking trips around the country to find the most beautiful places to hike. One of their favorite trips so far was a road trip around the state of Washington, where they hiked over 20 miles. In her free time, Becca enjoys working out and running. She is also a big Chiefs fan and loves making homemade chili while watching the games with family and friends.

Melissa Daigle, CFP®

Chief Financial Planner

Melissa Daigle has worked in the financial industry for 25 years, with over 20 of those years spent as a Certified Financial Planner. (CFP®) She thrives on relationship building and using her experience to help clients navigate their financial journey in the simplest manner.

“I was raised in a family that emphasized a strong work ethic and saving to be financially sound. I respect that clients are entrusting me with the fruit of their labor. Therefore, I am passionate about providing the best financial planning education, advice, and service. I want clients to know that I truly care about them, their future, and their families. I invest a part of myself into the success of each of their plans.”

Twenty years of experience on the investment management side of the business enables her to provide the critical thinking component necessary for planning. This is accompanied by her compassion and genuine concern for the well-being of the clients that she works with.

Melissa completed her bachelor’s degree at MidAmerica Nazarene University and is state licensed in both Life and Health Insurance. She has held many securities licenses throughout her career, including her Series 4, 6, 7, 26, and 63.

Outside of work, Melissa can be found engaged in various volunteer activities at her church and within the equestrian world. In the summer, she and her husband Brian are often on their boat at Raintree Lake, with an assortment of their friends and family, including five daughters and three granddaughters. She enjoys healthy cooking, reading, crafting, and being physically active.