About

Jerry C. Wagner, a former tax and securities attorney, recognized early on that technology and hedge fund techniques could be applied to help individuals successfully invest while managing their downside risk. After spending time pioneering new techniques in market analysis, designing quantitative methodologies, and managing investment portfolios, Mr. Wagner founded Flexible Plan Investments in February 1981.

Mr. Wagner is also a founding member of the National Association of Active Investment Managers (NAAIM), a nonprofit association of registered investment advisors who use dynamic or tactical asset-allocation strategies to manage over $30 billion in assets invested in mutual funds, ETFs, and annuities. Previously serving as director, chairman, president, and vice president, Mr. Wagner drafted the organization's code of ethics, was a co-author of their performance measurement standards, and has chaired their mutual funds and public relations committees.

With over 40 years’ experience in the industry, Mr. Wagner has written numerous articles and white papers on the merits of active investing. He has been featured in Financial Planning magazine, Financial Advisor Magazine, the Journal of Investing, and other financial publications.

Mr. Wagner earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and an MBA in industrial relations from Michigan State University, and his J.D. from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan.

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With over 15 years of industry experience and over 50 years in law, John Iseman has ultimate responsibility for all legal support as the firm’s Corporate Counsel and Flexible Plan’s compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Mr. Iseman has been engaged in the practice of business law with an emphasis on federal taxation since 1968. Before joining Flexible Plan in 2001, Mr. Iseman had been in practice for various firms for 30 years. The first 22 years of his law career, he was a member of the firm of Dahlberg, Mallender & Gawne before becoming a sole practitioner in 1990. During his legal career, Mr. Iseman provided legal and business counseling to clients selling, acquiring, reorganizing, or merging businesses by bringing both legal and business experience to the transaction.

During the 1990s, Mr. Iseman served as General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer to Norbert Industries, Inc., a privately held contract manufacturer of precision machined parts for the aircraft and defense industries.

Mr. Iseman has a BA (1965) and a JD (1968) from the University of Michigan.

Jason Teed is responsible for the daily calculation of mutual fund trades, optimization of trading system models, development and verification of new algorithmic trading methodologies (up to and through completion and actual trading), proprietary asset-allocation design and testing, walk-forward optimization design and utilization, and fiduciary communication with clients.

Mr. Teed holds an MBA in finance from Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Administration, where he graduated magna cum laude. He holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

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Michael has more than 25 years of experience in financial services and capital markets. Before joining Flexible Plan Investments, Michael worked for 10 years as an institutional fixed-income sales trader before transitioning to the retail brokerage side. He has worked with some of the best-known names in the industry, including Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Charles Schwab, and Fidelity. He leveraged his experience as an advisor to join MFS Investment Management, where he spent more than seven years as a mutual fund wholesaler. He has held the FINRA Series 7, 63, 65, 24, and 55 licenses.

Michael served on the board of the John Winthrop School for Young Children, a nonprofit, early education school in Boston. He also volunteered as an activity leader for the nonprofit organization Horizon for Homeless Children. Michael lives in Oakland Township, Michigan, where he loves spending time with his wife, Melanie, and two children, Mairin and Michael. He enjoys cooking, good wine, boating on the lakes, and playing golf.

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Renée Toth, Executive Vice President of Flexible Plan Investments, Ltd., is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree (1990). Her responsibilities include oversight of all company Operations, Sales and Marketing efforts, as well as implementing trading strategies between the Research and Client Services Departments and maintaining service/trading guidelines among the over three dozen custodial platforms where Flexible Plan client assets are invested.

Since joining Flexible Plan in 1991, Ms. Toth has helped develop administrative systems and investment products with scores of mutual fund and insurance companies, trust companies, and qualified plan providers to promote a common ground in the active management industry. Ms. Toth has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Active Investment Managers (NAAIM), holding the offices of Director, Secretary, Vice President, President and Chairperson.

Peter Mauthe offers Flexible Plan Investments a wealth of industry experience and connections to one of the most extensive networks of financial professionals in the independent investment advisor community. Mr. Mauthe is responsible for new opportunities, developing new business initiatives, and implementing corporate and business-level strategies for the company.

Mr. Mauthe has been active in the financial industry since 1974, when he began trading for a living to help pay his way through college at the University of Miami. In 1979, he began his professional career as an independent market maker on the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

Mr. Mauthe has been integral to the success of many financial firms across the nation. He co-founded MK Asset Management, Inc. in Irvine, California, and was President of Trendstat Capital Management, Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona; Chief Operating Officer at Spectrum Financial, Inc. in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Principal in Dallas-based Rhoads Lucca Capital Management, Inc. Since 2010, he has also worked with world-renowned author John Mauldin in managing and developing various companies for the popular Internet commentator.

Mr. Mauthe has served as President of the American Association of Professional Technical Analysts and has served as President, Chairman and Director of the National Association of Active Investment Managers (NAAIM).

Jeffrey Ingalsbe is an experienced information technology (IT) and cybersecurity leader within the automotive, academic, and financial-services industries. As the chief information officer at Flexible Plan Investments, Ltd. (FPI), he oversees all aspects of IT to ensure that it promotes the success of the business. He is responsible for devising the company’s IT strategy and ensuring that all systems necessary to support its operations and objectives are in place. In addition, as the chief information security officer at FPI, he leads the firm's efforts to address risk by developing and deploying policies, processes, and technologies, and by engaging employees and business partners in sound cybersecurity practices.

Before joining FPI, Mr. Ingalsbe was an assistant professor and chair of the Computer Information Systems and Information Assurance Department at the University of Detroit Mercy. He has also served as director of the Center for Cyber Security and Intelligence Studies, where he coordinated cybersecurity strategy efforts with government entities, other universities, law enforcement agencies, and industry entities. Mr. Ingalsbe also spent 14 years at Ford Motor Company, where he held a variety of IT and security-related positions. He led complex threat-modeling efforts on strategically important enterprise initiatives, managed research for directors and VPs, and represented Ford on U.S. Department of Homeland Security national working groups.

Melissa Karas is responsible for creating and implementing marketing strategies, programs, and communications that further Flexible Plan Investments’ (FPI) reputation as a trusted partner in wealth management. This includes developing and coordinating marketing campaigns, social and traditional media communications, events, and cross-departmental projects to promote FPI products and services to the independent broker-dealer and registered investment adviser community.

Ms. Karas has been a part of the FPI family since 2011. She is a graduate of Michigan State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication with an emphasis on organizational communication, a minor in public relations, and a business cognate. (Go green!)