Why we exist
At Ascend Planning Partners, we exist to elevate lives, not just portfolios. We believe every person we encounter deserves to feel seen, heard, and free to focus on what truly matters.
That belief is woven into how we serve our clients, grow our team, and build an enduring firm rooted in shared values. We’re not just here to manage wealth—we’re here to make a meaningful difference.
We start with listening, bring clarity to decisions, and build every plan with purpose. Our long-term vision is to scale a firm grounded in integrity, empathy, and excellence—a firm that can serve thousands with wisdom, care, and joy.
We’re building the systems, team, and culture today that will make this vision real and allow each of us to thrive while doing work that matters.
How we think about your money
Tax planning is not optional
Most advisors treat taxes as something to deal with in April. We treat tax strategy as a core part of the plan itself — because how you draw down your accounts can matter as much as how you invested them.
Understand your plan, don’t just trust it
We explain the “why” behind every recommendation, so you’re making informed decisions, not blind ones.
Planning doesn’t stop at the plan
We stay involved through implementation — the paperwork, the account transfers, the Medicare enrollment deadlines — because a great plan that never gets executed doesn’t help you.
Why you’ll know more than one of us
You’ll always have one lead advisor assigned as your primary point of contact — the person who knows your plan best and is your first call. But we’re built as a team, not a collection of solo practices, so the right specialist gets looped in whenever your situation calls for it. Someone working primarily with Brandon, for example, might have Koren join a conversation for a complex tax question. Lisa keeps communication moving day to day no matter who your lead advisor is. The goal is simple — your plan should never depend on any one person’s calendar or memory.
Working with your other professionals
We regularly coordinate with CPAs and estate attorneys to make sure your financial plan, your tax return, and your estate documents are all telling the same story. If you already have professionals you trust, we work alongside them — not around them.
Meet the team
Koren Vining — CEO & Founder, Financial Planner & Wealth Advisor, CFP®, CRC®, CSSCS® — Schedule with Koren
Ann Speer — Wealth Advisor — Schedule with Ann
Steve Sherman — Wealth Advisor — Schedule with Steve
Brandon Speer — Wealth Advisor — Schedule with Brandon
Lisa Dameron — Client Services
Lisa Dameron manages day-to-day communication for every client, regardless of lead advisor — so questions get answered quickly no matter who you’re assigned to. Extended planning support is provided by Quin Solamo and Zarina Sullivan, MBA, CFP®, CDFA, of Cetera’s Financial Plan Design Group — specialists who support the technical drafting behind your plan.
Independent advice, built on a strong platform
Ascend Planning Partners is an independent firm. Every advisor on our team is an independent financial professional — the advice you receive is ours, built around your situation, not a product menu handed down from a parent company.
Cetera
Our broker-dealer and platform partner. Cetera provides the technology, custody, trading systems, compliance infrastructure, and best-in-class education and support that let our team focus on planning rather than operations.
Ascend Planning Partners
Our firm, and the team you work with directly. We provide comprehensive financial planning, advisory account management, brokerage advice and implementation, and access to life, disability, and long-term care insurance, annuities, and corporate retirement plans — with fully independent advice in every case.
Dedicated trading specialists
We don’t trade your accounts ourselves. Day-to-day trading within advisory accounts is handled by dedicated portfolio management specialists, so your investments are actively overseen by professionals whose full-time job is trading — while your advisor’s full-time job is your plan.