Cody Mendenhall, CFP®, Director, Investment and RetireAdvisers® Services, spends more time in clients’ offices than his own. He and his team work closely with their clients in order to communicate the results and importance of complex investment research and analysis. They also strive to continually educate and advise individuals to help them prepare for a successful retirement – financially and otherwise.
“We feel that the most effective way to get somebody ready for retirement is through face-to-face contact with them, discussing their goals and how to prepare for them. That, combined with our fee-based structure, allows us to provide people with retirement advice that is in their true best interest.”
Cody Mendenhall’s work at Pension Consultants involves a great deal of research and discussion. Every investment option offers distinct advantages and limitations, as does every investment strategy. That’s why Cody and his team pair meticulous research and vast experience with the goals of each of their clients to help them create a distinct plan. His approach to each client’s investment selection is qualitative as well as quantitative, examining not only the numbers, but the why and how of those numbers to enable clients to make informed selections.
But another key point to gaining a more secure retirement is knowledge. That’s why Cody and his team strive to continually educate individuals on the steps they need to take to be ready for the future. Cody says, “An industry-wide deficiency of in-depth education has created a population direly under prepared for retirement.” To combat this trend, Cody spends time with clients discussing how to improve overall retirement readiness.
A crucial difference between Pension Consultants’ approach to this process and other advisors’ is the scope of the advice they provide. While it is common practice to give participants an annual snapshot of how their investments are performing, Cody and his team can create an in-depth, multi-year profile of each client’s plan. They offer retirement analysis that draws from a comprehensive data set and make relevant suggestions for improvement. Further, they help to effectively navigate Social Security and Medicare, and prepare for life after a career.
Education, Designations and Experience
- Certified Financial PlannerTM practitioner
- Master of Business Administration, Missouri State University
- Bachelor of Arts, Biblical Studies, Central Bible College
Outside Interests
As a member of Springfield’s Rotary Downtown Club, Cody is an active participant in numerous community improvement projects. He favors those that improve the lives of children in need, for example, the group works extensively with The Rare Breed, an organization that serves homeless and other at-risk youth. Cody also volunteers for the Special Olympics.
What motivates you?
“Statistically, around 80% of the workforce say they’re not ready for retirement. Most people spend more time planning a one-week vacation or even a long holiday weekend than they do planning how they’re going to live for 20-30 years in retirement. The strategy of just handing people glossy materials to teach them about retirement is not working. That’s why we do things differently.”
