In an industry that is sometimes volatile, and uncertain, the notion of investing and financial planning can seem overwhelming—even downright daunting—to the average person. It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting your financial journey, in the middle of your earning years, or approaching retirement, there is something about money and planning that can leave one anxious and unnerved. Unless, of course, Ann Sparks happens to be your financial guide. Ann strives to be calm, reassuring and extremely knowledgeable when serving her clients.

As a Managing Director of Investments at Stages Wealth Management Group, Ann is a self-described “natural born planner,” a quality she believes helps her take a much longer view than most financial advisors. Her authentic passion for helping others is immediately evident from the get-go. From her thoughtful questions and discovery process to the way she constantly educates clients about planning and investing, her goal is to help people feel empowered, optimistic, and comfortable calling her about any issue having to do with finances.

“Helping people to create the financial means to pursue their dreams with confidence is what Stages is all about,” she says. “Solving problems and making people’s lives better are my two favorite things about this job.”

The eldest of seven children, she grew up in Grand Junction, CO. She credits her upbringing for her love of outdoor activities like skiing, swimming, hiking, and biking. It may also explain her determination, grit, and sense of adventure—qualities that lead her to explore opportunities others might overlook.

Ann is fond of saying that her favorite destination is anywhere she hasn’t been before, and that includes her clients’ financial futures. As their trusted advisor and wealth manager, Ann loves guiding clients in all things money including investments, retirement plans, taxes, budgeting, assets, liabilities, debt management, savings, and significant life events that could impact their strategy.

Several years after majoring in Business Administration at Colorado College and Oregon State University, Ann began her career as a financial advisor in 1983, achieving her Accredited Asset Management specialist (AAMS®) designation in 2005. She has also achieved Premier Advisor status with Wells Fargo Advisors.

Ann and her husband Doug reside in Denver where they raised two terrific adult daughters, Paige and Brooke. She is active in the community as a founding member of Social Venture Partners, in 2017 she was awarded the Philanthropic Leadership Award by The Denver Foundation. She is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Denver and an active member of The Central City Opera Yellow Rose Ball committee. Ann also served for ten years on the Development Committee for St. Anne’s Episcopal School. An avid reader, she attends two book clubs and stays active by skiing, cycling, and hiking—though rarely all in the same day.

When meeting John Mullaney for the first time, two things become readily apparent. One, he has a genuine passion for all things finance. Two, this is a guy you want on your team.

Born and raised on the East Coast, John’s strong work ethic developed early in his childhood as he shoveled snow in the winter and bagged mussels in the summers. In college, he applied that same drive to athletics, excelling in both football and track throughout his four years.

“It’s just who I am,” he says. “I’ve always had a competitive mindset and work hard to reach my goals.”

John applies this life-long pursuit of excellence to helping clients navigate the complexities of planning and markets. As Managing Director and Senior PIM Portfolio Manager, his primary responsibility at Stages Wealth Management Group is building smart, effective portfolios for clients.  This includes everything from comprehensive financial reviews of investments, savings, assets, liabilities and taxes, to the daily monitoring and analyzing of global market conditions for potential investment strategies. John views his role as his clients’ chief investment officer, responsible for strategically managing their portfolios for where they are now and where they want to be in the future.

“Helping people attain the freedom that comes with the potential of making more money is extremely rewarding,” John says.  “Every day, I help clients pursue their dreams by planning, investing, and managing their finances – and celebrating their wins.”

With a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Trinity College in Hartford, CT and a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) designation, John has advanced knowledge of investment consulting and portfolio construction and a talent for financial analysis and insights.

An avid skier, cyclist, and mountain biker with a soft spot for entertaining and cooking, John, along with his wife Karin and daughter Abigail, reside in Denver. When they’re not spending time in the kitchen with family or barbecuing with friends, the Mullaneys can typically be found enjoying the Colorado mountains – either on the slopes or on two wheels.

_{The PIM program is not appropriate for all investors. Please carefully review the Wells Fargo Advisors advisory disclosure document for a full description of our services. The minimum account size for this program is $50,000.}

When it comes to investing, Mike Zahler is what you’d call “deep thinker.” As Managing Director – Investments with Stages Wealth Management Group, Mike operates mostly behind the scenes digging into market research, risk profile analysis, investment analysis, portfolio construction, asset allocation, and retirement planning as the basis for sound financial strategy. Mike holds a Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) designation.

“I’m a pretty easy-going guy,” Mike says. “I generally don’t get overly excited about things. But researching investment opportunities that align with our clients’ goals and developing financial strategies to help those goals become realities is something I’m deeply passionate about.”

That passion for helping others presented early in his financial career and has grown steadily over the years. More than 30 years ago, Mike earned his very first client—a relationship he still enjoys today—on a plane flying back from a training session with Merrill Lynch. An avid conversationalist, Mike met a passenger concerned about putting two children through college. “It all started with a single relationship, and me wanting to help them support their children’s goals” says Mike. “There’s no telling where one’s education will take a person. I’m proof of that.”

Mike graduated with a degree in geology from Western Washington University and spent ten years working in the oil and gas industry interpreting seismic data and analyzing potential returns on company investments. He also taught seismic data processing and interpretation for three years in China. With marriage and starting a family on the horizon, Mike was presented with an offer for his next assignment:  a position in Moscow. “We knew we were not going to raise a family in Russia, so it became clear that a career change was in order.” He had always enjoyed researching markets and trading his own account, so in 1988 he enrolled in a Merrill Lynch training program and has never looked back.

On the surface, it might seem curious how a geologist would thrive in a career of planning and investments. However, you don’t have to dig too deep to unearth the parallels. Both involve crunching data and mining for insights that yield positive results. “The fact is, you never really know if the data is valid until you drill the well,” Mike says, embracing the metaphor. “We work hard to analyze the markets for potential opportunities, but it takes investing some money in the instrument to truly validate the strategy.”

Mike and his wife Cindy make their home in Lone Tree, and they often hike and bike various trails throughout Colorado and Utah. He counts Bryce Canyon among his favorite destinations but loves to spend time in Oregon, Washington, and just about anywhere interesting rock formations can be found. A long time pickleball enthusiast, Mike plays often and participates in tournaments whenever possible. He also enjoys investing his time in the community, especially when it involves supporting entrepreneurs. Lately, his focus has shifted to giving back in a different way—investing in his team and their future with Stages Wealth Management Group.

“Our multigenerational approach helps us relate to clients at all different ages and stages of life. It’s important that our experience and institutional knowledge is continually leveraged for their benefit with increasingly positive results over time.”

CA Insurance License Number: 0D07037. Resident State: CO

Lots of companies promise to “treat you like family.” For Caroline Hanzlik, a Certified Financial Planner® certificant who personifies the ideas of hospitality and authentic relationships, “Welcome to the family!” is entirely more fitting.

Caroline’s role as a Financial Advisor at Stages Wealth Management Group means she spends considerable time planning with clients, helping to identify their goals and determining the best paths to help achieve them. It also affords her the opportunity to lean into her gifts of hospitality, attention to detail, and making people feel comfortable—which includes events, webinars, and client appreciation activities. “It’s important to me that we create the very best client experience we can, and that our clients feel heard and genuinely cared for,” she says.

A natural born people person, Caroline regards getting to really know clients on a more personal level as the hallmark of successful, long-term relationships. Whether it’s alleviating a client’s concerns, lending an empathetic ear about an issue, or just hearing about what’s going on with their kids, Caroline has the unique ability to move into all kinds of conversations with a level of genuine concern that immediately puts people at ease. “I tend to focus on multigenerational wealth management,” she says, “so getting to know more about a client’s family is a natural topic of conversation.”

As the name implies, the advisors at Stages Wealth Management Group are highly adept at meeting people where they are regardless of age, stage of life, or familiarity with financial matters. And even though multigenerational planning is a complex process involving wealth transfers, gifts, inheritance, and tax implications, clients take comfort in Caroline’s welcoming demeanor and meticulous attention to detail.

“Sometimes, one of our greatest values to clients is to help them increase their financial savvy and demystify the planning process itself,” Caroline reflects. “Helping clients feel smarter about their finances and more in control of their lives is a big deal.”

While Caroline graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, she is quick to tell you one of the smartest things she ever did was to follow her instincts away from law school and into a financial planning career with Wells Fargo Advisors.

She met her future husband, Rob, shortly after moving to Denver. They love exploring the great state of Colorado, especially if it involves hiking 14-ers.  The couple recently embarked on an exciting new adventure, welcoming their daughter Sophia Catherine into the world on St. Patrick’s Day 2021.

While having a new toddler in the house ordinarily keeps one plenty busy, Caroline still makes it a point to be active in the community and enjoy time outdoors, spending a lot of time with her family at Wash Park and other locales around the Denver area. She also serves as a board member and treasurer at the Juvenile Assessment Center and supports several organizations dedicated to combating sex trafficking.

CA Insurance License Number: 0L79753. Resident State: CO

Make no mistake. Kenny Szulczewski gets stuff done.

From analyzing research and building plans to managing accounts and guiding clients through the latest advances in financial tools and technology, Kenny’s relentless pursuit of new, better, outside-the-box ways to solve problems and serve clients is downright palpable.

As a Financial Advisor and CFP® professional, Kenny is a total team player. Leveraging his strong technical prowess and robust financial acuity, he consistently strives to inspire confidence in the hearts and minds of clients as well as his teammates.  

“Diversity of experiences and representation from multiple stages of life is a big part of the value we bring to clients,” Kenny says. “I bring a strong technology perspective and a unique point of view to the team. Our ability to meet people where they are financially and develop a plan to help them get where they want to go makes a big difference.”

Originally from Wisconsin, Kenny earned his BA in Economics from the University of Colorado - Boulder. An avid golfer and snowboarder, his many family trips to places like the Tetons and Yellowstone made a big impression on him as a child, and he found himself drawn to the region after graduating high school. “You know that famous quote, ‘The mountains are calling, and I must go’? That was me.”

After college, Kenny embarked on his financial career with brokerage firm Scottrade operating in trading and platform support roles. Once presented with the opportunity to begin interacting with clients in an advisory capacity, Kenny jumped at the chance by joining the first Scottrade branch in Colorado to offer investment advice. When Scottrade was acquired by TD Ameritrade in 2017, the shift in culture led him to seek opportunities providing full service financial advice, earning his CFP® designation along the way. “When I met John and Ann, I knew Stages was the team for me,” he reflects.

Just like at work, Kenny likes being in the middle of things. Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that he enjoys the variety and vibrancy of living in the Golden Triangle neighborhood, smack dab in the heart of Denver. His penchant for versatility and innovation manifests in other ways besides his career. A self-described “extreme chef,” Kenny is a passionate cook who is always on the lookout for new recipes and in many cases, experimenting with his own culinary creations. He roasts his own coffee, makes his own pasta, and is generally fearless when it comes to exploring new combinations of flavors. “I try to look at things with an eye toward innovation and exploring new ideas,” Kenny says. “If there’s a new or better way to do something, I’ll find it.”

We’ve heard it said that there’s only one thing you can truly count on in the financial world—that the market is going to go up and down. Clearly, those people have never met Mona Hofman.

A Registered Client Associate with Stages Wealth Management Group, Mona lends her exceptional account coordination and advisor support to each and every engagement. As a registered Series 7 and Series 63 financial professional, she prides herself on helping clients feel heard, understood, and informed on through every step of their financial journey. From opening new accounts and ensuring client meetings are productive and efficient to smoothly handling day-to-day client requests such as account updates, bank transfers, and Federal wires, Mona never misses a beat. 

Operating both behind the scenes and directly with clients, Mona enjoys new challenges, new experiences, and continual learning—an ideal scenario for her as she supports clients and her team alike. “I much prefer interacting with clients in person or over the phone,” says Mona. “Getting to know people on a personal level and helping them achieve their financial goals is a real privilege.”

Born in Guam, Mona’s parents moved their family to San Diego at the age of two. As the twelfth of thirteen children, perhaps it’s not surprising that she loves being around people and is able to manage so many details so effortlessly. “We are all named alphabetically from eldest to youngest, so maybe keeping things in order and operating smoothly just runs in my family.”

Mona began her career in finance in 1984 on the institutional side with a California firm before moving to Colorado with her husband Ray in 2002. A frequent half-marathon participant over the years, she has maintained her passion for running, although these days mostly just for fitness. “It helps with my other passions, which include baking cakes and cupcakes,” she says wryly. “Ray and I also love traveling internationally and especially exploring the local cuisine, so running helps with that, too.”

They say it takes roughly 10,000 hours of doing something to become an expert at it. To say Lori Dummann has mastered the art of client service and advisor support is an understatement. With over 25 years of industry experience along with FINRA Series 7, Series 66 securities registrations, and insurance licenses to her credit, Lori has accomplished the “expert” designation and then some.

As a Senior Registered Client Associate with Stages Wealth Management Group, Lori’s vast experience combined with her excellent “deskside manner” translates into a host of client benefits on so many levels—trust and confidence are chief among them.  “One of my favorite quotes is from the poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou,” Lori shares. “‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ For me, that’s what serving clients is all about.”

Every day, Lori is working both behind the scenes and in client-facing roles, fielding requests, opening accounts, interacting with clients, and communicating with the team on operational aspects of the firm. She is also responsible for training new associates. While the industry is always interesting and sometimes stressful, Lori takes it all in stride, which in turn helps clients feel more secure in their financial situation. After all, there isn’t much she hasn’t seen over the course of her career.

Lori’s innate sense of hospitality and making people feel comfortable may stem from her midwestern upbringing in the great state of Minnesota, a connection that is proudly on display in her support of certain sports teams. “I’m a huge Minnesota sports fan, especially hockey and football. My devotion to the Wild and the Vikings runs deep.”

After having visited a friend in the area on multiple occasions Lori moved to Denver in 2008, trading her Land of 10,000 Lakes for the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. Outside of work, she enjoys the city’s many walkable neighborhoods, taking in the live music scene, entertaining guests, and exploring the area’s local dining establishments. A self-proclaimed foodie, Lori keeps a watchful eye on new restaurant openings, interesting menus, and specialties of the house. “I don’t like to go to chains,” she asserts. “Whenever I travel, I always order the local fare as a way of experiencing the world from someone else’s perspective. I mean, if my mom wants to go to a chain restaurant, okay...but only because she’s my mom.”

When you hail from Texas, you literally get used to going the extra mile. After all, it’s a very large state. But for Mallory Schmidt (and more importantly, for our clients), going the extra mile as a Registered Client Associate also includes taking care of clients’ needs and supporting the Stages Wealth Management team on a daily basis.


Originally from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Mallory’s journey to Colorado included several stops around the southwestern U.S., starting with her time at the University of Arizona where her studies focused on Communications with a minor in Business Administration—a combination that would prove perfectly suited to a career built on taking care of clients in the financial services industry. “I think there really must be something to the notion of southern hospitality. I’ve always been interested in people, especially when it comes to making them feel heard and understood,” Mallory reflects. “I think clients can tell they’re never just an account number with me, it’s always personal.”


After college, she headed 100 miles north to the Phoenix area where she quickly found her vocational sweet spot supporting financial advisors with the operations and client service side of wealth management. Her unique ability to balance daily action items and back-office logistics, along with relaying client information and responding to their requests in a timely manner, makes Mallory a valuable and trusted member of the Stages team. “Knowing there is an associate you can call whose primary role is to be accessible, responsive and knowledgeable about your account provides peace of mind,” she says, “especially during market corrections.”
 

Whether she is at work or spending time with friends and family, personal touches are Mallory’s specialty. She is the first to tell you that “hand-made” beats “store-bought” every time. From exploring local hole-in-the-wall restaurants and home-cooked recipes to creating a great customer experience and mastering the art of gift-giving, it’s the thoughtful effort that matters most. She enjoys arts and crafts, so she often makes gifts for people such as candles or a custom painting instead of buying something off the shelf. “And..,” Mallory remarks with a wry smile, “I’m a really good gift wrapper...like really good, with themes and everything.”


With her FINRA Series 7 and Series 63 registrations, great attention to detail, and a friendly, responsive manner, Mallory is the whole package when it comes to supporting clients and our advisors and we’re excited to have her on our team.

As a Client Associate with Stages Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, Elizabeth Schauer is responsible for supporting our financial advisors, mostly behind the scenes scheduling appointments, preparing client information in advance of their annual reviews, and generating any materials that might be needed—all areas in which she excels. But she is quick to tell you that interacting with clients is, and always has been, her favorite part of the job.


People can sometimes think of wealth management as purely about the numbers, but most people find talking about their finances extremely personal. “Understanding that about people,” Elizabeth asserts, “and helping them experience peace of mind by truly getting to know them is an essential part of what we do.”


Elizabeth knows from personal experience the value she brings to clients and to our advisors; she was an integral part of our team for over seven years prior to taking a break to care for her four young children. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a break,” she says with a smile. “More like a different kind of investing.”
Originally from Iowa, Elizabeth earned her degree in accounting after having moved to Colorado in 2004. She started her career providing bookkeeping services for a realtor association—a connection that eventually led to an introduction to Mike Zahler, who hired her onto the team. With her kids now older and more self-sufficient, she rejoined the firm on a part-time basis in 2022, expertly balancing her parental and professional roles in the service of her family, clients and advisors.


Elizabeth and her family make their home just outside of Denver and, like so many of us, they love the many outdoor recreational opportunities afforded by the Centennial State. Road biking, camping, and hiking in the mountains frequently top the list.