Our Team

“Being someone’s trusted advisor is a tremendous compliment. Understanding your goals is the vital first step in the process of becoming your Personal CFO.”

Chad Schumacher is a founding principal of Tradition Wealth Management. His primary focus is on building and preserving wealth for individuals and businesses. The approach with his multigenerational client base is to serve as the “Personal CFO” for the families and business owners. The full integration of his planning work is to get a deep understanding of the people he works with and match their goals and values to a life plan.

Prior to launching Tradition Wealth Management, Chad was a Private Client Manager for a large national financial institution. In addition, he was a relationship manager for two Fortune 500 companies and worked with their executives on strategic planning opportunities.

Chad works closely with his team of professionals to attend to all of his clients’ needs and implement appropriate investment strategies. His experience in the investment markets, emphasis on technical risk management, and diligent efforts to understand his clients have helped to expand his referral-only practice.

Chad is very involved with the community and attends numerous charity events each year. He lives with his wife and their three children in Prior Lake, Minnesota. His interests, other than the passion for his family and profession, rest in a round of golf or a local sporting event.

"I believe in the power of giving back."

With more than 30 years of experience in the financial services field, Brad Johnson has continuously built lifelong, trusting relationships with individuals, corporate executives, and business owners. Brad ensures that these challenges will be met through rigorous attention to detail and a relentless commitment to follow-through.

He excels throughout the range of financial planning stages. Because each client is unique, Brad incorporates specific objectives, circumstances, time horizons, and risk temperaments for each of his client relationships.

Brad began his journey at the University of Colorado where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He then went on to attain the Accredited Asset Management Specialist designation from the College for Financial Planning and is a Qualifying Member of the Million Dollar Round Table. 

Brad resides in Edina with his wife and has two adult children. When Brad is not busy serving his local community, he enjoys spending time with his family and networking.

"My role is to help you make smart, well-informed decisions that will provide you with greater financial independence and security. My goal is to be your trusted advisor."

Tim Gunderson is an Investment Advisor and Partner at Tradition Wealth Management. He has worked in the industry for twenty-two years and specializes in retirement planning and rollovers from company-sponsored retirement plans.

Tim is a Certified Financial Planner® Practitioner, certified by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in Denver, Colorado. He is a Registered General Securities Principal and holds the Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) and Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter® (CPCU®) designations. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Tim serves on the Board of Trustees for the Courage Kenny Foundation. During his free time, he enjoys running, tennis and golfing.

Private Wealth Advisor Eric Peyton of Tradition Wealth Management is passionate about assisting clients as they navigate their complex financial lives. Eric and his team provide comprehensive investment management and multigenerational wealth planning for families. He works closely with each client's estate attorney and CPA to tailor asset allocation solutions with a focus on tax efficiency. In a constantly changing world, Eric strives to help clients feel confident about their financial and legacy plans.

In his free time Eric enjoys hiking, hunting and spending time with his wife and three sons.  

"My mission is to simplify my clients lives by reducing the time and stress associated with handling assets."

Ryan Haag entered the financial services industry in 1993. His many years of experience help empower his high-net-worth families, business owners and farmers as they work to achieve financial independence. Ryan affords his clients the opportunity to preserve their estates so that their hard-earned wealth is sustainable for generations to come. He shows his clients how to “pull it all together” and become as financially organized as possible.

Ryan has extensive experience and acumen in servicing his high-net-worth clientele. Ryan specializes in working with those who are “too busy,” “already have enough advisors,” and “have it all done.” Results of our firm’s time-tested financial planning process driven by our client’s financial and non-financial objectives is simply greater client understanding and increased sense of security.  Ryan helps his clients take action with a sense of confidence while keeping the financial planning process manageable. We believe process breeds confidence!

Ryan earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification in 2000. He earned his Certified Exit Planning Advisor™ through the Exit Planning Institute. He is also an Accredited Estate Planner®, which is awarded by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) to recognize estate planning professionals who meet stringent requirements of experience, knowledge, education, professional reputation, and character. An AEP® designation holder must embrace the team concept of estate planning and adhere to the NAEPC Code of Ethics. He is a member of the Minneapolis Estate Planning Council as well as a member of the Financial Planning Association. As a result of Ryan being active in business exit and estate planning arenas, he helps clients with their real estate 1031 exchange needs through 1031 Delaware Statutory Trusts (DST's).

Ryan is an alumnus of Mankato State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business. Ryan was born and raised in the farming community of Elmore, Minnesota. He grew up walking and spraying beans for a local farming family who are now financial planning clients. He and his wife, Brenda, live in Bloomington, Minnesota, with their children Jack and Caroline. They enjoy spending time together outdoors and are avid mountain bikers, snowmobilers, and boaters. Their family is also very active in their community and church.

“My passion is to help employers think differently about their plans and help them make decisions that will impact their employees in a meaningful way. Even decisions that appear to be small on the surface can have a large impact on results.”

Jon Michelizzi is an Investment Advisor Representative and Director of Retirement Plans for Tradition Wealth Management. He is dedicated to the pursuit of improving employee outcomes in 401(k), 403(b) and other retirement plans.

Prior to joining Tradition Wealth Management, he represented two multi-billion-dollar retirement recordkeepers. He brings more than 20 years of experience and best practices to the role as an independent retirement plan advisor.

"Over time, I’ve been able to work with decision-making committees to develop efficient models for managing their decisions," says Jon. "Helping them make changes that improve their employees’ experience and outcomes. This is accomplished by using proven fundamental concepts in conjunction with new innovations developed in the industry."

Jon's specific knowledge areas include:

• Fiduciary Management
• Fiduciary Outsourcing
• Fee Benchmarking
• Behavioral Finance
• HSA
• Leveraging Technology to Link Data
• Provider Evaluations
• Target Date Selection Criteria
• Stable Value Fund Analysis
• Secure Act 2.0

Jon is committed to act independently with the client's best interest in mind at all times. He believes in personalized participant support leading to increased employee engagement.

He lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and enjoys outdoor sports including golf, snowshoeing, and winter camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

“My objective is to serve as your trusted financial partner – to help you arrive at informed decisions and enjoy the confidence in knowing that every financial matter is fully addressed.”

Julie Grey serves as a Private Wealth Advisor for Tradition Wealth Management. She works with individuals and families to help them achieve their personal and financial goals, advising on a wide range of wealth planning strategies, asset allocation, liquidity and overall balance sheet management. Julie’s goal is to help you feel confident, connected and in control of your financial life.

Julie has had a 30-year career in the financial services industry, with extensive experience in helping clients preserve and grow their wealth. Prior to joining Tradition Wealth Management, she was an institutional investor at Ameriprise Columbia Threadneedle Investments and Piper Capital Management. At the former, Julie was part of a team that managed $20 billion of assets for institutional clients such as 401(k) plans, state pension plans and sovereign funds as well as two mutual funds. At Piper, she was the chair of the Credit Committee for money market investments.

Julie holds the professional designations of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) and Certified Public Accountant. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Julie shares her time between Minnetonka, Minnesota, and Scottsdale, Arizona, and enjoys hiking, reading and visiting her two grown daughters in New York City. She also volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix as a tutor and at ICA Food Shelf in Minnetonka as a client service provider.

“Throughout my career I’ve worked diligently for my clients - developing retirement plans, financial plans, and personal economic plans - to help achieve the best results possible.”

Herb started his career in 1970 with the Hartford Insurance Group in Connecticut and Ohio. He returned to Minnesota in 1972 as a Managing General Agent for Aetna Life and Casualty, until 1979.

He then created his business, Benefit Designers Inc. (BDI), with two partners. After buying them out in the first five years, Herb ran BDI for the next 40 years. The primary business was retirement plans and working with individuals in wealth management. He later sold the retirement plan business and joined Tradition Wealth Management partnering with Tim Gunderson in 2019.

Herb graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor of Science in Education. He completed continuing education in Insurance and Management from the Hartford School of Insurance and earned the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) designation from The American College of Financial Services.

Outside of work, Herb has participated in boards of many nonprofit companies, and he enjoys fishing and travel. He and his wife Ann live in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“Financial planning is about more than just good advice or investment returns. It’s about providing guidance that you can TRUST.”

Cory is a Financial Advisor at Tradition Wealth Management. He has been in the industry for around a decade working with clients and continuing to learn each and every day. Working directly with the partners of the firm has provided a wealth of knowledge.

Cory strives to use his financial and investment expertise to create personalized strategies to meet the goals of his clients. This is achieved by being committed to navigate and enhance clients’ financial situations. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Winona State University, where he studied Finance and Accounting.

Cory is very involved with the community and attends numerous charity events each year. He lives in Victoria, Minnesota with his wife, daughter, and dog. His interests, other than the passion for his family and profession, are in a round of golf or a local sporting event.

“I believe in building lifelong relationships with my clients through trust and expertise.”

Chris Leivermann is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional at Tradition Wealth Management. He has more than a decade of experience as a financial advisor.

In his role as your personal CFO, Chris operates as a fiduciary and is passionate about serving clients through a comprehensive financial planning approach and being a trusted resource for their financial needs.

Chris attended the University of St. Thomas where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance and was a member of the men’s hockey team.

He resides in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, with his wife, Caitlin, and their son Brooks. Outside of work, Chris enjoys spending time with family and friends, golfing and traveling.

“As an advisor, my goal is to create and develop meaningful relationships with clients. Understanding your goals and mapping out a path to get there is a tremendous responsibility.”

Carter is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional at Tradition Wealth Management. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth where he double majored in finance and financial planning with honors. Carter is passionate about serving clients through a comprehensive financial planning approach. His areas of expertise include investments, retirement planning, taxation, insurance, and estate planning. 

"I strive to help clients achieve their financial aspirations through trust and expertise."

Jack is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional at Tradition Wealth Management. 

In his role as your personal CFO, Jack operates as a fiduciary. He not only assists with your investments and financial planning but also provides valuable support for managing the emotional side of finances.

A Wayzata, Minnesota, native, Jack is committed to guiding individuals and families toward a secure financial future. He earned honors during his time at the University of St. Thomas, where he was also part of the Aristotle Fund.

Outside of work, Jack enjoys all types of activities including golf, basketball, softball, and broomball. 

Jeff began his career in the Printing Industry and worked in a Senior Management level in both Sales and Operations. After this he became an entrepreneur and started a business called Applied Bioprocess Containers which supplied Single Use Containers and Fluid transfer systems for the Biopharmaceutical industry.

After Jeff sold the business to Saint-Gobain, one of the top 160 companies in the world, he spent the next three years managing the Saint-Gobain Global Single Use business from the Plymouth, Minnesota, production facility. Continuing in the entrepreneur field, Jeff worked with two start-up businesses in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and Denver, Colorado.

Pursuing his interest in the financial industry, along with his long-term relationship with Tradition Wealth Management, Jeff parlayed this into his next business venture.

Christine is the Director of Operations & Compliance for Tradition Wealth Management. She has been a Registered Representative in the finance industry for more than 20 years and holds Series 7, 63, and 24 licenses in addition to the State of Minnesota Insurance license. Christine leverages her experience to ensure that operations are run efficiently and comply with the latest regulatory policies.

Christine earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education at the University of North Dakota. She is a devoted animal-lover and a long-time supporter of several local animal rescues.

Brenda Haag has been in the financial services industry since 1998. She assists Ryan Haag in the day-to-day processes of helping clients become as financially organized as possible.

She lives in Bloomington with her husband, Ryan, and two children, and together they enjoy biking, snowmobiling, and traveling.

Will has been a finance intern at Tradition Wealth Management since January 2022. After graduating from Edina High School in 2020, Will attended the University of St. Thomas where he is currently a senior. Will is in the process of getting his licenses having already completed his MN Life Insurance License, SIE, and Series 7 exam. After graduation in May 2024, Will is looking forward to a career in finance.